we say they are not the only Rule nor being compared with the inward Rule of God's holy Spirit are they above it but inferior and under it and ought only to be used in Subordination to it And if the Scripture were the only Rule as our Adversaries say then all poor Heathens should have no Rule nor Law and consequently no Sin nor Judgment which is false And we deny not but the Scriptures are a means of our enlightning as God the Father of Lights is pleased to cause his Light to shine unto us in our Hearts in the serious and faithful hearing reading and meditating on the Scriptures c. but not otherwise even as the Air or Windows of a House are means of letting in the Sun 's light to us but if the Sun shine not neither the Air nor Window can give us light 2. That they denyed the Manhood of the Lord Jesus Christ and affirmed that as Man he is not in Heaven This is a notorious false Charge which they can never prove And in this Treatise in several places I have given a large Testimony to the Man Christ Jesus in Heaven and how he is the Object and Foundation of the Christians Faith as the Mystery of his coming in the Flesh Death and Sufferings c. is inwardly opened revealed and applyed by the holy Spirit in Men's Hearts 3. That they deny the Resurrection of the Dead This is also a most false charge which they can never prove But because we deny their Carnal Conceptions of the Resurrection and hold us to Scripture-words which is most safe therefore they have so belyed us And for the more satisfaction of the Reader I refer him to a little Book called The Principles of Truth published by some noted Men of the Quakers in which Book it is expresly affirmed That we to wit the Quakers believe that the same Body which is laid down shall be raised up at the Resurrection of the Dead as much as a natural Body can be the same with a spiritual Body on an earthly Body can be the same with a heavenly Body according to the Scriptures Testimony it is sown natural but raised spiritual and the Glory of the Heavenly is one and the Glory of the Earthly is another And this may satisfie any sober enquirer And Paul writing concerning the Resurrection of the Dead saith That is not first which is Spiritual but that which is Natural or Animal and afterwards that which is Spiritual 1 Cor. 15.46 and vers 49. As we have born the Image of the Earthly we shall also bear the Image of the Hevenly He that readeth let him understand 4. That an absolute Perfection in Holiness or Grace is attainable in this Life 5. That they placed their Justification upon their Patience and Sufferings for their Opinions and on their righteous Life both which are grosly false Charges and the contrary of which I have shewed in this Treatise at length in their proper places 6. They allowed not nor practised any civil Respect to Magistrates Parents c. This also is grosly false there are divers other ways sufficient whereby to shew both our Civil and Christian Respect to Magistrates and Parents c. without either doffing the Hat or cringing and that both in Words and Gestures There are only two other things which he chargeth that we grant to be true but deny them to be either damnable or corrupt Doctrin but affirm them to be truly Christian one is That all Men ought to attend to the Light within them to be the Rule of their Lives and Actions But if this be corrupt and damnable Doctrin he accuseth his own Brethren who in their Confession of Faith say That there are many Sins that Men commit against the Law or Light of Nature as they call it which are the more hainous And surely that is a Light within them and is e'en so far a Rule of Life containing as is commonly acknowledged the Substance of the ten Commandments see their answer to Quest 151. larger Catechism But we do not say That that general Illumination that is in all men many of whom have not the Scriptures is a Rule to oblige them to believe and receive these great Mysteries of Christianity declared in the Scriptures which they who have not the Scriptures have not revealed unto them The other is That we deny the use of Oaths But this is no corrupt but truly Christian Doctrin which saith Swear not at all Mat. 5.34 It is a marvelous thing that these Men have no other ways to oppugne the Quakers but by grose 〈…〉 Lies and false Calumnies and 〈◊〉 Abuses like unto the ways that ever the 〈◊〉 sort of the Adversaries of Truth have used against the true Witnesses of it It had been more Manly and seemingly Christian for Increase Mather and Nath. Morton or any others of their Sect or Society fairly to have stated the Quakers Principles and then to have gone and refuted them by the best or strongest Arguments they could find But this none of them have done nor did I ever see to this day any one Writer that did write against the Quakers that did fairly state their Principles but miserably belyed and abused them either by affirming things to be their Principles which were not or by so unfairly representing and wresting the Words of our honest Friends by their Addings and Diminishings that they could not at all acknowledge them as such All which is a manifest Evidence of the weakness badness of their Cause as well as of that evil Conscience that is in them when they use such unlawful ways and means to defend themselves or to oppugne others Read and well consider Ezekiel 9.3.4 1 Cor. 5.2
now by your words no Quaker because as ye suppose he bringeth not the true Doctrin is to be received into your Houses and if this be not a contradiction and a piece of Confusion like most of your work let the impartial judge And your citing places of Scripture so frequently contrary to the very intention and end of them as I have sufficiently proved in this Treatise I know not to what other thing I can better compare it than to Turkish Pirats at Sea who hang out an English Flag or Colours on purpose to deceive the unwary Mariners And as I look upon you the four Preachers at Boston above-named to be more particularly concerned in this Treatise so I do not except any others either in New-England or any where else who hold the same Principles with you but I do reckon them obliged either to confess to the Truth upon real conviction or if otherwise to produce their Reasons against that which we believe to be the Truth I remain your real Well-wisher and Friend The 21 st of the 7 th Month 1688. G. K. Postscript YE shall find the twelve particular Doctrins which I charged upon you and your Brethren to be false proved to be so in distinct Heads as followeth the first tenth eleventh and twelfth Articles in Cap. 1 2 3 4. of this Treatise The second and fourth Cap. 5. The third fifth and sixth Cap. 6. The seventh in Cap. 7. The eighth and ninth in Cap. 8. And the 9th Cap. treateth of your Visible Church and Church-Government and the 10th of your Sacraments and Sabbath-day There are many other things in your said Confession and Catechism contrary to the Truth and Doctrin of the holy Scriptures which I have passed by at present but these I have here examined and proved to be contrary to the holy Scriptures being the principal and some of them Fundamental I did find my mind most concerned in the which being overturned the other Errors that are built upon them shall fall with them A brief Answer to some gross Abuses Lies and Slanders published some Years ago by Increase Mather late Teacher of a Church at Boston in New-England in his Book called An Essay for the recording of Illustrious Providences c. and by Nath. Morton in his Book called New-England's Memorial THe said Increase Mather in the eleventh Chapter of his Book called An Essay c. relateth a long Story of three mad Quakers called Thomas Cases Crew one of them being a Man called Denham and two Women who went down to South-hold and they met with Samuel Banks of Fairfield the most blasphemous Villain as they call him that ever was known in these parts and some other Inhabitants of that Town on Long-Island where they fell a Dancing and Singing after their Diabolical manner and how at that time they proselyted one called Thomas Harris belonging to Boston to be of their way and how after some short time the said Harris was found dead by the Sea-side with three Holes like Stabs in his Throat and no Tongue in his Head And two other Stories he subjoyneth concerning these of the same Crew or Company called the Singing and Dancing Quakers the last hath in it a Relation how the said Jonathan Denham alias Singleterry and one Mary Rosse did many frentick and Diabolical Tricks and among others that he sacrificed a Dog at Plymouth-Colony in New-England And all these Stories he doth relate on purpose to abuse that honest and sober People called Quakers without making any distinction nor giving the least Information to the World how that the Body of People called Quakers do not in the least own these ungodly and wicked People mentioned by him called Thomas Cases Crew nor any others of that sort but have all along declared against them and shewed the greatest dislike and abhorrency of their Spirit and ways that is possible and all their mad and frentick Tricks and Freaks of Singing and Dancing or any others of all kinds And the People called Quakers have suffered more Abuses and Insolencies by that ungodly and wicked Crew of Thomas Case and others of that Spirit than any other People in these Countries whereof many sober People that do not profess themselves to be Quakers can bear Witness both in Long-Island and in Road-Island and also at Newer-sinks in East-Jersey how for many Years they have molested them frequently at their Meetings and more especially at our Friends general Meetings at Oyster-Bay and Rhoad-Island and divers other places And when the said Jonathan Denham and Mary Rosse were whipt by the order of the Magistrates of Plymouth there were some of the honest People called Quakers present who openly declared before the People That the Quakers did not at all own them to be of their Society and did declare their loathing and abhorrency of their Practices and that they could not own them to be sufferers for Christ's sake And though they assume to themselves the Name of Quakers and call themselves the new Quakers yet that will not follow that they are of the Society of that sober and honest People For it is not the Name or Profession that is the sign or mark of distinction owned by that People who own none to be of their Society or Fellowship unless they walk in the Truth as well as profess it and the Truth leads into all Sobriety and Gravity in all things but into none of these mad Gestures and ungodly Singings and Dancings under the pretence of Raptures of Heavenly Joy For although we own Singing with the holy Spirit and with understanding and discretion and giving Thanks unto God according to the Scriptures and the example of the Primitive Christians yet the Singing of such ungodly Persons we never did nor can own and we believe that Weeping and Howling and bitter Mourning is more proper for them And for Dancing it was never a thing owned by that People nor is at this day only Thomas Case and his Crew lately or of late Years have run into that and other mad Practices by Satan's Instigation nor does that Crew or Company of Thomas Case nor himself agree in professed Principles with the People called Quakers unless it be in some general things common to all sorts For they are plain Ranters and Libertines and upon due search and examination their chief Principle doth agree with the Presbyterian and Independent Confession of Faith rather than with the Quakers For these ranting Crew of Case's followers and himself do say That whatever they do they are constrained to do it and cannot do otherwise And is not this the same that your Confession of Faith saith That God hath fore-ordained infallibly and unchangably whatever cometh to pass without making any distinction And this Increase Mather hath exactly followed and imitated the practice and example of the ancient malicious and persecuting Heathens who when any unlucky thing happened to be said or done by any called Christians although they were no
Psalms and in the Song of Solomon and other places of holy Scripture for by the living Word of God as they come freshly and newly or immediately from the mouth or spirit of God the Souls of God's Children are quickned and kept alive as Christ said The words that he did speak unto his Disciples were Spirit and Life and man liveth not by Bread alone but by every Word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of God And David waited for the coming of the Word of God to quicken him to wit that God might speak unto him and he said I will hear what the Lord will speak for he will speak Peace to his Saints and to his People So here is God's Promise to all his Saints and People to speak Peace unto them and as he promised to his Israel in Hosea Chap. 14. I will allure or perswade her and bring her into the Wilderness or a solitary place and there I will speak comfortably unto her or as the Hebrew hath it I will speak to her Heart And this is an inward Speech And the Scripture Promises when God is pleased by his Spirit to apply them to the Souls of his Children is as real and proper an inward Voice and Speaking of God unto them as he spoke to the Prophets of old 5. And therefore the Scripture doth not contain either all the Word or Words of God as some say but many thousands of Words of God have been livingly spoke and utter'd by the Spirit of God to the inward Ears of his dear Children since the writing of the Scripture and daily are and will be to the end of the World And as it was said in the Apostles days the Word of the Lord grew and multiplied Acts 12.24 and 19 20. so ever since the Apostles and writing of the Scriptures the Word of God hath grown and multiplied and still shall and must to the end of the World and yet no new Doctrin or Gospel to be Preached but the same which the Prophets and Christ and the Apostles have already Preached 6. And as Christ and the Apostles expounded the Scriptures of the old Testament by divine Inspiration and Revelation of the same Spirit without propounding any new Doctrin or object of Faith unto People so why may it not be so now yea it is so that some at this day by the same Spirit do expound and open places of Scripture both of the old and new Testament and yet bring no new Doctrin And it is a far better way to have such Preachers and Expounders who open and expound the Scriptures by the Inspiration and Revelation of the Holy Spirit as the Apostles did than for men to presume to open and expound them without all new Revelation or Inspiration and who plainly confess They neither Preach nor Write by any Infallible Spirit And such mens Exposition who declare they have no infallible Spirit can neither be the word or words of God which are infallible but only the fallible word and words of man and human Imaginations 7. And as for the term Word the Greek of it being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I find it variously used and translated in the new Testament as first to signifie Christ Joh. 1.1 2dly to signifie Treatise Acts 1.1 3dly Communication Mat. 3.7 4thly Vtterance 1 Cor. 1.5 2 Cor. 8.7 Ephes 6.19 Col. 4.3 5thly Word of Talk or Discourse 1 Thes 1.5 6thly Reason 2 Pet. 3.15 Acts 18.14 7thly Preaching or Doctrin 1 Cor. 1.18 8thly Account or Business as to have to do Heb. 4.13 and 9thly the Hebrew word in the old Testament is translated Order Psal 110.4 10thly Matter Psal 45.1 11thly Speech Psal 19.2 and 12thly the same Greek word is used by Paul to signifie the empty and dead preaching of false Teachers 1 Cor. 4.19 And therefore whether the Scriptures may be called or are called the Word in Scripture rarely or improperly is not the proper state of the Question for it cannot be denyed and is not denyed but that rarely and improperly the word is used to signifie Scripture or Scripture Words either written or spoken and sometimes the words of evil men are rendred by the same Greek word in Scripture as Ephes 4.29 and 2 Tim. 2. â—7 But the true state of the Question is Whethâ—r first the Scripture doth contain all the Word or Words of God And this I justly deny for the reasons already given and indeed as the Word and Words of God are compared in Scripture Deut. 32.2 to the Dew and Rain that falleth upon the dry ground to refresh it and make it fruitful and the drops of the Dew and Rain are so many that they cannot be numbred which God hath been pleased to speak to the Souls of his People and still doth so nor can the Words of God be numbred by Men and therefore they are of a greater extent than all these set down in Scripture which may be numbred and also they are compared in Scripture to Bread that is eaten as Jeremiah said cap. 15.16 Thy words were found and I did eat them and as none can number the small grains of flower that make up a Cake of Loaf of Bread so none can number the words of God Secondly Whether the Scriptures only as they are outwardly written or spoken by the mouths of natural Men or heard by the outward ears or conceived only by the bare natural thoughts and understanding be properly and without all figure the Word or Words of God I say nay for the words of God are spiritual and of an inward nature as God himself is for the words of God are first and properly spoke to the mind and spirit of man and the outward words whether spoke or writ are but the signs of them as all outward words are but the signs of the inward thoughts of the mind which are the words of the mind or heart of man within it self Thirdly VVhether he who only talketh Scripture words and hath not the true sense of them doth truly and properly speak the VVord of God And whether he that only heareth them from man and hath not received the true sense of them hath properly heard the VVord of God I say Nay for it is not the bare Letter without the sense that is the Word of God properly understood Nevertheless the Letter of the Scripture in a figurative sense may be called the VVord as the Map of England is called England Moses his Books are called Moses and Isaiah his Book is called his Vision and John his Book is called his Revelation CHAP. II. Concerning new divine Revelations and Inspirations 1. THe places of Scripture which they commonly bring against all new divine Revelations and Inspirations of the Spirit of God prove no such thing as will easily appear to any that are impartial and unbyassed in their understanding if they will but read and consider them which places are these following as they are alledged and quoted by them called
and Religion but this doth not prove the ceasing of new divine Revelation but rather indeed establisheth it for the Prophets and Apostles who had divine Revelation were profited taught and edified by their Fellow-Prophets and Apostles and especially the latter Prophets were much helped by the Words and Writings of the fore-going Prophets as Daniel confessed he understood by Books to wit by Jeremiah his Prophecy the number of the years of the Captivity Dan. 9.2 And Christ opened the understanding of the Apostles to understand the Scriptures of the Old Testament what they did declare of him and Paul freely confesseth that the Scriptures of the Prophets were writ for his Learning as well as of other Men and yet he had great plenty of divine Revelation beyond what many of them had and David said he had more knowledge than his Teachers and yet no doubt profited by them and especially by the Prophet Samuel and others that lived with him and before him Next as to the sensible and intuitive knowledge of God it can be and oft is without all Words either outwardly heard or inwardly conceived I mean words consisting of Letters or Syllables such as are not the things but signs of things even as we have a sensible and intuitive knowledge of a Land by seeing it and eating the Fruit of it and drinking the good Wine or Milk of it tho' we are not hearing or reading of it nor thinking of any words that ever we read or heard of it And so often the Souls of God's people enjoy a sweet sight taste and repast of him in a deep inward quiet and stillness of mind having no words of any sort that can be expressed in Letters or Syllables so much as in their present thoughts or remembrance and this is the most excellent degree of Knowledge and as far excelleth and transcendeth the other sort as the sight taste and feeling of a thing doth the report or hear-say of it It is also acknowledged that oft it pleaseth God to joyn of his Life to Scripture words as Promises Prophecies or any others as we hear read or meditate on them and make them as Conduits Pipes or Cisterns or as Cups and Flaggons to convey the divine Influences of his Life and living Spirit of Life and love to our Souls but then they hinder not our Revelation to be real and true and proper Revelation as well objective as subjective for as in drinking of outward Wine in a Glass or Cup we not only see the Glass or Cup that revealeth the Wine but also the Wine it self and the Wine is the most desirable and pleasant and acceptable object of both our sight and taste and feeling so that we regard the Glass or Cup little or nothing for it self but for its use and service to us and if there be no Wine or other refreshing Liquor in the Cup we care not to use it it hath no taste unto us nor service but as the Wine is in it And thus it is with the living Soul that thirsts after the living God and to drink of his Spirit that quickens and refresheth the Soul when it seeth or perceiveth any divine Vertue or Life as God is pleased when how or by whom to joyn of the same to it in Scripture words either preached read or meditated it is very glad and most gladly maketh use of them and giveth God thanks for his great mercy but without Life be joyned unto them it is no more wisdom nor discretion to use them than for a Man to put an empty Flaggon or Cup to his Mouth to drink at it 8. But if they say There is no sensible or intuitive knowledge of God in this Life at least since the Apostles days as indeed it is most yea altogether most agreeable to their Doctrin who say All new Revelation of the Spirit is ceased then I say unto them they are miserable Comforters yea miserable and sad Gospellers to poor Sion they bring not glad but sad tydings they cannot say Behold O Sion thy King cometh unto thee they cannot say Taste and see that God is good they cannot say The Life was manifested and we have seen it and declare it unto you that ye may have fellowship with us they cannot declare the great kindness and love that Christ the Soul's Husband and Bridegroom hath to his Bride but rather their Doctrin preacheth him to be most unkind and unnatural never to let his Bride see him once all her Life here in this World nor yet once to hear himself or taste or touch or handle him or be embraced by him They preach altogether an absent Christ as some of them say Christ is not really and properly in his People or if present a Christ altogether either dumb or silent that being so near to the Soul as to be in it never speaketh one word in it and always hideth his Face and never giveth to the Soul one glance or shine of his Countenance But if they be ashamed of this Doctrin which yet is the very purport of it who deny all inward nèw Revelation and new Visitations of the Lord's love unto the Souls of his People then let them be ashamed to preach teach or write that there is no new Revelation of God and Christ nor no immediate or inward teaching no inward and immediate calling or sending to the Ministry and let them be ashamed to own themselves to be the Successors of the ancient Protestants who did acknowledge immediate Teaching and calling unto the Ministry and the Spirit of Prophecy and some of them had it as George Wishard and others whose Prophecies Fox in his Book of Martyrs hath recorded 9. And whereas these Faith-publishers at Westminster one while deny all new Revelation another while seem only to deny extraordinary Revelation as they term it cap. 18. section 3. is another piece of Non-sense or Contradiction for if all new Revelation be ceased as they expresly affirm cap. 1. sect 1. and 6. then there is neither ordinary nor extraordinary Revelation remaining according unto their Doctrin But the distinction of ordinary and extraordinary Revelation may in a true sense be well admitted by them who believe that divine inward Revelation is not ceased for among the Prophets Numb 12.6 7 8. Moses's Revelation far exceeded the Revelation of the other Prophets as is clear from Scripture and in that respect was extraordinary And we now plead for new divine Revelation we mean not extraordinary beyond what God was pleased to give to his Saints and Children in an ordinary and usual way from the beginning of the World more or less nor do we compare our Revelations with either the Prophets or Apostles by way of equality either in degree or in all the various manners and ways which they had then But we say in that one way and manner which was by God's inward appearance and speaking in their Hearts in the divine Seed and Birth we do plead for divine Revelation
Christians but only assumed the Name on purpose to deceive these malicious Heathens did throw it all upon the Christians without making any distinction And the like concerning these Rusticks that rose up in War against their lawful Princes in Germany and the mad Crew that followed John of Leiden The Adversaries of Truth did impute all this as the proper effect of the Reformation And thus also in Old England the ungodly Sayings and Practices of Ranters and Libertines have been odiously cast upon the People called Quakers whereas it is well known that the People called Quakers have always with great zeal opposed the Ranters and Libertines both in their Principles and Practices and have shewed their Zeal against them both in Disputing and Printing against them more than any People have done and have been a great occasion and means of suppressing that evil spirit in them so that little of it hath for many years openly appeared in Old England and the same Ranting Spirit is greatly decaying of late years in these American parts and we hope ere long it shall be quite gone And let the impartial judge whether it can be any other thing but Malice as well as Rashness as he hath shewed his rashness and folly in some other passages of his Life if not Malice that hath occasioned him for some time past to abscond and depart from the place where he preached at Boston in this Increase Mather to charge the Crimes of the Guilty upon the Innocent without distinction when it is notoriously known both in New-England and in all other places where the People called Quakers live that they never did own any of these People from the first instant that they appeared in any of these Practices And seeing ye of the Presbyterian and Independent Churches of New-England cannot but acknowledge that too many unlucky and unchristian Practices have fallen out and have been committed by your Church-Members as Whoredom Drunkenness and and the like c. Yet if when upon your first discovery of these things ye have disowned them and sufficiently cleared your selves of them we are more Men and more reasonable than to charge these things upon you And when Judas betrayed Christ his Lord and Master though he was one of the twelve and numbred among them should therefore this great Crime of Judas be cast upon the eleven that were Innocent Or when David committed these two great Sins of Murder and Adultery should this be cast upon the faithful People of God in that day who were in Society formerly with him Or should the Crime of the incestuous Person at Corinth because of him be cast upon all other Christians If this be not equal as all sober Men will say it is not equal it is no more equal but abominably unjust to throw the Crimes of Thomas Case or his Crew upon the honest People called Quakers of whose Society and Spirit they are not And the said Increase Mather may with the same Impudence charge all the abominable Heresies of the Manichees Nicolaitans Ebionites and all others upon the Christians because all went under that general Name of Christians in these days And these of Case's Crew they call themselves Christians and so doth Increase Mather doth it therefore follow that their Crimes on that only account should be charged upon him Let him see how he can answer to these things or any of his Brethren or Kindred for him in his absence It wanteth to be inserted in his Book that what hath befallen him of late is a remarkable Judgment of God upon him for his Injustice to the Quakers and his unjust charging the Innocent with the Crimes of the Guilty Nor is his last Story concerning one Robert Churchman living at Balsham in Cambridge-Shire in Old England related by H. Moor of any more weight or validity to discredit the Religion or Profession of the People called Quakers than the former Why the said Churchman had only some inclination to be a Quaker but we do not find in all the Relation that ever he was a professed Quaker and owned by that People and some Whimsies or Fancies did take him in the Head for some time that he supposed he was inspired with the Spirit of God and that the Spirit of God did speak in him And at last it appeared that it was not really so but that the Man was under some mistake or delusion or suppose a real possession of the Devil or was mad What can all this say in the least to discredit the Quaker's Religion or Principle Have there not been mad People and whimsical both of the Presbyterian and Independent Churches Yea doth not Increase Mather relate how that Ann Cole of Hartford in New England that was esteemed a godly and gracious Woman and I suppose a Member of some Independent Church or Presbyterian otherwise it is not like he would have so commended her that she was really bodily possessed with the Devil see his fifth Chapter but this doth not infer that either the Presbyterian or Independent Profession of Religion by Increase Mather his own Judgment is of the Devil Yea and some belonging to their Churches in New-England have very lately been convicted of Witchcraft at Boston It cannot be denied but that Madness and melancholy Whimsies and Fancies may befall some of all Professions called Christians the causes of which are best known unto the Lord. But it is altogether unmanly and inhuman as well as Unchristian to charge these things upon the whole Profession We have always asserted it that it is one thing to profess to be led by the Spirit of God and another thing to be really and in deed led by it We are not ignorant how many have both said and done very bad things under a pretence of being led by the Spirit of God and of having the Spirit to be their Rule and yet this is no Argument against the leading and rule of the Spirit of God no more than it is an Argument against the Scripture that many have done bad things and pretended they have had the Scripture to be their Rule in what they did as in the late Wars in Old England and Scotland when they rose up against the lawful Authority wherein many both Presbyterians and Independents were concerned they all did pretend they had the Scripture to be their Rule in what they did and yet surely the Scripture was no Rule nor warrant unto them in these bad Practices The leadings of the true Spirit of God are known both by the first Motions and also by the Effects and Fruits that follow after and that is to deny all Vngodliness and Vnrighteousness and to live Soberly and Godly and Righteously in this present World and to follow and be found in doing whatsoever things are true honest just pure virtuous and praise worthy and of good Report among these who have a spiritual Ability to judge of things that differ as too many have not And we are well
assured that the Spirit of God never teacheth nor leadeth any to think say or do what is contrary to the declared Will of God in the holy Scriptures nor to that holy and righteous Law that is writ by the Finger of God upon the Hearts of Men universally which is the substance of the Decalogue that God writ upon the two Tables of Stone And we readily grant that whoever pretend to follow the Spirit of God to be their inward Guide and Rule should be very cautious and wary lest the evil Spirit that doth and can transform himself into many Likenesses but always short of the Truth step in and deceive But there is a most safe and sure way for every one to be sure that they are not deceived and shall never be in any matter of moment and that is for every one to be faithful unto God in these moral Duties or any other things which they know infallibly and are generally agreed upon by all Christians to be good things for such have the Promise of God that they shall be preserved from being deceived And whereas the said Increase Mather hath writ so many remarkable Judgments of God that have come upon notorious Offenders on purpose to record them in Print and that he saith Cap. 11. We may not judge of Men meerly by outward Accidents which befall them in this World c. And some Lines after he saith Nevertheless a Judgment may be so circumstanced as that the displeasure of Heaven is plainly written upon it in legible Characters And in this he saith true but he should have added that such Men who can read the same must not be blind but have the true Eye opened in them otherwise they will make a wrong Construction of these things There wants to be inserted or added to his Book the many signal and manifest Judgments of God that came upon the People of New-England in general and upon divers particular Persons the main actors for that horrible Persecution they raised against that honest People called Quakers and putting to death four of the Lord's Servants for which the Name of these Actors and Abettors are a stink over many places of the World And of these Judgments in general the blasting of their Wheat generally ever since they put our worthy Friends to Death at Boston and the Indian Wars that soon after followed whereby many English were destroyed And after that but of late Years a dreadful Visitation of the Small-Pox called by some the Black Pock that cut off very many both at Boston and else-where of which they were fore-warned by a Woman that came from Barbadoes and went into some of their Meetings with her Face all made black for a Sign of what was coming upon them she being one of these People called Quakers and owned by them in that very Testimony which she declared she was moved by the Lord to come from Barbadoes to bear among them her Name being Margaret Brewster to which may be added the taking away their Charter and Power which they so grosly abused in turning the Sword against the Innocent one cause of which was their persecuting the Quakers unto Death and the manifest Judgments of God that came upon divers particular Persons notorious Persecutors of that innocent People are very observable as Major Adarton who joyned in passing sentence of Death against some of these Servants of the Lord who suffered Death at Boston who not long after was killed with a Cow and that Horton Preacher at Boston a great Persecutor who dyed suddainly as he was walking in his House after Sermon and Captain Davenport another great Persecutor who was killed with Lightning And though the said Increase Mather doth relate the suddain Deaths of both these men he altogether omitteth these great Circumstances of their being great Persecutors the which ommission whether it was wilfully in him or not I shall not determine But it is the more memorable that the said Major Adarton being warned before-hand of the Judgment of God he made light of it as I was informed by some in New-England who had the Relation of it from some that did so warn him being of that persecuted People And also it is very memorable how one of these persecuted Servants of the Lord called Quakers did plainly fore-tell that the House of Governor Indicot a greater Persecutor should be left desolate and become a Dunghil as did accordingly come to pass and hath been observed by divers to have been a real Prophecy divine Justice and Providence did so bring it about There are many other Instances and Examples might be mentioned some of which I refer to George Bishop his Book called New-England Judged to be there read and considered I shall only add one passage more which I was informed of and had it writ from some of the People of Barnstable how that from an honest-man a Quaker in the Town of Barnstable were taken four Cows with some Calves the Quaker's name being Ralph Jones who is yet alive and these Cattel were taken away by the Preacher of that Town his Son-in-law who had married his Daughter and returned to the Priest as a part of his Wages The Priest sent to Ralph Jones to tell him He might have two of his Cows returned to him if he would send for them But he never sent and so the said Priest used them and disposed of them as his own killed one of the Calfs and sent a part of it to his Daughter that lay in Child-bed she no sooner did eat a little of the Calf but fell into a great trouble and cryed Return home the Man's Cows I hear a great noise of them and so dyed in that trouble The Priest alledged the Quakers had bewitched his Daughter although it cannot be proved that ever they had any business with her But to what evil Construction will not Malice and Hypocrisie and Covetousness bend a thing Some time after the said Preacher killed some of these Cows to be eat in his House saying He would try if the Quakers could bewitch him and not long after he dyed even before the Flesh of these Cows were all eat The passage is so fresh in that Town that it is acknowledged by divers of the Neighbours to be true And as great havock was made upon this honest Man and upon many in Sandwich a neighbouring Town and in many other places so much more might have been expected had not their Violence been restrained by the King 's granting an Indulgence to all tender Consciences Next as to Nath. Morton in his Book called New-England's Memorial pag. 157. he chargeth the Quakers with corrupt and damnable Doctrin in the following particulars 1. That the holy Scriptures were not for the enlightning of Man nor a setled and permanent Rule of Life The which charge is false for we have granted that the Scriptures are a Rule of Life so we do still the best outward Rule that can be found but