like unto the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ The text you bring makes against you I grant the end of the Resurrection is That we might receive a reward according to the deeds none in the Body 2 Cor. 5. But it doth or say we shall receive the reward in the same Body wherein the deeds were done No the Apostle tell us in the same Chapter that this House or Tabernacle meaning his Body was but a groaning Burthensome thing and desired to be cloathed with that House which is from Heaven suppose a poor Tenant in a thackt Cottage should do his Landlord such faithful Service that at length he should take him out of that Cottage and Seat him in one of his best Buildings and therein reward him for his former Service do you think this will not be allowed or is this to deny rewards But you say you cannot possibly understand that the Quakers intend the same Resurrection the Apostle doth in 1 Cor. 15. I believe you For there is a veil over your Understanding which all your Wisdome cannot remove the Lord remove it And the Quakers may say the like to me for they believe some five things perhaps which yet I cannot possibly understand What then shall I speak evil of that I know not no let us wait in the Spirit of Love and Meekness and God shall reveal to us whatsoever he sees necessary for us in his own time Thus Beloved Friends I have given you and all that please to read me a faithful account why I writ that little Book called The Twelve Pagan Principles and the Reasons of that Title together with those Considerations which in my understanding ought in some measure to calm the passions of those who at first sight of those Charges thus seperated from all Sayings that might help them have been hasty to condemn the Quakers upon their account And that I intended nothing but to beget at least a moderate Language and Behaviour and to stir up others to the same work methinks the great condiscending and little better than beseeching way of Arguing I us'd might convince even W. R. himself Had I come forth with a Resolution to help the Quakers to a Victory though more than I think them sufficient to their own defense and that their Adversaries have both wanted and fallen into a confederacy I would not have talked at that submissive truckling rate of putting in or taking words out of their Sayings to facilitate their being understood No I would have betook my self to the more laudable Sanctuary of Rhetorick especially at a Pinch as W. R. doth page 37. where Figures honourable among some men lie ready to overturn these Charges with little trouble if better Reason had been wanting But W. R. himself satisfies you that my Pen was indifferent notwithstanding he would have me a Quaker for he says all along my Book that I have cleared T. H. of Forgery then I hope T. H. his Party cannot be angry And on the other side the Quakers making no complaint signifies they are not offended with what I writ And if this be not Indifferency there 's none in the world I have heard as if he commended the endeavours of that Quibbling Author of the Quakers Quibbles and that as an indifferent Pen if so he shews great blindness that faults me of Partiality I am of that mind had W. R. been guided by this Loving Meek and Peaceable Spirit of Christ when he began to write he might have expected a Blessing upon his Labours but let him know assuredly that while he is a Promoter of these unprofitable and dishonoarable Disputes the Lord will not hear his Prayers FINIS NOtwithstanding the manifest Innocency of my Purpose and Innosensiveness of my words yet hath W. R. published an abusive Letter to which he might very pertinently if he knew all have annexed one Line of his Title page saying Is this thy kindness to thy Friend I shall give you an account of the Principal matters in the Letter relating to my self but say nothing of the latter part of it which is all in praise of him to whom it was sent and smells too much of daubing and design Some Animadversions upon a Letter sent from D. R. at Reading to J. I. as London concerning W. L. IN my Account hereof I shall observe this Method 1. I shall tell you the Occasion of it 2. Somthing of him that Subscribed it 3. Of the matter contained in it concerning my self 1. The Occasion was briefly thus I the said W. L. being at the Barbican Meeting Oct. 9. and with grief of heart observing through the unfair carriage of some how unprofitable it was like to be to the People the generality of whom also not shewing that Reverence to the matter treated on though of a Religious nature and regard to the desires and Intreaties of those chiefly concerned that became the weight of the affair I sent a Letter to J. I. bewailing this and some other unchristian Passages at that time In this Letter upon the account of former familiarity yea and Church Society never before but now disowned I called him Brother as we usually did when we met But at this time it happened to be offensive A little while after I writ the Treatise mentioned in the beginning of this In one place of that Discourse I blamed T. H. for leaving out a Sentence of W. P.'s which explained his meaning in the matter of that Charge This thing G. W. taking notice of bids the Baptists consider how I their Friend and Brother had rebuked T. H. Now began ill blood to stir For some Baptists observing the Quakers to lay some weight upon this Brotherhood thought it greatly concern'd them to cancel that Nay W. R. is so troubled at it that in his passion he says I am a Quaker and concludes p. 53. that I avoid the name only that I might be serviceable in propagvting their Cause which is utterly false For though Paul made it a motive among the simple Idolatrous Athenians so perhaps it may be now among some poor weak People to tell them of their own Poets yet I do not believe Examples of this kind are of any force now meerly as such among those that are impartial and but of an ordinary Capacity However because I had endeavoured to procure any Charity for the Quakers it must be published that I am no Baptist to let all know that no real Baptist will offer to speak a word for a Quaker But I hope they are mistaken In order to this some sent down into the Country where I live and had a Certificate that I had not been in Communion with the Baptists here this seven years past And though this was as much as was needful to satisfie the Quakers that they might not call me a Baptist any more yet this did not answer the Design of some This Certificate was too fair clean I must not go off so They wanted
should say he seems yet to deny him Could I perswade him he should not write a Line more upon this Subject for I know the Spirit of Curiosity and Jelousie will never be satisfied but call whatever he says Masks of evasive Pretences Clouds of Impertinences c. Nay in all probability if he should write much more about it he would soon have others as loudly calling upon him to own the Divinity as now W. R. and many more do to own the Humanity for so it happened after his writing the Sandy Foundation c. 2. The next thing remarkable are the Reasons why he presents his Book to Mr. Penn. In the first he insinuates such an intimacy betwixt us as if he had a hand in Composing the Pagan Principles which in a word is false In his Second and Third Reasons see how plainly he contradicts himself in saying I have espoused W. P. his Quarrel and yet have layed nothing to Mr. Hicks his Charge when as Mr. Penns Charge is the only Quarrel as W. R. calls it and I never heard of any other betwixt them Neither have I espoused this any farther than in a moderating way betwixt them in Love to both which I believe is a Duty more incumbent upon many others for neglect whereof I desire they may not be accountable at the Great Day W. R. might plainly perceive that my design was not to Charge for in p. 4. I said My Intent is only to shew how small a quantity of Christian Charitable Construction might make these Charges passable among us all Again what a strange Inference doth VV. R. draw from my calling T. H. my Friend that therefore W. P. ought not to call him Forger may not one of my Friends wrong another of them and no necessity lie upon me to fall out with either or to interpose unless for the Reason aforenamed T. Hicks his Conversation has been reputed honest for many years and being willing to hope that in general it is so still I call'd him Friend and desire not to carry it otherwise towards him though I am no Friend to his Dialogues And if in them he has wronged VV. P. or others either by adding to or substracting any thing from their writings or by putting down any Answers for theirs which are not theirs which is to be feared he would do very well to follow that Counsel W. R. gives W. P. viz. retract and count it no dishonour to him It 's a difficult thing to turn Religious Controversies into a Dialogue without consent of both Parties for if he change but a letter he is liable to a lash unless he has been so careful to preserve the sence of his Antagonist that he cannot object against it and then no man can be angry You nay see by what I have done that the Quakers are not so curious of their words but that they will give us leave to put in such as may help us to a right understanding of their Principles when their own expressions seem dark unto us The remainder of what W. R. hath writ worth noting before he comes to the Charges contains a bad Comparison and a far-fetcht Conclusion First He compares me to him that intending to kill his Enemy with a stab let out the Imposthume But let him remember the Proverb mala mens malus animus The Imposthume indeed is somewhat proh dolor to the purpose For it 's greatly to be feared that there are too many inward Swellings of Pride Covetousness Evil Surmizings and Malice among many sorts of Professors this day And O how happy would those Pens be that by the blessing of the Almighty Physitian should be made Spiritual Love Lances to let them out But as for the other Part of the Similitude which represents me as an Enemy to the Baptists he does thereby eminently signifie his Ignorance and adds that which his last seven years Certificate will not countenance Secondly W. R. draws such a Conclusion from my Title Page as I think Zoilus himself would not have done Because I say these are Twelve Opinions for which T. H. has published the Quakers to be no Christians that therefore I confess they hold them If this be not a Quibble I never heard one And the root of it is this Particle for But is it not a common and plain form of Speech among us to say Such a man was posted for a Coward or accused for a Jesuite and does it follow then that he was so I doubt W. R. minds the Idioms of Greek and Hebrew so much that he forgets the Propriety of his Mother Tongue But what need all this when in p. 4. I say to prevent mistakes Think not I plead for them as if I my self or they owned them for both in their Books and Conferences they deny at least ten of them as they are layed down and construed by T. H. Alas poor Quakers Now I pity you more than ever no marvel if you complain so sadly of wrong Constructions Forgeries and Lyes when such plain words as these will not free me from a Confession I never thought of Poor Flock of Slaughter Zac. 11.4 I see your own Country men must not speak a word for you unless they resolve to be your Companions in Tribulation All words that can be bended against you shall and those that cannot shall be rejected as Whimsies and Impertinencies However I shall proceed to make some brief Reply But here I am in a streight for I see my brevity is liable to be filleâ— up with Words to make it speak Absurdities or contrary Sences And if I usâ— many words then I shall be counted 〈◊〉 man of words wanting Wisdome oâ— good Argument Well do as the Lord directs O my Soul and leave the issuâ— to himself 1. The first Charge against the Quakers is That the light in every Man is God Now because this Charge as it lies seem to fix many foolish and improbable Absurdities upon them as that when they pray they only pray to a God within them and that they make as many Gods as there are men in the world therefore said I to moderate the Charge prevent mistakes and render it more intelligable to every man put in but of and all is well And this W. P. himself doâ—s in p. 8 of R. against R. Where we have him thus answering T. H. about this very Charge and saying That the Light within present with us every where is to us the great proof of Gods omnipresence and therefore of God And in page 7 he blames T. H. for insinuating from G. W. his words that every Illumination is whole God And as much he said to John Faldo page 10th of Quakerism a new nick name Far be it from us to assert every such illumination to be the only Lord and Saviour and very God and more to the same purpose in that page And indeed in these places W. R. should have looked for W. P. his sence and not have
like they were not very far from him Nothing is more common now a days than to jeer with a Question Our Saviour himself was so served Mat 26.68 Prophesie unto us thou Christ who is he that smote thee The Third Charge That Jesus Christ is not a distinct Person without us To this I said as a Motive to Moderation That because this Definition of a Distinct Person without us is not in Scripture why should we impose it on them especially considering what Reason they give for their tenderness in refusing such Expressions because they occasion people to retain mean and dark Apprehensions of God and Christ and his place of Residence W. P. Count. Christ p. 79. If W. R. fears no such Consequences let him use them without Unchristning others that do not And whereas he saith It is shameful for a Quaker to refuse those Expressions because not in Scripture while he owns not the Scripture for a Rule I say it 's much more shameful for those that own the Scripture for a Rule to impose such expressions upon others which are not in Scripture they have reason to keep you to what you call the Rule But W. R. will prove the word Person yea and a distinct Person too from 2 Cor. 2.10 where the Apostle saith for your sakes forgave I it in the Person of Christ Here a grain of his Greek might have been useful For that which the Translators according to their Judgment have rendered Person of Christ whether it may not as well be read in the sight of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in conspectu Christi or in Christs steed I leave to more able men than W. R. or I am to determine There is sixteen more pages spent in this Charg which I can account no other than a vain florish to let W. P. see what W. R. can do if he be not constant to what he has spoken For these pages are chiefly spent laying aside the quibbles about the Ass in proving the Humanity of Christ which I told him the Quakers did not deny and brought W. P. his Confession at the Barbican Meeting to prove it viz. that we do faithfully believe the holy Manhood to be a Member of the Christ of God and a little after We believe the Man Christ Jesus to be glorified in Heaven This though VV. R. cannot dislike yet he will distrust and therefore says that when W. P. has given us some infallible Demonstration that he did not speak equivocally then and not till then do his words deserve my Cognizance What Unbelief is here Nay what a strange Demand is this for one that is an utter Enemy to Infalibility in the Quakers to demand an Infallible Demonstration from them Now that must be visible or else he cannot judg of it And what visible Demostration any Christian can give which may not be counterfeted by an Hypocrite I never yet knew The truth is W. R. doth ignobly to apply Aug. words to Mr. Penn viz. They speak it with their lips they believe it not with their hearts What is this in plain English but to tell the world W. P. is a dissembling Hypocrite and his word how sincerely soever given not to be taken for truly I will not believe that mans word in Civil Affairs whose solemn publick word I cannot believe in Spiritual But that you may know this is not such a new Article of their Faith as to hear date from that Barbican Meeting hear what Edward Burrowes some years ago said in his 138 and 281. pages of his works We prize the Lord Jesus Christ as God Man and own him alone to be the Foundation God hath laid Now if this be not ground enough for Christian Charity towards them the thing I aim at God deliver me from such Judges for I know not what can be farther urged in this partiticular to induce them to it The Fourth Charge is That Christ Redeemed himself This I said was but T. H. his Consequence and I believe he thinks it natural from some of the Quakers sayings But if they disown it as we see they do and call it a gross perversion of their words why must we not believe one as well as the other and give them leave to take those words of J. N. and G. F. in a Figurative fence as well as W. R. takes liberty to expound Isa 59.16 and 63.4 by a Figure For so VV. P. saith p. 63. of R. against R. they are to be taken and there he treats at large of the Redemption of the Seed and in what fence they hold it wherein there is nothing sounds like Heathenism or unworthy of Toleration in my understanding to be sure it cannot be called their Principle that is but his Inference But I think we need say no more of their Consequencing Charge for it is so harsh and sour there 's no fear that any sober man will drink it The Fifth Charge against the Quakers is That they deny the Scriptures to be the Rule of Faith and Practice unto Christians The first thing necessary in this Charge is to resolve VV. R. what I mean by VVe Vs and Our in this Discourse I Answer that now we are Charging them with denying the Scriptures I understand all of us that do own the Scriptures for our Rule And at other turns in my former book I understand all such ridged Opposers of the Quakers as for these Twelve Opinions render them as Pagans and Heathens and yet I would hope they do it from a zeal only to promote as they think the Glory of God and the Authority of the Scriptures And therefore my hearts desire and prayer for them is that they may see that this Zeal of theirs is not according to knowledge for the Nature of it is such as will directly lead them to joyn with those who when Opportunities are offered will fall to killing Christians upon a Principle of doing Christ good service Joh. 16.2 And I put my self among them though thanks be to God not inclinable to that Zeal because the Purport of the Book represents me as standing among them pleading as well as I could for a little Moderation towards the poor Quakers and not the Quakers Cause any farther than as it might admit of favourable Constructions for that End Neither can you say I am any otherwise guilty of Uncharitableness when I say let us be Charitable than the Apostle was of Cursing when he said therewith curse we men Jam. 3.9 But you 'l say the Apostle and they were Brethren but I am not in fellowship with these that now oppose the Quakers For your satisfaction in this Particular I refer you to my Narrative in Answer to the Reading Letter in the conclusion hereof and proceed to tell you that I perceive you cannot escape my Covering as you call it as narrow as it is I see it wraps you so fast that it makes you angry and call their book of the Barbican Meeting Scurrilous and
QUAKERISM NO PAGANISM OR A FRIENDLY REPLY To W. R. his UNFRIENDLY DISCOURSE INTITULED Quakerism is Paganism SHEWING The Insufficiency of what he hath Written to Unchristian the Quakers and to render them as Heathens and Pagans to the People By W. L. a Lover of Peace more than of Parties Let not them that are mine Enemies wrongfully Rejoyce over me For they speak not Peace but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the Land Psal 35.19.20 Nihil quidquam tam probe aut provide dicâ— potest quod non vellicare malignitas possâ—â— Just Lip de uâ—â Relig. London Printed in the Year 1674. To all called Non-Conformists who are Lovers of Holyness and Followers of Peace with all Men. BELOVED BRETHREN MAny have been my Perils at Sea and Perils at Land and now for your sakes I am brought to tast of those Perils which the unkindness of some and malice of other False Brethren have cast upon me The occasion they have taken is this No sooner was a breathing space of Liberty granted us to Worship God according to our Consciences but presently the Spirit of Strife and Debate entred into the Sons of Diotrophes and filled Pulpits and Presses with Disputations and Controversies against an Innofensive People about matters in no moderate mans Judgment Fundamentally necessary to Salvation and yet furiously prest upon that account by those who otherwise could have no pretence for their impertinent Zeal When I saw this Imprudence could not contain it self within the bonds of our respective Meeting places nor quietly be lodged in Booksellers shops for those only to read and buy that took delight in matters of Controversie but that Books of that kind full of bitter and disgracing Language were sent to be cryed about the Streets and in the Gates of our Exchange to publish our Simplicity and make us a Disgrace and a By word to the Merchants of all the Nations about us who certainly could not but withal Pity us though some do not pity themselves while we stabbed and wounded with such envious Tongues and Pens I say the sight and report of these things so pressed my Spirit that I could not forbear to write a few Lines only that I might signifie what a desire I had and many more to quench those flames of Zeal which under pretences of Truth are burning up all Christian Love and Charity among us I have good reason to say many for I cannot meet with one sober Christian of any Church whatsoever that is not grieved at heart for these unprofitable Assaults The Title I gave that small Treatise is the Twelve Pagan Principles This I foresaw would make a fearful sound But I sent it up with that name that you in the City might know what Language some taught us in the Country by their mincing Negatives for we know but one word in opposition to Christianity and that is Heathenism or Paganism though I confess this word Pagan is not so common as Heathen yet we know both signifie one thing So that when you tell us the Quaker is no Christian what says every Plough man then he must be a Heathen Again Sometimes an odious and shameful Name brings a thing into contempt undeservedly much more when it is deservedly and properly given My Design was to make Disputations of this kind contemptible and therefore I did hope the Name might make them nauseous to the people And I have the Apostle for an Example who when he went about to wean the Ceremonious Galatians from Elements calls them weak and beggarly Soon after I had published my Observations upon these Twelve Opinions collected by T. H. out of his Dialogues I was in hope to hear of more able and powerful Instruments as little Pearcers make way for great ones appearing in so seasonable and honourable a work as Pacification whose Wisdome and Prudence might allay the noise of that Passion which so much hinders the sound of Truth and produce such charitable thoughts and friendly Correspondency that the Government under which we live might be encouraged to continue our Liberty a peaceable Neighbour being a good sign of a peaceable Subject But behold O Friends contrary to my expectation another Goliah starting forth and in Hebrew Greek and Latin bidding in effect Defiance to Peace deriding and abusing my moderate considerations tendered only to incline the minds of both Parties to forbear farther Contentions about these Opininions And although he tells us in the first line of his Book That he designs not to traduce the Person of any man or wrong him in his Sentiments of Religion yet he has closed up with an Epistle which does both and that in such a Malicious and Contradictious manner as in probability may bring a blast upon his whole Design as I shall shew in the Conclusion It 's true I cannot lay the Epistle it self at W. R. his door but this is plain that if he had no design nor desire to traduce he might have sent me a Copy of that Letter before he published it and if I could not have satisfied him he had been blameless but now I may say qui non vetat peccare cum possit jubet But moreover though he traduces not my Person yet you may perceive a Spirit very unlike to a Lover of Christianity creeping along the Book slighting jeering endeavouring to sow Discord and create Trouble groundlessly charging me with Shifts and Equivocations and what this may be called I know not nor do I much care being confident that he who hath enabled me by his Grace to pass through good Report will also assist me to bear the contrary which all things considered is a burden more easie and less dangerous As touching the Book it self I shall not meddle with those matters in it which have already been sufficiently controverted but only such of those particulars which relate to my Constructions put upon those Twelve Opinions which were the occasion of my first Writing W. R. is much mistaken if he think to draw me to dance after his Disputing Pipe especially at such a time and in such a Cause as this is which one grain of Christian Charity would easily Reconcile In a word If the Controversie had not been serued up so high as to exclude the Quakers from the number of Christians and to render them as Heathens Pagans and Infidels to their Neighbours Friends and Relations W. R. perhaps had never heard of such a Title as Pagan Principles but hinc illae Lachrimae Having thus given you the true occasion of that Book and the Reasons of its Title I shall first take some notice of W. R. his Preface and then to the particular Charges as before mentioned 1. He begins with a Complemental Perswasion to Mr. Penn to own the Man Christ Jesus This is very strange that when he and others he especially hath so owned him in us plain words as can be desired to the satisfaction of so many that W. R.
is that T. H. rates the Quakers for making them necessary to Justification and that I think is as far from Christianity as the contrary is from Heathenism The Tenth Charge against the Quakers is That Christ fulfilled the Law only as our Pattern This word only being the occasion of this Charge I did endeavour to moderate and said That to an innocent understanding it signifies no more than chiefly as our Pattern which is far from signifying that there is no other end of Christs fulfilling the Law And W. P. himself mentions other ends in p. 79. of R. against R. But saith W. R. How can I count this an honest Sentence and yet will not justifie it And here he leaves out one half of my Sentence and then cries out I am very Inconsistent And well may I or any man else at this Rate But take all together and it 's thus This is an honest Sentence though I will not justifie it so worded and understood as T. H. doth For T. H. Prints this word only in a different Caracter that it might have such an Emphasis put upon it as was never intended for it And again T. H. understands or else would have others to understand by this word only That Christ fulfilled the Law yea and died too for no other end but as our Pattern of Obedience and Sufferings And if this be not his understanding of W. Penns Sentence this Charge is frivolous and of no use or advantage at all against the Quakers And this sence of it I will not justifie and I am sure W. P. denys it and oppugnes it Again W. R. queries why I call this Heathen Doctrine seeing the word Heathen is not so much as mentioned by T. H. I answer every Plough-man teaches it me from the Title page of his Dialogue by a better sort of Inferencing than helped him to the 4th Charg That Christ Redeemed himself far more plain and passable among the people And whereas W. R. saith the honour of that name belongs to me I must tell him that upon a second view I find he do's Mr. Faldo wrong For although the Dialogues made the first noise of Heathenism in these parts yet it seems Mr. Faldo put out a Book to degrade the Quakers from the Title of Christians a little before The Eleventh Charge is That the Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction is Irreligious and Irrational As he who is truly desirous to quench a fire will be most active in pulling away those Brands that increase the Flame So he that heartily mediates for Peace labours more to remove those words that stir up wrath than to make Arguments to strengthen either side Upon this very Account I said substract the word Irreligious In hopes that rhen the greatest offence taken at this Doctrine might cease For I know many and hope there are thousands more unknown to me that live religiously though they believe this Doctrine even in T. H. his sence yea and the Doctrine of Predestination too And am verily perswaded I shall meet them there where all Controversies shall fly away But for all I have adventured to do this yet I see W. R. will not be satisfied he must have the whole Charge substracted before the Dispute shall be ended How true a Representative is this man of the generality of the Contenders and Disputers of this Day but oh how lamentable is it For go into any of their Congregations and you shall hear them Commending Preaching up and Praying for Peace Moderation and Christian Charity But when you come to put them to the test and know what they will do or what they will abate towards such an Accommodation you 'l â—ind not a word not a letter not a hair of their head or a Notion that signifies â—s little to be parted with for it So that â—ndeed when any of them pray for Unity or Charity it is in Substance no more but that all may be turned to their Opinions or else Anathama Maranatha God convert them But here I cannot but take notice of the Quakers peaceable desires in not contending with me about â—eaving out this word though W. R. â—ells me in a jeering way it 's not to be left â—ut for W. P. spake it by immediate Inspiration Well then I perceive men speakâ—ng by Inspiration are more easily made â—olyable to cease from Controversie than â—hey that speak without it But let VV. R. his pretences for Truth be never so great I 'le not regard them while he can both scoff at one of the greatest Evangelical Doctrines abuse them that confess it â—nd by such Fire-kindling Books as this he hath now published not endeavour â—o accommodate but extend the diffeâ—ence to the hinderance of Peace So much concerning Irreligious Now as to the Irrationality of thâ— Doctrine I find VV. R. himself makinâ— it no Attempt to vindicate it from such 〈◊〉 Charge only sporting himself with 〈◊〉 idle quibble or two about it lets it pasâ— but not without an Untruth to bring uâ— the Rear For the Searcher of all hearâ—â— knows I spake nothing to this or anâ— other point to gratifie W P. or any mâ—â— else which this Enemy to Paganism haâ— so little Christianity as to suggest The Twelfth Principle Charged 〈◊〉 the Quakers is That this Body which diâ—â— shall not rise again Now we are come to the main 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the grand Charge Now says W. R. 〈◊〉 61. Speak out and be not afraid now comes to the Point I though I had spoke plain enough before or else he doth 〈◊〉 if he doth not understand me to saâ— There is no more difference betwixt me aâ—â— a Quaker in this Article than betwiâ—â— four pence and a groat But if I can yâ—â— speak lowder I shall Know thereforâ— W. R. that I believe from the bottom of my heart That the Quakers are mâ—â—â— basely abused in this matter by the crasâ— Insinuations of many malicious men Foâ— though the Citizens generally have such â—â—arp Needle Heads that there 's very â—â—w of them that mind things of this naâ—ure but see or are easily brought to see â—here the fallacy of a Proposition lies â—â—t scarce one Country man of an hundred can discern it Tell not me what 's â—â—e Question but what is the fruits and â—ffects of it I strike at that And if you â—re not willing such absurd Consquences â—…ould be suckt out of your Questions â—â—ate them so plain as to prevent it If â—ou would not have the Quakers called Heathens do not say they are no Chriâ—â—ians Let T. H. come into a Country â—uditory and Preach that the Quakers â—eny the Resurrection of this Body and â—â—t me afterwards examine them and if â—â—e generality do not go away with this â—elief if they give any credit to him â—â—at the Quakers deny the Resurrection â—â—e burn my Books How often have I â—eard them in Sermons compared to Hyâ—eneus and Philetus who concerning the truth have err'd Saying that the
Resurrection is past already And what think â—ou can be the Design of this Compariâ—â—n but to possess peoples minds that they deny any Resurrection at all Whereas you cannot but know that the Difference betwixt them and us is onlâ— about the manner of the Resurrection a needless nay a forbidden Controversie even by him that you think says moâ—â— for your Notion And let any impartiâ—â— man but read the very Quotations yoâ— have brought out of their Books anâ— all that ever W. P. has writ about it anâ— they will say the same And I shall plain tell you more That if I did understanâ— the Quakers as well in all other poinâ—â— as in this I should not have refrainâ—… their Meetings as I have done and dâ— not that I think it unlawful to go bâ—â— I will not say I would be a Quaker thâ—â— is one of the weakest passages in all yoâ—â— book As if a man could be a Quâ—ker or any other Profession when 〈◊〉 pleased It s true indeed he may perhaâ—â— when he will take up the formal of any thing But to get into 〈◊〉 Life Spirit and Power of Reliâ—â—on is not a work so easie as you suâ—gest Next I shall speak to that whiâ—â— hath something of Argument in it and conclude I brought a Demonstration sufficient to convince any rational man that the Quakers did own a Resurrection and a better Being after Death or else they would never be so mad as to expose themselves to all sorrows and miseries in this life when they may avoid it The Apostle himself confirms this Consequence saying Let us eat and drink if to morrow we shall die and be no more But W. R. rejects this and brings two Witnesses to be of his side The first of the Saduces which saith he were men that profest Religion in opposition to the common Opinion of the Jews and so consequently were exposed to sufferings Mark it he says they were but Consequently exposed to Sufferings he tells us of none Nor do I remember any they suffered for their Religion as tide a Consequence as T. H.'s used to be It 's true they shared in the unavoidable Calamities of War but that is not to our Business Other stories mention a Tolleration among them and that they liv'd peaceably in their several ways Again if I may draw Consequences also it 's as probable they were wicked men as good notwithstanding their Profession and their fine name For nothing is more common than for the worst men to get the best names The Pharisees name was as full of Holyness as the Sadduces of Justice and yet were the vilest men in those times But suppose some particular Sadduces should rather suffer death than deny their Notions this would be no better proof than if you had brought some high Spirited Gallant who will out brave death for a point of Honour Besides there is no Confession of theirs now extant and we know what it is to take one at anothers hand nor doth Josephus make all of them so to hold Your other Testimony is of the Esseans And you bring some of Josephus his words saying That notwithstanding they denyed the Resurrection of the Body yet they could not be forced to revile their Law Maker but scofft at their Tormentors and joyfully yielded up their Souls as though they hoped to receive them again And so indeed they did hope for in the same page saith Josephus It was an Opinion among them that the Body is corruptible but yet the Souls remain for ever immortal And that when they are delivered out of these carnal bonds then presently as freed from a long bondage they joyfully mount aloft the good to felicity the bad to misery Now why would you conceal this did you think I would trust you No you knew this confirmed what I had said That the Quakers exposing themselves to this lifes miseries was a plain Demonstration they owned a better being hereafter But you serve Josephus as you serve me either take no more than serves your turn or stop where it makes an ill sound to the Reader Mind your dealing in pag. 63. where you bring in my Answer thus But suppose they should tell us this very Body shall not rise what care I Is this a handsome place to stop at or just to do so What will a hasty man be ready to say when he reads this surely this is a careless man indeed he cares not whether his Body rise or not And so may take pett read no farther and then what reports must I expect Sir this is not Christianity nor Paganism in the best sence Such devises as these will do you no service in the end tho for a time they may bring Scandals upon Quakers and all that desire their Toleration You know the whole Sentence is this But suppose they should tell us this very Body should not rise what care I so long as they tell me I shall have a better And Sir when you hear of any Beggar that rails upon another for taking away his earthen Pitcher after he has given it him again turn'd into Gold then will I repent of this carelessness Your last and greatest Argument to prove your Notion about the manner of the Resurrection you would have grounded upon Reason A thing I confess I love so deerly that I dayly pray to be delivered from Unreasonable men for all men have not Faith 2 Thes 3.2 whence I conclude that an unreasonable Faith commonly produces the worst sort of unreasonable works that is Conscience Persecution But to your Argument which you say is highly rational the substance whereof is That if the Body be a partaker of the Sin it should also partake of the Punishment But the Body is a partaker of the Sin therefore This I think is your sence for these are your words It s absurd to imagine that one Body should commit the sin and another Body that never sinned be punisht To this then I answer that the Minor is defective For in this you suppose that the Body is a part of man capable of Action or Passion without or distinct from the Soul and if it were so I confess you are in the right But it 's no such matter This should have been proved but I fear it 's too Philosophical for you This Body is but a piece of Animated Clay and can do nothing and is good for nothing without the Soul See Dr. More on the point The evil Spirit cares not for it if he did he would not let Witches and Reprobates be burned But he knows they shall have such a body at the Resurrection as is more fit for his purpose in which the Soul like Perillus in his Brazen Bull may be tormented for ever So on the other hand though you say it 's not to be allowed never fear it I 'le venture my eternal life upon it that none will disalow of the Change of their vile bodies when they see them fashioned