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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65887	A serious search into Jeremy Ives's questions to the Quakers who are herein cleared from his scornful abuses : and Jer. Ives himself manifest to be no Christian from his own observations, reviling, ostentation, &c. / by a witness for Christianity in faith and life, George Whitehead.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1674 (1674)	Wing W1958; ESTC R5315	30,089	74

the late Wars against the King whenas that very Book quoted by him entituled The West answering to the North printed 1657. doth in the whole Tenour of it severely reprehend those then in Power to wit Oliver and his Ministers for their Oppressions Cruelties and Arbitrary Tyrannical Proceedings which they pretended to condemnin those before them though there might be some Words too harsh in the said Book as reflecting backward but with an Intent to judge them then in Power yet it is to be considered as chiefly writ by two Officers or Captains of the old Army being Common Wealths Men as I understand who had not as then wholy got over the Warring Spirit however did sympathize with our Poor Innocent Friends when they beheld their deep Sufferings as in some Degree sharing with them though its probable some Remainder of their former Sharpness of Spirit was left wherein they had been animated by such Zealous Chaplains as Jeremy yet those Books quoted by him were extant long before the King's Pardon which he pretends so greatly to respect but we have not gone about to serve him and his Brethren thus as to rake up all the Baptists Books that concerned the former War and Matters of State before the Kings coming in or Act of Indemnity However this we find Cause to believe that whatever Respect J. Ives his Brethren may pretend either to the Kings Gracious Pardon or the Law of Charity they would shew little Mercy if they had Power to execute their Enmity as well as to render us obnoxious to the Government such as Jer. Ives and his Brother T. Hicks would in all Probability be as busie Agents for our Ruine as they are now to endeavour it by such an Indictment as this that is made up of their present Accusations against us viz. That you justifie the late Wars against the King that you are No Christians nor worthy of so venerable a Name that your Doctrines are Destructive both to Scripture and Christian Religion that your Confessions are gross Equivocations that your Opinions do make void all Rules of Christian Faith and Practice that your Friends of the Ministry are Impostors false Prophets and Men of Lying Spirits Thus far J. Ives And then T. Hicks in his Dialogues against the Quakers viz. That you are Destructive to all Human Society Inconsistent with Government that you are as vile Impostors as ever were that your Religion is a meer Cheat calculated to the Service of the Devil and your own Lusts horrid Blasphemies that your chief Motive and Inducement to suffer is the Satisfaction of your Wills and Lusts or the promoting of your Carnal Interests that you are the Spawn of the wicked Brood the Ranters and have likt up their Vomit Romish Emissaries Hereticks Mad Men Infatuated such as esteem the Holy Scriptures of no more Au●hority then Esop ' s Fables and the Blood of Christ no more then an Unholy Thing or the Blood of a Common Thief yea worse that you reprobate the Holy Scriptures and the Person of Christ that you deny any future distinct Beings Rewards or Eternal Advantages to Men after Death that your owning Christ and the Christ you own is a meer Mystical Romance and that your Meetings are to Inveigle and Trapan People As also he recriminates the Quakers in General with the Enormities of some Particulars These with many more such like most bitter false and absurd Invectives by Tho. Hicks the Baptist-Agent O Persecuting Baptists But God be thanked that these Mens Horns are shortned for if they were not it is not unlikely but they would push and persecute asc ruelly as their Invectives are Inveterate and tend thereto or as their New-England Brethren whose Persecuting Spirits would not be satisfied without Innocent Blood Again Jer. Ive goes about to impeach us with an Inconsistency and to exhibit a pregnant Proof by Retortion of our being No Christians In that the Quakers refuse the Oath of Allegiance because they are against all Swearing as being Inconsistent with Christianity or living in the Life and Power of Christ or under his Government and yet reckons that some among us swear and for Instance he puts this Question What think you of William Mead who with Others took an Oath And what think you of Gerrard Roberts who together with John Osgood who with others took their Oathes as appears by their Answer to a Bill in Chancery To all which I reply from what I think 1. I tell this Inquisitor that I think they are all honest Men fearing God and Men conscientious towards him according to their Principle and that they would not injure or defraud or wrong any in their Properties or Rights and for what they do they dare appear before and answer the great God in the great Day of Judgment However if they were Conscious they are resolved they would not make this Inquisitor their Confessor for they neither expect Mercy nor Absolution from him 2. I also think and William Mead John Osgood Gerrard Roberts are satisfied that they are able to give an honest Account of their Conscientious Tenderness in this Case and that according to a good Conscience if in Love desired or out of an honest Intention or for a good End without any Design of Injury towards them or their Profession But they have no Cause to think that Ier. Ives doth enquire or accuse them to the World for any good End or out of any Friendship to them or Love to their Souls but rather from a Design of Mischief or Injury as the Tenour of his Discourse against them imports Therefore they are resolved rather to suffer his Revilings and endure his Clamours then gratifie a mischievous Spirit by giving him Account of their Affairs or Proceedings for their Properties Rights which only they seek for and not to injure their Neighbours or any Man else in their Names Persons or Estates 3. That if either Ieremy or any Baptists or others for him have made Search in Chancery or do enquire of any Officers belonging thereto whether any of the Quakers have given in their Answer upon Oath I think that he and such his Enquirers are Busibodies in other mens Matters while 't is not their own Concernments And whilst their Design and End therein is for Evil against our Friends it might be supected by those Officers in trust concerned as not to be for Good towards them or us in their Inquiry and that therefore such busie Inquisitors might justly have met with a Repulse and been rejected and not answer'd in their captious Attempts 4. To his falsly accusing the Quakers with daily impleading People at Law I say That though some of them have Occasion sometimes to make use of the Law they are necessitated thereto to maintain their just Rights Properties from such Unconscionable Men as would otherwise make a Prey upon them to Ruin them and theirs and not to injure others or defraud any of their Rights in

send forth with extraordinary Messages to particular Places and Peoples in which God only by his Spirit is their great Rule and Guide 2. And so God is in discovering to Man his inward Estate and Condition even the Thoughts and Inclinations of his Heart with all his Particular Actions But sayes Jer. Ives They pretend that the Spirit is the Rule when they give no more Evidence of it then Mahomet or Muggleton But this is manifest Reproach and Falshood We give as much Evidence both in Doctrine and Conversation as is necessary to evince our Christianity And as Jeremy cannot disprove nor doth he appear to be a Man of that Spiritual Mind and Judgment as to know what Evidence we have given or what Evidence we can give his Comparison is gross and impious and Neither It nor his bare Charge nor yet his calling upon us to produce an Evidence of the Spirit shall serve his turn to prove us either No Christians or Impostors Another Condition for a Meeting is That Jeremy prove himself that Christian or else he is unfit to prove another No Christian To this he saith But is not this pretty As they define a Christian there is no Christian but themselves and when I have proved myself a Christian which by Interpretation is a Quaker then I think the Question will be out of Question To this I reply I must needs look upon this as a very sorry Shift for but in the very Condition before he is told That before he enters upon proving us No Christians he would tell us what a True Christian is or we go by no Standard See now here how plainly this provides first for an Agreement upon the Definition of a True Christian even such as both Ieremy and the Quakers might agree upon Is it not reasonable that the Terms of a Proposition or Matter in Question should be explained and agreed upon in all Controversies and also reasonable that when it is agreed what a True Christian is that Jeremy should prove himself one before he be admitted to prove others none And did the Quakers herein propose either to be the sole Judges who is a True Christian or have they hereby demerited this man's Sleight and Derision he thus taunteth them with viz. Would it not make one smile to see the sad Shifts the Poor Men are put to And what sad Shifts What! to agree upon the Definition of a Christian as a Standard to go by and then for Jeremy to prove himself that Christian first else What Credit can his Attempts be of while he doth not prosecute others as a Christian or Partaker of Christianity himself Seeing he has so hideously charg'd others with being no Christians And further It is not only the Quakers but many others that look upon Jer. Ives to be no True Christian or worthy to bear that Name or undertake in the Behalf of all Christians to prove the Quakers none as he promiseth to produce a Deputation from the Baptists if he can obtain it Well I 'le assure him if he doth we will take it for granted that the Baptists make him their great Agent and we will look upon their Cause as highly concerned in him and so far resigned to him let him do what he can to maintain it we are not at all doubtful on our parts of a good Iss●e for the Truth And seeing Jeremy pretendeth his Endeavours for such a Deputation from the Baptists shall be to leave us naked of all Excuse we expect that it shall not be to evade those Conditions before proposed by William Penn in his Paper aga●nst Jeremy Ives his Challenge otherwise if he should procure it to evade and shuffle off our Proceeding on those Conditions we shall but look upon it as a Flam and a vapouring Colour and Diversion like his Interposing and Vaunting Challenge tending to Divert or keep us off from the Pursuance of our Charge against his Brother Tho. Hicks whom with his Abettors we charge with being guilty of Forgery Slanders c. He hath a Fling at S. Eccles charging him that he saith of G. Fox That it may be said of him as it was said of Christ that the World was made by him though the World knew him not and then addeth Is not this a rare Christian p. 15. Unto which I must tell Jeremy That in my Understanding he hath both unfairly cited and interpreted S. E. in this Matter for if so be that he could say or intend that The World was made by him did relate to G. Fox as well as to Christ then I must confess with Jeremy that he was more fit for Bedlam then otherwise But if he alludes only to The World knew him no which related to Christ that so it may be said of this True Prophet G. F. as S. E's sense then I cannot see why Ieremy Ives should so deride him although he might have better and more safely worded his Intention yet it is Uncharitable to reflect upon a Man's Christianity for a little Failer in Syntax which can only be imputed to S. E. in this Matter according to the Law of Charity let him speak for himself see our Friends Book entituled Judas and the Jews p. 75. viz. I did not say nor did I ever believe that the World was made by G. F. but by Christ who was in the World and the World knew him not so I say it may be said of G. F. the World knows him not though he be in the World as was said of Christ He was in the World though not of the World and the World knew him not and he said of his Followers Ye are not of the World as I am not of the World Jo. 17. 16. and I have chosen you out of the World Jo. 15. 19. See here how plainly S. E. hath signified his Intention in this Matter And what but Prejudice and Enmity can otherwise construe his words Finally be it remembred that Ieremy's Charge that makes such a Hideous Noise viz. That our Ministers are Impostors and Men of Lying Spirits did proceed from his Uncharitableness or at least his Breach of the Laws of Good Manners according to his own Observation pag. 5. where he hath promised Not to break the Laws of Good Manners to call our Friends Papers Lyes and Forgeries So that herein he standeth a Self condemned Person not only breaking the Laws of Good Manners according to his own Confession but pursuing for a further Breach thereof in which he also hath bespoken himself to be No Christian condemning that in others which he allows in himself as is fully prov'd before against him To his POSTSCRIPT First For Idle and Ridiculous Opinions and Practices as he would charge upon us in general I do not yet find that he hath found them in such Books and Persons as the Quakers declaredly own as his words are that Work is yet to do for ought I see Secondly Suppose there were any Absurd Opinions contained in