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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89824	An answer to a book called The Quakers catechism, put out by Richard Baxter. Wherein the slanderer is searched, his questions answered, and his deceit discovered, whereby the simple have been deceived: and the popery proved in his own bosom, which he would cast upon the Quakers. Published for the sake of all who desire to come out of Babylon, to the foundation of the true prophets and apostles, where Christ Iesus is the light and corner stone; where God is building a habitation of righteousness and everlasting peace; where the children of light do rest. Also some quæries for the discovering the false grounds of the literal preist-hood of these days, in the last times of antichrist. If you know the truth, the truth shall make you free. / Iames Nailor.	Naylor, James, 1617?-1660.	1655 (1655)	Wing N258; Thomason E851_1; ESTC R207416	51,999	51

had no Religion inclines to them I say therefore one day shall those whom you have most setled in your deceit have most cause to curse you when they shall see them come from far and sit down in the Kingdom and themselves cast out Saist thou I had far rather they had continued Separatists and Anabaptists then turn Quakers therefore wouldst do all thou canst to hinder I say thy Generation of Priests was ever haters of the greatest appearance of truth and that we can witness When we were of those Churches we were hated by you when we walked as near as we could to the Letter though the life we knew not but now you have ceased your envy against all them and against the Life and Light of Christ in us is your greatest envy And saist thou It s better to stop them where there 's some hope of Salvation then let them run to perdition I say thou hast undertaken two ways to stop us one is with lies and slanders which thy Book is full of and another way taken with thee and thy Generation is to get us stopt into Dungeons and Prisons and strait watch set that none come to us nor that we may have liberty to write nor speak to any But the latter of these is holden by you for the better weapon yet both to no purpose further then to prove our patience and obedience in Jesus and yourselves of your Father and in his works acting that by them ye may be known and we also But says thou I chose rather to tell the world of these passages between us then leave them to their reports especially hearing how they increase in London and other parts and that the ignorant have need of some plain information to prevent their Apostacy and Perdition in this temptation I say they are ignorant indeed that needs thy information and what thou tellest is most suitable to the world to be believed for all who owns that light that leads out of the world or where that ey● is open that leads out of the world thy false information is judged and prevented thy perdition and thy temptation and with that Light that sees thee and thy deceit shall we grow both in London and other parts and thy refuge of lies be swept away AS to thy Paper to the Separatists and Anabaptists as thou calls them I desire not to be busie in other mens matters onely this whereas thou casts it on the separated people to be nurseries of impiety and Infidels I say thou dost but here manifest thy shameless Spirit who matters not what thou sayest of others so thou may but seek thy own praise for all that know any thing of the fear of God knows that most of those people have separated from you parish Teachers upon this very account to wit your infidelity and impiety and if any amongst them turn so grosly filthy that they cannot keep them amongst them left it should shame their Religion yet these return to you who forthwith receive them and boast of them as rare Converts nay none so bad in their conversation but if they have but either Pig or Goose or ought to be got towards hire they are yours and you are their masters such as no one Sort of people in the Nation will joyn with but onely you Parish Teachers But it seems thou hast lost some of thine also as well as the Anabaptists and thou prints a Letter thou saist thou sent to one of them to reclaim him under pretence that he desired thy thoughts of us and thy evil thoughts thou returns him in this Letter And thou says He was a yong and unsetled one yet tells how much pains he had taken in duty how much zeal he had professed for God And that he by so great a work of grace was converted from prophaneness c. and thus with thine own shame thou goes about to cover thee having boasted afore as though none followed us but separated people or such as had no Religion or ever was accounted so to be And thou goes on to shew him that he must needs be fallen from grace because he is fallen from your Ministry and thy Arguments are such as these Are not we those Ministers and in those Ordinances you despised before Conversion I say The greatest Papist in the world having begot a Proselyte if he turn away from him may as well use that Argument as thou if falling from any such form or person be the error but thou should have first proved thy self a Minister of Christ in thy life and thy worship as he appointed it and not changed in matter or manner then hadst thou said somewhat to the purpose else it s no error to deny the hireling and his false worship and turn to the light of Christ by it to be guided by all deceits And says thou Alass that ever a man in his wits should no better know the work of Christ from Satans nor know that it is the Dragon whose warfare these men do manage I say Thou shameless one dost thou cause the servants of the living God to be hailed to prison and suffer them almost to be murthered before thy face not at all resisting but the people by thee stirred up to the thing and for no other thing but coming to declare to thy face against thy false worship which God ever sent his servants to do And faist thou We manage the war of the Dragon and do the work of Satan Is not the war of the Dragon to devour the Lamb where he is manifest which ever was the work the hirelings was found in and is it not the Devil that casts into Prison the innocent Rev. 2. 9 10. and was ever any under the Gospel found in that work but such who was of the synagogue of Satan though they called themselves Jews as you call your selves Christians but in the same nature and deeds And do we manage the Dragons war who suffer all this at your hands and much more prove that in Scriptures or be ashamed of thy false accusation and take it to thy self till thy rage cease and thou give over devouring the Lambs Such never take pains with mens souls who takes care and lays snares to destroy their bodies Christs sheep was never such wolves by their fruits we know them they who believe these to be Christs Ministers may soon believe the Devil is God as thou saist who would be worshipped and obeyed in you Thou further goes on and tells him whence this error comes even from Hellish pride and to prove this thou tells him Where we have spent one hour thou hast spent an hundred in study and meditation and prays to God for his Spirit of truth and grace and that thy Prayers is as earnest as ours and thy life is much more holy and heavenly then ours and therefore God is as it were more ingaged to thee to make known his truth to thee then to us and is not

AN ANSWER TO A BOOK CALLED The Quakers Catechism Put out by RICHARD BAXTER Wherein the Slanderer is searched his Questions Answered and his Deceit discovered whereby the Simple have been deceived And the Popery proved in his own bosom which he would cast upon the Quakers Published for the sake of all who desire to come out of Babylon to the Foundation of the true Prophets and Apostles where Christ Iesus is the Light and Corner Stone where God is building a Habitation of Righteousness and everlasting Peace where the Children of Light do rest Also some Quaeries for the discovering the false Grounds of the literal Priest-hood of these days in the last times of Antichrist If you know the truth the truth shall make you free Iames Nailor London Printed in the Year 1655. AN ANSWER TO A BOOK CALLED The Quakers Catechism To thee Richard Baxter WHo hast bent thy Tongue against the Innocent casting out thy envious slanders against the Lamb who is appeared against the oppression and deceit of all sorts of people who have professed his pure Name in words but have not joyned to his life and Spirit but are joyned to the worldly lovers and stand in your own will and the poor is oppressed by him that is too strong for him and with that proud Spirit art thou joyned pleading its cause against the Lamb who cannot bow to any unrighteousness and against him art thou fighting with the same weapons that ever thy Generation used Canst thou behold and not blush at the lies thou hast mustered up in this book against the truth Is this the end of all thy profession that thou art become a bloody persecuter Is there no difference with thee now between suffering for conscience sake and burning a Thief in the hand thou art he that ever numbered the Lamb amongst transgressors and what are we that thou art set against a poor despised people troden upon every where at your wills and pleasures Will this be for your honor to combine together against a people which by thy own words are so contemptible Is all your proud hye-flovvn spirits joyned against so low a people that any one can trample under-foot It 's easily seen there is something in the bottom of greater price then all that 's visible else why should you gather thus from all Quarters truly this will not be for your peace He against vvhom you are risen will break you to pieces vvhat ever become of our persons and thou vvilt see the day Rich Baxter vvhen thy deeds vvill come to remembrance and thy slanders set in order and thou shalt see to whom thou art an enemy though novv thou be wilfully ignorant of him Were there any jot of his fear left in thee might thou not once look back and see thy vvays to be such as none of Christs Ministers vvere ever found in Dost thou believe that ever thy vvorks must be proved or that thy Kingdom of Sin must come to an end must not thy Covenant of sin be broken though thou intend it for term of life yet remember thy latter end Was not ever the old Persecuters as blinde as thou art till vvrath vvas upon them from Heaven must they accompt for it that do not visit him in Prison and shall such escape as cast in Prison Will it avail thee then to say thou knevv not that it vvas he Is not this sufficient ground for thee to suspect thy vvay seeing none of Christs vvas ever in it before but remember novv thou art warned while thou hast time Though striving for master-hood and vain jangling I abhor yet for the truths sake and the seed that is scattered I cannot be silent but must reprove that lying Spirit that 's gone out into the World and hath got entrance and hath hardened many vvho sometimes vvere somewhat tender but novv hath he brought them forth against the Lamb to battle and he hath none like these for his design being finely covered with words but their Works finde them out Blessed be God for ever In vvhat thou vvrites to the Reader in thy Book thou says thou says thou supposes he vvill marvel thou troubles thy self vvith so vvilde a Generation as the people called Quakers are or that thou writes these fevv hasty lines on such an occasion but thou saist thou vvilt tell the cause vvhich is that they have sent to thee five several Papers one of them vvith these Quaeries vvhich thou Ansvvers and others of them almost nothing but a bundle of filthy railing vvords as Serpent Liar Deceiver Childe of the Devil cursed Hypocrite dumb Dog I say every rational man may well marvel that these words should be so hastily by thee called filthy railing words who professes thy self a Minister of Jesus Christ and the Scripture thy rule seeing there is not one of these words but by the spirit of Jesus Christ they have been used to such who are in that nature to whom they belong and the same Spirit can do no other but use the same words without respect of persons where ever any is found in that practice Hadst thou said we had been railers the sin had not been so great but to say those words given forth by the holy Ghost as is plain in Scripture are filthy railing words here thou calls the Spirit filthy and unclean but if thou read Mark 3. 29 30. there thou mayest read thy blasphemy and what generation thou art of and what shall befal thee Dost thou profess thy self a Minister of Christ and says the Scriptures are the word and calls the Language of them filthy railing words That ●hese words belong to thee and that thou art in the same Generation against whom they were spoken I shall manifest it from thine own mouth and bring thine own Book to witness against thee and leave them to any honest heart who shall read them both to judge if thou be not found in the same practice and so guilty of the same reproof I tell thee the Scribes and Pharisees and false Prophets might have had more shew to have spoken thus of these words then thou hast for they had no Scripture that had them in but thou professes that Scripture which declares of the words from whom they were spoken and to what sort of people and art found in their works and of such Christ himself was judged to be besides himself and we are called a wilde Generation So the servant is no better then his Lord and the Scripture is fulfilled Thou saist further They chose a day to come into your assembly and fell a questioning the Preacher thine assistant and because he avoided disputing with them and fled therefore they called him the hireling that fleeth and so confessed themselves to be Wolves I say that you are hirelings is plain by your practice and thou confesses he avoided to dispute with th●m and fled and was not this true but though the hireling did flee doth this prove them Wolves or did they then

Mark Luke and John the Gospel and whether there were any Gospel before them and whether they be the light and to this thou gives not answer but tells of a temporal Word so much knowes thou of that word that endures for ever and a word that is a sign of Gods mind and such confused stuffe and tells of a different sense betwixt Christ the Scriptures and thou sayes it was written that it might be a standing rule and kept intire and sure to the worlds end but how often have you and your generation altered this rule insomuch as scarce two of you can agree about it what is the meaning of it and how many Copies is there of it which of them is the standing rule that which stands most suitable to your wills and pleasures and how intire is it kept when much of it is quite lost but thou might have said of it as of the infallible Spirit if the letter be not it thou hast none thou knows on that had been plainer dealing and thou sayes this word is the Light but not as Christ is the Light or the Spirit for there are many lights and so with thy many lights thou shews thy self to be ignorant of the one light the Scriptures speaks of which holds out but one light and word but thou hast many in the dark-lanthorn of thine imaginations not one like another and so imagines that Christ the Spirit and the Word are not one nor enlightens all alike sayest thou mans reason is the eye and the Gospel is externall and the Spirit clo●eth these two together and so breedeth a spirituall illumination which the word alone could not procure whereas the Scriptures witness the word by which alone all externalls were made and the word for reconciling again and making new but sayest thou the word without reason and externalls cannot produce and this is thy word thou preaches and so it seems by what it produces And thou asks some queries 1. Whether we believe the Scriptures be true I say yea then ●ayes thou they call themselves the word of God and thou brings some scriptures to prove it but not one that sayes the letter is the word and thou brings Rom. 10. 8. The word is nigh you even in your heart and in your mouth but is the Bible there and thou brings 1 Pet. 1. 25. The word of God endures for ever and before called it the temporall word Thy 2. qu. Will we give you leave to smel the Pope in our endeavours to d●sgrace the Scriptures though our nose be stopt I say were thou not stark blind and drunck with envie thou might see thy own confused scornfull spirit with which thou hast discovered thy folly who one while will have the word temporall and another while to endure for ever and to prove the Bible to be the Word brings the word is in the heart but no wonder thou be blind who sayes mans reason is the eye 15. query Whether you own revelations or no And to this thou sayes thou owns all divine revelations and disowns all diabollicall ones but in thy 10. page hath denyed revelations but the revelations thou own is what is written but hath not the Devil these also yes and can preach them as wel as you and take them to plead for his Kingdome as wel as thou yet sayes thou these are able to make men wise to salvation without any further additions and when thou hast done sayes they must have the Spirit of Christ to help them but thou might do wel to shew thy opinion whether the Spirit can make wise to alvation without them it seems to be thy opinion that it is not by thy former query where thou asks whether the light of Christ be sufficient where your Gospel is not preached which no Gospel you have but the Letter which if you had it not you would be as dumb as those which Isa●ab speaks on and in thy conclusion thou tels of other helps which are o● slat necessity besides the Spirit and thy litterall revelations which before thou said was sufficient to salvation without any addition but by thy own words if there had been no Book thou had had no revelation and yet in words seems to deny thy father the Pope who hath kept thee thy revelations else thou had been without for ought thou knows yet you cannot beare it to be called ministers of the Letter and not of the Spirit and the Apostles was Ministers not of the Letter but of the Spirit this with you is railing 19. qu. Is about singing Davids Psalms and for answer to this thou sends us to a Book of Cottons and Ford and say thou knows no reason why thou should add any more a pretty shuffle to get shut of that thou canst not prove yet though thou have lost thy reason to answer thou wil ask more queres 1. If the Scripture be written for our use why may not we speak to God in Davids words I say because David would not keep a lyar in his house may thou who art found a lyar sing these words the Scripture was not written by such a Spirit nor to such a spirit nor doth such learn ought by the Letter but to cover thy shame and deceive others as appears by thy practise 2 que They being used by the Church till the Apostles time where was they abolished I say is that Church thou means on the Pharisees such a Church uses them now though not so wel as they did for they did not put them into rimes as you do and when the Saints sung with the Spirit and with understanding and he that had a Psalm sung his own and not anothers then was the way of Pharisees abolished 3. qu. Whether is it more lawful for us to sing in the words of David or for you to take together all the sharp reproofes in Scripture to rail on me with I say there is as much betwixt the lawfulness of them as betwixt truth and a lye for when we take Scripture language by the same spirit that gave it forth to reprove the same deceit in thee which Christ and his Prophets and Apostles did in the chiefe Priests Pharisees and Hirelings then we speak truth though thou call it railing but when thou and thy hearers sings Davids words saying you have no scornfull eye you have rored all the day long your bones hath quaked you have made your bed to swim with tears no lyar shall dwel in your houses c. are not a nest of lyars all found lying together and he that sayes otherwise of you is a lyar like you 17. qu. What is the soul of man c. And thou sayes it's the cause of our life I say thou knows not him who is the cause of our life no more then thou dost the soul but here thou would deny God to be the cause of life and put the soul in his stead as thou hast denyed the spirit to set the letter

and that it is not words we contend about but your whole practise which being found in and condemned words and meanings cannot hide you and if the Scriptures be not right translated as thou pleads then is less confidence to be put in any of you who had it in doing yet thou sayes its a standing rule thus Babylons Children are clashing one against another but all against the Stone by which we see your fruits to be the same with the Pharises change the letter as often as you will wo to him that hath no other guide and rule but that which you have so often chopt and changed and not still wil it please you thou may wel call it a temporall word for you wil make it serve all times or you must want of your wils it s no ha●d thing with you to take Pauls words who wandred up and down in hunger and nakedness 2 Cor. 11. 27. coveted no mans money nor gold nor apparell and was chargeable to none nor took ought against the will of the owner c. and with two or three consequences and meanings from your originall you wil make it prove you four or five hundred a yeer and a great house to live in and this you will not have by favour but force and yet they are thieves that denies to give you their goods when you ask it but now when your practise and Pauls are compared they are as far distant as before could you bend his life as you do his words to your own then might ye deceive the elect but God hath left this a rule for ever by their fruits shall you know them so by your works you are so farre from Paul that you are out-run Balaam and all the false Prophets and greedy dogs you read on in the Scriptures who never took it by force under pretence of a Law taking three for one as you do yet this truth which is as clear as the Sun must be called railing because it falls upon your deceit and because a servant calls master in Scripture sayes thou why may not thou be so called as a minister thou may as wel say because a servant doth own his master why may not I break the commands of Christ and sayes thou Paul he was called a wise master builder I say those words wil not fit thee who would build up thy pride with them he was Paul a Servant and not Master Paul if thou canst own it thou may if not let it alone I say thou must be proved by thy deeds not with wresting his words nor was the masters of assemblies Solomon spoke on such as thou but of one shepheard which the hirelings never knew nor any who would take Solomons words to destroy Christs commands did thou know him thou would not teach men to break one of the least of them much more that which hath ever distinguished false Prophets from true nor is there any one command more plainly expressed nor more faithfully obeyed by his ministers then this that thou art teaching men to break it being now the great controversie with Christ and Antichrist who should be master and who should be bowed to and how loath are his ministers to lose it as is seen by thy crooked wayes thou takes to keep it but thou must lose it and the Lamb must have it who wil not bow to thee and Abraham and Festus and Agrippa cannot bear the out in breaking Christs command those was not forbidden as thy practise Iohn 5. 44. is who art pleading for titles of honour to you Priests as a duty O shame thou infidel how canst thou believe that 's seek●ng for honour from men was ever any m●nister of Christ found in that work and is not this the greatest thing thou stands for in thy book is it not seen whole honour thou art seeking against the commands of Christ nor is he void of the fear of God who denies thee to be a faithfull Minister of Christ who ministers against the command of Christ nor are we so so●t●sh but we can judge who is in the work of Christ and who is against him with lyes saying a Minister of Christ is called Master and that to deny your Greek and Hebrew is to deny Christ as though a naturall language was Christ and thou calls some sacred languages thou ●dolater is not every language natural to them who are b●ed in them is not our Engl●sh as sacred among the Greeks as theirs is here but such as thou wil worship any th●ng rather then the Spirit and after all thy lyes in this book sayes we are not able to charge thee with any c●ime but humaine frailt●es when thou art found full of gross wickedness as in thy book is laid open and here thou may receive an answer to thy query and thou boasts that thou can talk better then we I say thou makes it not appear in thy book for it truth had ordered thy tongue I had not found so many open falsehoods and con●usions as I have laid open already and thou ●ayes thou would thresh and dig and labour if God would give thee leave I say what a God do●t thou serve which will not allow of labour our God condemns ●dleness and sayes if any wil not work neither should he eat but the God of this 2 Thess 3. 10 World is the God of idleness and fulness of bread which the Priests of this nation have been known to serve more than any one sort of people else and thou sayes our prater is a lyer fo● saying if thou had no pay thou would not preach I say prove him a lyar and shame him come out and preach freely and then if he say so of thee I shall say he is a lyar too but I suppose thy Godwil not suffer thee to do this no more than he wil suffer thee to labour for these must go together but let me ask the one question amongst all th●ne qu. The Ministers or Christ said follow us and walk as you have us for examples but if thou should say so to thine and all the Parish masters in this nation also and your hearers should follow you as you do what a nation would here be all idle all proud and covetous all live on the sweat of other mens brews all Masters c. would not this destroy relations who would you have to worship you therefore take heed how you bid them sollow you I have heard o● some of you may be foreseeing part of this have been so wise as to say do as I say but not as I do I say this is plain dealing compared with thee who acts all this charges God with it and when thou ha●t done sayes we are not able to cha●ge thee with any crime so thou would have us to charge it upon him who wil not let the labour 20. qu. Did ever the Lord of Heaven and Earth or Jesus Christ bid thee or any of you go and preach to