Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	holy_a	prophet_n	scripture_n	3,225	5	5.6489	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50257	An answer to the switch for the snake A book so called. Discovering the weakness of the Switch, which the leading Quakers (of the second days meeting in London for government) have lately (as I am told,) given into the hands of each Parliament Man. Vice is nourished, and gets life by covering it, saith a heathen author; even so it is with errors in religion. Humbly shewing, that it is impossible, that the pens now in controversie, against us Quakers, should be put a stop to, before there's an order given forth, (from the second days meeting) for the reformation of our numerous preachers in the country. And also a book of retractions of all the errors in our Friends printed books, be published, with an appendix and postscript. By William Mather, a lover of (the well meaning persons, especially among) that people.	Mather, W. (William), fl. 1695.; J. W.	1700 (1700)	Wing M1284; ESTC R221796	17,005	18

People of God Quakers in this Age is greater sufferings and more unjust than in the Days of Christ or the Apostles F. B. 273. what was done to Christ or the Apostles was chiefly done by a Law and in great part by the due executing of a Law Answer Surely this must be a great mistake in Ed. Burrows for 〈◊〉 Quak●● 〈◊〉 I can hear of had his Hands and Feet N●●●● to a Tree o● a Cross and there hang till Death as the hard Hearted Romans did by the Jews procurement of ha●der Hearts Crucify our ever Blessed Saviour and also we read that three of his followers suffered so as Phillip Andrew and Simon and that John was thrown into a T●n of Scalding Oil and by the Power of Jesus Christ took no hurt and likewise Mark the Evangelist it 's said had a Rope tyed about his Neck and was drawn through the Streets of Alexandria until his Flesh was re●● in 〈◊〉 They that are false Preach Christ without William Smiths Primer P. 8. and bid People believe in him as he is in Heaven above But if we make but a small amendment say you in P. 220 of the word only and then read it thus They that are false Preach Christ without and bid People believe in him only as he is in Heaven very good Then George Whitehead now that you have found out the way of amendments thou mayest do well to follow on to the end that none may Write more against it As First begin in P. 65. in thy Truth defending the Quakers and there use the word only as That Faith in Christ without Men is contrary to the Apostles Doctrine And so it greatly behoves th●● to do ●●●ing thou hast given such a large Testimony to Christ without us in P. 544 in the Switch contrary to what thou hast formerly Printed and yet in all thy large Confession thou dost not own him now to be in Heaven without us in the true nature of Man and in the true and re●● Body wherein he suffered that he will come again in that Body without us to Judge the Quick and the Dead at the last Day And if thou wilt by the help of Divine Grace make a Book of Retractions of all things that 's contrary to the Doctrines of Christ Jesus in Holy Scripture in thi●● and other Friends Books and get the Members of the second Days Meeting in London to sign it it will as I may say take the Weapons out of the Hands of all those tha● say The Quakers hold damnable Errors I am not without hope but that thou mayest be an Instrument in this good work which if thou lives to see it accomplished thou wilt leave a 〈…〉 behind thee for thou m●●t needs acknowledge thou art subject to 〈…〉 w●ll as Samuel Eliab and Elijah who you say in P. 497. were viz. Good Men 〈◊〉 s●nne true Prophets also have been mistaken in some things and have had their weakness and failings Sam. 16.16 1 Kings 18.18 Rom. 11.3 4. And further in P. 229. That we have always readily offered and submitted our words and writings to the Testimony of Holy Scripture c. If this you really intend then do you choose three or four of the learned'st Quakers to meet with such a number of the soberest Ministers of the Church of England seeing you acknowledge their Creed is Orthodox to help to make a Book of Retractions But if you still hold that none can rightly judge of Doctrines whether they are according to Scripture or no without the same degree of Gods Spirit as the Prophets and the Apostles had the Controversie will not end except you will acknowledge you have it in that degree The good Physitian saith one will try the Apothecaries Drugs ere he make use of them for his Patients Body And shall we not try the ingredients of that Religion by the Holy Scriptures which is accounted the Physick of our Souls If the Gold be pure why fears it the Touchstone Therefore be not backward to come to the Test and for your Assistance take those above and if you see some failings in them judge not that they are not accepted of God for small failings not be so uncharitable as E. B. seems to be in P. 32. of his works and P. 73. in the Switch viz. That God doth not accept of any where there is any failing c. I have more Charity for our Antient friend Isaac Pennington above mentioned that he was accepted of God tho' he had failings for after he had Writ Queries that strengthened some Men in the keeping on their Hats in Prayer time retracted it saying viz. God knows saith he I did not willingly mistake Nay truly the Power was upon me when I wrote those Queries but I did not understand the signification thereof Jud. and the Jews P. 69. Therefore we have no need to boast that we have a Spirit given us beyond all our forefathers Gre. Mist P. 89. In Brief a Man that does but once tell you G. W. c. of your mistakes that they might be amended had need have the same Armour of Grace in his Heart as little David had when he encountered Great Goliah yea as bold as Davids Worthies were who ventured their Lives to fetch Water from the Philistians Camp to be sure you will scoff at him at a high rate Wound or Kill him as you account that Crisp Bug Keith c. are Dead to the Life of Truth for opposing your Errors Wounded them it 's true you have for which God will Judge you for every one of them at first only desired that you might bring your deeds to the Light viz. to be tryed by Scriptures but instead of Answering their Christian desires for your good you fall upon them and wound them and made them grieve By this it further appears you are no followers of the good Samaritan he did heal where he had not wounded you wound and seek to make the wound bigger the Blessed Jesus you take not for an example he went about doing good to his very Enemies being Reviled Reviled not again 1 Pet. 2.23 Oh! How did his Lamb like Nature Weep when he turned his Face towards hard hearted Jerusalem and thought of the miseries that were coming upon those his fierce Enemies But you seek not to bind up the Wounds you have made in your Brethren seek not to win them in a Spirit of meekness but like rough Esau contend with them fiercely and rejoice if any ill befalls them doing what in you lies to starve them by hindering their Trading Your own Consciences will tell you if not feared this is truth You are not come into the Patience of a Christian as David was in when Shimei curst him bitterly Oh! how patiently David bore it being sensible there was some Cause in himself that God did permit Shimei to curse him so often before his mighty Warriours Consider this you fierce dispisers of all those who desire

AN ANSWER TO THE Switch for the Snake A Book so called Discovering the Weakness of the Switch which the Leading Quakers of the Second Days Meeting in LONDON for Government have lately as I am told given into the Hands of each Parliament Man Vice is Nourished and gets Life by Covering it saith a Heathen Author even so it is with Errors in Religion Humbly shewi●g that it is Impossible that the Pens now in ●ontroversie against us Quakers should be put a stop to before there 's an O●der given forth from the second Days Meeting for the Reformation of our Numerous Preachers in the Country And also a Book of Retractions of all the Errors in our Friends Printed Books be Published with an Appendix and Postscript By William Mather a lover of the well meaning Persons especially among that People Prov. XXVII 6. Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend But the Kisses of an Enemy are deceitful Printed in the Year 1700. AN ANSWER TO THE Switch for the Snake c. Note that the Figures on the left Hand Margin Direct to the Book called the SWITCH IS not the Soul without begining C. Fox Great Mistery P. 90. 229. P. 273 comimg from God infinite in it self It is not horrid Blasphemy to say the Soul is Part of God is a Part of God Answer If the Soul is without beginning and is a Part of God then not Created contrary to Gen 1. Are not ye the Ministers in the Presumption and usurpt Authority to Preach or Teach that have not the immediate Revelation as the Apostles had Answer To be sure it is great Presumption in too many Ignorant Preachers in this Age that pretend they have the same immediate Revelation as the Apostles had Yea even the same degree for saith G. Fox in the same Book P. 213. to his opposer Thou canst not know Scripture but by the same degree of the Spirit the Prophets and the Apostles had And saith he They are Conjurers and Diviners and their teaching is from Conjuration which is not spoken from the Mouth of the Lord and that he that hath the same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ is equal with God See P. 7. and 8. in Sauls Errand c. Answer by this Doctrine every Man is equal with God for do not you J. W. and G. W. hold that every Man hath a measure of that Spirit But if all Preachers are Conjurers that Preach not from the Mouth of the Lord then that Name must needs belong to G. Fox in the first place as above is manifest because his Doctrines differ from Scripture Next Joseph Clark mentioned in or about P. 81. in the defence of the Snake a Book so called but I do not reckon him a real Conjurer tho' he is one according to G. Fox's Sence because he was so very much mistaken by his vision that so much strengthened him to bear his Testimony against Tyths for he told me he saw the Priest that sued him and those belonging to him Melt in his sight to nothing adding I care not if the Jaylor or the Bayliffe get my Money but for the Priest he shall never have any thing of mine for John Field one of the second days meeting in LONDON told me he could put me in a way the Priest should never get any of my Goods In Brief a little before the Assizes at Bedford Joseph expecting a Tryal for Tyths John sent him down a Copy of the Bill that the Priest had put in against him with a Letter from John which Joseph got me to Read wherein he named Josephs Counceller to Plead for him and that he had paid him 10 s. and advised Joseph to give him 10 s. more at the Assizes and also Joseph went up to London to take Advice of John about it About two Days before the Assize Joseph came to my House and desired me to make him a Writing to secure his Goods from the Priest if upon Tryal the Priest should cast him My answer was I very well remember viz. What dost thou come to me to secure thy Goods did not John Field promise to do that for thee Well saith he it 's now too late I would have thee do it for me then I told him it could not be done except he did quit himself of the possession of his Goods and Assign his right to some Person or other This he would not believe until he got me to go with him to a Lawyer and there he agreed to bring the Lease of his Farm to the Lawyer which was one day before the Assizes but his Lease he left at home and did ride to one of his Brothers to be an Arbitrator on his side to agree it and then it was given out that Joseph did not agree with the Priest it was his Brother And I being with him after the agreement he said to me he could now pay Tyths as well as other Taxes the Priest who being reputed a very moderate Man and well spoken of by some Quakers sent his Son to School to me some time after this agreement and the Young Man said to me That Joseph was as good a Man as they had in the Town for the Payment of Tyths But since these things Joseph went to a Monthly Meeting to Ampthel to Answer for himself upon suspicion of being a long Practiser of a very foul Sin I am ashamed to name it the divers Witnesses were very free to tell it in private and somewhat became publick viz. To the Elders of that meeting that when he went from home he must have a Man lye in Bed with him and that he used to Kiss and get upon such Men as he lay with and made them Sweat and I heard two Men say that with him they had such a Nights Lodging as they never had in their Lives adding they would never Lye with him more Now Joseph being Examined of some of these Actions could give no better Answer than this as I am told It was only love to the Creature so the Meeting could do no less than bid him give over Preaching in Meetings his Answer was I must obey God rather than Man This Joseph continues to Preach in his own House and People come to hear him every other first Day as I am told Reader bare with me for I desire a Reformation and I am the Larger upon this because the Ruling Elders and Preachers have Written Laws which they call Prescriptions which some held are to keep all out of miscarriages or to that purpose when Alas They have lost their Power if ever they had any to silence the Young Nonsensical Preachers yet such Elders will sometimes in private to others call them half handed Preachers and wish they would be silent Now a little more of the said Joseph once before he was to Dine at my House and had sat down said amongst other words O God thou hast Written thy Law in our Hearts as with the point of a Diadem i. e. a

have made drunk by putting your bottle of Poyson to their Noses who have drunk deep and so are become one in Nature with you it had been better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never been born it had been better for you that you had been strangled in your Mothers Wombs and still births had been presented to them than Living Children into their Arms. Oh! What shall I say concerning you Gods everlasting decree is sealed against you burnings burnings burnings with unqu●●●●able fire is your portion from the Lord God of Heaven and Earth Your Organs your Singing-Men and Boys with Surplice Tippits Sc●●●●● Long Garments and Girdles with your invented Prayer called Common with your Preaching and the best of your Sacrifices enters into the ears of the Eternal God Nay you are highly mistaken a pure God must have pure praise God praises God * Mark this well his praise and worship for ever and ever is from thee to thee now if you cannot read this let your Mouths forever be stopped Cease your Invented Instruments for Worship for an Evil Savour doth your Sacrifices send forth even a loathing to the Lord God of Heaven and Earth But the God which you Imagine let him be Worshipped according to your Imaginations and Inventions and think not to mock the Eternal God by your Devices the Jews knew him not who came in the Figure or Flesh Oh! I have seen Eternity I have seen Eternity and a dreadful day is VERY NEAR at hand to be revealed Oh! The overflowing scourge Oh! The Besome of Destruction Oh! The Plagues and Vengeance that is to be poured upon the Wicked in this Nation both Priest and People Howl Howl Hireling Priests of all orders for the Wine-press of the wrath of God Almighty is EVEN NEAR to be trod into which you are to be cast for the Lord God hath spoken it and he will not repent a trebble portion a trebble portion of the Plagues of God Almighty you are to have above all others Thus far R. Crane ☞ Observe Christian Reader what Astonishing things are these which this man pretends came thro' him from God Almighty Oh Blasphemous to father all their Malice upon the Merciful God But we Poor Ignorant Quakers were made so blinde to believe because of their sufferings that such were true Prophets sent of God in this Age pretending they spoke from the mouth of the Lord need not study or meditate what to preach as Paul advised Timothy 1 Tim. 4.15 As if they were Conjurers that took a Text of Sctipture to begin a Sermon See p. 7. in G. Fox Sauls Errant And that they needed neither Scriptures nor Books as a means to help their Preachers and that they may be good Ministers without the help of the Scripture as the above named Joseph Clark pleaded with G. Keith in my house for they had all revealed in them that they were to preach and declare and by the same Spirit Young Boys and Girles Preach now and have a long time from the Imaginations of their Brains or what comes next to the Tongues end for if this Spirit was of God it would allow the Holy Scriptures to be sometimes read in their Religious Meetings because we are certain the Scriptures were given forth by God's Spirit Indeed their first Preachings won many of us to become good moral Heathens expecting Salvation only by obeying the Light within us And John Bunyan art thou finding fault saith G.F. because Men wear no Hatbands and eat and drink Bread and Water cast by their Pride G. Mist p. 211. And since have taken up Pride again when alas Salvation comes by a Saving Faith in Jesus of Nazareth as he died for our sins now at God's Right Hand making Intercession for sinners that all men might have a day to repent in for from him comes all the Grace that all men have to teach them to deny ungodliness Titus 2.11 This Erring Spirit taught us not to make Christ Jesus as he is in Heaven the object of our faith but hath taught us that Jesus of Nazareth appeared in the World for a short time called a Figure by R. C. as above and when he disappeared in the World is no more But know ye Neglecters of Meditating or Reading the Scriptures in your Meetings 1 Tim. 4.15 That all Men shall be Judged at the Last Day by that MAN Christ Jesus Acts 17.31 Object If some Quakers say That I highly commend the Prayers made by some of the Church of England and do not their Books want Retractions in some things as well as our Books Ans It 's true I do commend their Prayers and so doth Fr. Lee one of your Teachers in his Looking-Glass More thereof will follow And what in their Books is needful to be retracted they will not be so hardly brought to do it as you are nor cover them so long as you have done and as the Preaching Elders have done near me who now confess They knew there were Errors in our Friends Books before their Controversie with G. K. The more is their shame to cover Transgressions so long from us Hearers to keep in favour with those that cover Errors by Sophistry in their New Books Dr. Scott that excellent Pen-man did commit an Error in a book written in his younger years called The Christian Life 1st Vol. which I hope will be retracted viz. in p. 282 c. He seems to encourage Christians in their Warfare to Mirth Festivities and Raileries of Fancy c. which Christ condemns Mat. 12.36 But for his 5th Vol. of the Christian Life I know not many better books except the Bible And likewise it 's to be hoped now that God has given more Light the Church of England will by the help of the Inward and Spiritual Grace remove those Offences that have kept out so many Dissenters from coming in into them for if they do not come in as one into the Truth as it is in Jesus O then good God when will the Kingdoms of this World become our Lord Christs Luther and other our first Reformers from Popery had more Light from God than the Papists had or have B. Latimer Martyr had more Light from God a little before he dy'd than he had when he thought he could not be damned if he had been in a Friar's Coul Act. and Mon. p. 1325. So that I trust in God he will be pleased to illuminate many of the Church of England's Ministers that they will see very great need to win all people to come to them which no doubt will soon be accomplished after once their Lives and Conversation agree with their Doctrines For it is a worthy saying of a Son of that Church viz When we have used all the Arguments and the best Vindication of our selves and of our Church it is Holiness of Life is the best and most prevalent Apology Now follows the Ten approved Prayers the above-named Fr. Lee collected out of the Common Prayer I hope for