them because they are in the Bible only which runs against the Testimony of Scripture the Consent of Ages and the Writings and Judgment of the most Honest and Learn'd Protestants 2ly As if it were a like Evil Conscientiously to forbear Running Willing and Striving in Matters of Worship without the Spirit 's Conduct and scaredâ—y to plead for the Commission of Murder and Idolatry because Men of such Consciences bogle not at it though that is more then J. F. can prove I mean that they have no Stroak or Remorse 3ly As if we could Worship Preach gather Churches and administer Gospel-Ordinances aright without the Spirit 4ly That he is not convinced by any other Testimony then the Scripture without of any Transgression against God's Law 5ly It supposes that if Men stay'd till the Spirit mov'd they should stay long enough who vainly prate of Praying by the Spirit notwithstanding never considering that the Spirit standeth ready to Reveal it self to their Assistance and Assurance who wait for it and that all the Children of God are led by the Spirit of God which being our Position had it but been weighed by this Adversary he could not methinks be so unjust in his Aggravations 'T is true should we believe as he doth the Spirit is not to be waited for now adayes to lead us or that it is not ready to our Information when we wait for its Discoveries and Leadings our Assertion would look very absurd and loose for it were to let fall all Worship but not upon our own Principle as I said before for first all Worship to God ought to be performed by the Assistance of his holy Spirit for of our selves we can do nothing that is good And secondly God's Spirit is ready to assist instruct and comfort those that wait diligently and patiently for it yea God hath given it to the Rebellious that it may judge them if it do not lead them It is such Protestant Doctrine that I wonder Men should not know their admited Ancestors Faith when they meet it Oh great Degeneration into Hardness Ignorance Lastly There is the same to be said against him that pretends to ground all upon the Scripture that he objects against us who plead for the Conviction of Conscience which the Instance of the Jews Murder of our Lord Jesus Christ unanswerably proves There was a Law that Blasphemers should be put to Death by this Law they apprehended Jesus adjudged and got him to be executed These Men above any Age exalted the Scriptures as the Only Rule Where lyes the Mistake Not in the Scripture but in their blind and envious Application of it Now I ask if the only Way for them to have come to the true Sense and Knowledge of him and escaped that Wicked Murder and the deplorable Consequences of it had not been to have waited upon God for the Conviction Discoveries and Guidance of his holy Spirit since Flesh and Blood and the utmost Wit of Man with the Exactness of the meer Letter of the Scriptures could never give the certain discerning Knowledge and Savour of him unto that Generation whose very Words themselves were Spirit and Life It was by a Divine Touch Sense and Knowledge given from above that he was truly discern'd own'd and follow'd of those that believ'd in him and clear ved to him therefore said Christ No man cometh to me but whom my Father draweth Where was that Drawing but within Again Simon Peter Flesh and Blood hath not revealed what who I am but my Father that is in Heaven So that at last Men must come to this Spiritual Sense in themselves to understand and apply the very Commands of Scripture otherwise not Justice but detestable Murder may under the Name of it be confidently perpetrated Wherefore we Exhort all To have Recourse unto God's Spirit that illuminates certainly and gives to act unblameably by which the Scriptures are only understood as they should be People brought into the Possession of that Life of Righteousness they plentifully declare of Had it not been for this inward Discerning there had been no Ground for the Abolishment of the whole Jewish Service which followed some Years after Christ's Ascension And it is the same Eternal Spirit that is the great Rule and Judge now which God promised more particularly to shed abroad in the latter Dayes and is the great inseparable Priviledge from the New and Everlasting Covenant But to conclude Why should it seem so Heterodox in J. Faldo's Judgment since if Men believe the Scripture upon the Testimony of the Spirit they practise it by the Knowledge and Power of the same How else could Paul have decry'd Jewish Ceremonies or we know what to take and what to leave Or why do we omit any Command therein mentioned They Circumcised therefore must I Circumcise They Baptized must I therefore Baptize with forty more particular Cases wherein nothing can secure any from the Imitation of them set Conviction or Spiritual Discerning aside I will offer two or three Testimonies from approved Men in our Defence William Tindal that ancient faithful Protestant Martyr whom J. Fox that writ the Books of Martyrs calls the English Apostle speaks thus That it is impossible to understand in the Scripture more then a Turk for whosoever or any that hath not the Law of God writ in his Heart to fulfil it Again Without the Spirit it is impossible to understand them John Jewel Bishop of Salisbury in his excellent Book against the Papists writ above One Hundred Years ago says thus to our purpose The Spirit of God is bound neither to Sharpness of Wit nor to abundance of Learning Oftentimes the Unlearned see that thing that the Learned cannot see Christ saith I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the Wise and the Politick and hast revealed them unto the Little Ones Therefore Epiphanius saith Only to the Children of the Holy Ghost all the Holy Scriptures are plain and clear Again Flesh and Blood is not able to understand the Holy Will of God without SPECIAL Revelation Therefore Christ gave Thanks unto his Father and likewise opened the Hearts of his Disciples that they might understand the Scriptures Without this special Help and PROMTING of God's Holy Spirit the Word of God is unto the Reader be he never so wise or well learned as the Vision of a sealed Book Now unless Men are bound to do what they do not understand how to do then only are they to do them where they are Revealed or Discovered to them which being by the Spirit only according to their Doctrine the Testimony and Discoveries of the Spirit are requisite to our understanding of the Scriptures which implies and comprehends a Discriminating Knowledge or Certain Discerning of what we should practise from what is not obliging upon us to practise and consequently that we ought not to run head long without such knowledge T.
Soul Religion and Life these he thinks he leads away in Tryumph after him for I am if he may be believed by my Doctrine an Heretick a Blasphemer an Atheist a Traytor a Regicide a Paracide a Murderer of my Kindred and Neighbours a Destroyer of all Government Divine and human and a common Enemy to Mankind unfit for this World and for Heaven in the next unless I repent which ought to be very questionable to so dissolute and impious a Wretch as this pretended Minister of the Gospel in his Skirmish hath been pleased to render me what remains but that the Dogs or the Lyons devour me the Rabble or Government sacrifice me I am only fit for Prey if this be true what now shall I do Revile him by no Means revenge my self by a bitter and invective Answer no such Matter but may not I be angry with him not a Jot what then Pity and Inform him though a Parson I think so too wherefore overlooking all such Provocations I begin and proceed in this Method First I cannot but take it very ill in Case I were unsound in any one Doctrine not through Inadvertency but knowingly and premeditately that he without any further Search or unquestionable Proof should fault and impeach the Way I profess and upbraid an entire People with my Mistake I ask if this be the VVay to perswade me that he is a true Minister of the Gospel one that is zealous to promote the Commandments of God that in doing this hath broke That of loving his Neighbour as himself and doing unto others as he would have them do unto him William Penn holds a gross Error therefore the People call'd Quakers and the Way they profess must be skirmish'd upon with the foul Names of Murderers Rebels Traitors Atheists Heresie Blasphemy c. What Part of Logick or Philosophy is this none I think I am sure there is neither Law nor Gospel for it but 't is too frequent with many to live in the Transgression of those Commandments they verbally admire even then when they are pleading for them In the next Place I must needs observe to him his Disingenuity in telling me He would be glad to make the best of my Position after he had manifestly made the worst he could his two Sheets being stuft with the most abominable Consequences it had been possible for any Man to invent or aggravate against me this seems to be a Degree beyond Ignorance and looks very scurvily for a Man of his Function and Pretences Skirmishing laid aside But that which weighs the most with me to suspect my present Adversary of unfair Dealing to let such Words as Forgery slip for this Time is his taking my Matter to Pieces clipping Sentences and dropping that by the Way which read with the rest would in my Apprehension have defended the Passage from the Possibility of any reasonable Exception Shall four Lines and an half of a Book of above 250 Pages and those cull'd too out of three several Places reprobate the Book the Author his Religion and the Body of People he relates to I hope he has so much Conscience and Conviction left upon second Thoughts if for my sake he is not out of Charity with both as to condemn this Sort of proceeding with us but perhaps he will tell me I make too much of it and that it was but a Skirmish if so then no Battail or solid Encounter of both Armies and if not how come we and our Religion to be defeated and taken in his Apprehension doubtless this must go but for a Vapour and proves the Parson more a Man of his Words then of his Deeds Nor is this all the Ground of my Jealousie for unless he had met with my Book by Accident and had cast his Eye only on those three Places not reading what went before came between or followed after a thing scarcely possible and upon that transcient Notice had sally'd forth and skirmish'd upon me a Rashness no Man in his Wits would be guilty of or that when he had fallen so patly on those three places he resolved to see no more for Fear of being better informed a Disingenuity greatly unbecoming a Man of his Pretensions it must and will follow that he did knowingly and on Purpose omit both giving his Reader the Reason of this Part of the Controversie between me and John Faldo and my Sense at large in Defense of our first Position which done would have sav'd him the Trouble and Danger of a Skirmish and me the present Pains of giving him this Repulse And here I entreat the Readers Patience for a little Digression if yet it be one John Faldo writes a Book call'd Quakerism No Christianity in it he charges the People call'd Quakers with several erroneous Principles whereof one is in general Terms That we deny the Scriptures upon this he bestows 9 Chapters One of them is taken up with this Title That the Quakers affirm the Doctrines Commands Promises and holy Examples expressed in Scriptures as such not to be at all binding upon them To this Book I return'd my Answer entituled Quakerism a New Nick Name for Old Christianity I follow him Chapter by Chapter in my Course I undertake him upon this Head To prove his Charge he produces a Passage out of Edward Burrough's Writings much at the same Rate that this Adversary quotes me and such Harmony they hold that they fall both upon the same Construction of us as if they had compared Notes or had abused us by Instinct This I complain of in my Answer to J. F. how comes J. C. to make the same false Step and yet have read that Answer E. Burroughs's Words were these as cited by J. F. That is no Command of God to me what he commanded to another did any of the Saints which we read of act by the Command which was to another not having the Command to themselves This J. F. improves at the same Rate that J. C. doth mine to wit That it opens a Way to all Lewdness and Impiety and hath all Iniquity in the Womb of it extending these Words to all Laws which as I make appear in my Answer however overlookt by this Man were limited by E. B. and me to Temporary and extraordinary Cases Had J. F. been quiet here I could have hoped that he had both seen and sorrowed for his Mistake but he persists in his horrid Abuse of E. B. and begins at the same Rate with me for defending him This is in his Vindication of his former Book to which I Rejoyn at large in Defense of my Answer resume the Controversie entirely distinguish of his Fallacies and Misrepresentations and assert and maintain our own Principles confirming them with some Hundreds of reputed Authorities as well of former as more modern Ages In this Discourse hitherto unattempted by any I make a further Defense of E. B's and my own Sense from J. F's Mis-construction which it had become this
THE SKIRMISHER DEFEATED AND TRUTH DEFENDED Being an ANSWER to a Pamphlet ENTITULED A Skirmish made upon Quakerism By William Penn. Jam. 3. 13 14 16. Who is a Wise Man and endued with Knowledge amongst you let him shew out of a good Conversation his Works with Meekness of Wisdom But if ye have bitter Envying and Strife in your Hearts glory not and Lye not against the Truth For where Envying and Strife is there is Confusion and every Evil Work Printed in the Year 1676. THE Skirmisher Defeated AND Truth Defended Being an Answer to a Pamphlet intituled A Skirmish made upon Quakerism OF all the Evils that attend Controversie about Religion there is none more odious and provoking then that of Mistating Principles and giving That under mens Names to the World for their Doctrine and Judgment which they abhor to believe much more to assert and divulge to others And this I hope I may without Offence add That to be Misrepresented hath mostly been the Lot of Truth in all Ages and her peculiar Difficulty and Suffering from the World For no sooner has Almighty God blest Mankind with further Discoveries of his heavenly Will and divine Helps to perform it then some or other and those not a few have iâ—mediately opposed themselves to that Work and the Lovers and Abetters of it nor have those Adversaries been of the Rabble Men of no Letters Education or Pretence to Religion by no means much the contrary the Learned Crew the Clergy that great Corporation of Religion it hath been generally such the Chemarims men of the Black Robe that from a Pretence to greater Knowledge then others an Education in the Studies of Divinity a peculiar Warrant and Mission with the Countenance of Worldly Authority have used their Skill and employed their Abilities to traduce Truth and stigmatize her Followers exposing both to the Fury or Mockery of the World tell me when this fell out otherwise and allow me Scripture Story but to be true and sacred I pretend not now to write an History no not to epitomise that which is already writ nor need I for the Case is evident but because Examples are so ready I will instance in him that said I am the Way the Truth and the Life One while the Scribes and Pharisees took hold of his Nonconformity to their Customs and then he was a Despiser of Moses a Breaker of the Law one that made void the Traditions of the Fathers Another while he was a Mean Fellow but a Carpenter's Son and what Man of Quality would follow him or who would make a Messiah of a Mechanick or a Saviour of so servil an Off-spring But when this would not do then he was a Samaritan and had a Devil and cast out Devils by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils thereby rendring his Person hateful to the Jews that refus'd all Commerce with the Samaritans and his Wonderful Works suspected of a Diabolical Power lest the People should believe in him But this Trick failing and the People believing lest any of Note should be taken with him they â—ling out that he was a very Idiot one that knew not Letters and that none followed him but those that are cursed and know not the Law the Rabble the Vulgar and Illiterate People But when this Stratagem succeeded not to lessen his Reputation and question his Pretences they bruted up and down that for all his pretended Perfection he was a Loose Person a Wine-bibber a Companion of Publicans and Sinners not fit to be the Leader of a Strict Sect nor qualified for so Glorious a Work as that of the Messiah's God still blasting their Designs and the People flocking after him admiring his Doctrine his Authority his Wisdom and his Miracles the Jewish Council of Doctors and Rabbies roundly accuse him of Blasphemy and have the Confidence and Cruelty to seek his Life telling Pilate that They have a Law and by their Law he ought to Dye but Pilate scrupling the Matter and finding their Proofs short faints in their Business which they perceiving with one loud Cry as if it were a Dare to Pilate to deny them their Murderous Ends tell him He is an Enemy to Caesar hoping though Pilate would not concern himself with their Laws and Customs yet that being Caesar's Deputy and Officer he would not suffer any man to live that was a declared Enemy to Caesar's Government and they had their End Nor did his Disciples fair better who were accounted Enemies to the Law Scriptures Seducers Deceivers of the People Pestilent Fellows Sowers of Sedition Turners of the World upside down c. But who were they that made this lamentable Opposition were they litterally Heathens or professedly Infidels no such matter for that might have in some sense extenuated the Crime at least have spoyl'd our Parallel but they were the Offâ—spring of Abraham Great Scripturians to whom pertain'd the Covenants Promises Adoption and if we will take their word for it Children of God in Bondage to none though it s not to be doubted but that they were by Nature Heathens and for all their great Profession Infidels in spirit and great Slaves to Sin and Children of the Evil One all this while Now this has been our Case who are in Reproach called Quakers In the first Place we must honestly and plainly confess before almighty God and all Men that we have been of the common Mass of Mankind and had our Conversation in the times past in the Vanities Pleasures Sports and Lusts of this World living in some respect without God and Christ in the World though under a Profession both of God and Christ as the most Part of Christendom so called do at this Day and in this dead Estate to the living Sense and Enjoyment of God and Christ in our Souls the Lord visited us and by his own convincing and reproving Light Power and Spirit hath he awakned us and brought us to behold him whom we under all our Profession of Religion had more or less grieved and pierced with our vain Thoughts Idle Words and unholy Actions and to Sorrow with true godly Sorrow and be in unfeigned Bitterness as for our first born or our only Child the Lord thus redeeming us through his holy Rebukes and Judgments from an evil Conversation and converting us to himself by his own Righteous Law in our Hearts And when it had pleased God thus to rouse us out of our carnal Security and fire our House of empty Profession about our Ears and open the Books of Conscience and call us to Judgment kindling his holy Terrors in our Hearts because of our past Conversation that had been in the vain and sinful Fashions and Customs of the World calling God our Father and not born of him and Christ Lord and not by his holy Spirit neither had taken up his daily Cross to the slaying of our own Wills and carnal Affections notwithstanding the great Profession that we in Words made of him and