of England than the Quakers did Witness their Trumpet sounded c. See their Trumpet sounded c. in the Eleventh Chapter But notwithstanding all this and a Hundred times as much which might be shewed out of their Books yet they continued villifying the Presbyterians saying Knowing that ye look on it as a Duty to fight by Military Weapons in Defence of your Principle yea to promote Your Cause by the Power of the Sword in which you are Confirmed by some of Your Preachers who are Always labouring to perswade you to this as one Evidence of your Zeal for God and not to spare to hazard your Lives Liberties and Estates in such a Glorious Cause as you call it It were worth your serious Consideration That if these Presbyterian Preachers continue to Stir you Up to Rise in Arms †No nor nothing of it but to stifle the Popish Plot and throw it upon the Protestants they have not much of Self-Interest in their Eye they being now secluded from their Places and that Power and Authority they and their Brethren had taken from them VVhether therefore they seek not to Embroil the Nations in New Wars rather than still to be thus deprived c. A plain and peaceable Advice to those called Presbyterians in Scotland c. Printed Anno 1681. p. 1 7. Thus then it appears that the Quakers to curry Favour with O. Cromwell they complained fearfully of the Presbyterians as Traytors for joining with the Church of England in the Happy Restoration of King Charles II. So now from 1660 to 1681 they all use the Craft and Policy imaginable to bring the Odium of that Reign upon the Presbyterians and thereby to make way for the Papists and to stifle all their wicked Plots and Conspiracies And that it is not my single Judgment I shall publish a Letter sent me SIR It being notoriously known That since the Discovery of the Popish Plot in England many Courses and Endeavours hath been used by the Papists and their Abettors to stifle and hinder the Discovery and Punishment thereof And particularly by pretending a Presbyterian Plot against the King and his Government in England and in order thereto it is evident what Falsities Scandals and Invectives against the Protestants in general under the Name of Presbyterians have Weekly been Published in those Libels Intituled Heraclitus the Observator and others And whereas there hath been lately Printed for Benjamin Clark in George-Yard Lombard-street London * * The Quakers Bookseller this present Year 1681. a certain Book Intituled Advice to the Presbyterians in Scotland which appears to have been written Two Years since which Book doth very much reflect upon some Principles of the Scotch Presbyterians whether rightly suggested or not is not the Intent of this Paper to examine but Twenty Years Experience of the Presbyterians in England have prov'd their Practices in England far different from the mention'd Reflections Therefore sundry well-meaning Protestants of different Persuasions from the Presbyterians for several Reasons have thought the Publication of the said Book in England * * Of Alex. Skene a Quaker-Teacher at this juncture of Time to be injurious to the Protestant Interest in general And some of the said Protestants being informed that Mr. Pennyman did intend to make a publick Protestation against the said Book this Day upon the Exchange did think it their Duty to dissuade Mr. Pennyman from the doing thereof as being probable to be the Occasion of the greater Publication of the said Book unto which he hath consented And the same Persons do likewise desire and require you as much as in you lyes to hinder thereof lest by your Neglect you strengthen the Hands of the Enemies of the Protestants and Protestant Religion in general ††Copy of this was sent to the Quakers 28. July 1681. Thus then doth it undeniably appear how enviously Malicious and of what a Persecuting Spirit the Quakers are yet poor Hearts this in them is all Innocency Meekness and the Lamb's Spirit but in others so much as to tell them of it it 's Persecution Pray why was it in G. Fox and others to call the Clergy Witches Devils Blasphemers false Prophets Jesuits Conjurers Antichrists and what not that might render them odious to the People Smith's Works p. 175. A Brief Discovery of a Threefold Estate c. p. 7 8. Burrough's Works p. 30. This is no Persecution in the Quakers no they are innocent Souls and as far from Persecution as the Meat of an Oyster is from the Shell when living in the Sea for they for the present are given up to suffer Come G. Whitehead what think you of your Brother Smith who calls the Bishops Monsters the Church of England a corrupted Womb and by him ript up What do you think of his saying the Common-Prayer-Book receives its Strength from the Pope's †Good God! was ever the like Impudence known Loins and that the Pope gives Life to it Oh that ye could but see your selves and repent of your Wickedness For if the Government should believe you that the Clergy are false Prophets what remains but Death and that according to the Law of God But I challenge the Quakers to produce one single Clergyman that have prophesied of a thing to come to pass and it did not as Sol. Eccles a Quaker-Prophet did who prophesied That John Story should die within a Year who lived Four Years after as I elsewhere have shewed Again If the Government believ'd the Quakers whose Books affirm that the Clergy are Witches and Devils they ought not to suffer them to live but presently say ☞ There goes a Witch knock him on the Head Exod. 22.18 Again ☞ There goes a Blasphemer stone him to Death Lev. 24.16 Again ☞ There goes a false Prophet let him die Deut. 18.20 Yea saith W. Penn Whilst the Idle Gormandizing Priests of England run away with above 150000 l. a Year under Pretence of being God's Ministers and that no sort of People have been so Universally thro' Ages the very Bane of Soul and Body to the Universe as that Abominable Tribe for whom the Theatre of God's most dreadful Vengeance is reserved to act their Eternal Tragedy upon †Observe the Quakers Goliah of Gath W. P. c. The Guide Mistaken c. p. 18. Thus Reader I have given thee a Relish of the Quakers Meekness and Lamb-like Nature and therefore give me leave to hunt this Fox did I say give me leave Nay I am resolv'd that if thou wilt not give me leave I shall take it What! shall these Rabsheka's be perpetually Railing and Domineering over the Gospel-Ministers without Controul Shall these uncircumcised Philistines appear in Triumph Forty Years together and their Goliah vaunting himself boasting of his Parts Learning and Interest at as the other did of his Strength and Stature whose Staff of his Spear was like a Weaver's Beam and who glorying therein defied the Armies of
God that made the King's retiring into our Native Country i. e. Scotland in 1679. give a Happy Turn to his Affairs to the defeating and disappointing the Designs of his Enemies We do justly conceive Oar selves obliged by a special Tie to praise God for his Goodness in carrying the King through and over all his Troubles since by the same Providence and at the same time by which the Lord began in that more observable manner to evidence his Care of him he made him the happy Instrument to deliver us from our Troubles so that the Prosperity of his Affairs and our peaceable Fruition of the Exercise of our Consciences bears the same Date c. The Humble Address of the People call'd Quakers to K. James II. from our Yearly Meeting 1688. We the King's loving and peaceable Subjects from divers Parts of his Dominions being met together in this City to inspect the Affairs of our Christian Society ††Which by Interpretation is Infect Throughout the World think it our Duty humbly to represent c. Now since it hath pleased thee O King to renew to all thy Subjects by thy last Declaration thy Gracious Assurance to pursue the Establishment of this Christian Liberty c. We think our selves deeply engaged to renew Our Assurances of Fidelity and Affection And as we firmly believe that God will never desert this just and righteous Cause of Liberty Nor the King in maintaining of it so we hope c. Thus Reader you see here is nothing wanting but bended Knees here is in All Humility in All Fidelity with All Affection yea All All All all Prayers for him for a long Life for a prosperous Reign Laud and Praise in the highest for His Deliverance for the defeating his Enemies i. e. Protestants besides by a modest Computation Ten Thousand Books spread up and down the Nation in favour of his Government See my Sober Expostulation with the Hearers of the Quakers c. p. 13. But since King William came to the Crown No Salutation No Message No Prayers for No Address to him from their Yearly Meeting †Unless this in 1698. now the War is ended and no Hopes left them No in all Humility No in all Fidelity No with all Affection No Publick Prayers for his long Life for his prosperous Reign No Laud and Praise that his Enemies are defeated Here is all No No No nor one Book wrote in Favour of the Government during this Reign But that my Reader may rightly understand which side of the Hedge the Quakers have to this Day hid themselves I will recite one Query to them anew as in that Book of mine I did New Rome Unmask'd c. p. 31. as I took it out of a Jacobite Catechism p 5. For as I would not write one Sheet which hath not a Tendency to shew either their Errours Hypocrisie Covetousness or Treachery to the Nation so shall I take in all that concur thereto tho' it be Twenty Sheets The Query is Query What made the Quakers no more concern'd for the Loss of those brave Patriots of our Country Essex Russel Sidney Cornish Bateman c. I could never get an Answer to this Query This was such an untoward knotty Question that all the Quakers were not able to answer it that ever I understood No no instead of being sorry G. Whitehead Fran. Camfeild Gilbert Layty and Alex. Parker deliver'd an Address to King Charles II. at Windsor about the time of the Execution of my Lord Russel This was the first Address they ever made to Authority crying out extreamly against all Hellish Plots and all Trayterous Conspiracies and that they had nothing but Love and Good-will to him and his Brother the Duke of York But to return to the Observation I have made on the Quakers Publick Prayers for and their Yearly Meetings Address to the late King James II. and their contrary Practice to King William III * No for what they do at their Yearly Meeting is is done by the Body I have something more to offer as an Aggravation of their Ingratitude for they made an Order for the calling in the Widow Whitrow's Books she being formerly of their Society and by her plain Dress some take her to be so still which was in Favour of this Government Now G. Whitehead what Scripture had you for that Or by what Authority did you presume to give out this Order Now I shall transcribe the Widow Whitrow's Paper concerning the Quakers Order for calling in her Books which is as followeth viz. December 1689. The Widow Whitrow ordered Andrew Sowle to Print a Book for her intituled The Widow Whitrow's Humble Address to King William III. And in December 1690. ordered him to Print another Book intituled For Queen Mary the Humble Salutation and Faithful Greeting of the Widow Whitrow †The very Titles of these Books were sufficient for the Ruling Quakers to Censure the Books c. Both which were well accepted and which Andr. Sowle * Sowle was the Quakers Printer and Bookseller sent into the Country to his Friends the Quakers and many of the said People did buy them and liked them well †This perplexed the Foxonian Quakers and sent for more But the chief Quakers in London at their Monthly Meeting at Devonshire-House the 7 th of January following made an Order to have all those Books called in and appointed John Ethridge and William Ingram to go to the Printer and acquaint him with the said Order which accordingly they did Too true Sons of the Foxonian Quaker-Church At which the Printers seem'd troubled saying They thought Friends would not have been against them i. e. such Books seeing they were mostly writ against the Pride and Wickedness of the Times And asked What it was they had against the Books They answered They * Meaning their Monthly Meeting had little against them Only that they were writ in Favour of This Government and reflected upon the former †i. e. Their brave King James II. and that Friends had Resolved not to Meddle with the Government c. It is to be observed That the first Book called The Address c. was Printed above a Year before and sold by their Booksellers and not any Stop put to them till some †Viz. The Lord Preston W. P. c. were endeavouring the Overthrow of this Government so that it is easily to be understood what the Meaning was of such an Order at such a Time and Season c. This Account is still ready to be attested if deny'd and which I signify'd something of formerly but now I thought fit to recite it at large See New Rome Arraign'd c. p. 30. Well this Order was made where G. Fox and the Chief Governing Quakers in London were present in January but in February following came out a Proclamation against one of their chief Men who upon the News of it and as a
Testimony and they are not chang'd they tell you so as I have herein before observed Seventhly And as a Pregnant Instance of the dangerous Consequence of this their Six-Week Meeting and their common Stock or Fund observe that of Joseph Clark one of their Preachers before noticed who tho' he pretended he was moved of God their usual Pretence for their Villanies yet when J. Field and their Fund failed him he presently pays his Tythes professing also that he then could pay them as well as other Taxes which is a clear Demonstration that such as stand it out and will rather spend 20 l. then pay 13 s. is because they are supported by this Illegal Fund c. And Lastly You may by this recited Epistle observe the Confederacy of their Yearly-Meeting and Six-Week Meeting to spread their venemous Books to infect both Youth and Aged Male and Female Old and Young and all under the fine Notion of the Service of Truth meaning Quakerism For if they meant the Truth of the Christian Doctrine they would at one time or other read a Chapter in their Meetings at one time or other recommend to their Monthly and Quarterly Meetings the reading of some Portion of the Holy Scriptures But not a Word of this in their Epistles not a Chapter read in their Meetings for Forty Years together but their own Epistles their own Prophesies their own printed Exhortations These they not only read in their private Meetings in their Families but they must Record you see this recited Epistle in their Quarterly-Book and sometimes read it Oh! 't is a precious Epistle And now Christian Reader I cannot but think my self unable to give a full and compleat Caution against the spreading of the Gangrene of Quakerism and therefore give me leave in the Words of Mr. Ralph Farmer a Minister formerly of Bristol to rehearse part of his Exhortation in his Book i. e. The Myst of Ungodliness c. viz. Now beloved if thou beest a Christian what say'st thou Is not here a Mystery of Ungodliness to the Purpose Where was it hatch'd think'st thou Could any less than all the Devils in Hell keep a Conventicle to Contrive and Plot this Black and Hellish Treason against the Majesty of God Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures Oh! ye Christian Magistrates who rule for Christ and to whom you shall one Day give an Account of your Government how you have ruled for him and how tender you have been of his Honour what is become of your Zeal for Christ and his Glory Good Sirs if these wretched Souls have such Liberty of Conscience to think thus contemptuously of our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Gospel let them not upon Pretence of Liberty of Conscience be so audaciously Blasphemous to write and speak thus And O ye Servants of the Lord my Fathers and Brethren in the Ministry of our Dear and Ever-blessed Jesus you that are the Pastors of the Lord's Flock and the Watchmen for the Sheep of his Pasture lift up your Voices and spare not cry aloud to all your Congregations and forewarn them that they be not a Prey to Satan's Devices let the Wolves know that you are not Dumb Dogs and cannot bark and Idol Shepherds that can neither hear nor see nor understand any thing and that at a time of Need can say nothing certainly certainly such as these may ill look for their Gain from their Quarters they deserve it not who so they may be fed care not nor care to discover what devouring Beast comes to destroy the Flock of Christ But you my dear Brethren who are set over the Lord's Folds and who watch for their Souls as those that must give an Account and that have a Desire to do it with Joy and for the Profit of your People read and practise what St. Paul gives in charge to the Pastors of the Church at Ephesus Acts 20.28,29,30,31 and let me give it thee here in his own Words what he gave forth to his Son Timothy I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the Quick and the Dead at his Appearing and Kingdom preach the Word be instant in Season out of Season reprove rebuke exhort with all Long suffering and Doctrine for the time will come and it is now when they shall not endure sound Doctrine but after their own Lusts shall they heap to themselves Teachers having itching Ears and they shall turn away their Ears from the Truth and shall be turned unto Fables but watch thou in all things endure Afflictions do the Work of an Evangelist or Gospel Preacher make full Proof of thy Ministry c. CHAP. XI Shews the Quakers Second-Day Meetings and Hypocrisie thereof with its ill Consequences in order to Deceive Reader I Am now come to their Second-Day Meeting even to that Meeting where Satan dwells and where he employs his Archest Emissaries I shall not wrong them as believing I must one Day give an Account for my Actions before the Man Christ Jesus who shall Judge both the Quick and Dead at the Great Day where I hope I shall not be afraid to meet G. Whitehead with this Testimony in my Hand so on the other Hand I shall not spare them hide nor cover them who have by their Wiles by their Books of two sorts deceived the Nations deceived many of the Magistrates many of the Clergy nay my self for I could not have wrote thus Fifteen Years ago †No if I had not seen their deceitful Practices and measur'd them by the Scriptures I could not have known them rightly I took them then at least some Years before to be Prophets at least sincere and to meet there for the approving of what was Right Sound and Orthodox and for condemning the contrary But behold I have found the contrary and that by sad Experience yea I have found that their whole Business is to deceive and carry on a Design yea a Confederacy under the fine Notion of Unity and Concord I have laboured many Years under great Difficulties I have spent my Estate I have spent my Strength I grow into Years I have a Conscience to Discharge I think I cannot do it unless I compleat that Discovery which I have began Tho' I find it prejudicial to my Health and other Business I find my self conscientiously concerned in this weighty Affair I do know that the Reverend Author of the Book entituled The Snake in the Grass * To whose Works I refer the Reader c. have done exceeding well he hath done beyond what I am able to do 't is a Learned Piece and becomes a Learned Reader But I am directing the greatest part of what I say to the more unlearned †i. e. The common People who are not so well School-Learn'd to such whether Quakers or others as sometimes must spell as they read and read over and over before they can understand this makes me sometimes write over and over
tacit Confession of great Guilt run up a Cock-loft at least a Chamber Four Story high to hide himself Let now the Quakers remember their Book where they say Some of the Presbyterian Nonconforming-Preachers are fled Beyond-Sea others lurk in Corners here and there and keep private Conventicles where many times they preach Sedition against their Lawful Prince c. as I before observed and let Mr. Penn remember and be humbled and thankful for the Favours he has receiv'd and the Forgiveness he has met with And let him look upon his Preface viz. To the Christian Quaker and his Divine Test The PRIESTS like FOXES seeing their KENNEL TUMULTUOUS BLOOD-THIRSTY COVENANT-BREAKING GOVERNMENT-DESTROYING ANABAPTISTS keep their old Haunt of creeping into GARRETS Cheese-lofts Coal-boles and such-like Mice-Walls * Now W. Penn himself was forced to hide and upon a far worse Occasion than those he mentions as may be seen by Their Majesties Proclamation c. By the King and Queen a Proclamation for Discovering and Apprehending William Penn and James Grahme MARIE R. Whereas Their Majesties have received Information That William Penn Esq and James Grahme Esq with other Ill-affected Persons have Designed and Endeavoured to Depose Their Majesties and Subvert the Government of this Kingdom by Procuring an Invasion of the same by the French and other Treasonable Practices and have to that End held Correspondence and Conspired with divers Enemies and Traytors and particularly with Sir Richard Grahme Baronet Viscount Preston in the Kingdom of Scotland and John Ashton Gent. lately Attainted of High-Treason For which Cause several Warrants for High-Treason have been issued out against them but they have withdrawn themselves from their usual Places of Abode and are fled from Justice Their Majesties therefore have thought fit by and with the Advice of their Privy Council to Issue this Their Royal Proclamation And Their Majesties do hereby Command and Require all their Loving Subjects to Discover Take and Apprehend the said William Penn and James Grahme where-ever they may be found and to carry them before the next Justice of the Peace or Chief Magistrate who is hereby Required to Commit them to the next Goal there to remain until they be thence Delivered by due Course of Law And Their Majesties do hereby Require the said Justice or other Magistrate immediately to give Notice thereof to Them or Their Privy Council And Their Majesties do hereby Publish and Declare to all Persons that shall Conceal the Persons above-named or any of them or be Aiding or Assisting in the Concealing of them or Furthering their Escape that they shall be proceeded against for such their Offence with the utmost Severity according to Law Given at Our Court at White-Hall the Fifth Day of February 1690 1. in the Second Year of Our Reign Whereupon as I was credibly informed one Mr. Pennyman on the 22d of that instant February 1690 1. in Abhorrence of this Traiterous Conspiracy uttered these Words in their Meeting in White-Hart-Court in Grace-Church-Street London Viz. He that is a Traytor or he that in the least goeth about to betray this his Native Country he is a Traytor to the Living God and he that is a Traytor to his Maker is not nor cannot be a Disciple of Jesus that Holy and Just One and he that is guilty of such cursed hellish Practices must bear his Judgment whoever he be But as an Aggravation of this their Crime they did not only make that Order for the suppressing the said Address to the King which was writ I believe in Love and Good-will to him c. but suffered their Printer Andrew Sowle a Quaker to print several Odious and Scandalous Books and Papers of Mr. Stafford's against the Government and tho' they were friendly and privately acquainted with it with Desire that those Scandalous Books c. might not be dispersed yet they could not be prevailed withal to have them stopt However to do the Quakers all just Right we must acknowledge some of them and indeed but some and that of their Hearers too were for the Government who to give them their due drew up a Paper against W. Penn for being concerned in that horrible Plot with the Lord Preston c. For they having seen his Letters that he had writ on that Occasion in Aaron Smith's Custody and were assured that they were of his own Hand-writing This Paper was signed by W. Mead and a few more who would have had it made Publick but the contrary Party being powerful prevented it Only when W. Penn after his Sculking some Years appeared by our merciful King's Favour and preached as formerly in the Quakers Meetings then W. Mead and some others took him to task telling him That tho' the King had pass'd by his Offence yet they knowing him Guilty as by the said Letters under his own Hand was manifest they ought to have Satisfaction as they were a Religious Society before he preach'd in their Assemblies But he having the Teachers on his side and the Generality of the Hearers he went on nolens volens and if there had not been a Peace 't is to be still feared that W. Penn and his Confederates for some of 'em held it out to the very last asserting it for a Truth that there would be no Peace unless c. would have pursued their Design which might have proved fatal to this Nation But still to shew that the Quakers have rather merited the Displeasure of the Government than the Favour and Countenance thereof and of which they so often boast viz. of their being Recognized Protestants of their being Free-born Englishmen and thereby of their Rights and Priviledges as such I shall recite an Abstract of another Act of Parliament and shew their Non-submission and Aversion thereunto intituled Anno Septimo Octavo Gulielmi III Regis An Act for the better Security of His Majesties Royal Person and Government N o 551 552. Whereas the Welfare and Safety of this Kingdom and the Reformed Religion do next under God intirely depend upon the Preservation of Your Majesty's Royal Person and Government which by the merciful Providence of God of late have been delivered from the Bloody and Barbarous Attempts of Traytors and other Your Majesty's Enemies who there is just Reason to believe have been in great Measure Encouraged to Vndertake and Prosecute such their wicked Designs partly by Your Majesty's Great and Vndeserved Clemency * * W. Penn is not this true towards them and partly by the want of a sufficient Provision in the Law for the securing Offices and Places of Trust to such as are well-affected to Your Majesty's Government and for the Repressing and Punishing such as are known to be Disaffected to the same Be it Enacted c. No. 554. Whereas there has been a Horrid and Detestable Conspiracy formed and carried on by Papists and other Wicked and Trayterous Persons for Assassinating His Majesties Royal Person in order to encourage an
this Jealous Dividing and Rending Spirit that hath appeared in Strise and open Contention against thy Servants Thou knowest the Integrity of my Soul * * * Compare G. W.'s Ser. Apol. p. 4 5. with the Epistle and Page 19 317 357. of his Judgment fixed c. and it will shew this Prayer not only Pharisaical but deep Hypocrisie especially adding p. 72. of his Coun◠Conv. c. where he tells you He can see Cause otherwise to word the Matter and yet mean the same thing c. Thou hast endued me with a Christian Spirit with Faith Patience and Rejoicing under all my Sufferings yet thou hast endued me also with the Spirit of Righteous Judgment Understanding and Zeal and hast raised me up †††As he did Pharaoh in Defence of thy Gospel So I recommend all to thee to manifest the end of all and to plead and justifie my Cause it being thy own Cause Amen Amen saith my Soul Geo. Whitehead CHAP. XIV The Cage of Vnclean Birds opened the Idolatrous Practices Blasphemous Principles and Vicious Enormities of the Quakers laid open which may be compar'd with Pope Leo X. Reader BY the foregoing Chapter you have a View of the high Value the Quakers set upon themselves and their Ancient Testimony and how they Debase all Christian Churches as the Whore the false Church the Mother of Harlots even all First All that Sprinkle Children and tell People it is Baptism and thereby an Ordinance of Christ G. Fox's Primer p. 48. Secondly All that Preach Christ without as he is in Heaven at God's Right Hand Smith's Primer c. p. 8. Thirdly All that do Study the Scriptures and Preach out of them Saul's Errand c. p. 7. Fourthly All that will not Fast with the Quakers who are in the Truth saith Solomon Eccles and that none are in the Truth but they The Quakers Challenge c. p. 3 6. Fifthly All that pay or receive Tythes An Antidote c. p. 78. Sixthly All that take Matthew Mark Luke and John for the Gospel viz. Glad Tidings and the Scriptures for their Rule G. Fox's Epistle to be read in Steeple-Houses c. p. 2 3 4 5. Nay W. Penn and Whitehead adds That a Mountebank is an honest Man to a Parson that such Wickedness as Debauchery Drunkenness and Whoredom more suiteth the Spirits of his i. e. Priests own Fraternity the Priests both Episcopal and Presbyterian whose known Drunkenness and Whoredoms c. would fill Volumes to describe Hear W. Penn again p. 165. Had James Nayler's Words been Ten Thousand times more significant earnest and sharp against that cursed bitter Stock of Hirelings they had been but enough and I would then say not enough but that the Reverence I bear to the Holy Spirit would oblige me to acquiesce in whatever he should utter thro' any Prophet or Servant of the Lord * This Jam. Naylor W. Penn's Prophet is the Person that was Hosanna'd into Bristol and Sam. Cater now a Preacher amongst them then leading his Horse and we have nothing for them but Woes and Plagues who have made drunk the Nations and laid them to Sleep on the Downey Beds of soft sin-pleasing Principles whilst they have cut their Purses and pick'd their Pockets Tophet's prepared for them to act their Eternal Tragedy upon whose Scenes will be renewed direful anguishing Woes of an Eternal Irreconcileable Justice c. Ser. Apol. Dedicated to the King's Lieutenant in Ireland c. p. 2 22 127 156. Again saith the same W. Penn in his Book The Guide Mistaken c. p. 18. And whilst the Idle Gormandizing Priests of England run away with above Fifteen Hundred Thousand Pounds a Year under Pretence of being God's Ministers and that no sort of People have been so universally thro' Ages the very Bane of Soul and Body to the Universe as that abominable Tribe for whom the Theatre of God's most Dreadful Vengeance wait to act their Eternal Tragedy upon Well let us hear W. Penn once more what he saith of the Teachers of the Presbyterians Independants Baptists c. Quakerism a New Nick-name c. p. 165. viz. An Ill-bred and Pedantick Crew the Bane of Reason and Pest of the World the old Incendiaries to Mischief and the best to be spared of Mankind against whom the Boiling of an irritated God is ready to be poured out to the Destruction of such if they repent not c. Quakerism a New Nick-name c. p. 165. Reader You see here is nothing but Hell and Damnation for the Ministers of all Christian Societies Pray let us hear their Opinion of the Church of England in general and that may give their Sense of all other Churches since I see they make little if any Difference of their Teachers viz. And as for the Purity of the Church of England it 's out of our Sight we can see a great deal of Impurity Corruption and Soul-sickness in it Indeed they say enough of themselves to cause all wholsome sound understanding People to shun them and their Church and Worship as Men shun a Contagious Disease or Infection c. The Innocency and Conscientiousness of the Quakers c. p. 7. Printed 1664. To which let me add but one Passage more tho' I might One Hundred of Mr. Penn's who can express himself as well and as much according to the Quakers Ancient Testimony as any Man amongst thern And briefly thus viz. Come tell me ye of the Church of England whence came your Forms of Prayer and Church-Government Are they not the Off-spring of that Idolatrous Popish Generation * By this who would have thought Mr. Penn had been so near of Kin to them as his latter Writings set forth See A Brief Hist of Quakerism c. p. 44 to 58 103 to 120. which is abominable to the God of Heaven Are you not at Have mercy upon us miserable Sinners There is no Health in us from Seven to Seventy Truth Exalted c. p. 9. Reader W. Penn tells his Reader in his Ser. Apol. c. p. 79. That his designed Method in his Answer is not the common Road of Printing his Adversaries Words at large on all Occasions so I tell thee yet in many Cases I recite the whole However by this time you have not only an Account of the high Value the Quakers set upon themselves as in the former Chapter but of their debasing the Protestant Ministers and Churches as a pack of Drunkards Whoremongers with an Et-caetera worse than Mountebanks a cursed bitter Stock of Hirelings a Pedantick Crew the best to be spared of Mankind against whom the Boiling Vengeance of God is reserved c. and who deserve nothing but Plagues and Woes Hell and Damnation yea Pick-pockets Cut-purses c. that the People ought to shun as a Pest-house with too much of that Nature to be here inserted especially adding what in The Picture of Quakerism c. is set forthron this Head And does
telling us The Fleece would grow again who themselves at the same time would give up nothing nay not set themselves in a like suffering Capacity with the Hearers insomuch as that in the Loss of 13550 l. our Teachers never lost 50 l. but the Hearers suffer'd for them as also for themselves See Painted Harlot c. p. 5. And this I saw and spake against some Months before it fell to my turn to be Fined for our Preachers But at last I was sined 15 l. for Sam. Cater for that he did not declare his Name and Habitation and thereby put himself in a like Suffering Capacity with us the Hearers as I shewed at large see Reason against Railing c. p. 73 to 80. and how I prosecuted the Restitution of the said Fine of 15 l. and had it again tho' with great Loss by Charges Interest c. The third thing which gave me Offence was G. Fox's setting up a Female Government by VVomen's Meeting Monthly c. This I opposed vigorously and to be short I do think I gave by my Book that Image a deadly Blow De Chris Lib. c. Part 2d But by this time G. Whitehead Sam. Cater R. S. and others wrote several Books against me wherein they called me A Child of the Devil Enemy of all Righteousness an Apostate a Betraying Judas a Treacherous Hypocrite a Dog a Wolf a Beast an Informer 18 or 20 times in one Book intituled Judgment fixed c. The Lib. of an Apost Cons c. Righteous Judgment placed c. with abundance more such Stuff VVell upon this I apply'd my self to our Milden-Hall Meeting for a Certificate against these scandalous Detractions which they not only Printed but sent up and down into all Counties where I dealt particularly into Leicestershire in order to ruin my Reputation * Which then was a most hateful Name amongst Tradesmen VVell Twenty-seven Members of this Meeting gave me a Certificate many of them still alive and both then and still the chief Men of the Meeting See New Rome Unmask'd c. Epist to the Bereans and Introd See The Picture of Quakerism c. 2d Part p. 146. These Books they still sent into every County which did me much hurt in my Trade And this Certificate with the several Books I wrote so maul'd them that Sam. Cater and his Assistants gave over But G. Whitehead he still goes on he wrote sometimes three Books in less than a Year against me calling me Self-condemned Apostate Counterfeit Convert a Scandal to Christianity a Fool and Novice c. And when this would not effect their manifest Design then they sent Letters about against me and raised all manner of Lies and Stories and by Post sent me not only Books wrote against Francis Spira but Letters also A Relish of which is as followeth viz. Francis Bugg such as is thy Name such thy Nature the darkest of the creeping Things in the whole Earth they love the Night feeding upon Filth and Dung Night is thy Habitation the Earth has received thee Night and Darkness is come upon thee Thy Father is shut out of Heaven and thou also that makes ye Howl and Roar Woe hastens and the Eternal Night is come and coming upon thee Woe and Alas poor Night-Bugg c. 3d. 1st Month 1690. This Letter sent me without any Name to it I sent a Copy of it the next Post to Geo. Whitehead to know if he was the Author of it but he sent me word he was not nor did he know who was whether he said true or false therein I cannot tell But the 14th of the same Month I receiv'd another * Not of the same Hand-writing but the same Man which was Ste. Crisp for I know his Hand and have shewed it to others that do from the same Man tho' of a different Hand but the last I know to be Stephen Crisp's And thus he wrote Francis I am not Geo. VVhitehead Alas for Thee and Hogg and Pennyman the Arrows from Heaven shall stick fast in your Consciences when thou hast found me O Galilean And thou may hear more from me c. Then in Verse thus Indeed to Vaunt and proudly Bragg Doth not become a feeble Night-Bugg I Prophesie the Hour is near O Bugg unclean With wicked Julian shalt cry thou hast found me O Galilean As vile an Apostate as ever was wicked Julian A wicked Pharisee no Penitent Publican c. Reader here is enough to shew the Quakers Spirit and besides my Knowledge of its being Stephen Crisp's by his Hand-VVriting it 's to be observed that as above he said I might hear further from him for about three Months after came out another Book intituled Innocency against Envy Signed by G. W. and St. Crisp besides his usual Expression I Prophesie c. by which if Whitehead did not know of his first yet he knew of his second Letter and the Matter being the same in Substance I am satisfied it was his I am likewise to let you know that notwithstanding they pretended to the Parliament that they cannot seek Revenge for themselves and thereupon could not Sign the Association yet they Indicted me for Printing Unlicensed whilst it's their own frequent Practice in the Old-Baily London which put me to great Charge insomuch as one way or other by my attending this Controversie by Writing and Printing first by opposing their Errours next by vindicating my self from their repeated Abuses both Publickly and Privately both as a Man and Christian I did come by great Loss in my outward Estate and when Men perceived it they came so fast upon me as that I could not bear up See The Picture of Quakerism p. 79. I do not in all Cases justifie my self in the too much neglecting my Business to attend the Motion of the Quakers who are a compacted Corporation and my self a single Person there was too much odds But I met with such Provocations which would fill a Volume to relate and thereupon I came to see my Fall by the Hand of Saul for the Sons of Zerviah were too hard for me For I had maintained the Contest without the Help of the Clergy from 1675 to the Year 1697. and in all that time I never receiv'd of any one or more of them Ten Shillings nor Ten Nights Lodgings And whereas they now call me Mercenary because I have accepted of the Clergy's Kindness which has been very Bountiful let any Quaker of them all shew me that he have waged War at his own Charge and Cost so long and at so much Expence Cost Labour Pains Charge and Trouble and I will not from henceforth call him Mercenary but their Tongue is no Slander and now I shall shew somewhat of the wonderful Providence of God in my Preservation to this Day For when I found how the Case stood with me I waited Two or Three Months under some Heaviness and Concern hearing from all Quarters how the Quakers glory'd
2.36 Heb. 5.9 cap. 12.2 Rom. 8.34 1 Cor. 15.15 Acts 7.35,36 cap. 10.38 to 44. cap. 17.3,31 cap. 18.5 John 20.31 which I have taken Pains to collect and he will then certainly find that I have on my Side the Testimony of the Glorious Angels Holy Apostles Blessed Martyrs yea the whole Tenor of the Scriptures and beside all this a Cloud of Witnesses viz. the Concurrent Testimony of the Ancient Fathers and all the present Christian Churches to this Day and that G. Whitehead will have none of his Side but W. Penn and a few of his Brethren and the Writings of Isaac Pennington W. Bayly W. Smith Edw. Burrough Geo. Fox Ja. Nayler Christ Atkinson c. But I knowing that so soon as your Teachers once espy your looking towards Christianity they will not only hinder you from reading such Books that are or shall be wrote against Quakerism but refuse you the Sight of such Books of theirs as we quote for so long as they can keep you in Ignorance so long they may keep you Quakers I shall therefore give you the same Quotations out of some of their Books which I shall in this Book let you know where to have the most of them viz. William Penn's Serious Apology c. p. 146. W. Smith's Catechism c. p. 57. W. Smith's Primer c. p. 8. W. Shewen's Treatise of Thoughts c. p. 35. Jos Coale's Works c. p. 93. News coming up c. p. 33. The Teachers of the World Unvail'd c. p. 35. The Sword of the Lord drawn c. p. 5. Edw. Burrough's Works p. 149 273. Geo. Fox's Great Mystery p. 206 207 210 211 250 254. The Quakers Challenge p. 6. Saul's Errand to Damascus p. 7 8. Some Principles of the Elect People of God call'd Quakers p. 126. A Question to Professors c. by Isaac Pennington p. 25 27 33. The Capital Principles of the People call'd Quakers Sol. Eccles's Testimony p. 24 25 41. Will. Penn's Part in The Christian Quaker c. p. 97 98 W. Penn's Sandy Foundation c. p. 10 to 30. I shall now add something out of a Book intituled News of a Trumpet sounding in the Wilderness c. Wrote by Dan. Leeds who has been a Quaker about 22 Years which is come lately out of Pensilvania Printed 1697. and for the Usefulness of it I could be glad that it was reprinted with this Title A Trumpet sounding from Pensilvania giving an Alarum to the Magistrates and People of England to beware of Quakerism That so not only the Justices of the Peace but even our Honourable Patriots might have one put into their Hands But all things in their Season Quakerism had a time to advance and it must have a time to fall But as no Heresie since the Days of Christ ever rose so fast prevailed so much nor carried on with so much Craft and curious Paint so none ever fell so fast as I am perswaded this of Quakerism will do insomuch as that in a few Years it will be a Shame for any Man of Sense to appear in the Streets who owns the Principles and Practice of the Quakers according to their Ancient Testimony And now a Hint out of the Pensilvanian Book aforesaid intituled News of a Trumpet sounding c. p. 21. viz. Tho' they i. e. Quakers clash between their Old and New Testimonies yet we see says D. Leeds that they have in their late Books dropt here and there some Christian Expressions more than formerly And what may we think they intend thereby Why Geo. Whitehead in his Counterfeit Convert p. 72. says I may see Cause otherwise to word the Matter and yet our Intentions be the same Now is it not admirable that a Man of Geo. Whitehead 's Pretences * To Seriousness to Sincerity to Reality to Fidelity to Constancy to Infallibility to Perfection to Plainness c. Ib. 42. should be grown so bold in Crafty and Deceivable Glosses to deceive his Readers Is this like the Ancient Simplicity of the Quakers to say I may see Cause otherwise to word the Matter and yet intend the same Pray who knows then when such a Man is sincere or bow to believe him in what he says that thus hides his Meanings says one thing and means another c. And now I cannot but expect says Daniel p. 42. that there will be great Devising Pulling and Drawing Painting and Glossing rather than make Confession of their Errors Confusion and Contradictions herein Manifested and Charged as also in other Books by Geo. Keith Tho. Crisp Fr. Bugg and others because they have so much accused their Opponents for the same things themselves are now justly charged with surely some curious Wire-drawing Mincing Mangling otherwise Wording and Equivocating †G. W. You must now call your Brother Ellwood and your whole Society of Jesuitical Scribes for the Alarum is sounded in your Pope's Borders we must expect but they having caught themselves in this Net the more they flutter the more they 'll fetter insnare and entangle themselves for they cannot thus dance in a Net but some Body will see them For they are now as easily seen thorough God be thanked as they pretend to see through others yea this will certainly be the Consequence till they use the only Christian Means to get out of this Net which is by Humbly Confessing and Condemning their Errors in their Books as Geo. Keith has done c. To all which I cannot but joyn and wish for their own sakes it may be so adding that if ever it so come to pass then I shall see a great Truth in what Tho. Ellwood wrote in his Epistle to Friends p. 72. viz. The way to recover the Deceived is to discover and lay open the Deceivers In the mean time taking it to be a sound Truth I have adventured to put his Doctrine in Practice and so I conclude this Passage out of that Useful and Compendious Book from Pensilvania which had that People receiv'd my Advice in my Postscript to my Book intituled De Christianae Libertate c. Printed 1682. p. 214. viz. To frequent the Holy Scriptures and read them diligently c. this might have been prevented And now to conclude my Advice lest any should prevent you taking the Advice I gave the Pensilvanians 18 Years ago as above I shall according to my further Experience in this Pilgrimage tell you that it was the Practice both of the Church of the Jews and the Christians which for Substance are one to read and expound the Scriptures in their Assemblies which the Quakers call Conjuration from Morning to Mid-day and to give the Meaning thereof to the People out of the Law of God given forth by Moses 1 Chron. 34.18,19,35 Nehem. 8.1,2 Ezra 1.10,11 and Christ himself went into their Synagogue as his Custom was where he stood up for to read And when the Book of Isaiah the Prophet was given to him he found which argues he
in the time of Moses with the very likeness of things good in themselves but all is but counterfeit a bare likeness appear fair like painted Sepulchers and whited Walls but the inside of their Doctrine is all Rottenness How do they send up and down to invite to their Meetings How do they disperse their Books East West North and South see p. 144. as well as beyond Sea How do they present them to the Parliament the Judges the Justices even to all Ranks and Degrees of Men And shall we sit still and declare to the World we have no Zeal for our Holy Religion which our Martyred Ancestors suffered in the Flames for Wherefore let us put on Courage and excite one another's Zeal lest God in Judgment remove the Candlestick and plant his Gospel amongst a People more deserving And therefore let us put Books into the Hands of our Magistrates to inform their Understandings in these Matters that they may be capable to be Eye-Witnesses of this dismal Tragedy now upon the Stage And into the Hands of our Christian Neighbours who at present may be unthinking and not see the Danger they are in and also caution'd to beware of the Deceivers of our Times who come in Sheeps-cloathing but inwardly they are Ravening Wolves And into the Hands of the Well-disposed amongst the Quakers for the regaining of them And this will be a Means to discover and lay waste the Design and Confederacy now on Foot And for your Comfort this I can tell you that many are now coming off Quakerism embracing Christianity and let us meet them and with all Sweetness invite them Home There are about Six or Eight of their Writers and Teachers come off and Hundreds that were caught by their Snare some of them that have been Quakers these Forty Years are now in Print against them And since I have been in London I have had many of them come to Visit me with Thanks in their Mouths to Me and Others who have dealt plainly with them bidding me keep on my Pace and not to spare Proud Babel And from others I have had Letters of the same Import And in Hopes it will be good News to many of you I will recite a Passage or two out of W. Mather's his Book Printed within this Month he lives in Bedfordshire and hath been a Quaker these Forty Years and an Old Acquaintance of mine 38 Years since viz. An Answer to the Switch c. by W. Mather p. 1 8. It is says W. Mather impossible that the Pens now in Controversie against us Quakers should be put a Stop to before there is an Order given forth from the Second-Days Meeting for the Reformation of our Preachers and also a Book of Retractations of the Errors of our Friends printed Books A Man that does but tell you G. Whitehead c. of your Mistakes that they might be amended had need have the Armour of Grace in his Heart as little David had when he encountred great Goliah yea as bold as David 's Worthies were who ventured their Lives to fetch Water from the Philistines Camp to be sure you will Scoff at him at a high rate Wound or Kill him as you account that Crisp Bugg 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 to be Tried by the Scriptures But instead of Answering their Christian Desires for your Good you fall upon them and wound them and make them grieve Pag. 9. Consider this you fierce Despisers of all those who desire your Reformation in Doctrine and Practice You know where this Cursed Thing is that causeth all this Disturbance you still hide it but out it must come and be beaten to Pouder Wherefore I beseech you to consider First what Damage hath befaln our Church by the False Doctrine couched under the fair Pretences of the Quakers next their Industry of spreading them as in p. 1.44 but moreover how they give away that Fallacious Book Anguis Flagellatus c. not only to Members of Parliament Judges Justices Lawyers and indeed Men of all Ranks but as I have been told send beyond Sea 500 together And forasmuch as there are many Excellent Books wrote by that Reverend Author of the Book intituled The Snake in the Grass c. that and his Defence of it his Book Satan Disrobed c. and that about Water Baptism and also by that Learned Author Geo. Keith and divers others which discover the Horrible Fraud and Pernicious Principles of the Quakers I say let us not let a Parliament-Man a Judge Justice or any others where we see a Service for the Church be without a Book to inform their Judgments and rectifie the Mistakes of others Let us consider the many Books wrote by our Pious Divines in Defence of our Holy Religion against the Attempts of the Church of Rome and also the great Benefit thereof and good Effects they have had both to Preserve our Members in Communion with us and to Regain many that were wavering and some that were strayed away And as a further exciting our Zeal let us be often Meditating on the Precepts of Divine Writ and Pray God to Illuminate our Understandings and thereby make us able to Read them to our Comfort I cannot but remember with what restless Zeal my self and others used to Advance Quakerism in the beginning and how we sent our Books the Nation over by Pack-Horses and otherwise I my self have given away Twenty Shillings worth at a Meeting and shall we be now less Zealous in Dispersing Books to detect their Errors than they have been to broach them and are now to defend them God forbid Oh let it not be said so of such as love God and are Orthodox in the Faith that love the Scriptures and have a true value for the Sacred Ordinances instituted by our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Thus have I imparted my Mind and I hope without Offence who am Your Humble Servant Fr. Bugg Milden-Hall in Suffolk March 1699 700. THE CONTENTS OF the Author 's Early Education Pag. 1 Of his turning Quaker 5 The Occasion and Means thereof 6 Of the Quaker's Silent Meetings 8 Fox and Muggleton compared 18 Of Muggleton's Doctrine 19 Quakers Laws to be obeyed 25 Scripture-Commands vacated 27 Christ disowned 28 The Quakers Synod 29 The Quakers Creed 33 Scripture-Authority overturned 39 G. Fox the Second Moses 42 G. Fox's Self-Exaltations 45 The Quakers Adoration of G. Fox 47 Fox's Journal preferred to the Bible 48 Distrust all they say and Why 53 Ann Docwra's Letter 54 Christ's Blood undervalued 55 Every Quaker a Virgin Mary 57 Fox's Miracles refuted 61 His Visions Diabolical 62 Who the Quakers own Poor 63 The Quakers Malicious Attempts 65 Tho. Plumstead's Running away 66 G. W.'s pretended Call fallacious 67 Their Teachers mean
about your Cottage you that can forge Certificates and set Mens Names to it without their Privity Knowledge or Consent as you did that from Huntington in your Book Judgment fixed as Anne Docwra in her Letter to Mr. Crisp March 25. 1684. says you did what credit is to be given to it And besides those three Certifiers conclude thus On credible Information we verily Believe Here then is but their belief on Information and I am credibly informed of what I wrote so the Reader is left to believe as he is perswaded The like may be said of Will. Mead touching his saying to William Harris that Fox's Journal is a better Book than the Bible this Will. Mead does not deny under his Hand I have only Geor. Whitehead's word for it and he that can forge Certificates is not to be believed Again p. 38. What Earnings didst thou F. B. make in the late Discourse before the Bishop of Norwich and the four Members of Parliament where I discovered thy repeated Falshoods Forgery Deceit and Wickedness in divers Matters And how thou wert counfounded when Matters were closely urg'd against thee c. Now George thou knowest in thy own Conscience that this is a Lie spoken in Hypocrisie on purpose to mislead thy Disciples for thou didst not prove one false Quotation Matter or Thing against me But I proved thee guilty of contempt of the Scriptures in exalting your sayings above them as of greater Authority and for the truth of this I submit my self to those Five Persons present one of them having often shewed his Approbation of my management of that Affair These things George do not redound to thy Credit and I can truly say I am sorry for thee George we both grow Ancient let us write for the good of others not for Victory for my part I do upon the word of a Christian design it and if I saw my self in an Error I should willingly submit Again P. 46. Beside the false Printing and bad English as Fr. B. has exposed my Book Ishmael there is another defect after the words The Lake is thy Portion which is the Portion of Liars the words except thou speedily repent are omitted there and in some other places To which I Answer let any body compare your Book Ishmael and his Mother cast out c. in the Original Impression in Quarto and the Reprint in my Modest Desence c. Part 2. and they shall find it for English Comma's and Points and Words the same For in the Quarto Impression p. 3. l. 15. there is we for wo as in Mod. Def. p. 7. l. 13. there is also we for wo and so in all other places where it was bad English and false Spelled and false Pointed so it is Reprinted And as for the words except thou speedily repent being left out I do positively say 't is a most horrid Lie there is not a word in the whole Book left out so careful was I. And how then canst thou pretend to be a Consciencious Writer when in the face of the Sun thou canst thus Prevaricate Dissemble and Lie and that knowingly What is become George of thy seriousness sincerity and plainness thou so often boasts of Again P. 34. He F. B. assumes the boldness to promote in Print an Abstract of two Letters of two Clergymen I pray God open the Eyes of our Governours and cause them to take into Consideration this too much and too deplorable unlimited and unbounded Tolleration especially as the Quakers both claim and use it c. as in Pil. Prog. p. 175. was not this says George a piece of insolent confidence to expose this in Print and thus openly to oppose the Liberty Granted and legally Confirmed by King and Parliament and thus to render our Governours blinds c. Now as I think this was a good Prayer so do I think it no boldness to expose it in Print For George it was not the Liberty Granted and by Law Confirmed which these Clergymen either called unlimited or unbounded for the liberty granted is both limited and bounded as from divers branches of the Laws appear and particularly by the very Act of Tolleration see p. 86 88 101 189 339. No the unbounded Liberty which the Quakers take claim and use is what the Clergy is against and which they Pray the Government would take into their Consideration and I am sure it is a base bold and insolent thing George in you to expose in Print that the Clergy would represent the King and Parliament blind But I have not herein room to set forth your baseness in calling all Kings Spiritual Egyptians all that own any King since the days of Christ Apostates that Parliaments chosen by most Voices are not like to Act for God or the Good of his People that Parliaments are the Beast that carry the Whore Nay in your Book The West Answering to the North c. you justifie the Murther of King Charles I. saying The cutting off his Head was a remarkable Record of the Righteous Judgment of God and for a true sight of these your Antimonarchical as well as Antimagistratical Principles see p. 157. to p. 175. hereafter And George you tell us in Print that your Principles are now no other than they were in the beginning And what they were in the beginning I in this Book the Pilg. Prog. c. have set forth And I think it is both bold and insolent Confidence in you to revive all these your horrid Principles destructive to Government and Humane Society by telling us you are the same in Principles still and I am afraid we may in this believe you In the next place I shall shew even thee George what Liberty the Quakers both use and claim which not only those two Clergymen but many Ten Thousands both of Laity and Clergy are against First Your sending into the Churches Challenges as your Friends did at West-Dereham Secondly Your going from House to House like the Popish Priests to seduce the People inviting them to your Meetings giving them Books which say the Quakers are the one only Church of Christ and that out of your Church there is no Salvation Thirdly That your Monthly Quarterly Six Week Second Day and Yearly Meetings where you revive your old Treasonable Principles which Meetings are expresly against the very Act of Tolleration these and the like as in the ensuing Discourse are the Meetings and the Practices both used and claim'd by you Namely to hold Convocations which the Established Church without Licence from His Majesty cannot legally do These and the like Practices of yours all good Christians and the Laws of the Land are against and I still pray God to give the Nation a sight and sence of it before it be too late In Answer to your 48th Page I query thus Whether it be not as proper for me to Address His Majesty on the behalf of the Church of England and other sound Protestants who hold the
Fundamentals of the Christian Religion as it is for G. Whitehead to Address himself by Dedication to the Clergy and Universities personating a Schism which professes such Doctrine as tends to overthrow the Christian Faith Come George Answer me this Question how came you to be such a Man You know I could shew Books of your Friends Burrough Fisher Fox and others who tho' as great Imposters as any in the World ever knew yet they have Dedicated and Addressed and not only so but Dictated to Kings Lords and Commons Come G. what was your birth Whence came your breeding Were you not Rambling Pilgrims who like Gypsies lay in Barns lived upon Alms with your Feet at other Mens Tables See E. Burrough's Epist to his works What must none Address now but you Must none apply themselves to the Government but you Surely George you are a Pegg too high Come George let us reason together what power have you to summons all Ecclesiastical Courts and Officers more than I have to summon you What Power have you to Dialogue the Bishops and the whole Church more than I have to Dialogue you What Authority have you to Arraign Try Judge and Condemn all the Clergy in a Kingdom more than I have to Arraign you and Try you by your Fruit I tell you George I cannot see you mount the Stage and thus Insult Domineer and Exalt your selves not only above the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Saints and Martyrs and all Christians with respect to your so much boasted-of Sinless Perfection but above all the King's Subjects as if you and you only had right to Address Dedicate and Present Papers to the Parliament and that it were Treason to confront you I tell you as above noted that you are a pegg too high But George before you had Addrest your selves and Dedicated your Books to the King and Government you ought to have condemn'd your Books mentioned p. 154 157 167. And before you had Dedicated this Book to the Clergy you ought in prudence to have retracted your Books mentioned p. 217 249 250. And as to G. K's Book it was approved by the Quakers and you ought to have retracted the Doctrine of it as G. K. has and likewise W. Penn's and Alexander Skien's mentioned in p. 168 170. But your Temporizing is both seen and discovered to be seen by others And now for your Dedication to the Clergy A Rambling Pilgrim p. 3. An Epistle Dedicatory to those of the Clergy and of the two Universities whose kindness Fran. Bugg boasts of 30 th of the 4 th Month 1629. By George Whitehead Now George to shew you what a kind Reception your Dedication met with from my Benefactors I shall though I have no order present you with part of a Letter which one of them sent me which take as follows viz. March 11. 1699. Mr. Bugg I Cannot but thank you for the service you have done especially among the Common People by your way of Writing and for the plentiful materials you have furnish'd out to imploy others with respect both to the Principles and Practices of the Quakers and your laborious Attendance at Parliament as a Check to the Insolencies of the Quakers in their presenting their deceivable Papers in which they have been too much neglected wherefore be not dishearten'd but go on and Charge the Quakers Party through and through with their Blasphemies against the Blessed Trinity their Doctrine of Infallibility and Sinless Perfection their denying the Fundamental Articles of our most Holy Religion viz. The Incarnation of Christ the Resurrection of the Body and the Day of Judgment For to talk of Lenitives and Gentle Applications is like the old way of sowing Pillows under their Arm-holes and you may as well give Opium in a Lethargy as to fancy to cure some Men into their Senses by your mild and tender Remedies And therefore to deal plainly is the best way to work their Conversion from the Infidelity of Quakerism to the Faith of Christ Crucified which God of his Mercy grant them if it be his Will It was a notable Confession of St. Paul when he drew up an Indictment and Arraigned himself in the Murther of St. Stephen for his standing by and consenting unto his Death and holding the Garment of them that slew him I wish the Quakers were Humble enough to follow his Example whose malice I am afraid is greater and the dignity of the injured Person higher for they have Spirited away our Blessed Saviour and have left us nothing but a Notional and Chimerical Christ so that we may take up the Lamentation of Mary Magdalen They have taken away the Lord and we know not where they have laid him That was well noted in the Spirit of the Hat For I am perswaded there cannot be an Instance made in any Society of Men of that bigness that have gotten more Bastards and more unnaturally dispos'd of them that have drank deeper Draughts of stoln secret Intemperance that have fed higher and fared more deliciously every Day than have some of these Perfectionists in their shining brazen disguises of Religion I am heartily sorry for the poor Quaker I heard lately of who hanged himself * * viz. Will. Rust a Preacher at Chaterice in the Isle of Ely who opposed G. K. with G. K's Narrative in his Pocket and the more for the exact parallel I must make between him and Judas both in his Life and in his Death I pray God give them Grace to lay it to Heart and humbly to confess their Sins to God and to beg pardon by the Merits of Christ that God may give them Repentance unto Life SIR Your most Faithful Friend to Serve you c. It may be some may say why did you not Print his Name to it To which I Answer suppose I had a Friend in my Parlour and knew that if I did open the Door that the Dogs would come in and worry him can any think that if I lov'd my Friend I would not secure him from their Rage yea and with Just Lot rather venture my self out among the Sodomites than suffer my Friend to be torn in pieces And besides that I have Muzzled some and put others of them in a Cage so that they can only Grin Bark and shew their Teeth POSTSCRIPT To the Sincere amongst the Quakers whether they be Thousands Hundreds Fifties or peradventure but Ten who are of the true Berean Race FRIENDS BEsides the forenoted Six Books of the Quakers I have herein Examined and Refuted Four more at least in their principal parts VII Their Anguis Flagellatus or A Switch for the Snake VIII A Rambling Pilgrim c. by George Whitehead IX A Just Censure of F. B 's Address to the Parliament c. X. A Sober Reply c. in Answer to F. B 's Modest Defence To all which you will find in the foregoing and following such an Examination and Confutation as will give you some light into the
Controversie on foot if you be Impartial in your search and will do your selves the justice to read both sides as you ought to do before you can be capable to pass a Judgment and this to do is highly requisite since not only your Eternal Happiness depends upon a true and lively Faith in God and his Son Jesus Christ but even your Temporal Blessings also I remember well St. Paul's Doctrine 1 Tim. 3.13 who said Evil Men and Seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived and thereupon like a Careful Watchman over the Church of God over which the Holy Ghost had made him an Overseer he then and by his Doctrine now cautions all Believers in the True God and his Son Jesus Christ That we be henceforth no more Children tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine whereby they lye in wait to deceive And writing to his Son Titus Chap. 1. Ver. 12 13. he there does most Excellently describe the Cretians from a Testimony of one of their own Prophets or Teachers who like your Teachers were always Liars and Dissemblers and therefore he exhorted Titus to reprove them sharply and indeed it is the only way to work a Cure And this is according to the Doctrine of Tho. Ellwood one of your own Prophets or Teachers saying The only way to recover the deceived is to discover the Deceivers This Witness is true as St. Paul said of the Cretian Poet and thereupon I have for many Years laboured to discover your Teachers and if you will but search diligently read and judge impartially you may see for your selves whether these things be so or no. It 's true I have exposed some of the Immoralities of a few of your Teachers but it is for a good End namely that by your seeing them and considering their high Pretences to Infallibility and a Sinless Perfection you may be admonished to a Confession of your Sins to God and beging Pardon for Jesus Christ's Sake that God may keep and bless and preserve you to his Heavenly Kingdom to Reign with Christ for Ever and Ever You may further observe that G. W. in his Rambling Pilgrim c. has not denied one Quotation yet by a Cunning of his would represent me a Forger but that will soon vanish when you consider that in all Dialogues the like liberty is taken * See S. Eccles Dialogue Fox's and Smith's And I can Appeal to God the Searcher of all Hearts that my Chief End why I so expos'd them was after long forbearing to let them see themselves and learn not to insult over others And as it has had a good Effect upon some so I hope it will upon others And so I conclude with my hearty Prayer to God that of his Infinite Goodness he would vouchsafe a Blessing upon my Labours to the Benefit of you and your Posterity whose Information I have taken great Pains in that you might not continue in Ignorance and be led by your Blind Guides into the Ditch of Error and Heresie I rest your Faithful Friend and Humble Monitor Fra. Bugg March 25. 1700. A Just Rebuke to the Quakers Insolent Behaviour in their Two Books i. e. A Just Censure c. the other A Sober Reply c. both presented to some Members of Parliament Also a Dialogue between a Civilian and a Quaker Christian Reader THE first of these Books is Intitled A Just Censure of Francis Bugg 's Address to the Parliament This shews their Impudence or want of good Manners at least had they Confuted my Arguments or Convicted me of one False Quotation thereby to Misrepresent them they in Justice to themselves might have Confuted what was False either in Fact or Argument But not being able so to do for them in a Magisterial way to Censure my Speech to the Parliament and Address to my Superiors for which I have as an Englishman as good Right as they and every way equally Priviledged with them this was in them both Bold and Presumptuous as well as want of Wisdom not to stay their Censure until the Parliament had past theirs whose Right it was if they had seen Cause and to whom I ought to have submitted as in Duty bound but no Symptoms of that did appear but Pride as it is written goeth before Destruction and a Haughty Mind before a Fall And as it is impossible for a Blackamoor to change his Skin or a Leopard his Spots so is it impossible for the Quakers to cease their Insulting and Domineering Method as if they may present their Books and Papers Fifty Years together and none may Confront them They begin with the Man he has angred them by discovering their Errors and Blasphemies they go on with Personal Reflections against him which affects not the Cause and which he has long since repeatedly Answer'd in Print but still the Man the Man he is an Ill Man say they what Worse than the Quaker Teachers No sure for if he were believe me he were an Ill Man indeed for I think there is not worse than some of them are and have been even in Newgate notwithstanding their high pretence to a Sinless Perfection and Infallibility of Judgment many of whom have been highly guilty of Cheating Couzening Lying and Defrauding of Drunkenness Whoredom Felony and Treason Condemn'd both by the Law of God and Man and some of them Hang'd for their Just Merit some Instances you will find in the Preface to the Pilgrim's Progress c. p. 266 to p. 284. p. 329. ibid. And as I find no Name to the Books so I find no denial of Matter of Fact to Mod. Def. Nihil dicit is Confessing of Judgment and I shall wait patiently to see the Execution and thereupon I shall say the less in Answer to it since as it plainly appears that the Quakers does not deny Matter of Fact because in truth they could not so will their Silence be taken for a tacit Confession of the Charge But say they p. 40. For as we cannot quit any Point of our own Books so we abhor every one of them as given by him Fran. Bugg The English of which is They cannot quit any one Error any one Blasphemy c. in their own Books tho' they abhor them in my Books that is of my Reciting of my Transcribing of my Reprinting Oh! this they abhor with great detestation And why Because I seldom do it without using some Arguments to discover their Hypocrisies this yea this enrages them for this they are angry And therefore I would desire the Quakers to Reprint G. Whitehead's Book Ishmael and his Mother cast out c. where in p. 10. is this passage viz. And here thy Antiquity and thy Reasons and the Three Persons which thou Dreams of which thou i. e. Mr. Townsend the Minister would divide out of one like a Conjurer are ALL denied and thou SHUT UP with THEM in PERPETUAL DARKNESS for the LAKE and the PIT c. This indeed is
the Superlative degree and will give them further ground to believe that when the Government have leisure to examine them and that they are willing to wait it will let the Quakers see they have nothing to do with Queen Elizabeth's Motto Much suspected by me Nothing proved can be and that they 'll be forc'd to sing another Song and to change their Motto viz. Many things are fairly mov'd And also as fully prov'd by me Fra. Bugg Now follows a short Discourse by way of Dialogue between Jacob the Wet Quaker and a Civilian for diversion-sake after a piece of hard Drudgery viz. Civilian Oh! Friend Jacob how dost thou do Come let us have a Bottle of Red and half an Hours Chat. Quaker With all my Heart pray what 's the News Civ News I know but little I meddle not with State Affairs But to be free with you I was astonisht at your Deportment the other Day at the Commons Lobby towards Fra. Bugg when he gave away his Book to the Members of Parliament and how Imperiously you Menaced him whose grey Hairs might have commanded your better Respect and perhaps may be as good a Man as your self if your Debts were paid bidding him put off his Hat to the Members which with great respect he did and needed not your Doctrine which had been fitter for your self to have observ'd and the morose Clowns your Brethren who neither respect your Superiors nor regard your Betters Besides you cannot but know how many of your Teachers are and have been guilty of gross Immoralities as Gerard Roberts and his Son Thomas together with Newton Gosnell Billing Antrobus Archer Burr Travers Murford Taylor Clark c. besides your Hearers as Bracy Boswell Plumstead Northcott French Stone Firth Olive Goodwin Cadey c. besides what he has put in the Cage of Unclean Birds in his Pilgrim's Progress 2d Edit p. 294. Qua. Hold Friend thee seem'st to be in a Passion thou saw as soon as I perceiv'd how the Members took his Books and the People shew'd their dislike I came away Civ I am not angry but since in your Reply to his Modest Defence c. p. 8. you seem to allow the liberty of Printing why are you so angry with him since you have not power as in Pensilvania where you both Fined Imprisoned and took away the Printer's Tools for so much as Printing an Appeal since he does no more than you practice and seem now to allow Qua. Be not mistaken we are an Innocent People and vindicate Truth and Innocency Civ Again p. 7. ibid. you say You are ready to make it appear that your Books are not Blasphemous Again p. 11. We are ready to undertake the proof of every Doctrine we hold by and from the Scriptures Qua. We are ready and dare undertake it Civ To the first I answer 't is impossible for in his Book to the Parliament he has Reprinted one of your Books in which is horrible Blasphemy writ by G. Whitehead c. to the second I say Fra. Bugg has Challenged your Teachers Fifty times and G. Keith as many yet you are not ready to vindicate either your Doctrine or the Books which contain them and since that Whitehead seldom appear'd at Parliament Qua. I grant that Book has put a sad damp on our Friends but you must know that giving us G. Whitehead's Method in his Truth and Innocency c. viz. of leaving out words and adding words to and transposing words we dare meet them As for instance in the last Recital adding two words Never and Any and putting out Every and it should run thus We are Never ready to undertake the proof of any Doctrine we hold Civ This is brave Work indeed any thing may do at this rate pray what say you to p. 11. ibid. where you grant that were it not for the Act of Toleration your Monthly Quarterly and Yearly Meetings were illegal but yet they relating to Religion are allowed by the Act whilst in another Book where being charged with the Doors of their Meeting being Lock'd Barr'd or bolted A Just Censure c. p. 26. there you say these Meetings are not designed for Worship and 't is plain none besides Religious Meetings are tolerated by the Act what say you to this Qua. I perceive thou dost not know us nor our way which is to carry two Faces under one Religious Hood you must not measure us by our words but by our meaning and that of our own giving too and if thee wilt but be a Friend to us I will give thee as good a Hamper of Wine as ever thee didst tip over Tongue Civ This is all downright Hypocrisie for at this rate no Man can tell either your Faith or Principles And as to your Present I will not accept thereof for a Gift may pervert and my Religion to me is more than all nor am I so mean spirited to betray my Conscience for all the Wine in thy Cellar But Friend there is another thing in which I would be satisfied namely your answering Books wherein you falsifie the Text drop Words split Sentences and marr the Sence of your Opponant's Argument I will give you but one Instance in a Sheet presented to the Parliament by Fra. Bugg with a Scheme of your Yearly Meeting c. Col. 2. Reason 6. In one sort of their Books they pretend to Love Own and Honour the King yea to Pray for all Men for Kings and all that are in Authority but in their contrary sort of Books they tell you That all Kings and Emperors sprung up in the Night since the Days of the Apostles among the Antichrists that they own no King but Jesus nor no Government but the Government of the Lamb that they are Traytors against Christ that desire an Earthly King Do you read say the Quakers that there were any Kings since the Days of the Apostles but among the Apostate Christians That Kings are the Spiritual Egyptians Oh what a Sincerity was once in the Nation What a dirty nasty thing it would have been to have heard talk of a House of Lords among them A Parliament chosen by most Voices are not like to act for God and the good of his People It was thorow Ignorance that the People subjected themselves to Hereditary Government or to the Government standing in a single Person successively and our Nation have been under Bondage on this Account Now all that the Quakers in their Just Censure c. p. 18. recite is as followeth viz. In one sort of our Books we seem to Own Love and Honour the King yea to Pray for all Men for Kings and all that are in Authority but in the other sort of our Books we tell People that Kings and Emperors sprung up in the Night and among Apostate Christians and that we are against the English Government c. Now how short and defective they are herein is obvious by comparing each Qua. Friends Intentions are good they
Grace-Church-Street London where there is a very large Room four square with a very large Table which is covered in Convocation time with a curious Green Carpet about which may fit Forty or Fifty of the Principal Men their President being their Light within which is to speak thro' some or other infallibly and so to be taken c. and round about there are Seats set one above another like the House of Commons where may convene about Six Hundred and their Speaker being below they can all hear him and he them with Ease and Delight Thirdly When this is done the Doors being well secured i. e. either lock'd and barr'd or else Two or Three lusty Fellows to keep Guard then the Clerk opens his Bags and takes out his Books opens the black Roll and calls over all the Quarterly Meetings in England and Wales and the Names of the Deputies and is as careful to see that none be wanting as Jehu was who said Call unto me all the Prophets of Baal let none be wanting 2 Kings 10.19 This done they proceed to examine first the State of their own Affairs next that of the Nation which any way affects them First As to their own Church Affairs it is to see that none Preach contrary to their Antient Testimony if they do they Excommunicate them and Expel them out of their Unity as in the Case of Geo. Keith which in regard it is made so Publick by several printed Books particularly his Three Narratives I think I am the less concerned to be particular on that Head as First To shew how they Summoned him to appear before them Day after Day I think 10 or 12 Days together where G. Keith as readily appeared as Luther did at Wormes (n) And there was as much need for him for New-Rome is as fatal and as dangerous to the Protestant Interest as her Elder Sister and when they could not make him truckle but that he manfully stood his Post they then cast him out as a Troubler of their Israel and called him Apostate one separated from the Holy Fellowship of the Church of Christ and one not fit to Preach and Pray in their Meetings in that unreconciled Estate until by a Publick and Hearty Acknowledgment of his Offence and Condemnation of himself therefore he return to Mother-Church c. as by the Words of his Excommunication bearing Date May 17. 1695. may more fully appear Thus then is their Boldness manifest First In presuming to Summons the King's Subjects to appear before them and then to Interrogate them Sentence and Condemn them yea and that too for holding no other Articles of the Christian Faith than what every Orthodox Church holds Secondly That he is an Apostate whilst no matter of evil Fact or false Doctrine they could lay to his Charge I say this is bold in Fact I will not deny but that Dissenters have sometimes admonished scandalous Walkers and if they have persisted therein to the Scandal of their Church-Society rejected them c. But I deny that any whether Presbyterians Independants or Baptists ever yet took upon them to call a General Council and then and there assume an Authority to call before them the King's Subjects examine try and judge them Apostates for differing from them in Matter of Faith and Doctrine especially when G. Keith held no other Articles of the Christian Faith than all sound Protestants hold This then is a Figure of their Church-Government respecting the Doctrinal Part thereof Next As to their Interfering with the Government and their calling in question Acts of Parliament and absolving their Hearers from their Obedience to them if this can be made appear I think 't is worth noticing the dangerous Consequences thereof are so Many and so Pernicious And THEREFORE observe what W. Rogers wrote in Answer to an Objection Whether it were lawful or no to pay Tythes if the Supream Powers command it c. The Christian Quaker distinguished from the Apostate in five Parts Part 2. pag. 43. Printed 1680. Ans We are so far from condemning all those who freely pay them and not by Constraint that we look upon it the Duty of all professing Christianity to contribute towards the outward Maintainance of such whom they usually hear and account to be the true Ministers of Christ in case they have need and if the Charity of any should be such as to bestow upon them one Fifth Part instead of a Tenth far be it from us to condemn it c. This Book did so startle the Foxonian Quakers that Tho. Ellwood one of their best Tools wrote an Answer to it and fearfully complains of this extensive Charity of W. Rogers and the Dissenting Quakers called Storians for Distinction c. saying In this Answer saith Ellwood you discover an Error of Judgment otherwise you would not be so far from Condemning all those who pay Tythes freely as you say you are FOR TRUTH ALLOWS NO PAYMENT OF TYTHES AT ALL UNDER THE NEW COVENANT BUT CONDEMNS IT And so would you also if your Hearts were right in Truth THEY who PAY TYTHES do THEREIN uphold a legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ and THEREBY DENY CHRIST to be come in the Flesh which IS a MARK of ANTICHRIST 1 John 4.3 (o) This Proof of Tho. Ellwood's out of 1 John 4.3 is like many of their Proofs for there is not a word of Tythes or that it is a mark of Antichrist to pay Tythes However whether you condemn or approve it the faithful Followers of the Lamb see and discern this Spirit the Nature of it and the End it tends to which is downright RANTERISM An Antidote against the Infection of W. Rogers's Book p. 78. Again p. 139. poor T. Ellwood makes a sad Complaint of some that had been convinced Ten nay some Twenty Years and yet can pay Tythes without any Acknowledgment of Evil therein (p) See what a sad thing it is to break one of Fox's Commandments Is it not savoury Language says Ellwood for such to say I must stay until I be convinced Can such as see not such manifest Evil (q) Possibly the poor Men had not seen G. Fox's Commandments or at least not well conn'd them be said to be faithful c. Well these Differences grew high and very difficult to decide but in time the Matter came up to the Terms of W. Rogers's Objection viz. the SUPREAM POWER continued the Payment of Tythes in that very Act of Parliament by which the Quakers claim their Toleration and therefore 't is worth the while to see how the Quakers take this very Act of Parliament and bring it to their Light which is say they the Higher Power all Power in Heaven and Earth being committed to it Smith's Primer p. 13. Jos Coal's Works p. 93. and how they null make void and repeal that Part of it relating to Tythes Repairs of Churches c. viz. so far as it concern the Quakers Anno Regni
which both repealed this Law respecting the Quakers who adhered to them as the Higher Power alienated their Obedience from the Magistrates and the Laws of the Land Which Edict is as followeth viz. Concerning our open Testimony by Publick Meetings in Times of Sufferings That as it hath been our Care and Practice from the Beginning that an Open Testimony for the Lord should be born and a Publick Standard ††High boasting Words but the Snake lay in the bottom i. e. Disobedience to Authority their Light being the Higher Power for Truth and Righteousness upheld in the Power and Spirit of God by our open and known Meetings against the Spirit of Persecution that in all Ages hath sought to lay waste God's Heritage and that only thro' Faithfulness Constancy and Patience Victory hath been and is obtained SO IT IS OUR ADVICE and JUDGMENT That all Friends gathered in the Name of Jesus * * Meaning their Light in opposition to the Doctrine and Practice of the Apostles and all Christian Churches as well as against the Commands of Jesus of Nazareth Go teach all Nations Baptizing c. Do this in Remembrance of me c. When you Pray say Our Father c. Forgive us our Sins for c. Read Luke 11.14 Matth. 28.19,20 Luke 22.19 John 1.8 Psal 38.18 50.15 51.1,2,3 Isa 64.6 Lam. 3.20 Job 7.20 Prov. 20.9 Eccles 7.20 Nehem. 1.6 1 Tim. 1.15 Dan. 9.4,5,20,23 See Pict of Quak. p. 63 to 70. keep up those Publick Testimonies in their Respective Places and not DECLINE FORSAKE or REMOVE their Publick Assemblies because of Times of Sufferings as WORLDLY FEARFUL and POLITICK Professors have done because of Informers and the like Persecutors For such Practices are not consistent with the Nobility of the Truth and therefore not to be owned in the Churches of Christ Subscribed by G. Whitehead W. Penn Tho. Salthouse Al. Parker Jo. Burnyeat St. Crisp London the 23d of the Third Month 1675. Thus have I given two Instances as particular Demonstrations That as their Books teach so their Practice confirm it That their Light is the Higher Power to which they require Obedience contrary to the Practice of God's Saints and Servants in all Ages where nothing that is sinful and so against the written Word of God is commanded Read Mat. 22.21 1 Pet. 2.13,14,17 Rom. 13.1,2,3 Tit. 3.1 See Tindal's Works i. e. The Obedience of a Christian Man c p. 111. and compare these Holy Sayings with their Practice unless where Idolatry or Things sinful are commanded and then 't is better to obey God than Man but this the Quakers could never produce But as they thus slighted and trampled upon the Government so did their great Apostle glory in it saying He did not heed a Cart load of Warrants Journal p. 278. And now I shall briefly run through several of their other Methods and Ways at their Yearly Meeting reserving their Doctrinal Part which support and influence them to a distinct Chapter by it self First They oft refer to their last Yearly Epistle that the Contents of it be seriously reminded in all Monthly and Quarterly Meetings but not a Word of Scripture referred to therein as their Rule of Faith and Practice 2 dly Against that grand Oppression and Antichristian Yoke of Tythes yea Antichristian in the Law-maker in the Payer and in the Receiver 3 dly Against the paying of Churchwardens Rates by which we have much Trouble in the Country otherwise things might be easie but from this Fountain spring their Antimagistratical Practices 4 thly That all their Sufferings may be brought up to London in order for a Martyrology both full and compleat that nothing may be wanting to reproach the Magistrates and extol their own Sufferings which they are not already asham'd to say are Greater and more Unjust than in the Days of Christ's Apostles the Ten Persecutions and all the Massacres for the Name of Christ see Burrough's Works p. 273. tho' many of them are meer Shams as in the Case of Sam. Cater who pretended and got it Recorded that he suffered 20 l. for Preaching at Phakenham in Norfolk altho' he never did for that Meeting suffer a Groat yet for that Pretence had 10 l. sent him out of their London Exchequer or Fund And yet this is not the whole of this grand Cheat but Nine Years after he printed a Book intituled The Lamentable Cry of Oppression c. p. 14 44. wherein he had the Impudence still to complain of Sir Christopher Colthorp's Injustice and Persecution concealing his having his Goods again and 10 l. to boot And by this their Chronicles they so much boast of †Yet no Chronicle appears What are they asham'd of their Sham-Sufferings may be measured 5 thly Against their People using Guns in their Ships which in 1693. When this Advice was given His Majesty had need of such as would Fight c. But tho' the Quakers in Pensilvania can Fight as Magistrates yet they cannot Fight as Quakers and 't is not time yet to throw off their Coats of Quakerism and put on the Robes of Magistracy 6 thly To receive Applications Epistles and Embassies from the Foreign Parts beyond the Seas mentioned in the former Part of this Chapter and grant them Orders Edicts and Laws for the governing themselves in Subjection to their Light the Higher Power especially when met in a Body as the Epistle Anno 1660. before recited shew 7 thly To refer the Sufferings of their own Poor i. e. such as by breaking the Laws lying in Goal for Non-payment of Tythes c. For otherwise tho' their own Brothers they may starve e're they 'll take any charitable notice of them Nay Fathers as in the Case of T. Ellwood who suffer'd his Father to go from Door to Door as John Rauce's Relation is or of a Woman that wears a Lace of a Groat on her Head or a Man that puts off his Hat no many of these are God's Poor but the Quakers Poor are of another sort and they having merited the Quakers Kindness by obeying their Laws These are plentifully rewarded so that what they call their Unity is rather a Confederacy which ought to be noticed 8 thly They take care that all their Erronious Books may be dispersed by all their Monthly and Quarterly Meetings for the spreading of Truth but not a word of dispersing the Bible however it may serve for a Motive to our Clergy for to take Care to Disperse such Books as discover the Quakers Errours and Hypocrisies the Neglect of it has been very hurtful 9 thly They every Year order a Committee to be chosen to view the Accounts and to examine the State of their Cash i. e. the Quakers Exchequer which some say now run over They likewise nominate their Feoffees for the time being who by the Order of their Superiors give out sometimes 5 l. sometimes 10 l. sometimes 20 l. at a time to their Preachers and such as
have been ruin'd for Non payment of Tythes and the like the Feostees for Anno 1693. were W. Crouch J. Staploe W. Macket W. Chandler W. Beech and Nath. Marks 10 thly They give their Deputies fresh Orders to bring or send up the Sum-Total of each County's Collection for the Relief of their Suffering-Friends viz. such as have suffered against Tythes c. that such as Preach up G. Fox's Commandments Orders and Precepts may not lose their Reward 11 thly George Fox had a Saying in their Yearly Meeting worth noting Pensilvania had Experience of it and when they get Power England may also viz. I do not like said Fox the Words LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE for there is no Liberty out of the Power What! Liberty to the Episcopals no. What! Liberty to the Presbyter no. What! Liberty to the Independant no. What! Liberty to the Baptist no. No Liberty out of the Truth Spirit of the Hat p. 12. And for further Evidence that they are against Liberty of Conscience R. Hubberthorn and Ed. Burroughs Men of Note amongst them in an Answer to the Baptist's Declaration wherein they did declare themselves against an Universal Toleration of all Miscarriages whether in things Civil or Religious nor are we for tolerating Popery nor such as speak contemptuously of our Lord Jesus Christ nor any that deny the Holy Scriptures to be the Word of God and yet we are not against tolerating Episcopacy Presbytery or any stinted Form c. Now hear these two Eminent Doctors of the Quakers Answer What Confusion is here you will not tolerate Popery nor any that worship a false God nor that speak Contemptuously and Reproachfully of our Lord Jesus Christ nor that deny the Holy Scriptures to be the Word of God and yet you are not against tolerating Episcopacy Presbytery or any other stinted Form Why will you not tolerate Popery as well as Episcopacy And why will you tolerate the Book of Common-Prayer amongst the Episcopals and not the Mass Book amongst the Papists seeing the Mass was the Substance out of which the Common-Prayer was extracted Here is nothing but Partiality to tolerate one thing and not another of the same kind c. R. Hubberthorn 's Works p. 228. Edw. Burrough 's Works p. 615. Thus then does it appear what Friends the Quakers are to Liberty of Conscience and how kind they were to Episcopacy in 1659. and they are the same still they tell you they are not chang'd and you may believe them since they have given such a plain Demonstration thereof in Pensilvania where they have both Fined Whipp'd or Imprison'd George Keith and others for holding the same Faith and Preaching the same Faith that the Episcopalians hold and teach 12 thly and lastly And what I have heard with my Ears That George Fox hath exhorted this Meeting that when they return to their respective Habitations that such in each County as had most Interest and thereby the most Influence on the Members of the House of Commons should resort to them and work upon them c. And when at the House they still by all the Interest they have make fresh Suits they have their Emissaries wait continually to see what comes out they are quick at their Answers and a Fund or Common Bank to maintain all none like them but the Jesuits And I do say that the whole twelve Instances I have named are not more Political than this one for ten to one if some Quaker be not himself or some of his Kindred some way related either to the Members of Parliament to serve for that County or Burrough or to some of his Friends or ten to one if some Quakers do not deal with him or some near him or is Tenant to him or some of his Friends if then some one or any of these or all concur then there is Application made to him time after time and most English Gentlemen are apt to be kind and they not knowing the Craft and Subtilty besides the Design of this People are apt to tell them Well if I can do you any Good consistent with a National Good I shall not be against it And if they meet one that is resolute and from a Knowledge of their Erroneous Principles and how that they are Enemies and implacable ones too to all Instituted Religion then they will fawn upon him and flatter him as they did Coll. Goldwell and desire him to stand Neuter c. but thanks be to God the Parliament and whole Nation begin to see them and grow every Day more sensible of the Tendency of their Pernicious Principles Some Inferences from the Seventh Chapter IS it so that the Quakers hold their Anniversary Synods and General Councils thus Publickly in the View of the Nation without the King's Letters of License or Inspection or Patent which is more than the Bishops of the Establish'd Church have Power to do How then does it concern the Legislative Power to take notice of it that in time they may prevent the Danger of it Is it so that their Light is the Higher Power to which every Soul is to be subject and all Laws vail Rom. 13.1,2,3 1 Pet. 2.13 Tit. 3.1 Let us then begin to remember how zealous our Kings and Parliaments have been ever since the Reformation against such as adhered to a Power superior to the King Lords and Commons which our Protestant Divines have held to be the Higher Powers and which we are commanded by the Apostles to submit our selves Now any People that adhere to a Foreign Power to be Supream in England besides and above that of KING LORDS and COMMONS who under God are the Higher Powers are to be suspected to undermine the Government whether they mean the POPE of ROME or the QUAKER LIGHT in their BODY Assembled in COUNCIL the latter being the most dangerous because not so obvious and thereupon ought to be prevented from holding such Councils with Doors lock'd barr'd or by a Guard of Men secured that none can go in to observe their Transactions Again is it so that the Quakers are against Liberty of Conscience and that they would as freely tolerate Popery as Episcopacy †Yea see their Antient Testimony in R. Hubberthorn's Works p. 229. Anno 1659. c. What Reason is there then for the Quakers to expect much less to presume to take the Liberty under an Episcopal Government to hold these Convocations without License which no other Dissenters either ask desire or pretend to nay what the Bishops themselves of themselves without the King's License can do Yet to the Quakers own Confutation see their Book The West answering to the North c. p. 80. viz. Any Party of Men under a Government to make Laws not being lawfully Authorized so to do for the binding of others and thereunto to require Obedience is a setting up of themselves above the Law and treading it under their Feet and rendering them whom they so bind Slaves and Vassals and
Fellowship with him until unfeignedly he shall return unto the Truth by Condemnation of that Work and Spirit which in the Love of God we exhort him to and desire that for him a Place of Repentance may be found Reader What Person living who is a Stranger to the Quakers deep-dyed Hypocrisie but that would think this John Barnard had committed some more than ordinary Immorality nay some almost unpardonable Crime Here is such Endeavours said to be used such Gospel-Order exercised such Stiff-neckedness on his Part wilfully persisted in but behold all Centre in a most profound Piece of Hypocrisie as I shall shew and that from divers Reasons And FIRST In that Benjamin Clark their Bookseller a great Quaker in their Unity †I should have said Confederacy sold at the same time Play-Books Popish-Books Gypsie-Books yea Baudy-Books such as I never saw before and yet never Reproved never Admonished according to Gospel-Order never Sentenced and Condemned neither he nor his Spirit By which it may appear how zealous they are for preserving their own good Name and Esteem amongst their Proselytes and their own Law and Commandments from being brought into Disrepute and yet all these their Proceedings they father upon the Lord who hates Iniquity and whose Laws condemn such wicked Books as their own beloved Brother sold and vended every Day Thus do they Pharisee-like make void the Law of God by their Traditions For as soon as this Excommunication came to my Hand I as a Country Man went to the said Ben. Clark's and asked for some pretty Play-Books for Children and he produced me a Parcel of all sorts ut supra of which I bought Eighteen Pennyworth and noticed it in my next Book Intituled De Chr. Lib. Part 2. p. 207 which they never did deny nor did they ever sentence him as above SECONDLY In all the Records of Condemnation that ever I made or ever saw made during the 16 or 18 Years I was their Clerk I never knew of or saw any Record of Condemnation against any Quaker for the Breach of any Scripture Commands but either for writing against their Teachers * As my self or for paying Tythes or for dispersing and selling such Books as allowed of the Payment of Tythes †As W. Rogers or for not Marrying according to their Orders or for the Breach of some one or more of G. Fox's Commandments An Instance of the last followeth Hadenham Quarterly-Meeting the Fourth of the Seventh Month 1678. We at this Quarterly Meeting having the Business of John Ainslo's taking his Wife contrary to the Order of Friends brought BEFORE US and Friends having several times spoke to him about it and he not giving Friends Satisfaction WE do testifie That WE have no UNION with him in this his so doing c. THIRDLY I never knew any Book wrote against any of their Teachers in the Unity tho' guilty of notorious Immoralities †As in the opening of the Cage I shall shew no here was no Conscientious Concern manifested no Gospel Order exercised no Publick Condemnation sent out against them but against my self George Keith Tho. Crisp and others for discovering their Errours Here they pretend a great Case of Conscience and having shewed who they account Scandalous Walkers and who they frequently Record out of the Unity and who they write their Books against I shall conclude this Chapter with one of their Yearly Canons and if any desire to see more of them I refer to my former Books De Chris Lib. c. Part 2. p. 40 to 52. the Fifth and Seventh Chapter of this Treatise London the 27th of the 3d Month 1675. Concerning Recording the Church's Testimony and the Party's Condemnation That the Church's ††The Light and the Body join'd Testimony and Judgment against Disorderly and Scandalous Walkers also the Repentance and Condemnation of the Party 's Restored be Recorded in a distinct Book in the respective Monthly and Quarterly Meeting for the clearing Truths Friends and our Holy Profession to be produced and published for that End and Purpose so far only as in God's pure Heavenly Wisdom they shall be needful And 't is our Advice in the Love of God That after any Friend's Repentance and Restoration he abiding faithful in the Truth that condemns the Evil none among you so remember his Transgression as to cast it at him or upbraid him with it for that is not according to the Mercy of God Thus Reader you see First Who are the Scandalous Walkers they Record out of their Unity 2 dly You see here is an Order from the Yearly Meeting to get a Book distinct for that Use 3 dly You see also that here is a Door open that if any repent of Writing against them of Paying Tythes of Marrying contrary to their Infallible Order they may be restor'd to their former Dignity for they have Power to bind and to loose †Yea whom they please See Judas and the Jews p. 85. Jos Coale's Works p. 243. to condemn and to acquit and that it may evidently appear so I shall recite one of their final Sentences pass'd upon one of their Adversaries Irrevocably viz. In the Name of that God that spanneth the Heavens with a Span and measureth the Waters in the Hollow of his Hand I bind thee here on Earth and thou art surely bound in Heaven and in the Chain under Darkness to the Judgment of the Great Day thou shalt be reserved Was there ever the like Insolency Josiah Coale Some Inferences from the Eighth Chapter IS it so then that these Monthly and Quarterly Meetings who derive their Power and Authority from the Yearly Meetings assume to themselves this great Boldness to Arraign Sentence and Condemn Persons for disregarding their illegal Laws and for the Breach of their Unscriptural Commands †No nor one Scripture Proof was ever produced to strengthen their Laws or condemn Actions What need is there then to suppress these Meetings that thus alienate His Majesties Subjects from their Obedience to their lawful Soveraign and his Laws and to limit this Arbitrary Government thus exercised in these new Spiritual Courts whilst it may be lest the time come wherein they may capitulate with the Supreme Magistrate and tell him with a Carnal Weapon in their Hand that the Light is the Higher Power and all Powers and Dominions ought to cast their Crowns down at its Feet in the Saints However I have given warning by pointing at the Danger and hope to prescribe a Remedy and let not THE POOR MAN'S COUNSEL be rejected lest the time come wherein it may be said Eccles 19.14,15 It is too late for the Gibeonites hath deceived us with their Wiles Pray read the Ninth Chapter of Joshua at your leisure Joshua the 9 th read and ponder I beseech all wise Men. and think it not a strange thing to be deceived by the Quakers fair Shews and innocent Pretences when you see
that good Joshua the Servant of the Lord and Successor of Moses he and his Wise Men and Counsellors were all deceived the best of Men mean well and thinking others do so too are oft-times the soonest deceived A Word to the Wise as the Proverb is should be sufficient CHAP. IX Sheweth the Quakers Fund Exchequer or Common Bank and the Vse and ill Consequences of it I Have considered that as Blood is to the Veins which by a frequent Circulation thro' the Body of Man both refresh the Heart and support the Head and that as the Sinews to the Joints both unite the Members and strengthen the Body so doth the Quakers Exchequer strengthen and support them in the carrying on their whole Design For as Money is said to be the Sinews of War so it may be called the Nerves of Heresie for Money answers all things And to shew it to be so with respect to the Quakers I shall briefly shew first Their Way and Manner of raising their Bank next Their Way of Distribution In both which it cannot be expected that I should be exact in their very Words having forgot great part of their Cant nor the Particulars to whom they dispose of their Money that 's a Secret kept under Lock and Key It sufficeth then that I give some sure Marks of both and which I hope I shall so infallibly do as never an Infallible Quaker shall be able to deny FIRST THEN I remember when I was Quaker we now and then had an Epistle sent to our Quarterly Meetings in the Country from the Second-Day Meeting in London for a General Collection for the Service of Truth This Epistle thus sent I have copied out and have read it in our Meeting at Milden-Hall I have both given to it and took what our Meeting contributed and have carried it to the Quarterly Meeting where I have taken all the Collections gathered quite thro' the Isle of Ely if not the County of Cambridge †Which I do think I also had to return to London to return to London for the Publick Use All this I know and if need were would depose it I do not say but the Yearly Meeting as in Chap. 7. sometimes do the like as also examine the Accompts constitute and appoint Feoffees and the like and to which the Second-Day Meeting is accountable But during the Intervals of their Yearly Convocation the Second-Day Meeting hath both Power to receive and to dispose as I shall shew hereafter Now whereas for many Years together the Quaker Teachers banter'd all other Ministers for taking Money for their Subsistence the National for the Tythes and other Dues the Dissenters for taking the voluntary Gift of their Hearers whilst the Quakers pretended to Teach freely yea to Write freely and to do the Lord's Business freely when alas this was all a Cheat as in the Story of Bell and the Dragon For they had not only their Charges for themselves and Horses free Cloaths Hats Linnen and Woollen oft-times free but now and then a good Watch free also besides out of the Bank they had their frequent Sallaries and Stipends 10 †Witness S. Cater and John Songhurst of whom I have a pretty Story When W. Mead was Purser i. e. Songhurst pretending want of Money G. Fox sent him to W. M. W. Mead deposited 12 l. and enter'd it in his Book This did not please Songhurst he goes to G. Fox and acquaints him with it Fox told him that was W. Mead's way Well Songhurst did not like to stand on Record a Taker of Money who had so many Years pretended to Preach freely away goes he to W. M. with his Money in his Sack 's Mouth W. Mead takes it and enters it on the contrary Page Receiv'd of Songhurst 12 l. This made it worse for now he had not the Money yet still stands Recorded c. 20 and 30 l. at a time yea I have been told That T. G. had once 100 l. at a time and J. Parke 20 l. per An. Yet when told of this Hypocrisie they have answer'd They did not Preach for Money tho' their Teachers did take Money And might not all other Ministers say so too That Money was not the end for which they Preached but the Good of Souls only what they had was to maintain them in that Station to which they were call'd and set apart But W. Rogers wrote a Scourge for Geo. Whitehead Anno 1685. where he hath these Words See a few Words out of W. Roger's Second Scourge For Geo. Whitehead an Apostate Quaker in a Poem Printed 1685. But bless'd be God Rome's Sister hath a Wound And 't is not Whitehead's Craft can heal it sound The Church her Practice which he oft defends Is most like Rome's so far as Power attends And yet when She Rome's Sister is but call'd She winces like touch'd Horses that are gall'd Confusion Her attends next follows WOE For thus She whirls but God knows where She 'll go When Fox had fram'd i' th' Church a Government Preachers approv'd by Man Beyond-Seas went Who when they wanted Moneys to proceed The Church Her Cash then did supply their Need And therefore when her Cash was empti'd SHE Crav'd Money for to serve the MINISTRY At length her Papers like to Briefs did cry For MONEY MONEY for the MINISTRY ††This Scourge smarted and made poor Ellwood confess all as you 'll hear anon And when that Practice was disliked by some She frown'd like one whose Downfal's near to come Else why must each one with his Key appear Where Cash is kept to shew what Money 's there This Church will fall Her Load will be Her Guile If you O Flock keep Purse-strings fast awhile And Woes may long attend such prating Preachers As for Preferment turn deceitful Teachers Some wonder Whitehead keeps so long in Favour Since Fox is more despis'd thro' Whitehead's Labour Fox is term'd Head yet Whitehead stear'd the Course Till both were scorn'd and they grew worse and worse Thus Reader I have given you W. Roger's Sence first That Rome's Sister got a Wound yea almost a deadly Wound that the Quakers Church are the most like Rome and this is true in Fact Next Their Preachers take Money for Preaching and for Preferment turn deceitful Teachers a certain Truth Next That they have a Fund which is most dangerous Next That their Papers and Epistles for Money did fly amongst us like so many Briefs craving Money Money for the Ministry Money Money to assist us in our Confederacy or we are not able to supplant Christianity I will next give you a Recital of a Letter sent me written about John Clemence c. bearing Date 26th of the Eleventh Month 1684. from Anne Docwra An antient Quaker who then testified against the Quakers Fund or Bank as well as their Preachers meddling with Marriages like the Jesuits viz. Dear Friends c. I understand that there is a new Controversie
he mean said W. Penn to release them With much more of this nature c. Now tho' I do think that divers of these 21 Divines were as clear of what is suggested as my self if not all of them yet because they appeared in Print against the Errours of the Quakers they to ingratiate themselves into the Favour of the then Government expos'd these Men as Enemies to the Delinquents i. e. Royalists Well the News we soon had amongst us was that the King and the Duke of York read this Book with great Delight and Pleasure and no doubt but took the Quakers to be not only their Informers but a Parcel of Innocent Souls * See what Friends the Quakers were to the Delinquents c. For it was soon observ'd That the Dissenters Meetings was broken up and the Quakers Meetings connived at A cunning Project 2 dly The second thing observable from hence is that in a little time for I see the Quakers begin to wheel about no Man shall dare to appear in Print against them but they will fall to their old Trade of Domineerring and Insulting over them as Enemies to the Government whilst none more eminently against the present Government than themselves For as then no People were more vigorous in Print against the Restauration of K. Charles II. than the Quakers yet how did they complain of the Presbyterians Independants and Baptists as divers Instances are herein given and more might be Yet such is their cunning and sly way of Insinuation against others thereby to ingratiate themselves and to villifie and expose others that it 's hard to believe and harder to detect them therein For in one of their late Books writing against the Reverend Author of The Snake in the Grass c. They call his Labours Prim. Chris continued c. Pref. and p. 1 11. The Black Attempts of a Necessitous Malicious Priest an Expulsed Clergyman makes a Trade for Bread in part to repair his Losses which he charges the present Establishment to have brought upon him * A direct Lie I never heard him speak one Word of that Tendency tho' as some others having taken a former Oath cannot satisfie his Conscience to divert his Cares and Fears and to supply his Wants Again G. Whitehead in his Letter to G. Keith le ts forth his Fury against the said Author in these Words †Observe the Malice of this mercenary Whitehead Especially when the Injurious Circumstances of that Venemous and Obnoxious Creeping Sculking Vermin comes further to be exposed c. whilst no People have both creeped up and down sculked here and there and fled from Justice more than the Quakers Witness their great Goliah for an Instance Nor no one People in England held out to the very last against the present Government more than the Quakers But their deep Hypocrisie is both seen felt heard and understood far and near and therefore as a further Demonstration of their wheeling about and late temporizing with their twofold Testimony one presented in the Month of March the other when that was rejected presented in the Month of April as at large above-recited I shall now examine The Ancient Testimony and Principle of the People called Quakers renewed with Respect to the King and Government Answ First This I deny to be your Ancient Testimony but this which followeth is your Ancient Testimony viz. First Dreadful * * News coming up out of the North c. p. 18 19 20. Printed 1655. is the Lord and Powerful who is coming in his Power to execute true Judgment upon all you Judges and to change all your Laws ye Kings all you Rulers must down and all you Underling Officers which has been as the Arms of this great Tree which the Fowls hath lodged under all your Branches must be cut down so you must be cut down with the same Power that cut down the King ††Meaning an Usurper's Sword who Reigned over the Nation whose Family was a Nursery for Papists and Bishops Woe woe is coming upon you all the same Teachers are standing that was in the time of the King and the time of the Bishops such as take Tythes you must both be tormented together Beast and false Prophet * * Both Government and Church The Lord God will pour out his Plagues upon you the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it and except you Repent ††i. e. Of taking Tythes ye shall all likewise perish and be consumed as the King was and perish with the same Power Sing all ye Saints and rejoice clap your Hands and be glad for the Lord Jehovah will Reign and the Government shall be taken from you pretended Rulers Judges and Justices Lawyers and Constables all this Tree must be cut down and Jesus Christ in us will Rule alone Sound the Trumpet sound an Alarum call up to the Battel gather together for the Destruction draw the Sword hew down all fruitless Trees * * This was since they professed the Light which cumber the Ground hew down all the Powers of the Earth cleanse the Land from all Filthiness purge forth the Dross the Filth and Corruption slay Baal Balaam must be slain all the Hirelings must be turned out of the Kingdom c. This is their Ancient Testimony Counsel and Advice c. p. 26 27. Oh Oliver hadst thou been Faithful and thundered down Deceit the Hollanders had been thy Subjects and Tributers and Germany had given up to have done thy Will and the Spaniard had quivered like a dry Leaf the King of France should have bowed under thee his Neck the Pope should have withered as in Winter the Turk in all his Fatness should have smoak'd thou shouldst not have stood trifling about small things Sober Men and True Hearts took part with thee * * i. e. Quakers Oh! take heed and do not slight such lest thou weaken thy self and not disown such as the Lord hath owned thy Dread is not all gone nor thy Amazement Arise and come out for hadst thou been Faithful ††viz. Turned all the Priests out of the Kingdom thou shouldst have crumbled Nations to Dust for that had been thy Place Now is the Day of Tryal p. 26 27. thou shouldst have invited all the Christians upon Earth in all Nations to thee that are against Popery to come in and join with thee * * This is their Ancient Testimony against Popery for thou hast had Authority stand to it lose it not nor abuse it nor let any other take thy Crown and do not stand cumbering thy self about Dirty Priests And thou hast had Power over Nations for Nations begins to be on Heaps and invite all them that profess against the Pope in all Nations to join with thee against him and do not lose thy Dominion nor Authority nor the Wisdom of God but with that thou may'st order all and let thy Soldiers go forth with a
Sodomites Witches Devils c. those of calling Christ A Garment A Vessel The Sandy Foundation shaken p. 5 to 65. I Answer The reason why we call them so and Translate the Words of Christ John 5.22,27 from the Son of Man to the Light within us * * The Quakers Reason for denying the Blessed Trinity Is because we believe there is no other Son of Man than the Light within us which was in the Jews Gentiles c. before his Incarnation according to my Gospel and the Gospel of my Brother Jeffrey Bullock where we say Therefore the Man Christ Jesus was before He came in the Body or Flesh Judgment fixed c. p. 316 356. For to be plain with you according to our Ancient Testimony we own no other Trinity nor God than is within us for the Light is God the Light is the Son of Man the Light is the Holy Ghost and we having obtained the Repute to be a well-meaning People and tell the Priests in Answer to their Demand Do you own the Trinity Do you own the Sacraments c. We tell them we deny their Unscriptural Terms Where is the Words Trinity and Sacrament in the Scriptures Tho' we are not such Fools but we know the Word Trinity came from the Latin Word Trinitas and Sacrament from Sacra or Sacramentum a Holy Institution or Sacrament yet to hide our selves from the Dint of their Arguments we tell them They are not Scripture Terms Nay even this Sessions of Parliament when the House of Commons were preparing a Bill against such as denied the Trinity we soon perceived what might follow and we gave in a Paper intituled Some Considerations upon the Bill for the more effectual Suppressing of Blasphemy and Prophaneness Humbly offer'd saying Whereas the Bill enacts That if any Person or Persons c. shall deny any of the Persons in the Holy Trinity to be God and make it punishable by the same Bill were it not more safe and plain to put it in Scripture Terms as instead of Deny any one of the Persons to be God to insert If any one shall deny any of the Three that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word or the Holy Ghost to be God 1 Joh. 5.7 Now if we can keep the Parliament to these Words we shall hide our selves and retain our Ancient Testimony unshaken Again If any of you should yet Object that notwithstanding we according to our Ancient Testimony call the Scriptures Death Dust Beastly Ware Serpents Meat c. News coming up out of the North c. p. 14. A Brief Discovery of a three-fold State c. p. 9. and say That whoever Preach out of them are Conjurers c. Saul's Errand to Damascus c. p. 7. Yet notwithstanding all this we profess to prefer the Holy Scriptures above all other Books extant in the World The Counterfeit Convert c. p. 26 27. To this I Answer That you must observe the Context as well as the Text and then you shall see we do not interfere for in the same Book p. 72. viz. I may see Cause otherwise to word the Matter and yet our Intentions be the same Besides Beloved I would have none mistake me for tho' I am the Man that did say we prefer the Scriptures above all other Books extant in the World which in one Sense is true yet not in another The Count. Conv. c. p. 26. First I hope you do not understand it of its Intrinsick Value of its Real Authority so as to be a Rule of Faith and Practice and that the Commands therein are Obligatory upon Us if you do you are greatly mistaken and that for these Reasons following And First That which is spoken from the Spirit of Truth in any is of as great Authority as the Scriptures or Chapters are and greater Truth defending the Quakers c. p. 7. Secondly That is no Command from God to me what he commands to another Neither did any of the Saints which we read of in Scriptures act by the Command which was to another not having the Command to themselves c. Burrough's Works p. 47. Thirdly No Command in the Scriptures is any further obliging upon any Man than as he finds a Conviction upon his Conscience otherwise Men should be engaged without if not against Conviction a thing unreasonable in a Man Quakerism a New Nick-name c. p. 71. Fourthly To this triple treble Cord which I think is not easily broken let me add our constant Practice ever since we have been a People and it will not only confirm these Proofs but shew our Sincerity to our Ancient Testimony I say as a Proof that we do not prefer the Scriptures above our own Books let it suffice That this Forty-eight Years never an Apostate that ever went from us can prove nay not once say if they 'll do us justice * * George what you say is true I am a Witness to thy Sincerity herein that ever we read any one Chapter in the Bible or any one Epistle of the Apostles in our Meetings whilst it hath been our frequent Practice to read our own Epistles And surely if we deemed the Scriptures best most certain and more edifying for us respecting our Ancient Testimony you may depend on 't that we would read the Scriptures in our Meetings nay we challenge all our Adversaries to shew us one Book of our Friends in the Unity that ever so much as recommended the reading any one Chapter or any one Epistle of the Apostles in our Meetings Thus much in Answer to one part of the Objection with respect to the Truth Certainty Value and Worth of the Scriptures But still I say they are occasionally good and in one Sense I do prefer the Scriptures above our own Books and then you may lay your Lives on 't above all Books in the World for sometimes the Scriptures as the Case may stand are like the Philosopher's Stone what they touch they turn into Gold And in that Sense our Confession to the Parliament with the Consequences are a Demonstration viz. I believe with my Heart and confess with my Mouth the Sacred ††Sacred an unscriptural Word yet it now will down with these new Saints to serve a turn c. Scriptures to be Divine left us by Men inspired of God as an exact Rule of our Faith and Behaviour and I profess to believe in One Only God who is the Father and in Jesus Christ his Eternal Son very God and very Man and in the Holy Spirit one and the same God with the Father and Son Blessed for evermore The Gen. Hist of the Quakers p. 112. Now my Friends tho' this Confession be as contrary to our Ancient Testimony as Light is contrary to Darkness as by our Books quoted you may see yet we kept our Meaning to our selves we mean'd at the same time The Scriptures to be Dust Death and Serpents Meat News coming up
all its Parts A small Treatise wrote in Alisbury Prison the 3d. Month 1661. by J. Whitehead Jo. Whitehead the Fourth Bird. where he saith In the Year 1648. God who had Compassion on his People did cause a Branch to spring forth of the Root of David which was filled with Vertues for the Covenant of Life and Peace was in him Jo. Whitehead the Fourth Bird. 'T is well Calculated for about 1648. Fox first rose in the North only did not spread forth his Branches till about 1650. And he Fox spread and shot forth many Branches which did partake of the Fatness of the Root and the Weary came to Rest under his Fox 's Branches and in him Fox was also the Word of Reconciliation which turned the Hearts of the Fathers to the Children and the Disobedient to the Wisdom of the Just And in the Year 1652. I John Whitehead being a Branch of this Tree Fox the Life of its Root caused me to Blossom and bring forth Fruit for the Spirit as a Key opened his Fox 's Treasure and shewed me for he was before Languages were that which was from the beginning Read p. 4 5. of the same Treatise Thus then has this J. Whitehead put all out of Doubt and quite confuted G. Whitehead and overthrown all his Arguments by confessing Matter of Fact If I have made Whitehead oppose Whitehead 't is no more than in other Cases I have done for the Quakers having no Bottom no Solid Foundation but all speaking as their Light move them it 's casie to see how they interfere and jarr only G. W. has this Faculty he can otherwife word his Matter and yet mean the same A right Jesuit a Doctrine first coin'd in their Mint and only serve to their Ends whose Work has been to sow Divisions make Rents and beget Schisms c. The next Bird shall be John Audland in a Letter of his to G. Fox from the West of England an Abstract thereof is as follows viz. John Audland the Fifth Bird. Dear and Precious one in whom my Life is bound up and my Strength in thee stands by thy Breathings I am nourished by thee my Strength is renewed Blessed art thou for evermore and Blessed are all that enjoy thee Life and Strength comes from thee Holy one daily do I find thy Presence with me which doth exceedingly preserve me for I cannot reign but in thy Presence Fox and Power Pray for me that I may stand in thy Dread Fox for evermore I am thine Fox Begotten and Nourished by thee and in thy Power Fox am I preserved Glory unto thee Fox Holy One for ever Reader These are the Birds in the Cage tell me are they not all of a Feather Do they not all agree in the main That G. Fox was the Quakers Branch and Star yea their All in All the Bottom and Corner and Top-Stone of their Building Pray spare me the Pains of a large Comment I think there is no need he that runs may read and he that reads may understand the Foundation of Quakerism no marvel then if it wither no marvel if it fall like a Millstone into the Bottom of the Sea never more to rise But let me add another Bird since I have Plenty c. Jo. Blaikling the Sixth Bird. Here followeth the Testimony and Certificate of John Blaikling to the clearing of the Aspersions that William Rogers c. cast upon G. Fox that 's blessed with Honour above many Brethren and that Thousands will stand by him in a Heavenly Record unto the Integrity of his Soul to Truth that still lives with him That his Life Reigns and is Spotless Innocent and still retains his Integrity whose Eternal Honour and Blessed Renown shall remain yea his Presence and the dropping of his Tender Words in the Lord's Love was my Soul's Nourishment c. The Christ Quaker disting c. 5th Part p. 77. Come George Whitehead give me thy Hand ☞ ☜ I 'll take thee out of the Cage and do thee this Honour not to be a Partner with the last Six Blasphemous Birds but as a Witness for them that we may hear what thou canst say on their Behalf But I 'll put thee in again and keep thee there lest thou flyest up and down the Nation and do more Mischief Oh George thou art a plump Bird thou' rt grown fat I find well what canst thou say I affirm that G. Fox does deny the same i. e. these Divine Attributes in reference to himself as a particular Man or Person whose Days and Years are limited only the Truth of the Immortal Seed Christ in him he stands to maintain against all Opposers and Apostates Judgment fixed c. p. 19. And as to his Francis Bugg 's Charge of Idolatry if not Blasphemous Names and Titles given to Geo. Fox in certain Letters how proves he Francis Bugg that they gave and intended those Titles to the Person of Geo. Fox and not to the Life of Christ in him Innocency against Envy c. p. 18. How George I 'll tell thee how because Josiah Coale said Dear G. Fox c. by this I know they intended G. Fox for if they had intended those Titles to the Life of Christ in him they would have directed their Letters suitably saying Dear Life of Christ in G. Fox c. This I hope will satisfie thee if Reason could take place if not I despair of giving thee or thy Friends Satisfaction But George for thy Comfort if thou wilt mean as thou say'st according to the Import of thy Words and on that Foot retract and condemn these thy Fallacious Covers and Excuses and thy own apparent Errors and the Errors in thy Friends Books which thou hast most impudently glossed over with thy Hypocritical Paint I will take thee out of the Cage if not there lye for ever singing Here is Perfection here is Perfection c. Thus much shall serve in answer to G. W.'s Book intituled A Sober Expostulation c. p. 54 55 56. as well as to shew what manner of Birds are in the Cage of this sort namely Blasphemers and Idolaters and next let me take out Six of the other sort namely of their Vicious Teachers against whom G. Whitehead would not write a Book for the World No seriously I believe him his Sincerity is so true to their Ancient Testimony besides if he should there being so few of them clear that here would be Hell broke loose for if they should write one against another all would come out and then they 'd appear a dark sort of Quakers indeed Christopher Atkinson the Seventh Bird but the first of the last Six beforementioned who was since hang'd for Felony And Christ Atkinson was G. Whitehead's Fellow-Traveller Fellow-Sufferer Fellow-Writer and Fellow-Preacher But so it was that he got Ursula the Maid-Servant of Tho. Symonds with Child when he was a Sufferer for their Ancient Testimony in Norwich-Goal but this was not all
High for thou hast maintained my Right and my Cause thou sittest on the Throne judging Right The Lord also will be a Refuge for the Oppressed a Refuge in Times of Trouble and they that know thy Name will put their Trust in thee for thou Lord bast not forsaken them that seek thee Sing Praises to the Lord which dwelleth in Sion declare among the People his Doings The Heathen †i. e. The Quakers who denieth Jesus of Nazareth are sunk down in the Pit that they made in the Net which they hid is their own Foot taken c. Psal 9.1,2,3,9,11 But to proceed having the recited Certificate of my Lord Bishop of Norwich I presented it to several of my Lords the Bishops both the Universities as well as to divers Particulars of the Clergy of the Church of England and I humbly thank them they were very kind to me notwithstanding all the Endeavours of the Quakers to represent me unworthy of their Notice particularly at Cambridge where they carry'd to the Colledges Books against me which I had answer'd and refuted Ten or Fifteen Years since insomuch that some of the Heads of the Colledges took special Notice of the Quakers Malice and thereupon I do believe were the more kind Thus doth God bring Good out of Evil nay should I relate all the particular Methods the Quakers used in all Places where I came to prevent me of their Kindness and the Aboundings of the Favours I received it would seem almost incredible I being but a single Person and known but to a few the Quakers numerous and like the Followers of Corah Dathan and Abiram Numb 16.2 Men of Fame in some Cases But so it was they did not prevail but God in his Providence made way for my Deliverance beyond my Expectation and in him do I trust who taketh Care of the Sparrows Matth. 10.29,30,31 and this puts me in Mind of the Widow recorded in the Holy Scriptures 2 Kings 4. whose Husband died and left her in Debt and not Effects to answer insomuch that the Creditor was come to take away her two Sons This poor Woman was no doubt in Distress enough but yet she neither exclaimed of her Husband nor yet murmur'd at the Dispensation of Providence which befel neither did she sit still and use no Means But hearing that Elisha the Prophet was come to Town she resolves to make Application to him he could but deny her she knew the worst and hoped the best and therefore in Faith and full Assurance of the Mercy of God to them that trust in him and not doubting but the Inspired Prophet knew her Inside even the Sincerity of her Heart and that notwithstanding this Calamity she could appeal to him that her Husband was an honest Man a Man that feared God and served him in Uprightness and thereupon she puts on Courage and goes to him saying Thy Servant my Husband is dead and thou knowest that thy Servant did fear the Lord and the Creditor is come to take unto him my two Sons to be Bondsmen This was sorrowful News no doubt to the Prophet to hear that one of the Sons of the Prophets that professed Faith in the God of Israel should so fail as not to be able to pay his Debts Well the Prophet quickly understood the Widow and as quickly reply'd saying What shall I do for thee tell me What hast thou in the House Here is two notable Questions and so quickly proposed that he did not give the Widow leave to answer to the first but added What hast thou in the House As if he should have said Why should I ask this humble Petitioner what she would have me to do 'T is plain she would willingly be enabled to pay her Debts rescue her two Sons and have something to live on she then reply'd saying Thine Handmaid hath nothing at home save a Pitcher of Oyl Upon which the Prophet as God would have it wrought a Miracle saying Go borrow the Vessels of all thy Neighbours even empty Vessels borrow not a few and when thou art come into thy House shut the Door upon thee and upon thy Sons and pour out into all these Vessels and set aside that which is full She did so and was thereby enabled to pay her Debts redeem her Sons and had left wherewithal to live upon O the wonderful Works of God! who thus instructs his to depend upon his Providence for the Scriptures are written for our Learning and truly when I consider my own Case I think it falls not much short of this Miracle I am sure I have met with a wonderful Providence in my Deliverance considering I had no such inspired Prophet to appeal to nor such an Evidence to vouch on my part I had nothing but Reason and Demonstration to offer having prayed to God to incline the Hearts of his Servants to a Charitable Consideration of Things past present and to come Nay my Case seem'd worse than the Widow's for I do not read that she had any Enemies to Interpose but I had many The Quakers no sooner understood that the Clergy took my Case into their Pious Confideration but they sent their Emissaries with Books after me both to the Colledges and particular Persons wherein I was represented an Enemy of all Righteousness a Child of the Devil yea a Devil Incarnate a Wolf a Dog a Beast c. Judgment fixed c. by G. W. And when this would not prevail against me they then made Personal Complaints that I was a Counterfeit Convert * As G. W. had Printed me to be See his Book A Counterfeit Convert a Scandal to Christianity c. and to make this out they told some of the Reverend Clergy in Norfolk that tho' Francis Bugg pretended to be a Member of the Church of England yet he never receiv'd the Communion with you See what a Convert you have what Reason is there then for you to assist and support him so as you do Upon which this Minister writes to Mr. Archer our Minister to know the Truth of it he sends him an Answer by Letter assuring him that in Anno 1688. I receiv'd the Sacrament and if at home ever since at the usual times But when this would not do they 'd try another Project for John Hubbard of Stoake †An eminent Quaker in Norfolk and one of the twelve mention'd in my Sober Expostulation p. 1. Printed 1698. told Mr. Meriton Minister of Oxborow near him that I was drunk the last time was in London in March 1698. who sent me a Letter thereof which providentially came into my Son's Hand in my Absence An Abstract of it is as followeth SIR I gave your Book the other Day to John Hubbard who receiv'd it with a Scornful Smile I discoursed with him upon the Subject of it which he heard with much Impatience yet at last he promised to read it he could not forbear Invectives against the Author of it the usual Courtship
Work to subdue the grievous Tyrannies once ruling over tender Consciences and to break down the great Oppressions which had caused the Just to Groan and the Lord was with him in Victory and preserved him from great Dangers Observations on the recited Quotation Reader please to observe First That the Words in Capital Letters were Printed in the Quarto Book 1659. and left out in the Reprint in Folio 1672. which shews their Temporizing and like Butter-flies how they hide themselves whilst the Danger of the Storms are past 2 dly Their Wickedness in leaving out such Prophesies if real if counterfeit then as bad to suffer them to go abroad so long to deceive others 3 dly How they pleaded their being in the Army and their Faithfulness to their Trust therein as meritorious of their Continuance in the Army for the Defence of the Nation as well as their Desire of being in Offices in the Administration of Justice †Oh! they 'd gladly be Justices of the Peace But hold Oliver as he did not believe their Prophesies so he would not trust them in either Military or Civil Affairs 4 thly You may see how they did cling to O. Cromwell and next to Richard justifying their Usurpation 5 thly How they acquitted O. Cromwell in that horrible Murder of K. Charles I. saying That if he would but stand by cherish and support Quakerism WHAT HE DID TO THE LATE KING SHOULD NOT BE LAID TO HIS CHARGE BY THE LORD 6 thly And that if he would not do so they could not pray for him and that should be worse to him than all the Plottings of the Wicked And I take this to be the Reason why they refuse to pray for K. William III. for I have gone into several of their Meetings and I have enquired of others that have done the like I have likewise read divers of their Prayers in Print as Stephen Crisp's and others yet I could never hear see nor learn that they ever prayed for K. William III. no no more than for the Priests or than for Oliver But for this Omission Whitehead hath a Salvo ready The Content Apost c. p. 27. viz. But where are all required by Christ or his Apostles to pray for them i. e. Kings and all that are in Authority by Name or charged as Offenders for not naming of Persons in our Prayers May we not pray acceptably †And may you not Who knows but you may mean another than the Rightful and Lawful King unless we tell God the Names of those we pray for c. But Reader let me trace this Snake in the Grass and hunt this Fox to his Burrow and do not think it hard dealing I know there can be nothing said of them that grates but they presently cry out of Persecution of Malice while they take the Liberty to expose all sorts of People how innocent soever as at large I have set forth in the Picture of Quakerism c. Part 2. p. 44 to 175. and shall shew one Instance more before I enter upon my Chace Viz. G. Fox's Judgment of Kingly Government taken out of a Paper of his written to the Presbyterians c. a little before the Restoration To all you that desire an Earthly King in England who profess your selves to be Christians whether Presbyterians or others Do not the Priests Presbyterians and many of the Rulers cry for an Earthly King And is not this the same Nature the Jews were in And do they not in this Crucifie Jesus And are not all these Elders Christians that will doat so much of an Earthly King Traytors against Christ Now Elders if you say Peter said Honour the King this doth not hold forth that Peter bid them set up an Earthly King over them neither do you read that there were any Earthly Kings since the Days of the Apostles but among the Apostate Christians c. See Quakerism Unmask'd c. p. 1. for much more of this But no sooner did the King come in Anno 1660. but within a Month G. Fox and others put forth a Declaration saying p. 4. We do therefore declare to take off all Jealousies Fears and Suspicions of our Truth and Fidelity to the King and these present Governours That our Intentions and Endeavours are and shall be good true honest and peaceable towards them and that we do love own and honour the King and the present Governours c. Yea let their Words be never so contrary they are not to be measured by their Words It would require a Volume to set forth their Temporizing and horrid Practices in this kind but I shall only give a Taste referring to The Snake in the Grass c. But 't is Comical to see this their early Turning with the Times First None more vigorous against Monarchy and yet none did sooner nor yet more flatter fawn and creep to the same Government than did the Quakers But that which is most provoking and for which I chiefly mention this that upon every Occasion to ingratiate themselves into the Favour of the Government they frequently charged the same Presbyterians c. with their being against the Government of fighting Principles yea a People who would promote their Religion by the Power of the Sword See W. Penn's Just Rebuke to 21 Divines c. printed 1674. p. 25. viz. How did the Presbyterians excite the Parliament in these very Terms Elijah opposed Idolatry and Oppression so do ye down with Baal's Priests which is saith Penn as much as to say Away with your Arch-Bishops and Bishops the whole Ministry and Worship of the Church of England Come smooth George I have seen another of your Books Intituled The Way cast up c. p. 52 53. where you say p. 52. Some of the Presbyterian Nonconformists Preachers are fled Beyond-Sea others lurk in Corners here and there and keep private Conventicles where many times they preach Sedition against their Lawful Prince by Instigation of whom that Insurrection hapned in 1666. Again p. 53. And some of them have printed Books in Defence of the Lawfulness of making War against the Supream Magistrates c. Again p. 23. And how many Garments were rouled in Blood by the Instigation of the Presbyterian Teachers the whole Nation was a Witness so that many Thousands were made Widows and Fatherless by that War they stirred up the People unto P. 54. And in very Truth the Presbyterian Church will never be able to purge her self of the Iniquity of killing many Thousands in the Three Nations by the Occasion of a most bloody War raised up thro the Instigation of the Presbyterian Teachers c. And thus they continued bloody Enemies to the Presbyterians notwithstanding George Fox did so condemn them as Traytors Antichrists and Crucifiers of Jesus for endeavouring the Restoration of King Charles II. and that no People then on Earth did more stir up instigate and encourage a bloody War against the King and Church
the Kingdom c. p. 4. Several Papers given out for spreading Truth c. Ninthly In teaching That if Christ that 's Crucified be not within and that Christ that 's Risen be not within I say that ye are Reprobates Now I say that if there be any other Christ than he that 's Crucified within he is a false Christ and he that hath not this Christ that was Risen and Crucified within is a Reprobate Tho' Devils and Reprobates make a Talk of him without God's Christ is not Distinct from his Saints nor his Body the Church for he is within them not Distinct from their Spirits And thou say'st thou art saved by Christ without thee and so hath recorded thy self a Reprobate and they that profess Christ without them and another Christ within them here is two Christs G. Fox 's Great Mystery c. p. 206 207 250 254. And to confirm this false Doctrine see Edw. Burrough's Answer to a Question and William Smith's to his Child which are as followeth Query Is that very Man said the Minister to Burrough with that very Body within you Yea or Nay Burrough Answers The very Christ of God is within us we dare not deny him Burtongh 's Works p. 149. Query How may I know when Christ is truly Preached W. Smith's Answer They that are false Ministers Preach Christ without and bid People believe in him as he is in Heaven above But they that are Christ's Ministers Preach Christ within c. Smith 's Primer c. p. 8. Now Reader if this Doctrine be sound and Orthodox then were all the Apostles Martyrs and all Christian Ministers false Teachers and Deceivers but if this Doctrine be Heterodox then the Quakers only are the false Teachers Deceivers and Antichrists W. Penn also is one with Fox Burrough and Smith See his Christian Quaker and Div. Test p. 97 98. and his Sandy Foundation p. 21. Tenthly G. Fox speaking of his own Rise out of the North gives his Book this Title News coming up out of the North sounding towards the South written by Fox from the Mouth of the Lord from one who is Naked and stands Naked before the Lord cloathed with Righteousness whose Name is not known in the World risen out of the North which was prophesied of †Query by what Prophet and now fulfilled Thus much briefly touching this Blasphemous Bird which being the Master of the Assembly and first Founder of this Sect he shall not be of the Number of the Twelve intended viz. Six of each sort which now shall follow in their Order the first Six being of the same Feather witnessing to their Forerunner and great Apostle who tho' he once said he had a Celestial Body * Before two credible Witnesses one being still alive that he had Power to binde and loose whom he pleased yet his Body proved an Earthly one and is dead and gone and for some Years whilst living amongst them was like a Statue or an insensible Image which could scarce see or understand being grown Corpulent and in bulk of two or three Men and so dosed away his time with strong Liquors and Brandy who left these Words for W. Rogers John Raunce Anne Docwra and others who had opposed his Tyranny and Usurpation viz. And as for this Spirit of Rebellion and Opposition that hath risen formerly and lately it is out of the Kingdom of God and Heavenly Jerusalem and is for Judgment and Condemnation with all its Books Words and Works †This was Printed in their Yearly Epistle 1691. and Reprinted in Fox's Journal 1694. p. 616. Now observe how this Fox is ador'd Burrough the First Bird of the Blasphemous Six See their Book This is only to go amongst Friends p. 19. viz. Oh thou North of England who art counted as Desolate and Barren and reckoned the least of the Nations yet out of thee did the Branch Fox spring and the Star Fox arise which gives Light unto all the Regions round about in thee the Son of Righteousness Fox appear'd out of thee Kings Priests and Prophets did come forth in the Name and Power of the most High meaning Hubberthorn Howgil Burrough Farnsworth Nayler Atkinson Whitehead c. which uttered their Voices as Thunders c. Thus has Burrough ecchoed back and confirmed Fox his Imposture saying Amen to his Blasphemy alluding to Micah 5.2 to Matth. 2.5,6 as more largely handled in my Book New Rome Unmask'd c. p. 79 to 88. and New Rome Arraigned c. p. 5 6 7. And I marvel at Whitehead's Impudence to deny it In his Sober Exp. p. 57 58. but to make it clear and past his Exception if possible let 's take out more Birds but he that will deny Burrough's Book to have this Title This is only to go amongst Friends which is the only and all the Title and which Book I have by me what will not such a Fellow deny Jos Coale the Second Bird. Dear Geo. Fox who art the Father of many Nations whose Life hath reached through us thy Children even to the Isles afar off to the begetting many again to a lively Hope for which Generations to come shall call thee Blessed whose Being and Habitation is in the Power of the Highest in which thou Geo. Fox Rulest and Governs in Righteousness And Thy Kingdom is Established in Peace and the Increase thereof is without End Read Numb 24.17,19 Zech. 3.8 cap. 6. v. 12. Malachi 4.2 Luke 1.32,33 Isai 9.6,7 Thus then it is plain That both Burrough and Coale call'd G. Fox comparatively the Branch the Son of Righteousness yea Christ Sol. Eccles the Third Bird. Several Petitions Answer'd c. p. 60. Stand up Muggleton thou Sorcerer whose Mouth is full of Cursing Lies and Blasphemy who calls thy last Book a Looking-Glass for Geo. Fox whose NAME thou art not worthy to take into thy Mouth who is a Prophet indeed and hath been faithful in the Lord's Business from the beginning It was said of Christ that he was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not John 1.10 So it may be said of this true Prophet Geo. Fox whom John said he was not Several Petitions Answer'd c. p. 60. but thou wilt feel this Prophet one Day as heavy as a Millstone upon thee and altho' the World knows him not * See the first Instance of the Ten about Fox yet he is known c. The Quak. Chal. p. 6. Thus do they all agree that Fox is their Star their Branch c. For if he be Christ as Eccles saith if he had a Kingdom established of whose Encrease there never was to be an end as Coale said then he was Christ and so the Branch the Star c. as Burrough said and indeed as they all mean else they would condemn these Blasphemous Books but instead thereof this Letter of Coale's is vindicated in their Book Judas and the Jews p. 44. in