Sect. x. p. 132. and Sect. xiv p. 175 176. Let me add here one Proof more I have before Quoted a Book wrote by Five Ministers call'd A further Discovery c. There p. 23 24. is a Letter of Will. Baldwinson Dated 14. January 1653. and attested by Three others where Will. Baldwinson Declares that he before a Company where James Nayler and Richard Farnsworth were setting out this Doctrin of Perfection Demanded of them in these words Friends do you hold that a man may attain to that Height of Perfection in this Life to be as Perfect as Pure as Holy and as Just as God Himself And he asserts that They Joyntly Reply'd Yea and they were so After p. 62. of that Book these Five Ministers say of the Quakers But what dare not these men do who Dare lift up themselves in their Blasphemous Pride to be as Pure as God G. Fox Answers this Book in his Great Mystery and p. 232. Repeating these last words thus But how Dare these men lift up themselves in their Blasphemous Pride to say they are pure as God He do's not at all Deny the Charge but Justifies and Defends it from being Blasphemy and says Doth not Christ say Be ye Perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect and As he is so are we in this present World c. These are the Texts they Commonly Abuse to this Blasphemous Purpose John Harwood a Quaker but who had fallen out with G. Fox wrote a Letter to The Friends against him An. 1663. which is Intitul'd To all People that Profess the Eternal Truth c. where p. 3. he says G. Fox hath call'd Himself The Son of God and also said I am the Seed which he might as well have said I am Christ for we know that the Seed is Christ c. To this G. Fox Printed an Answer the same year 1663 with this Title The Spirit of Envy Lying and Persecution made Manifest Where p. 2. He Answers the above Charge thus And first thou saydst G. F. calls himself The Son of God c. And this thou calls a Crime This is all he says to it Confessing the Charge but Retorting upon Joh. Harwood for his Ignorance being a Quaker to think it a Crime in G. Fox to call Himself The Son of God and Christ and The Seed Here now G. W. has a Plain Answer and out of the Mouth of one whom he will not call an Adversary And we need no more witnesses against G. Fox when we have it from his own Mouth Their Asserting the Sufficiency of their Light within to Salvation without Christ And Assuming the Name of Christ to Themselves VIII He comes p. 27. to a material Point indeed where it is objected against the Quakers That they hold the Light within Every Man that comes into the world sufficient to Salvation of it self without Something else that is without the outward Christ to suffer and Dye outwardly for Us. Which makes Christ's coming into the World of no Necessity at all to our Salvation And Faith in Him to be but a sort of an Accomplishment or Civility towards Him but no way Necessary And puts the Heathen upon as good a Foundation as the Christian Nay I must say upon a Better for if Faith in Christ be by the Gospel made Necessary to Salvation and the Light within the Heathen be sufficient without this Then is this not only Vnnecessary but it puts us farther off from Heaven by making more things Necessary to our getting thither than what is Requir'd from the Heathen Then might Cornelius have answered the Angel that commanded him to send for Peter who shou'd tell him words by which he and his House shou'd be saved Act. xi 14. that he had a Light within which was Sufficient without any thing else And that he had Duly follow'd this Light for he had the Testimony of a Devout man Act. x. 2. and one that feared God with all his House But this shews that ther was Something else Necessary without which he and his House were not to be Saved This was the Ground of the Quarrel which the Quakers took against G. Keith because he Preach'd among them the Necessity of Faith in the outward Jesus which they call'd Preaching of Two Christs i. e. one more besides their Light within which they call The Christ G. W. says in answer to this p. 28. That they were not offended at G. K's Preaching Christ or his suffering and Dying without Vs truly consider'd Truly Consider'd what do's he mean by this It is Impossible to catch these Quakers speaking one word Plain without a Mental Reservation By Truly Consider'd he means That the Quakers do allow the History of Christ of His Death and Sufferings i. e. That ther was such a man and that he Did and Suffered such things and that the Light or Christ was in the man Jesus whence he was called Christ as others who have the same Light may for the same Reason be called by the same Name of Christ which as they say belongs to Every Member as well as to the Head Is not the Substance the Life the Anointing called Christ wherever it is found Doth not the Name belong to the whole Body and Every Member in the Body as well as to the Head says Isaac Penington in a Book which he calls A Question to the Professors of Christianity Printed 1667. p. 27. And in the same place says That the Apostle gives them the Members the Name Christ together with Him that is together with Jesus who was called Christ and he Quotes for this 1 Cor. xii 12. in which Text ther is nothing like what he would be at But it shews the Quakers Notion which he go's on to fortifie thus The Body says he is the same with the Head one and the same in Nature and doth not the Nature belong to the Nature in the whole i. e. Because Christ has taken Our Nature therefore J. P. wou'd give us His Nature which wou'd be to make Us God As he words it p. 7. We are as well of His Flesh and Blood as He was of ours By Christ's Flesh of which we Partake he means the Heavenly Flesh which the Quakers say Christ had from Eternity and that it is in them that is Christ's Divine Nature of which J. P. makes us to Partake as well as He of our Human Nature which yet they say He took not Really for J. P. do's not allow Jesus to be the Lamb of God but that the Lamb i. e. the Light Dwelt in Him as in a Vessel in like manner as in us By Feeling says he ibid. and knowing the Lamb in our Vessels we know also what was the Lamb in His Vessel So that by this Jesus was not the Lamb or Christ but only the Vessel in which the Lamb or Christ did for a time Reside Which he further Explains p. 33. in these words Now the Scriptures Do Expresly Distinguish between
28. And their Appealing from their Printed Books to the Original Copies See hereafter N. 7. of this same Section And how came it that none but G. W. Corrected this Monstrous Blasphemy Were not the Rest of the Quakers likewise Concern'd Well if this will not do they have another Excuse They say ibid. That G. W. positively Disowns the words and Affirms they are None of his and that he writ not that Part of the Answer to Townsend And G. W. was sorry his Name was to that Paper without Distinction between what he writ and what he did not write in it wherein those words are which gave the Occasion Let this Advertisement Clear G. W. and Others and suffice every Charitable Reader as we hope it will And G. W. sets his Approbation upon the Margin in these words To this I subscribe George Whitehead And now George thinks he is Lick'd Clean No Spark of Dirt can Stick upon him But how is it that G. W. let his Name stand to this Book for 44 years without Vindicating of himself or cou'd not his Infallibility of Discerning Discover this Blasphemy all that time Especially considering that Christoph Wade wrote against this Book and objects this very Blasphemy And that both George Fox and George Whitehead wrote severally Answers to Wade And yet Neither of them found any Fault with the Writing or Printing of these Words But if this shou'd Clear G. W. how will the Others get off upon whom G. W. lays the Blame The Quakers say Let this Advertisement clear G. W. and Others And upon the Title Page of their Book it is said to be Sincerely Tendered in behalf of the aforesaid People and their Ancient Friends Now these Ancient Friends whose Names are Affix'd to that Precious Book Ishmael along with G. W.'s are here fairly Left in the Lurch Disown'd and Abandon'd with all this Dreadful Blasphemy upon their Heads And yet they will not Disown them No. They Pretend to vindicate their Ancient Friends still and that they have not Chang'd from the Beginning As they tell not only in their Books but in the Printed News-Papers that All the World may take Notice of it They are still Infallible Every one of them in Particular See Sn. p. 34.284 And they are Conjurers who speak and not from the Mouth of The Lord. Now how came G. W. to write a Book jointly with Conjurers And to set his Name to it along with theirs And that without Distinction between what he writ and what he did not write in it For which he says now that he is Sorry But they who Jointly Sign a Book or a Bond are Answerable Jointly and Severally Such a Poor Excuse as this cou'd not be taken from any Man of Common Animadvertence For who wou'd set his Name with others as Joint Authors of a Book if he had not weighed as well what the others had wrote as what Himself wrote Yet this is all the Defence that the Quaker Infallibility can make for it self that is That it did not Mind but let things Slip at Peradventure But then to Inscribe their Heedless Indigested Stuff as the Word of the Lord which these Quakers do This is Intolerable And the Blasphemy not to be Endur'd For this they give such another Excuse in the same place of The Christianity of the Quakers p. 28. putting it again upon the Printer They say that instead of Which is the Word of the Lord it shou'd have been From the Word How sensless is this for that which is From the Word of the Lord is not that The Word of the Lord But say they We shall not stand by the said Title as 't is worded without such Amendment Yet Charitably think it was worded Contrary to the Intent and Meaning of the Author This is Pretty But how then came the Quakers even the Great Fox himself to say of their vile Scribles as they almost do every where This is the Word of God See Instances particularly of G. Fox in the Sn. p. 89 90. Can we suppose that this was Contrary to the Intent and Meaning of the Author How then shall we know what was their Meaning They may Alter all their Books and every word in them Truly this wou'd be their Best way They will never be Right or their Books passable till this be done And if we cou'd take them at their Word they are in a fair way towards it For here they say That they will not stand by the said Blurrs in their Books as 't is worded without such Amendment Among other of their Infallible Errata I have spy'd two Letters in this same Page which I suppose must go into the Basket next time the Dust-Man comes about They are two Letters which are grown very offensive to the Quakers of late viz. G. K. But they say here We know no reason to Disown our Friends G. K. or R. B. for we have a True Tender and Christian esteem of Both. These were George Keith and Robert Barclay And p. 26. say they We have cause to Assure our selves that both G. Keith and R. B. wou'd Abominate this False-Brother's Attempt to make Divisions between them and their Ancient Brethren Yet now G. Keith is the Great Incendiary and Accuser of the Brethren An Apostat and as such Excommunicated by the Sanhedrin of the Quarkers But what Cause they had to Assure themselves of this G. K. will fall foul upon their Infallible Spirit of Discerning which they Insist upon Now as strongly as ever See hereafter Sect. v. And say that none can be a Minister of Christ who cannot Discern what Spirit is in any Man whether a Good or an Evil Spirit at the first sight without Speaking ever a word See Sn. p. 33. c. of which a Pleasant Instance is hereafter given of G. Fox in Sect. v. But to Return we have seen the Silly Excuses which the Quakers have made for that Most Horrible and Cursed Blasphemy before Quoted which they have Belched out against the H. Trinity of Damning the three Persons into Hell But they have another Put off which tho' they have not Adventur'd upon in Print that I know of yet some of them make use of in Private Conversation which is That it is only the word Persons which they Doom to the Lake and to the Pit with those who use that Vnscriptural word with Relation to God or Christ But then they must send Will. Penn thither too who in his Sandy Foundation p. 15. speaking of the Son of God the True Light which Lightneth every man c. says Who in Person Testify'd c. Tho' G. Whitehead in his Quakers Plainess p. 24. says That is not our Phrase that I know of or Remember And That the Title Person is too Low and Vn-scriptural to give to the Christ of God Now then let him Remember now let him Know That his Friend Will. Penn has us'd it And let them Reckon for thus Contradicting and Thwarting one
G. F. And the like is upon the Margin of several other Pages Now if this was not Intended for the Press it was to give the Friends Ground to say that they had seen this Exposition of his and to make use of it as they saw occasion But if it was meant as is most likely to be made Publick the Friends upon second thoughts found it cou'd not be done without Re-Printing of the Book which wou'd do them more Mischief than such a silly Excuse cou'd Heal. Therefore they took the safer Course which was by all the means they cou'd to stifle the said Book And I believe they thought they had Effected it For having by some Art Recover'd the Book aforesaid out of the hands of one of themselves whom they suspected into whose Possession it had fallen they have Condemn'd it to Perpetual Imprisonment unless Rescu'd by such Discoveries as these And if they put it not into the New Edition Design'd of G. Fox's Works they see they will be Detected nay more if they Leave out or Alter any of his Marginal Annotations they shall be told of it let them secure that Book where they are as well as they can Of which a New Edition cou'd be given if it were worth the while without their Help But now that I have mention'd G. Fox's Apologie wrote upon the Margin of this Book of his for the Treasons therein Contain'd it is fit that I shou'd shew the Falshood and Apparent Hypocrisie of this his Excuse viz. That what he wrote against Kings and Kingly Government was only meant against his Olefer when he Design'd to take upon him the Stile of King In Answer to which consider 1. That his words are against All Kings and Emperors among Christians since the Days of the Apostles and against All Kingly Government whether in Olefer or any body else 2. He speaks p. 15. against Fighting for the Kings of the Earth Now ther was no Fighting or any Appearance of it at that time when it was Under Consideration whether G. Fox's Olefer shou'd Assume the Name of a King And he was then None of the Kings of the Earth But â—â—wards the Restoration of King Charles â—â—â—â—er was Expectation of Fighting And G. Bishop and this G. Fox and others of the Quakers did violently Persuade to Fighting against his Restoration and that In the Name of the Lord as abundantly shewn in the Sn. Sect. xviii It is true they were against Fighting For Kings but they were as much for Fighting Against them 3. This Book of G. Fox's was Printed in the beginning of the year 1660. And Olefer had been Dead two years before And I suppose G. Fox was not afraid that they wou'd take him out of his Grave to make a King of him But if it be said that tho' this Book was not Printed till the year 1660 yet it might have been wrote before in the year 1658 when Olefer Dy'd then it wou'd be ask'd To what Purpose it was Printed two years after the occasion for which it was wrote And which cou'd never come again if the Design had been only against Olefer 4. But to put the Matter out of Dispute in the Book it self p. 6. G. F. speaks of Olefer as then Dead these are his words So when the Kings that Deny'd the Pope took the Tenth of Tenths the Popes wages that was Head of the Church and when the Kings Dy'd the Protector took Tenth of Tenths and He was the Head c. He Was now He was Dead G. F. falls upon Him as upon all others when they were Gon. But let the world now Judge let all the Quakers who Pretend to one Drachm of sincerity Confess at last what an Egregious Lyar and Hypocrite this G. Fox was to give it under his hand that this Book of his was wrote against Oliver And we may hence see what stress is to be laid upon their Contrary Testimonies and how they are to be taken as Vindications of all the vile Heresies Madness Treasons c. which they have Acted wrote Preach'd and Printed And All of them both Parts of the Contradictions Dictated as spoken Immediately from the Mouth of the Lord Almighty II. Thus to give a few more Instances if one shou'd Object the Implacable Rage and Nastiness of the Quaker-Spirit and Produce what has been herein before Mention'd what is Quoted in the Sn. Sect. xvii and much more of the same Sort that can be Produc'd they cou'd Answer All by Contrary Testimonies of which they have many where the Quakers do Abhor and Detest such manner of Proceeding as Abominable and Anti-Christian and set up Themselves for all the Meekness and Christian Patience in the World Thus in this Appen p. 43. Sam. Fisher is Produc'd saying That the Quakers are not for Reviling nor Threatning nor Cursing but Committing our Cause saith he in Quietness to Him that Judgeth Righteously And G. Fox in his Gr. Mystery p. 237. says That the work of the Ministers of the Gospel is not to Reflect upon Persons And so thou says he to a Minister he Disputed against that art Reflecting upon Persons do'st shew a Mark of thy self to be a False-Prophet and Reflecting upon Persons was never the way to Beget to God And Will. Penn says in his Address to Protestants p. 246. Second Edit They that are Angrie for God Passionate for Christ that call names for Religion may tell us they are Christians if they will but no body wou'd know them to be such by their Fruits To be sure they are no Christians of Christ's making He gave this Title to another Book he wrote viz. Reason against Railing in Answer to Thom. Hicks Whom he Accuses for Railing against the Quakers And thence Proves him not to be a Christian For says he p. 169. He that Rails Reviles calls Names c. is no True Christian But such is Thom. Hicks Therefore no True Christian And now what wou'd you have more Do's it not Plainly follow from hence That neither Will. Penn nor any of the Quakers did ever Raile Revile or call Names For then by Will Penn's sentence here Twice Repeated they are no True Christians To be sure they are no Christians of Christ 's making But a little before this p. 163. W. Penn sets down an Objection of T. Hicks's That the Great Quaker Ed. Burrough had Bestow'd upon Philip Bennet a Priest who oppos'd him by way of Answer these Names following Thou art a wicked Creature Blackness of Darkness is Reserved for thee Thou art a Serpent And the Curse of God is Eternally upon thee Thou Beast to whom the Plagues of God are Due Now these look very like Ill Names and Railing to be sure they are Reviling What says Will. Penn to this He says That this was the Fittest Return cou'd be made to the Questions which P. Bennet put to Ed. Burrough Why were they Rude or Reflecting Questions No. for W. P. confesses p. 164. 165. that they were Civil no
make the same Repartee upon Will. Penn and G. Whitehead Was it for this Cause Good William and George c. They Examin another Excuse for Wiggs viz. Some say shaving is to Prevent the Pox. To which they Answer Small honour to wigwearers to Incur such a suspicion of it This suspicion comes Near some of the most Able Holders-forth among the Quaking-Friends See Sn. p. 4.7 I know not whether G. Archer or if C. Atkinson wore a Wigg But he might have had Occasion for it from what you will find in the Sn. p. 43. c. And a Quaker said lately at the Conference in Norfolk That he was at Last Hanged for a High-way-Man A pretty Life and Death for a Quaker Apostle And therefore that they did Disown him It was full time They will Quit any of their Friends at the Gallows But they will not yet Disown his Books which G. Fox G. Whitehead c. have Defended and owned For then they must disown Fox Whitehead Howgil and Burrough c. who wrote a Preface to one of his Books call'd The Standard of the Lord And with 15 or 16 more of the Eminent Quakers Subscrib'd to it And they never Disown'd any of Atkinson's Books but Defended and Justify'd them when the Professors brought Quotations out of them But to Return In that Precious Declaration against Wiggs it is said That the Apostles went with Sandabs and a Single Coat whose Examples the famousest Primitive Christians followed yea and Primitive Quakers too who Generally went Bare-foot because they had no Shoos And few of them were Worth Two Coats or had one Good one Which might have been one of the Causes why they brought up the fashion of going Naked And they Urg'd the Example too of the Prophets for that They Boast ibid. how John Millner a Friend about Northampton a Wigg-maker left off his Trade and was made to Burn one in his Prentices sight and Print against it And that John Hall a Gentleman of Northumberland being Convinced sitting at a Meeting was shaken by the Lords Power Pluck'd off and threw down his Wigg c. When shall we see such a Power in the Quaker-Meetings now To see their Wiggs fly about or left for Mops to clean the House and they come out all Elisha's They must do this or else Renounce their Ancient Friends and their Precious Testimonies Else that is not True which they say in their yearly Epistle for the year 1696 That what their Light Convinced them of to be Evil in the Beginning it Reproves still For it Convinced them of these things Fine-Houses Coaches Wiggs c That they were very Evil In The Trumpet of the Lord Blown before Quoted p. 2. They made All those to be mere Heathens who us'd these things especially the Priests who Suffer'd them Thus say they And you say he is a Minister of Christ and he saith you are Christians Whereas you are All Heathens both Priest and People And so sure were the Quakers then of the Truth of this And of the Force of these their Doughty Arguments That they say ibid. p. 5. And if you will not believe this you wou'd not believe Dives and he shou'd Rise from the Dead Yet ther are not now more Dives's among any sort of People than the Quakers They are Rich and fare Sumptuously And they Direct these their Dictates to Christ Himself for thus say they ibid. To the Light in all your Consciences I speak Now they make this Light to be Christ and God Himself And thus they take upon them to Instruct and Teach the Light This Confounds All their Preaching and Teaching For has the Light has Christ need of being Taught by Them But this belongs to another Head And is spoke of in Prim. Heres to which this Appendix is said to be an Answer But says nothing to it Therefore I Return and go on with the Present Subject VIII Their Primitive Principle was That none shou'd Preach or Pray but as the Spirit mov'd them And they brought it as an Argument against all other Professions that they did not Preach c. by the Spirit because they had set and stated Times for it as if the Spirit were oblig'd to come at their Appointment Yet now the Spirit moves Them just at such Times as they Appoint And they have their Stated Days and Hours of Worship like other People IX They now Swear in the same Terms which before they Declar'd to be a Direct Oath and yet Pretend to stand still to their former Principle against the Lawfulness of taking an Oath See Sat. Dis. Sect v. N. vii p. 54. It wou'd be Endless to Pursue their Contradictions see a Catalogue that Mr. Peniman has Printed of them This I hope will be sufficient to shew that the Method taken in this Antidote and Appendix of bringing Contrary Testimonies is no Clearing of the Objections brought against the Quakers while they Refuse to Disown those Heresies c. which are plainly Prov'd upon them It is as if a Man Accus'd of Treason shou'd bring Testimonies where he spoke Honourably of the King but did not offer to Disprove any Part of the Evidence brought against him Double meanings and Cross-purposes 4. Ther is another Method of Great service to the Quakers in Answering their Adversaries and Deceiving of them which is The Double-Meanings they have in their words whereby tho' they speak the same Words that you do and know your Meaning fully in them yet they Mean them in a Quite Different Sense And so in Quakers Plainess make their Escape But ther being so much said of this in the First Part § v. p. 9. c. I need Add no more here tho' I cou'd Exemplify this their Artifice in Many other Instances were I not Tender of the Reader 's Labour and Mine own And that I think these are sufficient at least till Answer'd Ther is Another Trick of the Quakers may come in with this Head And I cannot give it a Better Name than Cross-Purposes that is They will not Answer Directly but as we say About the Bush But ther is always a Reason for it when they so do Thus if you Ask them whether they are Perfect even as God They will Answer Be ye Perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect And As He is so are we in this World If you Ask whether the very Body of Christ Flesh Blood and Bones be in them They will Answer We are Bone of His Bone and Flesh of His Flesh If you ask How they Understand these Scriptures whether Strictly and in a Literal Sense They will Answer Let him that Readeth Vnderstand And He that hath Ears to Hear let Him Hear And no other satisfaction will you get from them But the meaning is They Dare not Assert their Blasphemies Broad-Fac'd And wou'd thus Hide them But this shews them Plain And to what Sense they wrest the Scriptures which they thus Quote These are the sort of Answers you
Human Nature of an Human Soul and Human Body And likewise Truly and Properly the Son of God Contrary to Will. Penn. And that He is not such in Any Other Person Whatsoever Not in the Person of Will. Penn G. Whitehead or Any of the Quakers Reader forgive me for using so many Words Less Particular and Positive will not do with these Men. It is for their sakes that I do it That I may by any Means if Possible Open their Eyes to Discover their Horrible Delusions They have by this Means of Allegorizing the Incarnation and Birth of our Blessed Saviour from the Letter to their Imagined Conception Birth Passion Death and Resurrection of the Light within taken away all Certainty whereby we may know Whether ever ther was Such a Man in the World as Jesus Christ or that He ever did any Miracle or had any Attestation from Heaven for His Ministry That Most Express of the Glorious Appearance of a Light from Heaven Descending Leasurly and Hovering upon the Head of Jesus at His Baptism after the Manner that a Dove Lights upon the Ground the Quakers have Deny'd that is turn'd it to an Allegorie Doest thou believe says G. Whitehead to his Opponent in his Truth Defending the Quakers p. 42. That it was visible to the Carnal Eye as a Created Dove is or its Lightning I believe he Meant Lighting upon Him as a Dove was in respect of its Nature and Comliness By this they Mean That Innocency and Simplicity like that of a Dove was all that did Light upon Jesus or which Exprest His Nature and Comliness at that Time And then indeed they might well Ask Was it visible to the Carnal Eye But by this they have Quite Overthrown the Validity of that Miraculous Attestation given to Christ And so they have done to all the Rest That as I said they have not left One Single Proof that Ever ther was such a Man in the World For that can not be known but by Outward Acts and Attestations And if they can be thus Turn'd ther is an End of all Proof from them But they wou'd have no other Proof for Christ or His Mission than ther is for their Own Since they vouch Themselves to be Christ and God! Indeed as many Gods as ther are Quakers For if as they say the Seed in them can Grow up to be God That God do's BEGET Himself in them Then I do not see how they can avoid the Consequence of a Multiplication of Gods Of God's having a Beginning and being Created For if He be Begotten in Time Every Day in Every New Quaker He must be Created and so is both the Creature and the Creator If He be Capable of Encrease of Growing up from a Seed to a Child c. He must likewise be Subject to Dissolution He must be Lyable to Infirmities and Passions as We are And this the Quakers do not Deny Nay they Argue Expresly for it They take in a Literal Sense those Expressions in Scripture Where God is said to Repent to be Weary to Suffer c. several of which G. Whitehead Quotes in his Divinity of Christ p. 56. as Isai 63 10. Amos. 2.13 Hos. 11.8 9. Psal 95. Gen. 6.6 Psal 78.40 Isai 1. and chap. 43.24 These he brings as an Answer to the Argument of Thomas Vincent against whom he Disputed That Christ as God Cou'd not make Satisfaction for our Sins because as God He cou'd not Suffer The Contrary of which G. W. here Endeavours to Prove and brings these Texts to shew That God can Suffer These are the Natural and Necessary Consequences of this Mad Foundation of the Quaker Faith in Setting up their Light Within for Christ and God I am Weary in Pursuing their Blasphemies But it is Necessary in Order to Un-Deceive the Simple and Deluded among them Who know not these Depths of Satan into which they have been Led Especially Considering the Tenacious Obstinacy of their Leaders Who tho' they know these things Yet for Popularity or other Ends will not Suffer their Implicit Followers to Repent But Buoy them up with all the Artifice and Cunning they are Able to Believe That all is Well And to adhere firmly to All that they haue Taught them from the Begining And that IN ALL THE PARTS OF IT Some Texts Rescu'd from the False Glosses of the Quakers to favour the Universality of what they call The Light within 3. Let me for a Conclusion Rescue some Texts of Scripture which the Quakers have wrested to their own Destruction And upon which they build their wild Notion of the Light-Within That being undeceiv'd in this they may by the Blessing of God see their Error and Return Their Chief Text which they have Constantly in their Mouths is Rom. x. 8. The word is Nigh thee even in thy Mouth and in thy Heart that is the word of Faith which we Preach This word of Faith they take to be the Light which is in Every man of the World and not to Refer to the outward Christ or to the Faith in Him His outward Sufferings and Death but to the Faith in their Light within which Every man has even those who never heard of Jesus of Nazareth But the very next words ver 9. shew the Apostle's Meaning to be quite otherwise and to Refer wholy to Faith in the outward Christ This is the word of Faith which we Preach says he That if thou shalt Confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt Believe in thine Heart that God hath Raised Him from the Dead thou shalt be saved Now that by Faith the Apostle did not mean that Light which is Common to All men is plain from 2 Thess iii. 2. For all men have not Faith Says he You see here That in the very next verse following Rom. x. 8. which is the Quakers Text the Apostle do's Limit it Expressly not to the Light within but to Faith in the outward Jesus So in Deut. xxx 11 12 13 14. Whence the Apostle Quoted it the very next Verse immediately Before viz. Ver. 10. do's Limit these words in Moses to the outward Book of the Law and not to their Light within For thus says he If thou wilt hearken unto the Voice of the Lord thy God to keep His Commandments and His Statutes which are Written in this Book of the Law For this Commandment which I Command thee this Day is not far off It is not in Heaven or Beyond the Sea c. And Chap. xvii 18 19 20. The King is Commanded to Write him a Copy of this Law in a Book out of that before the Priests the Levits And to Read therein all the Days of his Life That he might thereby Learn to Fear the Lord his God to keep all the words of this Law and these Statutes to do them Was he to write a Copy of the Light within in a Book out of the Levits Book And by Keeping the words of this Law was no More
them over night next day when I sent for them not one of them was to be had When he is Dead that too must pass the Index Expurgatorius with the Rest of his Works If Quakerism be not out of Fashion before that time which I Hope he may Live to see If they wou'd Call in or Commit to the Flames all their Old Editions I shou'd be very well Pleas'd to Rake no More into them But let them and their Heresies Die together And let the Present Quakers slide Gently from their Errors without the Shame of Recanting For it is their Conversion not Victory over them that we seek But when these Old Quaker Books are still kept as Sacred Relicts by the Generality of the Ignorant and Besotted Quakers And their Now Governing and Subtile Teachers in all the Apologies they have of Late Published still Pretend to stand by and Confirm All the Testimonies and Writings of their Ancient Friends and that In all the Parts of them And that they are thus Enjoin'd by the Yearly Epistle of their General Council as supposing them all Infallible and Dictated by the Immediate Inspiration of the Holy Ghost as they Horridly Pretend yet are not Afraid to Alter Correct and Amend them It becomes Necessary and our Duty to Search out and Expose them That being the Most Likely Means to Open those Eyes which are not Seal'd up to their own Destruction And now let others think That if the Figure of Quakerism be so Abhorrent even as Represented to Us in their Re-Printed and Corrected Books How ten times more Deform'd and Frightful it wou'd Appear if taken off their first Rude Draught if their Original Books were Expos'd to Publick view if the Publick wou'd take some Method to have them Collected and Reserv'd in some safe Place till ther shou'd be no Longer Use for them but what they first Deserv'd the Animadversion of the Hang-Man and a Faggot In the mean time Let the more sober among the Quakers Reflect how the Words of their Prophets give a Certain sound as Boasted in the Title-Page of BVRROVGH's Trumpet before Quoted when they are Chopt and Chang'd as we have seen and made Speak the Language of Every Turn tho' in Direct Opposition to one Another And if their Words are the Immediate Dictates of the Holy-Ghost as they Blasphemously Pretend then must the Curse of Adding to or Diminishing from the Word of God Light upon those who have Added or Substracted or Alter'd any thing in Any of these Quaker-Writings Which Curse they May Read in the Book of Rev. xxii 18 19. To have their Part taken away out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City and from the things which are written in this Book And to have the Plagues which are written in this Book added unto them This they must take to Themselves or else Confess as the Truth is That the Words of these Quaker-Prophets were not Wrote from the Spirit of God And if so then because they do Pretend to be so Written they must be Acknowleg'd to have been Wrote by the Spirit of Blasphemy that is the Devil And that this is the Spirit which has Possess'd these QVAKERS To Sir Thomas Lane Lord Mayor of London HAving been Lately Summoned before Thee by Dr. Linford and Marmaduke Hopkins who are more Diligent to seek thy Warrant to take Our Goods than to seek us thereby shewing That it 's Ours more than We they desire and Love Which to us shews That they have no more Right to esteem themselves Ministers of Christ than as such to take Tyths or Plead for them For Christ said to his Ministers freely ye have received freely Give He did not Advise nor Teach That if any would not Give they should take from them whether they would or nay Therefore Consider whether such who take by force abide in or transgress the Doctrine of Christ If they Transgress as certainly they Do who abide not in his Doctrine Then his Apostle declares their Condition 2. John 9. And we Intreat thee Mayor seriously consider how he either bids God speed to such or assists them in such a Work For Thou and All must receive a Reward from the hand of the Righteous God According to your Works We have also herewith sent a small Collection out of the Book of Martyrs Fol. 669.670 To shew that the Priests have no Right to Tythes and that it was anciently so Testified by other Consciencious men besides us and made an Article against them as well as it is against us Read and consider the following Collection is the Request of us who are Sincere Well wishers to the Mayor and All men and truely desire that We nor any Other may Do that here that we cannot Answer hereafter in the Great Day of Account John Feild Will. Bingley The Collection IN the New Law neither Christ nor any of his Apostles took Tythes of the People nor Commanded the People to pay Tythes neither to Priests nor Deacons But in the 1000 year of Our Lord 211. One Pope Gregory the 10th Ordained Tythes First to be Given to Priests Again Paul saith He was not Chargeable unto them but with his hands got his Own Living It were Good Councel That all Priests took Good heed to the Heavenly Learning of Paul not Charging the People for their Bodily Livelyhood And Paul saith since the Priesthood is Changed its necessary a Change also be made of the Law so that Priests Live without Tythes For the Priests that Challenge Tythes say in effect That Christ is not become Man nor that he Suffered Death for man's Love Again the Taking of Tythes and of such other Duties that Priests Challenge now wrongfully neither Christ nor his Apostles Challenged nor took such Duties Therefore these taking of Priests now are to be called and holden The Sclanderous Covetousness and because of the Covetousness of Priests and Pride it stirreth God to take Vengeance both upon Lords and Commons which Suffer Priests Charitably This is Verbatim according to the Original Letter which I have in my Possession The Collection added out of Fox's Martyrs is not as here set down But gather'd out of several places of the Answers of one Will. Thorp an Ignorant Zealous Man but no Martyr in the Reign of Hen. 4. I wou'd not Mend any of the words to make sense of them as In the 1000 year of our Lord 211. but give them just as Quoted by the Quakers Who took what was for their Purpose 1. To make Tythes to be Anti-Christian as being a Denyal of Christ's having Come in the Flesh 2 That the Clergy are not to be supported Nor so much as God Speed be given to them 3 That the Vengeance of God is upon both Lords and Commons who suffer Priests Charitably The Arguments of the Quakers against Tythes I have Promised to Consider in a Treatise by it self But I have Printed this Letter of theirs to shew what Moderation they now at
Paragraph which the Quakers put into The Post-Man 14. Jan. 1699. Page 81. VII A Declaration against Wigs or Periwigs Page 83 VIII The Excommunication of Will Wilkins for Marrying one who was not a Quaker And And for being Marry'd by a Clergy-Man Page 90. IX Their Denyal of Burial to Thom. Bradly for the same Page 92. I must trouble the Reader to Correct the Errata of the Press as he finds them For I am quite Tyr'd Advertisement AT the end of the First Part there is mention made of a Preface In which I have laid open the ways and means by which George Fox and the first Quakers came by all that Complication of the Ancient Heresies with further Improvements upon which they have set up For it was none of their Invention They had neither Parts nor Learning sufficient for such an Enterprise But the Second Part Swelling so much with the Collection beyond the first Intended Bounds And the Quakers last Answer to The Snake which they call Anguis or Switch having come out since And it being thought necessary That something shou'd be said to it particularly because the Quakers make such Boasts of it tho' in Effect it is Answered already in this Reply I have to Eease the Bulk of this Reserv'd the Preface to my Reflections upon the Switch which will be the shorter because there will need little more than Applying their Answers in the Switch to those Methods set down in the Second Part which they use in Answering of Books that are wrote against them And so that will serve as a Third Part to this And be the Last I intend upon this Subject Because I think to make it very Plain that by their Answers in the Switch they must be Satisfied and Know in their Hearts that these Heresies c. are Justly Charg'd upon them And that they have Taught them Onely here let me take Notice of an Answer lately come out to the Preface of the Snake concerning Mis Bourignon in an Apology wrote in Defence of her and her Priciples Wherein the Author shews That he is not without Passion at what he calls Passion in others But he vents it not in that Furious Nasty Fashion as the Quakers He calls that Zeal which is Exprest in the Preface against Bourignonism Spiteful and Malicious But that Author cou'd have no Malice against her Person whom he knew no otherwise than by her Writings And if the Doctrins she Taught were such as he has there Represented them believe it there was Cause for all that Concern and more than is there Exprest Now whether they are truly Represented in that Preface will appear plain enough by the Answer to it Which Denies not the Quotations but by Contrary Testimonies and some other of the Quaker-Methods here set down wou'd Squeeze and Force the Words out of their Natural Signification which yet can not be done The Apologist accuses the Author of that Preface of Prejudice and Un-charitableness Why Because he do's not Insist upon and Recommend the Good things in Ms Bourignons Writings as well as Expose what he thought Dangerous and Destructive But this was Blaming without Cause For it was Dangerous things only which ought to be Expos'd And they were the more Dangerous because they were Mixt with Good things as Satan when Transformed into an Angel of Light To Praise whose Light wou'd not be the way to Discover him No. We must look for the Cloven-Foot And Pull off the Sheeps-Cloathing to find out the Wolf The Apologist sets down his Belief in most Orthodox and Moving terms And I do Believe him And think him a Man of Piety and Sincere Intentions And that he has been deluded by the seeming Devotion Self-Denyal and Abstractedness from the World that Appears thro' the Writings of Ms Bourignon Therefore I do with Great Charity and an Hearty Concern Beseech him and others who follow her Devotion to consider whether it cou'd come from God and Cover such Terrible Doctrins as overturn the very Foundation of our Christian Faith Such as CHRIST's Dying being only by Accident That He came not with a Design to Suffer That it was not Consistent with the Glory of God Nor needful as a Satisfaction for our Sins And other things mention'd in that Preface I would Provoke their Zeal to be more for the support of the True Christian Doctrin than for the Flights of Ms Bourignon or any other which we do not Want We have the Lives of the Holy Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and of Christ Himself for our Examples There is no Addition to them in the Life of Ms Bourignon As to the Rest of this Apology in Answer to Dr. Cockburn's Narratives concerning Ms Bourignon I meddle not with them He is of Age and can Answer for himself My Province now is only The Snake in Grass And so much of Bourignonism as is there Contain'd for which I think this short Advertisement to be sufficient And that her Pretensions to the Spirit of Prophesie or Miracles have no better Foundation than Fox or Muggleton had And stand Chargeable with the same Enthusiasm and Blasphemy A DEFENCE Of the BOOK Intituled The Snake in the Grass Against George Whitehead's Antidote c. George Whiteheads Pleasantry upon the Author of the Snake I. IN his Epistle to the Reader P. 1. He tells that the Quakers did not Intend to write any Answer to The Snake in the Grass that it was not worth an Answer c. It was slighted by Vs says he and laid aside as scarce deserving any particular Answer Till the Importunity of some People he says did Extort this Answer from them And yet p. 265. I must Advertise the Reader says he that this Officious Author shou'd have spar'd his other Discourse against the Quakers untill he had seen an Answer to his Snake in the Grass This was very Cunning Here He had that Author at a why not For the Author as others did believe that the Quakers had no stomach to Answer that Book which made them so long in doing it because nothing is so hard to be Answer'd as Matter of Fact of which that Book do's chiefly consist And the Author was so Careful of his Quotations that all G. Whitehead's sagacity has not found out one False Quotation in the whole Book This George knew and therefore he was brought to this Answer like a Bear to the Stake But an Answer ther must be because as he confesses People did call for it and thought the Quaker-Cause Lost without it And this Forc'd Answer will sink it much Deeper in the Mire for the Excuses are so slight so Guilty so Confessing that every Discerning Eye must see thro' these Fig-leaves which they are not able so to Patch together as to Cover their Nakedness His Meek and Lamb-like Treatment of him II. This has Enrag'd them out of All measure against the Author And tho' in The Snake Sect. xvii one wou'd think ther were so much of
last Authority I shall Produce is of the Great Fox Himself in his Book call'd Several Papers given forth for the Spreading of Truth c. Printed 1671. There p. 54. is a Chapter which bears this Title Concerning Christ's Flesh which was Offered c. And this Flesh he makes not to be That which He took of the B. Virgin but That which he had from the Beginning and which he supposes was Crucify'd when Adam Fell And in That Crucifixion to Consist the Atonement and Satisfaction made for Sin And he takes that Text The Lamb slain from the Foundation of the world not as then Decreed and Purposed by God but Literally as then Actually Fulfill'd Thus he Begins that Chapter Christ the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the world when it began its Foundation then the Lamb was slain And Christ according to the Flesh Crucified the Lamb slain that Flesh of His which is a Mysterie when the first Adam's and Eve's Flesh was Defiled This he calls a Mystery And it is the true Mystery of Quakerism It is upon this account That the Quakers think all the Christian world to Lie in Darkness but Themselves That other Christians know of no other Flesh and Blood of Christ but that outward Flesh which He took in Time of the B. Virgin Hence it is common in their Discourse and in their Books to tell others That the Flesh of Christ is a Mysterie That they understand nothing of it As Solomon Eccles wrote That the Pope Sn. Sect. x. p. 138. the Episcopal the Presbyterian Independants and Baptists understand the Blood of Jesus Christ no more than a Brute Beast Therefore the Quaker's Confessing to the Blood of Christ in General Terms can be no Justification of them while they mean another Manhood Flesh Blood and Bones of Christ than any Christian ever Dreamt of But it Argues their Deep Deceit and Hypocricy to seem to Justifie themselves to the world by their General Confessions But Conceal their secret Meaning whereby they know that they Differ most Widely from those with whom they make this False Appearance of Agreeing Exactly Therefore their Answer to the Queres is no Answer while they Refuse to Renounce this Distinction that they have of Different Manhoods in Christ or otherwise to Explain themselves and tell us which of the Manhoods they mean The words of their Answer to the Queres upon this Head are these We sincerely believe in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of the Living God both as he is true God and Perfect Man But what they mean by Man here they do not Declare Whether that Eternal or Heavenly Manhood before spoke of or the Outward and Terrestrial Manhood which he took of our Earth But Tho. Ellwood we thank him has told us and Discover'd the secret in his Answer to G. Keiths first Narrative p. 205. where he Recites a Quotation G. K. had brought out of G. Whiteheads Book The Malice of the Independent Agent p. 17. That Christ's Body now in Heaven is the same in substance He had on Earth which wou'd seem a Fair Confession to the Humanity of Christ But hold a little crys T. E. Did G. Whitehead ever call or own Christ's Body now in Heaven or while it was on Earth to be Terrestrial or of the Earth Here we see how to Understand their words and how to Interpret this their Answer to the Quaeres not of the outward or Terrestrial Manhood which Christ took of our Nature but of their Secret and Heavenly Manhood which they Madly Fancie He had from Eternity And thus G. Whitehead Explains himself in his Part of The Christian Quaker Printed An. 1674. p. 140. where he says That he was not at all against Jesus Christ being God and Man take Man says he as Christ is the Heavenly Spiritual and Glorify'd Man But he Confesses that he was against this viz. That Jesus Christ consisteth of Human Flesh and Bone Here he Distinguishes betwixt the Heavenly and the Human Manhood The first he Ascribes to Christ but Denies the Latter that Christ has any Human Manhood And the Reason he gives for it is Seeing Christ says he was from Everlasting which is the same we have heard before from Thom. Ellwood where he takes upon him to Explain Will. Penn's sense in this Matter viz. That Christ as Christ always had a Manhood And seeing He had it from Everlasting therefore it cou'd not be the Human but the Heavenly Manhood Flesh Blood and Bone What then was that Flesh and Blood which he took of the B. Virgin wherein He suffer'd and Rose again And of which he said Behold my Hands and my Feet Luk. xxiv 39. Handle me and see for a Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones as ye see Me have To this says G. W. ibid. p. 139. 140. yes Christ Had such Flesh and Bones but he did not Consist of them I distinguish between Consisting and Having Says he i. e. A man Hath anything that he Possesses or wears I Have a Cloak but I do not Consist of that Cloak that is It is no Part of my Nature and I may Put it on or Throw it off without any Change of my Nature And no otherwise do the Quakers reckon of the Body and Blood which Jesus our B. Lord took in Time in the Womb of the Virgin Not that He took it into His Person so as to Consist of it as a Man do's Consist of Both Natures of his Body and Soul But only that He Had it that is Made Vse of it and wore it for a Time as a Vail or Garment which He has now laid aside and subsists in Heaven only in that Heavenly and Eternal Manhood Flesh Blood and Bones which He had as Christ from Eternity And they make it a Contradiction to say That Christ do's Consist of any other Flesh and Bone that is of Human Flesh and Bone they think this to be a Contradiction to Christ's being the Eternal Word because they hold that He cou'd not be the Word or Christ without Consisting of Flesh Blood and Bone And therefore That if He had None but the Flesh c. of the Human Nature which was Created in Time it must follow That He was not the Word or Christ from Everlasting Thus says G. W. ibid. p. 139. Is there not a Plain Contradiction between Jesus Christ Consisting of Flesh and Bone Human Nature And that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal word from Everlasting c. Therefore you see it is Necessary for us in order to Oblige these Quakers to Discover their Meaning that we Insist upon the word Human And that they will Answer whether they Allow Christ to have Now in Heaven any Human Body Or whether He do's Consist Now of that Body or did Consist of it while He was upon Earth But will the Word Human hold them Have they no Dodge nor Shift whereby to use even that word Plainly in a sense in which they know that
p. 301. Add to this another Instance given in the Further Discovery before Quoted wrote by Five Ministers p. 91. of a Quaker woman who came to Disturb one of their Congregations at Kellet in Lancashire she fell into a Trance her Belly puffed up her sides Extended her Back-bone thrust out her whole Body as a Bladder when it is in Blowing c. This is attested under the hand or Mr. Moore Minister at Kellâ—t But Instances are Endless See the General Account of it in a Book Printed at that time 1653. call'd A brief Relation of the Irreligion of the Northern Quakers Wrote by Francis Higgison p. 15. Those in their Assemblies that are taken with these Fits fall suddenly down as it were in a Swoon as tho' they were surpris'd with an Epilepsis or Apoplexy and ly Groveling on the Earth and strugling as it were for Life and sometimes more Quietly as tho' they were Departing While the Agony of their Fits is upon them their Lips Quiver their Flesh and Joints Tremble their Bellies swell as tho' Blown with Wind they Foam at the Mouth and sometimes Purge as if they had taken Phisick In this Fit they continue sometimes an Hour or two sometimes Longer before they come to themselves again And when it leaves them they Roar out Horribly with a Voice Greater than the Voice of a Man The Noise those say that have heard it is a very Horrid Fearfull Noise and Greater sometimes than any Bull can make The Speaker when any of them falls in this Fit will say to the rest that are sometimes Astonisht at this sight especially if they be Incipients let them alone trouble them not the Spirit is now strugling with the Flesh if the Spirit overcome they will Quickly come out of it again though it be sorrow now it will be Joy in the Morning c. And when they have said a few words to this Effect they go on with their Speaking Sometimes they carry those wretched Patients to Beds when they are near them and let them Ly on them till their Fit be over These Quakings they Maintain Saul's Errand p. 5. and in their Books and Papers call them the Marvelous works of the Lord Battels of Shaking and Trembling before the Presence of the Lord and call them that speak against them Ishmaelites that scoff at the works of the Lord They say also those that speak against this Quaking shew themselves to be Blasphemers and that it is Presumption and Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost to speak against it Thus that Account Take another two Years after this Wrote by Mr. Edmund Skipp then Minister of Bodenham in Hereford-shire but who as himself tells us had been before seduc'd by the fair Pretences of the Quakers and was one of them But by the Great Mercy of God having Discover'd their Gross Deceits he Return'd from them and then Gave notice of them to the World in a Book printed 1655. which he Intituled The Worlds wonder or The Quakers Blazing-Star c. there p. 22. he tells of these Mysterious Deceits of Anti-Christ Which I gather says he from those strange and unheard of Passions and Agonies those Great Burthens and Exercitations of Body in so much that they are sometimes in Trances and Soundings and if they are not brought into such a state of Deadness as it were yet they suffer most Extreme Tortures of Body that hath been Visible to me and several others many times nay so much Extremity that it maketh them Roar out for very Bitterness And I do clearly Judge that if the Lord did not Limit the Devil in their behalf as he did for Job saying Thou shalt not touch his Life it wou'd be Impossible for their Concaves to hold their Inwards in those Violent Motions for they are made under those Agonies to Tremble and Quake as though their Flesh must part from their Bones and Ligatures like unto Men in the strongest Fits of an Ague that ever you saw as tho' they had seen Belshazzar's Vision Dan. 10. that made his knees smite one against another In those strange Passions they are Exercised with so much Heat I know not of what sort that it maketh them cry out for Drink and maketh them Sweat like men in most violent Feavers Now they call these Agonies the Fiery-Trial and say it is the Power of the Holy Ghost burning up and Destroying their Corruptions and Purifying them like Gold that is tried seven times in the Fire And that which is very strange when they are thus in the midst of these Extreme Shakings Quakings Trials Roarings and Perplexities that one wou'd think ther cou'd be no more Torment upon the Damn'd Spirits than is upon them at the Present yet many times when they begin to come to their Speech for it falleth out often that they are not able to speak for a long time they will speak how much Joy and Pleasure they have mix'd with that Torment in such an Inseperable Manner as they themselves Express as Heat and Fire mix'd together that they cou'd wish to be in it for Ever and Ever This they call Drinking of the Cup or the Undergoing the Curse and wrath of God as Christ did for here they speak to my Understanding most Blasphemously and say they must be brought to suffer as Christ did and to Undergo as Great a sense of Wrath as He did when he Cried out My God My God why hast thou forsaken me In a word as far as ever I cou'd Understand their Apprehensions by their Expressions in this last particular I did Judge this to be their Delusion that they must suffer Eternal Burnings bearing the full weight of Divine Justice and wrath as fully as though ther never had been any Christ Crucifi'd or acceptation of His Sacrifice untill as they say ther shou'd be no more left in them but the Pure seed of God in its own Perfect Likeness And they say that Condition or state which is call'd in Scripture Hell or Everlasting Torment is but a Dispensation which shall End at such a time as that Burning and Torment of the Soul and Conscience shall have Refin'd it and brought it into its former Purity and Likeness of God Thus far I have transcrib'd out of this Author not only as to this of their Quaking but because he do's withal open to us the very Heart and Bottom of the Quaker Heresie viz. That the Meritorious Cause of our Justification is not the Sufferings of Christ in His Body upon the Cross but that the same sufferings must be wrought over again in us that we must Bear our own Sins in our own Bodies and must be Healed by our own Stripes which likewise they call the Sufferings of Christ or the Light within them And that what he suffers thus within every man is the only Meritorious Cause of his Justification and Reconciliation to God That what He suffer'd Outwardly upon the Cross is nothing to us but an Example a History
or Facilt Representation of the Greater Mystery of what He Suffers and Acts within us Wherein only the Atonement and Satisfaction for Sin is Perform'd And this they suppos'd to be done in these Monstrous Possessions of Quaking c. And therefore were greatly Desirous of them as thinking their state not secure till they had gone thro' one of these Fits at least As Mr. Skipp tells of himself while he was a Quaker p. 25. I thought it was my unhappiness says he that I was not and it was great Cause of trouble and unspeakable sorrow to me and that which caus'd me to complain bitterly time after time but they wou'd tell me that I must wait for it and they said that they cou'd Believe for me and they were Confident I shou'd be a very Glorious Piece c. Here their Spirit of Discerning fail'd them But that which makes the long Quotation I have taken out of Mr. Skipp the more Valuable is because G. Fox has wrote an Answer to it in his Great Mystery where p. 314. he after his usual fashion Epitomizes and Falsifies Mr. Skipp's words above Quoted thus It is Blasphemy to say we must fill up the sufferings of Christ. Ther are no such words in Mr. Skipp not so put together but he referrs to that Part above Quoted where Mr. Skipp calls it Blasphemy to say that they must suffer as Christ did and are sav'd by Their own sufferings and not by Christs In which G. F. opposes Mr. Skipp and says in Answer Thou hast not Drunk the Cup of the Wrath and Judgment of the Almighty and that you must Drink before you come to know the seed of God come from under all the Power of Wickedness in thee And Christ who bore the Sin of the whole world felt it and was under it and was offered and over it all and makes his Enemies his Foot-stool This is all his Answer And shews what he means by considering what it is which he opposes for without seeing the Books which he Pretends to Answer of which few are now Extant ther is no Understanding by him either what they said for he seldom Quotes them True or what himself says who cou'd write neither Sense nor English But here you see he Denies nothing of Mr. Skipp's Charge against the Quakers but rather Justify's and Defends it in other words that we must suffer as Christ did till the Seed of God come from under the Power of Wickedness which are almost Mr. Skipp's own words And Fox do's not Deny that they Place the Meritorious Cause of ther Justification in those Sufferings within themselves and not in the outward Sufferings of Christ And that when these Inward Sufferings in their Consciences are over and the Seed Purged then that ther is an End of Hell that these Sufferings of the Seed in them is the only Hell this Fox do's not Deny tho positively Charg'd upon them Which is a Plain Confessing The Least one can do is to Deny as G. W. here in this Answer of his But when we Pretend to Answer and dare not so much as Plead Not Guilty it is a full and total yielding to the Charge The truth is the Light within is All things to the Quakers its Shining as they think they are sure within them they call Heaven its being obscur'd that is Hell And they Believe no other Heaven or Hell or God or Christ but their Light within And when they are Possest with their Quaking Fits they call it the Fighting of their Light within against their Darkness within which G. W. wou'd turn off here upon Convulsion Fits For which I leave him to be Chastis'd by those Quakers who have wrote Apologies for their Quaking as being the Effects of a Divine Inspiration And those who were much troubl'd because that Extraordinary Quaking had now in a Great measure left them as if thereby they had Lost that Measure of the Spirit which their Fathers Possest or which Possest their Fathers To Comfort whom Pat. Levingston wrote a Book call'd Plain and down right Dealing wherein he told them that their first years were Purging years but that when Phisick had Purg'd sufficiently then the Patient was more Still and Quiet See the Sn. p. 295. yes George and after Convulsion-fits too when they are over But George few Desire fits of Convulsion or any Natural Disease and Long for them as the Quakers for their Possessions None Express Extasies of Joy in Natural Diseases as we have heard of this Quaker Sickness And all this cou'd not be Counterfited for None can Counterfit such violent Convulsions and Distortions as Exceed the Power of Nature In the Next Place Young Children among the Quakers were often feiz'd with these Quaking Fits and these cou'd not Counterfit And many Earnestly Desir'd them but cou'd not have them when they wou'd And since they are neither Natural nor Counterfit they must be a Praeter Natural either Divine or Diabolical Possession And which of the two it is ther are some Rules whereby to Guess which are Mention'd in the Sn. Sect. xxi which G. W. wou'd do well to Consider and not Shuffle them off as he do's in this Answer But he gives up the Cause by Assigning such Contradictory Reasons for in the same breath within the Compass of one Page he makes three supposes for these Quakings First The word and Power of God Second Convulsion-Fits Third Exorcism or the Casting out of some Evil Spirit If he had said the Entrance of the Evil Spirit and its taking of Possession he had come nearer the Mark But however Why do's he make so many Guesses at the Causes of this Quaking Did he not know whether it was Convulsion or Inspiration or Exorcism or was he Asham'd to tell Well but as to our Present purpose from whatever Cause these Quakings do Proceed it is allow'd on all hands that the Possession is very Strong and carries with it the most visible Effects of Madness And as the Old Proverb says Once Mad and Ever the worse so they who have been once Possess'd with these Quaking Fits seldom Ever after recover the state they were in before but have Raz'd Looks and something Frightful about them But it is not all the Quakers whom God has Deliver'd so far into the Power of the Devil And others have been Possess'd as well as the Quakers But this was more Peculiar to the Quakers than to any others of any sort of People otherwise they had not got the Name of Quakers from thence And at the time when the Devil was most Busie and these Quakings were most Violent and most Frequent about the year 1653 Quakerism was then but very young only three years old and the Quakers did not then bear Proportion of One to a Thousand speaking within Compass to the Rest of England so that we have had a Thousand of these sort of Mad-Men among the Quakers for One any where else And if we Reckon those Mad who
small Summ which he receiv'd after the Fight at Preston That Josiah Coal was also a Soldier in service of the Common-Wealth and at Worcester Fight This was one of the Prime worthies of the Quakers a Preacher of Renown See his Blasphemous Letter to G. Fox in the Sn. p. 114. 115. Here the Treasons and Rebellion and Fighting of these Quaker-Leaders were Glory'd in instead of being Condemn'd by the rest of them in the year 1656. But since 1660 they have got a New Light they are now against all outward Fighting Treason and Rebellion Yet will not Censure any of their Ancient Traytors Fighters and Rebels for such were their Chief Apostles and led by the Infallible Light within But they wou'd have that Forgotten till a Day may come when as in 1656 they may again Plead these Glorious Merits of their Saints And in the mean time make a Mouth at us while they wou'd Pame them upon us as the only Lambs of Christ But ther is one of these Lambs that I have not yet Nam'd under this Head of Treason whom I must bring forth before G. W. to see what Character he will give us of him This Quaker in the year 1659 had a Dispute with one Thomas Smith in the Mayor's House at Cambridge soon after Sir George Booth had taken Armes for the King and was Suppress'd by the Rebels It is told in the Sn. Sect. xviii p. 228. How busy the Quakers were upon that occasion against the King's Interest and Boasted in it as their merit that they had given the first Intelligence to the Vsurpers against the Loyal Party and gave their Advice or Command and that In the Name of the Lord God! to cut off all the Cavaliers whom they had taken Prisoners They were Full of this their good service and very Vain of it And this Quaker whom I am speaking of taking his opponent Smith to be well Inclin'd towards the Royal Cause and having him in the Mayor's House he broke off from the Subject of Religion they were met about and Demanded of him whether he owned his Brethren the Priests who had so much stirred up the Rebellion against the present Government To which Insnaring Question the Quaker says Smith answer'd That he did not own them But that was said the Quaker because he saw they did not Prosper in their Designs But when they did Prosper as they did the year following then the Quakers were the only Royal and Loyal Party and said they had been so all along And accus'd these same Professors as they call'd the Presbyterians Independents c. that they had been the King's Enemies and therefore not fit to be Trusted by Him or to be suffer'd to Teach the People as shewn in the Sn. Sect. xviii Now G. W. tell us Plainly what do'st Thee think of this Quaker before mention'd we wou'd have thy opinion of him Was he then a Loyal Man when he call'd it Rebellion to assert the King's Cause against the Vsurpation that then obtain'd and upbraided others with being Concern'd in it If thou woud'st know his Name not to keep thee longer in suspence it is George Whitehead And this thee wilt find p. 25. of a little pretty Treasonable and very Blasphemous Book of his call'd Truth defending the Quakers c. Printed that same year 1659. said on the Title Page to be written from the Spirit of Truth in George Whitehead and George Fox the yonger I wou'd have thee Read it George It is as full of Heresies as a Dog is of Fleas Larded thick with Nonsense and Pride Prodigious And prithee George le ts have thy Censure of it the next time thou sets Pen to Paper if thou be'st not Tyr'd with that sport as well thou May'st considering thy Luck at it It is now 49 years since that precious Piece escapt thy Fist And if thee art not Grown Wiser as thou 'st Grown Older thou'lt verefie the Proverb no F l to an Old F l. It is told in the Sn. Sect. xviii How G. Fox and the Quakers stood out against the Restauration of King Charles II. to the very Last even in the Beginning of the year 1660. And yet Immediately upon the Kings Coming Home Run to him with Addresses of their Love c. I have one here to Add which came Lately in my way G. Bishop his Bitterness and Implacable Hatred to the King and his Cause is Particularly Insisted upon in the Sn. How he Preach'd and Commanded In the Name of the Lord That the Cavaliers who were then Prisoners shou'd be All put to Death This is in his Book of Warnings Printed in the Beginning of the year 1660 before the Restauration And now I find another Book of his warnings An. 1661. Directed to The King and Parliament to the Arch-Bishops and Bishops c. where p. 2. he Recommends the Innocent People the Quakers to their Protection as Those who suffer'd with you says he and by and under your Enemies who have Good will towards you c. And not Content with this Gross Dissimulation in Themselves he falls upon the poor Presbyterians for their Inconstancy and Turning about he upbraids them p. 18. with their being Vpwards and Downwards and Backwards and Forwards Now here and now there Reeling and Rouling Pinching here sometimes and Drawing as Contrary at another This needs no Application to the Quakers G. Fox his Aspiring to be Equal with God VII In the Sn. ther is set down a Tryal at the Assises and Depositions upon Oath that G. Fox and others of the Quakers did call themselves Equal with God c. To this says G. W. p. 25. That we ought not to take the Depositions of Adversaries against them This is Pleasant why if any of the Quakers had Depos'd this then they had been Apostats Judases c. as the Quakers have call'd their Late Seperatists and so Adversaries with a witness And all others are Adversaries of Course And if none of their words must be taken the Quakers may Blaspheme Rebel Murder Steal or what they Please For is not any one that wou'd Accuse them of any of these things an Adversary And an Adversaries word must not be taken But let alone Adversaries Has not G. Fox and others of the Quakers asserted the same in their Printed Books And are they not Quoted in the Sn. Sect. iii And has G. W. Answer'd to one of these Quotations No. Not to one of them yet he Pretends this Book of his to be an Answer to the Sn. And in the Contents he stiles the above Answer thus A False Charge against G. Fox c. Examin'd and Answer'd Yet this is all the Answer he has given to it In the same manner he passes off the Charge of their Assuming the Name of God and Christ to themselves and their Pretence to Perfection Equal Even to God c. He says to this p. 26. That it is False and Asserts the Contrary But Answers none of the Proofs See Sn.
Christ and the Garment which He wore between Him that Came and the Body in which He came between the Substance which was Vailed and the Vaile which Vailed it Lo I come a Body hast thou Prepared Me. There is Plainly He and the Body in which He came Ther was the outward Vessel and the Inward Life This we certainly know and can never call the Bodily Garment Christ but that which Appeared and Dwelt in the Body So that by this Jesus was not the Christ only the Prepared Body Garment or Vaile in which Christ Dwelt The same Argument is Prosecuted by Will. Penn in his Part of the Serious Apology p. 146. and in the like words with Is Penington to shew the Unanimous Consent of the Quakers in this the Heart of their Christianity These are his words He that laid down his Life and suffer'd his Body to be Crucify'd by the Jews without the Gates of Jerusalem is Christ the only Son of the most High God But that the outward Person which suffer'd was Properly the Son of God we utterly Deny A Body hast thou Prepared me said the Son then the Son was not the Body tho' the Body was the Son's i. e. The Body was the Son's as a man's Garment or Vaile is his who owns and wears it as the Body of Will. Penn is the Son's who he supposes Dwells in it But the Son was not the Body that is Jesus in whose Body Christ Dwelt was not the Son not Properly the Son of God but in a Large sense as other men are call'd the Sons of God And Christ Suffer'd His Garment or Vaile the Body of Jesus to be Crucifi'd But that the outward Person which suffer'd was Properly the Son of God the Quakers do Vtterly Deny And as that Person which Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God it follows as certainly that the Son of God was not Properly that Person or was not Properly a Man This was the Meaning of Will. Penn in his Sandy Foundation p. 20. calling Christ a Finit Impotent Creature He did not mean the Eternal word Or that this Word was Properly a Man in our Nature for then tho' the Manhood was a Creature and Finit yet the Man or Person was not so As a Man's Body is Corruptible yet the Person Consisting of Body and Soul is not so Tho' the Properties of Each Nature whereof a Person do's Consist may be Attributed to the Person as a Man is said to Dye to Eat Drink Sleep c. tho' these are Proper only to the Body And likewise he is said to Think to Reason to be Immortal tho' these are Proper only to his Soul Thus God is said to Dye to shed His Blood c. tho' this be Proper only to the Manhood which the Word assum'd into His own Person And Man is said to be God Infinit Almighty c. tho' this be Proper only to the Divine Nature of Christ who is likewise Truly and Properly a Man And none who had a True Notion of this cou'd ever have brought himself to call Christ a Finit Impotent Creature Such a Blasphemous Contempt of our B. Lord and God cou'd never have Dropt from the Pen of a Christian But upon Will Penn's Scheme that the Word was not Properly a Man it must follow that the Person who Suffer'd was not Properly the Son of God And Consequently that the Person who Suffer'd which is the Christians Christ was but a Finit Impotent Creature and not Truly and Properly the Christ J. Pennington asserts that the Name of Christ did not belong to the Person of Jesus which he calls only the Vessel or Vaile as in his Quest to Professors p. 25. but only to the Light or Christ which Dwelt in Jesus as in the Quakers So that the Name Christ says he is not given to the Vessel but to the Nature to the Heavenly Treasure to that which is of him In the Vessel And he Contends That it was not the Flesh and Blood of the Vaile which was the Sacrifice that Cleanses i. e. not the Flesh and Blood of Jesus but The Flesh and Blood within the Vaile i. e. the Spiritual Flesh and Blood of their Light within Not the Flesh and Blood says he of the outward Earthly Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Inward Spiritual Nature Not the Flesh and Blood which Christ took of the first Adam's Nature but the Flesh and Blood of the Second Adam's Nature And What is the Laver of Regeneration says he p. 24. wherewith the Soul is washed Is it the water which ran out of the side of the Natural Body when it was Pierced with a Spear or the Water which floweth from the Spirit And Can outward Blood Cleanse the Conscience c. Now G. W. is not against telling the History of the Life and Death of Jesus that is as he puts the Caveat Truly Consider'd i. e. so as not to lay the stress of our Salvation upon Faith in those outward Sufferings or to make that Necessary to us That Prerogative they Reserve only for the Sufferings Blood-shedding c. of Their Christ the Light within That only is sufficient without any thing else And when you come to this say they in a Book Intituled The Doctrin of Perfection vindicated Printed 1663. p. 19. you will cease Remembring His Death at Jerusalem and will come to see how He hath been Crucify'd In you c. His outward Death is to be Forgotten for the stress do's not Ly upon that And as Mr. Penn says in his Quakerism a new nick-name c. p. 12. Since they believe that appearance of Christ in the Flesh at Jerusalem they need not Preach what is not to be again See Satan Dis-Rob'd p. 11. Ther is an End of any more Preaching or Faith in that Nay it do's Hurt as taking men off from Trusting wholey and soley in the Light within as sufficient without it Which is the very Heart and Soul of the Quaker-Faith And therefore they think the Heathen in a Better Condition than those Christians who lay so much stress upon the outward Christ His Death and Sufferings for that the Heathen have not that Encombrance to Divert them from Trusting wholly to their Light within and to nothing else And they think the Faith in the outward Christ so very Destructive that G. Fox Denounces them to be Reprobates and Possest with the Devil who Expect to be sav'd by Faith in the outward Jesus and as wholly Ignorant of the Inward Presence of Christ in the Heart For thus he Replies upon Christopher Wade who had in a Book he wrote call'd Quakery Slain asserted the Necessity of Faith in the outward Christ but withall he is Full and Large upon as Great Necessity of the Inward Presence and Operation of the Spirit of Christ in our Hearts In his Inspections Influences and Operations and by His Spirit Dwelling even in the Hearts and Societies of His People as he words it
1.19 is Perverted when taken in that sense and averrs that the Apostle there Doth not tell of Human Blood to Redeem them with for says he Human is Earthly What Blood is it then which Redeems Us He go's on to tell in the next words But Christ whose Blood is Spiritual is Lord from Heaven c. And then he Asks Was that Human Blood which Christ saith except a Man Drink he hath no Life in him and which Cleansed the Saints from all Sin who were Flesh of Christ 's Flesh and Bone of His Bone G. W. means that this cou'd not be the outward-Flesh But that it was the Eternal and Spiritual Flesh before spoke of Which the Quakers suppose that they have within them and this is it which they call their Light within But I will Answer this Quere of G. Whitehead's because I believe he ask'd it thro' Ignorance and that many Quakers are Deluded by it Therefore I say That it was Human Blood of which Christ said Except a man drink of it c. But the Figure lies in the word Drink not that we were literally to Drink the very Material Blood of Christ but to Feed upon it in our Hearts by Faith i. e. in the Satisfaction and Atonement thereby made to God for our Sins But to put the Figure upon the Blood as if that were only Figurative and not True Real Material and Human Blood which Christ offer'd for us but a Notional Spiritual which is not Real Blood this is the Fandamental Error of the Quakers and which overturns the whole Christian Faith And now what do's it signifie to bring Quotations out of the Quaker Books which speak of the Blood of Christ and bear witness to it while they mean not Real or Human Blood of our Nature but only the Inward Spiritual Life of Christ in our Hearts And do not Distinguish this at all from His Blood As G. W. says in the same Book before Quoted Truth defending c. p. 63. Whose Christ's Blood is not differing from His Life which Redeemeth from sin as thou Imaginest says he to his opponent Christopher Wade who having said as G. W. Quotes him That our Blessed Saviour did Instruct men to lay fast hold of and to abide in such a Faith which Confideth in Himself being Without Men. G. W. Replies p. 65. That 's Contrary to the Apostles Doctrin And the Saints Faith stood in the Power of God which was In them Again ibid. G. W. opposes this of C. Wade's which he Quotes That the true Christ doth by infallible Arguments prove Himself not to be a Spirit i. e. not a meer Spirit as in the next page G. W. Quotes him And G. W. gives the like Answer to this which is says he Quite against the Apostles Doctrin who Preach'd Christ In them the Hope of Glory and a Quickening Spirit That Christ is a Spirit and Ever was no Christian Doubts But that He has not likewise a Body not from Eternity as Quakers and Muggletonians madly Dream but an Human Body of our Nature which He took into His own Nature in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin and will for Ever Retain United in His Person true God and Man and therefore is not now a meer Spirit as before His Incarnation none can Deny but the Grossest of Hereticks And G. W. here Denies it and says That to affirm Christ not to be a meer Spirit is contrary to the Apostles Doctrin who Preach'd Christ In them No Christian denies but that Christ by His Blessed Spirit and Influence do's Dwell in the Hearts of Believers But therefore to Deny the Demonstration which Christ gave Luk. xxiv 39. That He was not a Spirit but had true Flesh and Bones is such a Degree of sottish Infatuation as has Possest none amongst us but these Miserable Quakers Why else did G. W. oppose C. Wade for urging this Scripture in Proof that Christ was not a Spirit but had a True Real Human Body G. Whitehead's meaning was as before shew'd p. 18. that the Person who then Appear'd to the Apostles was not the Christ. No but only a Vail or Garment of Borrow'd Flesh and Blood which He Wore And by which the Quakers expect no Justification but only by their own Works wrought In them by the Spirit Thus ibid. p. 62. G. Whitehead brings in C. Wade saying thus That God doth totally exclude works whether wrought by Men or by any Spirit in man whatsoever for Mens Justification He do's not Exclude Works as being a Necessary Effect of Faith and as Requir'd by God and without which when Possible true Faith cannot be nor can men otherwise be made Partakers of the Benefit and Purchase made for Us by the Obedience and Death of Christ But that our works tho' wrought in us by the Operation of the Holy Spirit as all our Good Works are yet must not come in for any share of the Merit and Satisfaction for Sin and our Justification thereby Psal xlix 8. For it Cost more to Redeem our Souls so that we must let that alone for Ever Our Works tho' necessary to Qualifie us and make us Susceptible of that Justification which Christ hath Purchased for us by His Blood yet are they Totally Excluded from being any Part of the Meritorious or Procuring Cause of our Justification And to this G. Whitehead's Answer is This is a Doctrin of the Devil The same Answer He and Will. Penn Repeated in their Serious Apologie Printed An. 1671. to shew they Alter not p. 148. to those who objected to them That they Deny'd Justification by the Righteousness which Christ hath fulfilled in His own Person for us wholly without us and therefore Deny the Lord that bought us To which their Answer is in these words And indeed this we Deny and Boldly affirm it In the Name of the Lord To be the Doctrin of Devils and an Arm of the Sea of Corruption which do's now Deluge the whole World It makes ones Hair stand on End to Hear such outragious Blasphemy against the very Heart and Foundation of the Christian Religion Against which the Cursed Spirit do's thus Gnash his Teeth to see his Chief Principle Attackt of making men trust for their Justification and Salvation to what is wrought in their Hearts by the Spirit of God as they suppose for which they oft mistake as in the Present Case the most Venemous Suggestions of the Devil Now if the Quaker method of Contrary Testimonies wou'd be allow'd See 2d Part. Sect. ii N. 3. they might Easily get off from all this by what Will. Penn has wrote in Point blank Contradiction to what is above Quoted in his Primitive Christianity Printed 1696. p. 79. where he owns Justification only for the sake of the Death and Sufferings of Christ And nothing we can do says he though by the Operation of the Holy Spirit being able to Cancel old Debts or wipe out old Scores You see he says here Though by the
Body of Christ is within them as well as His Spirit Indeed they are here in a monstrous Confusion for by this Body they mean the Spirit and by a Spiritual Body they mean nothing but Spirit However this serves them to Dodge and Decieve others It was to meet with them in this that the First and the Sixth Quaeres of those given to their Yearly Meeting 1695. were fram'd viz. Do you believe in a Christ without you Now in Heaven And Quaer 6. Is Christ now at this Day and for Ever to come Truly and Really a Man in true and Proper Human Nature without all other Men But in their Pretended Answer to these Quaeres they wave Answering Directly and leave out the words without us and without all other Men and the word Human upon which the Chief stress was laid because they do believe that this Notional Body of Christ is within them as well as His Spirit Therefore they wou'd not Answer to this And tho' this was again Prest upon them in the Conclusion of the Sn. and they were told of all this Dodging and this was put upon them as a Criterion to Clear themselves and therefore they were Desir'd to begin their Answer to the Sn. with a Plain and Direct Ans Yea or Nay to these Two short Queres Yet no Provocation can bring them to it They will not yet Answer to it for it Discovers the Heart of their Cause It wou'd totally overthrow their Ancient Testimonies wherein they Deny That Christ hath now a Body of Flesh and Bones Circumscript or Limited in that Heaven which is Above and out of Every Man on Earth These are the words of John Whitehead in his Quakers Refuge Printed 1673. p. 40. And p. 41. he says that they are in the Error who wou'd Limit it to a Particular Place and out of every Man on Earth for says he The Spirit and Body of Christ is not Divided but wheresoever the Spirit and Life of Christ is it is in the Body of Christ. This shews plainly what they mean That the Body of Christ is not Now a Body Circumscript or Limited to any Place and consequently it is no Body at all for that is Inseperable from a Body but that it is wheresoever His Spirit is and that it is within them and not without all other Men. Thus Edward Burough being Demanded in these Positive Terms Is that very man with that very Body within you Yea or Nay And this he do's not at all Deny but Answers in the Affirmative p. 149. of his works The very Christ of God is within us You must take the meaning of these men by Considering that to which they Answer and which they oppose for in a Limited sense Christ by His Holy Spirit and Influences is within us and Christ is The very Christ so that ther is a sense in which that Expression tho' offensive in the wording of it may be admitted But then when we consider that which they Oppose or to which they Answer the meaning appears Plain for why wou'd they Oppose what they thought Orthodox And this is the method by which we must understand G. Fox's Great Mystery which is a Pretended Answer to 108 Books and Disputes against the Quakers For G. Fox's own words are â—eldom either Sense or English and he Miserably Mis-Quotes and Mistakes their words whom he writes against sometimes it appears to be on Purpose and sometimes out of Pure want of Vnderstanding Half Knave and Half Fool But by Reading those Books which he opposes you may Discover what he wou'd be at Instances of this out of Number can be given Which if any think it worth the while are Ready to be Produc'd But to the Subject we are upon The first Book he Answers in his Great Mystery is of one of the then Ministers Mr. Sam. Eaton call'd The Quakers Confuted Printed A. D. 1654. where p. 12. Mr. Eaton makes as full a Confession as can be to the Inward Presense and Operation of Christ by His Spirit in the Hearts of Believers And therein says he they have Him But they have not Christ in Flesh or the Flesh of Christ dwelling in them for that was taken up into Heaven and will there be Contain'd till the Restitution of All things This G. Fox opposes in his Great Mystery p. 3. And Quotes thus much of his words with the Page But the Saints have not Christ in the Flesh p. 12. And opposes this as Contrary to Christ and the Apostles Doctrin who said they were of His Flesh and of his Bone and they that have His Flesh have it in them This shews in what sense he Understood these Scriptures and what his Notion was of the Flesh of Christ viz. That it was now at this time in all Believers and so not any Literal Flesh but some Imagination or other that they have of Spiritual Flesh which they think that God Himself has and Christ or the Light had from all Eternity so nothing of outward Human Flesh or Nature Tho' if you take the word Human as it may be Deriv'd from Homo a Man thus they will allow that Christ has a True Human Body and Ever had from Eternity that is a True and Real Manhood In this sense it is said before p. 11. l. 8. that they allow the Body which they say Christ had from Eternity to be an Human Body For ther is no other word in Latin whereby to Express the Nature of Man but Humanitas whence we use the word Humanity to mean the same as Manhood But if you Derive the word Human from Humus the Ground or Earth of which Man was Made in this sense the Quakers Deny that Christ had an Human Body from Eternity or indeed while He was upon the Earth For which I Refer you back to p. 19 20. where you will find this Artfully Distinguish'd by the Quakers But we will now go on to see the further Salvos that the Present Antidote affords in this Case Their Denyal that Christ had any Human or Created richer Soul or Body while upon Earth 2. G. W. Skips to p. 38. And takes up this Argument again where he Pretends to Answer the objection of the Quakers making the Body of Jesus only a Vaile or Garment wherein Christ or the word Dwelt but that He took not that Body into His own Person so as to be Hypostatycally United to it And to this he says p. 38. We are to seek herein as not knowing where the Quakers say these things Yet Answers not or Names one of the many Proofs which are brought for this See Sn. Sect. x. This wou'd be very Provoking but that I am us'd to it for it is his Constant Method Yet in the Excuse he makes for it he Confesses enough to shew that the Quakers are Guilty herein For says he Tho' His Flesh is call'd the Vail yet it was that he own'd as His own Body being also call'd the Body of
else did they Oppose and that so Vehemently those who Preached this Doctrin and who also own'd the Inward Presence and operations of Christ by His B. Spirit in our Hearts not only as Beneficial but Absolutely Necessary towards our Salvation and without which That the outward Sufferings of Christ and all His Ordinances wou'd be to us as if they were not at all or Worse as before Quoted Why did G. Fox G. Whitehead and all the Quakers oppose this They have Nothing left to say But that those whom they Oppos'd did Deny the Inward opperations of Christ in the Heart and that in this only they did oppose them Which being most False and they not being able to Produce one Single Person who did Oppose them In this shews what that was wherein they did Oppose them Or if they cou'd find such a Single Person why did they oppose Others who had sufficiently Explain'd themselves In this such as these before Nam'd Why did they call These Devils Anti-Christians Sorcerers for Preaching of Faith in Jesus of Nazareth Why did they Belch out in Fury such Spitefull and Blasphemous Contempt as before Quoted against the Person of our B. Lord Jesus Why did they call Him Accursed Let them hear the Apostle That no Man Speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus Accursed 1 Cor. xii 3 And that no Man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Therefore till they come not only to say but to Believe this they may be sure That it is not the Spirit of Christ but of Anti-Christ by which they are Acted And they cannot Truly Believe this without not only being willing but in an High Degree Zealous to Confess Retract and Condemn the Above Quoted and all other their vile Contempts and Outrages against our B. Lord and only Saviour Jesus Christ I cou'd bring Multitudes of Quotations to the same Purpose of these before Produc'd be sides what are offer'd in the Sn to which G. W. has not answer'd which we may easily suppose he wou'd have done if he cou'd have found any thing tolerable to have said to them And till he or some other of the Quakers shall think fit to Answer to these it is needless to Cloy the Reader with more These being sufficient to let him see into the Depth of the Quaker Heresies and Clear his way from their Little Subtleties with which they use to Hide and Cover them G. W's Immethodical way has carry'd me from p. 30. of his Antid to p. 38. because both speak of the same thing and I wou'd save Repetitions for which Reason I must pass all he says from p. 30. to 35. which is a going over and over the same again and again Denying the Charge but not Answering of the Proofs Their Contempt of the Holy Scriptures XI He comes p. 35. to the Charge against them of Contemning the Holy Scriptures calling them Beastly-ware Death Dust and Serpents-meat c. He cou'd not nor do's he Deny the Quotations where these names are given to the Holy Scriptures for the Quaker Books and Pages are Particularly set down Yet he most Impudently Denies that they have call'd the Scriptures by such Names Tho' perhaps says he p. 36. making a Trade upon Scripture or Preaching for Hire or Moncy hath been so call'd by some or other Here is a Perhaps and a some or other to throw us off again And to make us believe that such Names were never given to the Scriptures but only to the making a Trade of them For which I must Desire the Reader to look again into the Quotations in the Sn. and he will there see what a Guilty and utterly False Excuse and Put off this is For these Names are given to the Holy Scriptures to Matthew Mark Luke and John So that his Perhaps is most Certainly and most Certainly G. W. knew it to be so tho' he with a Quaker Sincerity and Plainess wou'd have it only pass for a Perhaps And for his some or other as if he knew not who it was that said any such thing ther is mention made before of a Passage and it is Quoted in the Sn. p. 342 of the First Edit it is p. 110. of the Third Edit of one George Whitehead in his serious Apology p 49. where he says that what is spoken by the Spirit of Truth in any i. e. of the Quakers is of as Great Authority as the Scriptures and Chapters are and Greater Mark that George of Greater Authority than the Scriptures so that by this all Thy Preachments and of others Thy Quakers which you say are spoken by the Spirit of Truth are not only of as Great but George of Greater Authority than the Holy Scriptures And what more Vile Contempt cou'd be put upon those Sacred Oracles than to compare them to the most Sensless and Blasphemous Ramblements that ever came out of the Mouths of Men Nay to Prefer these and all their Cursed and Furious Venome and Beastly Nastiness see Sn. Sect. xvii to the Holy Scriptures of God! Now George are The Scriptures only the Preaching for Hire when you Question whether the First Pen-man of the Scripture was Moses or Hermes whether ther are not many words contained in the Scriptures which were not spoken by Inspiration of the Holy Spirit whether some words were not spoken by the Grand Impostor some by False Prophets and yet True and some by True Prophets and yet False c. And thy own Excuse for all this that this was meant only against some Parts of the Scriptures as in Sn. p. 86. Was all this only against Preaching for Hire When G. Fox said in his Gr. Mystery p. 302. That the Scripture is not the ground of Faith That the Scriptures being outward Writings Paper and Ink is not Infallible nor is not Divine And p. 246. when he says of the H. Scriptures that They are not the word of God And in his News coming out of the North. p. 39. where he argues against those who Plead for the Scriptures he says Hebrew Greek and Latin is your Original you say that Mathew Mark Luke and John is the Gospel which is Carnal c. was this only Preaching for Hire Now George be Asham'd and Blush if Thou Canst and Confess and Retract if Thou be'st a Christian all your Horrid Contempt and Blasphemy against the H. Scriptures of God and Preferring all your own Gross Delusions before Them which are your Life Deut. xxxii 47. This is all that G. W. says to this Point And yet in his Contents he Intituls this The Quakers clear'd from Calumnies in that Point This is the Clearing But some Read the Contents of Books who Read not the Books And such must think that something Material is Perform'd where so much is Promis'd And such only can be Satisfi'd with this and other Quaker Answers and Defences See more upon this Head of the H. Scriptures in Sect. xiv xv xvi Their Conforming
the Dark for want of the true Light yet shining which now shineth forth they have been suppos'd to be but Christ himself his Light and Spirit which shew Good and Evil in the Heart which are the only Guide Law and Rule And this is Infallible and there is the only sure and safe walking even in the Light in Christ in the Spirit and not in the Letter which is Fallible by false Interpretation and Translation Here are all our Translations and the Originals too both Hebrew and Greek that are Extant of the Holy Scriptures Damn'd at one Blow That is to say All the Bibles now in the world They are no longer a Rule or Law to us But all is Resolv'd into our own Light within without Limit or Controul of Scripture or any other Law or Rule whatsoever And this is the New-Light which the Quakers have brought into the world viz. Before the Quakers came that is In the Dark as Fisher words it for want of the true Light yet shining the Scriptures were Suppos'd to be the Rule That was Dark indeed But now that the True Light which the Quakers have brought Shineth forth the Scriptures are Discarded from being the Rule and the Light within i. e. what any man Fancies so to be is the only Rule Guide Law c. From this Ancient Quaker his Son Will. Penn has Lick'd the Spittle and thus Copies after him and Improves upon him I cannot but Observe says W. Penn after what a suspected Rate the SCRIPTVRES have been first Collected Are we sure that the Judgement of those who Collected them was sufficient to Determin what was Right Rejoinder to John Faldo An 1673. p. 38. and what not What Assurance have our Anti-Revelation Adversaries of their Doctors Choice How shall we be Assur'd that in above three hundred years so many Copies as were doubtless taken shou'd be Pure and Vn-Corrupted From hence we may Observe the Uncertainty of J. Faldo 's Word of God See with what Contempt he calls the Holy Scriptures John Faldo's Word of God! And makes them an Vn-Certainty And calls those who Adhere to them Anti-Revelation Adversaries Not that these Adversaries Oppos'd all Revelation for the Holy Scriptures are a Revelation But they are an Extraordinary Revelation far Exceeding the Discoveries which are made by that Light or Reason which is Common to all Mankind and which the Deists and Quakers do Improperly call Revelation And who will not own this as the only Certain and Infallible Rule of Faith and Practice are those whom Will. Penn calls Anti-Revelation Adversaries He says ibid. That we can never by Authorities prove the Scriptures to be given forth by Inspiration nor that they are truly Collected That is That ther is no outward Evidence for them but only what our Light within tells Us of them And then they wou'd be Vn-Certain indeed How many Men's Light within tells them nothing of the Holy Scriptures of Moses or of Christ of the Law or the Gospel As for what Outward and Human Evidence ther is for these I Referr the Quakers to the Short Method with the Deists wherein they are Equally Concern'd But here see the Reason why they not only Equal but Preferr their own Writings and Speakings to the Holy Scriptures viz. Because we have the Original of their Writings and as they say but Corrupted Copies of the Scriptures And that They have The same Degree of the Spirit the Prophets and Apostles had Gr. Myst p. 213. therefore that what they say Now is of Greater Authority than the Scriptures wrote so Long ago Of which before G W's Sincerity and Ingenuity in some Objections with which he Concludes the First Part of his Book Wherein the Summ of the Quaker Doctrin is laid Open. viz. That they Deny the Humanity of Christ Ard the Divinity of Jesus XVII We are now come to the End of the first Part of G. W's Answer which concludes p. 48. with a Notable smart Repartee upon the Author of the Sn. for calling the Title of a Book Holy What was the Title of the Book Gross Error and Hypocrisie Detected And what do's G. W. make of this He calls it Blasphemy But how Blasphemy George Is not the Detection of Gross Error and Hypocrisie a very Good work And is it Blasphemy to call a Good work an Holy work Good and Holy George are very near of Kin. And thou did'st strain very hard against the Author when thou found'st out this for Blasphemy But it falls out further Unluckily in this Matter for the Author never thought of any such Epithet as Holy to give to the Title of that Book or any Epithet at all but just to Name the Book It was a mere Error of the Press And it was put into the Errata to Dele that word Holy And the page and line are nam'd in the Errata p. 351. l. 9. but the Direction of Dele Holy was left out And ther is no other Error in that line which has but Six words in it so that a little Skill and as much Sincerity wou'd easily have found it out At least wou'd have stopt such Ingenious Remarks upon it It was corrected with a Pen in several of the Printed Books And in the Second Edit p. 350. the word Holy is left out But however this being the only Error which G. W. has found in the Sn. and shewing himself so Fond of it it is a Pity to Deprive him of the Pleasure of it And now being Flusht with this First Victory he Hews down G. Keith for company because in that Book of his Gross Error and Hypocrisie Detected about the Title of which we have Quarrel'd he brings Answers to the Seven Queres Presented to the Yearly Meeting of the Quakers 1695. and Sophistically Answer'd by the Committee of Seven thereto appointed of which G. W. was one out of the quaker-Quaker-Books since they wou'd not Answer Directly themselves But G. W. is very smart upon him and observes with Great Acuteness that those Books being wrote before the Queres were not Intended as Direct Answers to those Queres for says he They cou'd be no Proper nor Direct Answers to those Queries nor so Intended nor by us Adapted to any such Queries therefore the Greater Abuse in him to Collect and Place them for Answers thereto This was a Great Abuse indeed To make you Answer more Directly than you had a Mind to Your former Books spoke Plainly your Gross Heresies against the True Humanity of Christ c. and you had no mind this shou'd be known therefore you Contriv'd your Answers to bear a Double-Face that you might have Room to Escape And G. Keith most Vnkindly considering old Acquaintance wou'd stop your Passage and shew out of your Printed Books the Plain Truth of the Matter and Detect your Gross both Errors and Hypocrisie And all he has left you to say for your selves is That those Books were not Intended as an Answer to these Queries But was
sometimes at a Dead lift so have our Quaker Heroes made a Cats-foot of poor Joseph Wyeth to Blount their Enemies Swords That if he shou'd Prevail their Glory might appear the Greater in Giving the Foil by a hand so Inconsiderable as the Journey-Man of Ben. Antrobus a Quaker Linnen-Draper But if he was overthrown which they knew full easie unless from the weakness of his opponent then their shift was that all the Disgrace shou'd fall upon him who had no Honour to Lose and They and their Cause be Guiltless tho' All their strength was Exerted in what they put out under his Name For the Reader must know that it is a stated Disciplin of the Quakers notwithstanding of their Infallibility to let none of their Friends Books as they call them be put to the Press untill they have Undergone the Censure and obtain'd the Approbation of their Second-Days-Meeting which consists only of their Ministers or Preachers Nor Dare any of their Printers Print any of their Books without the Allowance of this Sanhedrin so that they stand All Chargeable for All of their Printed Books at least for All of them which they have not call'd in and witnessed against as they did against William Rogers his Christian Quaker because it had more of Christianity in it than they cou'd Digest and Punish'd both Printer and Publishers with the utmost severity that was in their Power as you may see in Sat. Dis Sect. iii. of the Gleanings N. 1. and 2. But instead of shewing any such Displeasure against this Book that bears Wyeth's Name the Chief of the Quakers do Recommend it and Hand it about among Persons of all Qualities which is owning of it as much as if their Names had been set to it Besides some Flourishes in the Stile which shew that some had a Finger in the Pye tho' they wou'd not have their Crâ—st Perking above the Lid as an Index to whether Goose or Turkey hid Underneath And if Joseph Improv'd himself or his Pupil no more in his Travels than to Undertake the Defence of his Patron without his Directions who was so much more Able to have Vindicated himself he has had as ill Luck in his second Trade of a Praeceptor as in his First Journey-Man Preferment In all of which no Employment so servile was put upon him as to set his Name to a Book that gives him the Lye so Egregiously in that Character which he himself Vn-brib'd and Vn-solicited has bestow'd upon the Author of The Snake in the Grass of being A man of Temper c. Whereas this Book do's Represent him so far otherwise as you will see hereafter Sect. ii that it is not possible to Reconcile such Contradictions if they came Both from the same Person Besides in the Title-Page of this Book it is said to Serve as an Appendix to George Whitehead 's Antidote against the Snake in the Grass And sure George Whitehead wou'd not suffer an Appendix to be fix'd to his so Famous a Book without his own Approbation nor can it be Imagin'd that Joseph wou'd have offer'd at it Therefore we must suppose that George Whitehead is more Particularly Concern'd in this Appendix And we must for all the Reasons aforesaid conclude That this is the Joint and Concerted Apologie of the Quakers otherwise it wou'd not be worth my while nor the Pains of the Reader to Labour a Point which cou'd End in no more than a Confutation of Joseph Wyeth And this in Probability was one Main Drift of the Quakers to Stop a Reply that they might have the Last Word which with many Passes for a Token of Victory But the Charity that I have for their Souls of those Many miserably Deluded by these their Leaders tho' they put all the Misconstruction upon it that Malice and Envy can Invent has Oblig'd me to Enter once more with them into the Lists And I hope to make the Detection of their Gross Delusions so Plain by this as to Stop any further need of my Labour herein And to Satisfie all who are Desirous or Capable of Conviction The Method I will take in Replying to this Appendix is to Take a View of the Quakers Manner of Answering Books that are wrote against them And Applying it to this Present Answer will shew That however in other things the Quakers are Chang'd yet they still keep true to their Original and Ever Constant Furie Falshood and Dodging either in Defending of Themselves or Representing of their Adversaries SECT II. The Method which the Quakers use in Answering of Books that are wrote against them 1. WHEN Pride is Disappointed and overcome it Naturally Vents it self in Rage and Madness against those who have Detected it These who have the Advantage in a Dispute like those who Win are seldom Angrie It is the Losers who have leave to Talk to Complain and be Vneasie And as ther is not so much Pride among any sort of People as the Quakers they thinking themselves to be Above all the Rest of Mankind and far beyond all Christians to be Perfect and Sinless Equal to Prophets Apostles to Angels yea to God Himself as Prov'd in the Six first Sect. of the Sn. so have None that ever were Born Vented their Rage and Madness against their Opponents with so much Venom Nastiness and Diabolical Furie as the Quakers have done see Sn. Sect. xvii Such words as they have found out of Spite and Inveterat Rancor never came into the Heads of any either at Bedlam or Billings-Gate or were never so put together by any that I ever heard and I have had the Curiosity to see Mother Damnable whose Rethorick was Honey to the Passion with which the Quaker Books are stuff'd And which is more strange it is not in their Power to Help it or they will not For they have been told of it one wou'd think sufficiently in the first Edition of the Sn. And in the Supplement to the Second Edition N. vi G. Whitehead's Relapsing into it in his Answer to the Sn. is again laid before them And they are Desir'd and Provok'd to try if they can Help it if it be possible for them to write Temperately and with Decency like other People But that seems a Task too hard for them for here again in this Appendix they cannot leave that Common-Place of Reviling and Abusing of shewing their Teeth and Malice in the most Venomous fashion tho' nothing at all Relating to the Cause in Dispute Which is not any ways concern'd in the Character of the Author who writes against them Unless he had Vouch'd something in Prejudice to them upon his own Credit without other Authority And in that Case Re-criminating is allowable yet so far only as to the Truth of the Accuser to take off the weight of his Evidence For other Collateral Crimes tho' true are not by the Rules of Charity to be Objected for that only serves our Spite but not our Cause Now the Author of
their Discourses tho' they were otherwise valuable most Nauseous to all men of Sense or Breeding For which Reason I have Insisted so long upon it in this to Cure them if Possible of what is so just a Prejudice against them that we may get them to be a little Sociable and Tame to Converse like other men tho' we Differ from them without Flying in our Faces But if they still continue to Bite they must be Muzl'd If they say that they never Snarle but where they are Provok'd It is Impossible to Begin with them without Provoking of them for if you oppose any of their Errors then they Rave and Rage like Furies Ther is no Provocation like it And the Truth of it is the Author of the Sn. did Begin with Them And has got his Reward for thrusting his Hand into this Nest of Hornets But will they be more Moderate where they Begin with others Invite and Provoke them to the Dispute No. It is all one They are as Fierce upon the Attack as in their Defence Ther was one John Wigan an Annabaptist Preacher who was Prisoner with George Fox and others of them in the Castle at Lancaster in the Year 1664. And without his ever opening his Mouth to one of them only Passing thro' a Common Room where they were they Attack'd him and the first words were Leave off thy Deceiving the People Thou art a Deceiver To which he return'd no more Provoking an Answer than to Ask wherein he was a Deceiver and how they cou'd Prove him to be such Then they Challeng'd him to a Dispute To which he not being over Forward They Drew up a Paper of 24 Queres against him which they Fixt upon the Hall Door This Forc'd him to Undertake a Publick Dispute with them in the Hall of the Castle of which has given a Particular Account in a Book Intituled Anti-Christ's strongest Hold overturned Printed 1665. But this Debate not sufficing them they fix'd up many other Papers upon the Door and Gave him a Paper wherein as he tells p. 52. They Challenge All the Sons of Adam to Discourse with them of this their Fundamental Principle viz. The Light within Which was the subject of their Debate with Wigan who held That Christ doth not Lighten Every man that cometh into the world with a saving Light p. 10. This was all the Provocation he Gave them Besides Proving it so Effectually that they were not Able to Answer him But when their Arguments were spent they fell to their old Artillery of the most Bitter and Beastly Rayling and Pronouncing Curses against Him In the Name of the Lord. To All which he Return'd Answers truly Christian and which shew'd that he Deserv'd that Character which Jos Wyeth gave to the Author of the Sn. That he was a man of Temper Yet all this notwithstanding see how they Treated him not only in the Heat of Dispute when their Passions who have none but in Absolute sway might be put upon the Frett But in Cold Blood by Letters under their Hands Some of which he has Added to his Book by way of Appendix from p. 56. Thomas Curwen who was the Man first spoke to him and call'd him a Deceiver going thro' the Hall in the Castle at Lancaster and Challeng'd him to the Dispute writes thus to him John Wigane Oh the Plagues of God will be thy Portion and be Poured out upon thy Head Thou filthy Deamer who Vomits up thy own shame Thy Book will be thy overthrow For it 's no more to me than Chaff and Dirt under my Feet This was a Full Confutation However it do's not Deny the Matters of Fact and Truth of Wigan's Relation of this Conference and therefore we may Depend upon this Book of Wigan's for so far True as it Concerns the Quakers that they are not thereby Mis-Represented But what they found fault with Curwin tells him in another Paper which he sent him Thy ill-bred Behaviour says he to Wigan thy ill-bred saucy Tongue un-nurtured and un-bred And besides thy saucy Language Thy Hypocrisie and saucy Tongue and unmannerlines and ill-breeding To see Quakers set up for Breeding And Reprove Sauciness But Wigan Provok'd them to Instance any the least Ill-Breading or Sauciness which he had shou'd towards them and they cou'd not for he carry'd it all along the Dispute with great Moderation But it is all one for that when the Quaker-Blood is up it minds neither Right nor Wrong Friend nor Foe True nor False G. Fox and Margaret Fell whom he afterwards Marry'd were Both Present at this Dispute Chief Managers and most Obstreperous as Wigan words it in his Narrative p. 12. where he Describes George Fox Entring the Hall after the Dispute was Begun and strutting like the Colosus at Rhodes he clapt one foot upon a Seat and the other upon the Table about which the Rest were standing And with his Vnwieldy Bulk look'd as Big as Both the Giants in Yield-Hall It was Present Death to any Man that he Fell upon And it shew'd the Courage of Litle Wigan who Durst Dispute betwixt his Legs But George was this Breeding Did this look like Good Manners No Matter If it was not Civil it was very GREAT In this Posture Fox propos'd some Scriptures in support of his Light which when Wigan had Answer'd without one word of Reflection or Abuse upon the Quakers only giving a Fair and Calm Exposition of those Scriptures which the Quakers had Strained in Favour of their Notion of the Light within Margaret Fell seeing her Huge sweaty Lover Reduc'd to his Principles first Open'd in his Rescue and Cry'd out to Wigan having now the Giant at his Mercy Thou art a Miserable Creature This was seconded by James Brown says Wigan p. 20. with great Fierceness saying Thou art an Enemy of God Thomas Davenport put in his Thrust and said Thou hast Deny'd Christ to Day Richard Cubban wou'd not be behind he said Thou hast Deny'd the Lord that bought thee and wou'd undertake to Prove that Wigan was one of those False Prophets mention'd 2 Pet. 2.1 This was struck home like Brutus But they had not Leasure in that Fray to his hear Proofs and so the Knight escap'd for that time But afterwards the Fox Giant having Recover'd Breath and Courage yet but Faint Attack'd Wigan in these words Thou art not a Rational Man This was much below his ordinary Mettle He was out of Breath But he was Seconded to Purpose by a young Hardy Champion John Berley who Hewed him thus The Eternal Judgments of God will fall upon thee and Burn the up as Chaff Thou art worse than a Drunkard At which the Knight Fled but did not Escape so For James Park Pursu'd him to his Chamber and there gave him the Parting Blow with great Vehemency says Wigan p. 21. in these words Thou art a Lyar and a Deceiver and the Curse of God will be upon thee in thy Bed-Chamber and Closet and wherever thou
Stomach to Read it of Scal'd Heads Gall'd Horse Backs Spuing Purging Stinking and Wiping which they apply all to Wigan besides Grinning like a Dog Teeth like a Lyon a Paw like a Bear and Mouth like a Dragon's Beast c. And besides this Vn-savory Language says Wigan p. 57. They do their Vtmost to Render me Odious and Obnoxious to the Greatest Danger and that by Dark and Dubious Insinuations as That it is known what I have been and something else they have which must not yet be Manifested c. It seems Wigan was in Prison as they were for Non-Conformity and tho' they were in the same Condemnation yet as Rats in a Trap will worry one another this cou'd not Restrain the Rage of the Vermin But they Endeavour'd to Render him further Obnoxious to the Government tho' Themselves were more As they have serv'd the Author of the Sn. to shew that they are no Changlings But ther is one Complement which the Quaker Appendix I am now Answering passes upon the Author of the Sn. p. 49. where speaking of G. Fox 's Inspirations he says such Inspiration so Foul a Vessel i. e. as that Author must not Pretend to which I wou'd Recommend to the Consideration of the Clean among the Quakers if any such ther are to be found For if we may Judge of the Foulness of a Vessel by what comes out of it then certainly ther never were such Sh ten Nasty Scal'd Gall'd Filthy Stinking Vessels besides Blasphemous Venomous Furios sensless Vessels as G. Fox and his Fell Dame with the other Quakers their Assistants before-mention'd whom by their Language and Gust one wou'd Guess at the Best to be Gold-Finders who Dane'd as Gossops at their Wedding about mid-night And what sort of Inspirations such Foul Vessels are Capable of let all Judge who are not as much Defil'd as Themselves And if it be true what this Appendix tells us p. 6. That Truth Changes not And therefore that the Quakers are still the same they ever were then what Sh ten Folks have we to Deal with We must Encounter Them as St. Dunstan did the Devil with a Pair of Tongs And what is said of the Jews will be truer of the Quakers that they may be known by the Smell I confess by their Phiz and Meen ther are none who Look so much as if something were amiss with them But if this were the worst of them I wou'd not Foul my Fingers with them but leave them to the Scavenger That which I am Concern'd for is the much Greater Filthiness of their Spirits their Horrid Blasphemies and Heresies and that Implacable Furie that Reigns in them which shews from whom their Inspirations came For they are first not Pure and then far from Peaceable Gentle or Easie to be Intreated Theirs is not the Meekness of Wisdom they Answer more to the Description of Solomon's Fool Prov. xiv 16. who Rageth and is Confident And the Advice of St. James is very Applicable to Them But if ye have Bitter Envying and strife in your hearts Glory not and Lie not against the Truth This wisdom Descendeth not from Above but is Earthly Sensual Devilish And If any among you seem to be Religious c. i. 26. and Bridleth not his Tongue this man's Religion is vain I have shewn their Bitter and Nasty Treatment of one who Gave them no Provocation but was Provok'd by them Let me give one more Because it is of a man without any Gall whom I verily think and I have known him sometime all the Abuses in the World even Beating cou'd not Provoke to Return an Ill-word for it is not in him And besides he is a Grave Ancient Man and of an Honorable Family whose Gray-Hairs might Reconcile Respect from any not Destitute of Humanity It is Mr. John Pennyman whom the Gross Immoralities of the Quakers Drove from among them after he had in the meekest manner Represented it to them but met with no other Return than the most Bitter Reproaches for his Good-will and Christian Endeavours towards them And they threw out their Venom against him not only in Discourse in their Books and Letters but they thrust out their Forked Tongues at him in their Sermons at their Publick Meetings when they were Assembl'd for the Worship of their God which shews who it was that Inspir'd them and Presided over their Devotions Mr. Pennyman has Printed some of them in a Post-script to a Sheet fill'd with their Contradictions placed in Two Columns with the Time Place and Persons Names who in their Sermons were Inspir'd by their Numen to Breath forth these Meek and Christian-like Expressions of Mr. Pennyman calling him Grinning Dog Whisting Cur. Barking Dog The Devils Agent The Devils Emissary Thou Cursed Serpent thou art Cursed for ever I am moved of the Eternal God to Pronounce woes and Judgements against him God's Power will Choak thee This George Whitehead uttered at Grace-Church-street Meeting from the Preaching Place Vnclean Nasty Spirit c. All these were in their Sermons And in their Books and Letters when they had time to weigh and Consider what they wrote but they write too Extempore they call him The Devils Drudge The Chief of the Devils The Devils Porter setting open the Gates of Hell Vassal of Hell and Bondslave of the Devil Wolf Dog Betraying Judas Devil-Incarnat Devil-driven Dungy-God Judas Atheist Runagad Vagabond Creeping Judas Instigated by the Devil in the Spirit that wou'd Murther Christ Craz'd Crack-Brain'd Distracted This last is as true as where they call him Vagabond and Runagad who is a wealthy and Substantial Citizen whose Credit was never Blasted and his Reputation stands firm to this Day And as to his being Distracted it has no better Ground all that are Acquainted with him know the Madness as well as Malice of this Accusation Can they charge upon Him any one of the Eight Particulars before mention'd wherein They are Prov'd to be Mad and Stark-Mad Or that He was ever Guilty of any of them even while he was a Quaker For ther are Good and Sober men who have been Deluded into Quakerism from their Pharisaical Pretences to Holiness without for some time Discovering The Snake in the Grass and the Devil Hid under the Angel of their Light But yet who never Run with them into that Excess of spiritual Riot which Intoxicated their Possess'd Leaders and the Bewitched Herd that follow'd them And therefore have Happily Rescu'd themselves by the Good Grace of God out of those Snares of the Devil But the Quakers did not only Sharpen their Tongues against this most In-offensive and Harmeless Old Gentleman but they made use of their Hands for as he there tells at Ratcliff Meeting after James Parks had Bitterly Inveg'd against him in his Sermon calling him The Devil's Agent the Devil's Emissary c. as above Mr. Pennyman stood up with intent to have spoken one verse of Scripture that was all the Reproof he meant to Return
from the Drudgery my Self I. Therfore I will turn to shew that the worst Payers are the Hard est Cravers 2. The Quakers Insolence and Threatning to any who Oppose them That these Quakers who take so free Liberty with others are the most Impatient to have any thing said to Themselves They are Touchy upon the least Punctilio and Improve any Reflection upon them to the utmost Strech George Whitehead last year Printed a Book which he Intituls A sober Expostulation with some of the Clergy c. wherein he writes in a very Threatning stile to two of the Establish'd Clergy Mr. Smithies and Mr. Archer for the suspicion that lay upon them of shewing some Countenance to Francis Bugg in his writing against the Quakers If thou says he p. 11. doth not put a stop to his mischievous Attempts it will Affect thee and the Cry will ascend Higher than to thy self Here is an Innuendo against the whole Clergy And p. 20. says he Bugg's Abuses are in their own Nature Intolerable and we do not Intend to Lie under his Foul Calumnies Pag. 106. If you will be mute in this matter says he to these Clergy-men and suffer him to Persist without your Publick Dislike then may you be further Justly call'd in Question and Expos'd thereupon for your neglect of Justice This is Magisterial indeed Here Whitehead Acts the Metropolitan and corrects these Clergy-Men with a Super-Episcopal Authority What! must they be Accountable for Bugg's writing against the Quakers And if they do but stand Mute in the Case that is if they do not take Part with the Quakers against Bugg or any who shall hereafter come over as he has done from the Quakers to the Church of England and Endeavour to Detect the Errors of the Quakers What then Here Whitehead threatens that they shall be call'd in Question for it and Expos'd thereupon He says that Bugg's Abuses are in their own Nature Intolerable I am sure such Insolence as this is in its own Nature and according to the Nature of all Government or but the Shadow of a Church very Insufferable To see a Sniveling Quaker thus Brave it in the Face of the whole Church and in Print to Threaten Her Clergy for doing of their Duty It is not Toleration will serve these mens turns Ex Pede Herculem We may know by a Little what a Great Deal means Their Principles are Calculated for Empire Their Motto is Do no Right and take no Wrong John Gilpin in his Narrative call'd The Quakers Shaken before Mentioned happen'd to call them a Faction saying of a Pamphlet That it was set forth by some of that Faction in York To which they Answer in The Standard c. Quoted before p. 8. Thou full of Subtilty is this thy Revenge to Nick-Name the Truth calling the Children of the Lord by the Name of a Faction Which is Invented by the Devil whose servant thou art The Provocation was Greater to which Will. Penn Replys in his Scirmisher Defeated p. 10. In answer to this viz. That the womb of Iniquity was in the Quakers writings upon which W. P. Crys out He has Invaded my Body and Soul Religion and Life for Lam by my Doctrin if the Priest may be believ'd an Heretick a Blasphemer an Atheist c. And what remains but that the Dogs or Lyons devour me the Rabble or the Government sacrifice me c. And if Will. Pen may be Believ'd what are our Priests as he calls them That Cursed Bitter Stock of Hirelings who have made Drunk the Nations whilst they have Cut their Purses Serious Apology p. 156. and Pick'd their Pockets Tophet's Propared for them to Act their Eternal Tragedy upon whose Scenes will be Renewed Direful Anguishing woes of an Eternal Irreconcilable Justice The Idle Gormandizing Priests of England run away with above 150000 l. a year Guide mistaken p. 18. Printed 1668. under Protence of God's Ministers No sort of People have been so Vniversally thro' Ages the very Bane of Soul and Body of the Vniverse as That Abominable Tribe for whom the Theatre of God's most Dreadful Vengeance is Reserv'd to Act their Eternal Tragedy upon c. And for the Dissenters he calls them An ill-bred Pedantick Crew Quakerism a new nick-name c. p. 165. the Bane of Religion and Pest of the world the old Incendiaries to Mischief And the best to be spared of Mankind against whom the Boyling Vengeance of an Irritated God is ready to be Poured out And now has not he to use his own words Invaded their Body and Soul Religion and Life for besides Damnation which he never misses he makes them Cut-Purses and Pick-Pockets and The best to be spared of Mankind Do's not that look like throwing them to the Dogs or the Lions or setting on the Rabble or Government to Sacrifice them All this is made the Tragical Inference of Disputing against the Heresies and Blasphemies of the Quakers And yet the above Language and Furie of Hell which is Belch'd out with the Utmost Virulence against the Church of England and the Clergy of all sorts must be Ramm'd down their Throats while the Quakers will Fly in any mans Face and send him to the Devil who Dares call Them but a Faction And if any of our Clergy seem to Countenance the Conversion of any from Quakerism or but stand Neuter and not Hinder others from Writing against them he shall be Magisterially Threatn'd as here by Whitehead that is by the Body of the Quakers who own his and the other Books Licens'd by their Second-Day's-Meeting as has been told before And I think they have here Given a very Good Handle to Return their Complement upon Themselves That if they stand Mute and not Censure Will. Penn and the Rest of them who have spu'd their Venom in the like Furious and Standalous Manner against the Church of England And Disown their Books at least the Fore-Nam'd and other such like Passages that are in them then that the Cry shou'd Ascend Higher than to these Particular Authors even to the Second-Day's-Meeting that owns them if they will stand Mute and not shew their Publick Dislike as Whitehead here Requires from the Clergy-Men then That they may be further Justly call'd in Question and Expos'd thereupon for their Neglect of Justice Who will not do Justice let Justice be done to them Do's Bugg's Disputing against the Quakers and Giving them less than their Due seem Intolerable to Them And do they tell us plainly That they do not Intend to Ly under his Foul Calumnies And must the whole Church of England and the State too Ly under the Thousand times Greater and more outragious Calumnies that the Quakers have over and over again Loaded upon their Backs And they will not to this Day Retract one word or Letter on the Contrary they vouch it in several Places of this Appendix And have Printed it in the Post-man See Collection N. 6. That they are the
same they were from the Beginning and not Chang'd at all Do's it then seem Tolerable to our Clergy and Magistrates to Ly under the odious Names of Beast False-Prophet Dogs Witches Anti-Christs Devils Incarnate c Did the Quakers for their Vindication Indict Bugg at the Sessions in London and object to him their own Dayly Practice of Printing without License Did they Complain against him to the Secretary of State and upon a False Information That his Papers were Seditious and against the Government Procur'd them to be Seiz'd taken from the Book-sellers and Deliver'd into the Hands of the Quakers Did they Imprison William Bradford a Printer in Pensilvania seize his Letters or Types and Forc'd him out of the Dominions of the Quakers for Printing G. Keith's Defences against Them and Prosecuted likewise the Publishers and G. Keith himself for his Life Improving his Disputes against Them into a Design against the Government Are they so Watchful so Industrious so Impatient lest any Indignity shou'd be Past upon Them And must all orders of Men among us Ecclesiastical Civil and Military Bear their most Bitter Reproches without any Sign of Repentance And Court them and do them Favours for it or suffer them to Usurp Favors that were never Intended them It is Plain the Act of Toleration do's Except those who Deny in their Preaching or writing the Doctrin of the Blessed Trinity as it is Declar'd in the Articles of Religion That is in our 39 Articles These are the words of the Act. And it is as Plain that the Quakers have all along done it G. Fox says in his Great Mystery p. 246. The Scriptures do not tell the People of a Trinity nor Three Persons but the Common-Prayer-Mass-Book speaks of Three Persons brought in by the Father the Pope Here it is Plain that the Quakers do not Acknowledge that Trinity which is own'd in the Common-Prayer And the Common-Prayer-Book being every word an Act of Parliament it is Plain what Trinity is Intended in the Act of Toleration And the Opposers of That Trinity are the Persons Excepted out of the Act. To which the Quakers have no Pretence Unless they will Disown G. Fox herein They must likewise Disown Will. Penn who wrote a Book in the year 1668. to which he Gave this Title The Sandy Foundation shaken Or Those so Generally Believed and Applanded Doctrins of one God Subsisting in three Distinct and Separate Persons of the Impossibility of God's Pardoning Sinners without a Plenary Satisfaction Of the Justification of Impure Persons by an Imputative Righteousness are Refuted And p. 12. The Title of that Section is The Trinity of Distinct and seperate Persons in the Vnity of Essence Refuted from Scripture I know for a Pinch they will own the word Trinity as the Sabellians and Socinians meaning three Manifestations or Operations but not Three Persons But that is not the Trinity Intended in the Act. But the Trinity which is Profess'd in the Creed of St. Athanasius and more Briefly in our Litany viz. The Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity Three Persons and one God This is that Trinity Intended in the Act of Toleration And which whoever opposes are Excluded from Claiming any Benefit by that Act. And this is that Trinity which the Quakers have and still do Oppose And therefore they are altogether Excluded from any Benefit of that Act. But their Opposing is not so Intolerable as the Manner of it Their Cursing and Damning Horresco Referens The Holy and ever Blessed Trinity into the very Pit of Hell And making it nothing but Conjuration Ther is a Book wrote by George Whitehead and three other Quakers viz. Christopher Atkinson James Lancaster and Thomas Symons of whose Character see Sn. Sect. vi n. v. p. 43. c. Intituled Ishmael and his Mother cast out c. Against Mr. Townsend a Minister in Norwich Where p. 10. they tell him And here is the three Persons thou Dreams of which thou wouldst Divide out of One like a Conjurer And ibid. He Mr. Townsend is shut up with the three Persons in perpetual Darkness for the Lake and the Pit This is thus Quoted by Christoph Wade in his Quakery slain p. 9. To which G. Fox Replies in his Gr. Myst p. 246. who Denies not the Quotation but Re-Blasphemes against the H. Trinity in the words above-quoted and more which you will find in the same place Christoph Wade wrote an Answer to this Gr. Myst which bears this Title To all those called Quakers c. To which G. Whitehead Replies in his Truth defending the Quakers An. 1659. And denies not the above Quotations out of his own Book Ishmael c. But as the Quakers use when Pinch'd he slips it over and takes no notice of it Not that he was Converted from his Heresie for in several other Places of the same Book he continues to Blaspheme at his old Rate against the H. Trinity as in p. 40. 41. c. But finding that the Matter was not thus Forgot being Re-Objected against them about the year 1690 in An Epistle to the Friends c. at their next General Meeting in London Subscrib'd N. N. Ther was Publish'd an Answer to this and two other Books wrote against the Quakers by Some of Them Intituled The Christianity of the People commonly call'd Quakers Vindicated c. Printed An. 1690. There p. 28. coming to this Objection they go a New way to work and lay the Fault Partly upon the Printer And Looks on the words as wrong writ or wrong Printed Wrong Writ and wrong Printed are two things But they Jumble them here that the Reader might mistake and overlook the Author and so think it only an Error of the Press But what was this Error Why they say That instead of And the three Persons it shou'd have rather been About the three Persons which makes it non-sense but not less Blasphemy But however was this taken Notice of by the Quakers in all that time from the writing of that Answer to Townsend which the Quakers say in this last book ibid. was about the year 1654. till this Book of theirs An. 1690 that is for the space of 44 years No. That is not Alledg'd But they say ibid. that G. W. Corrected it long since where he has met with that Answer How do's this Appear O you must take his own word for it for is not He Infallible But was not so Fatal a Slip of Infallibility fit to be Corrected in Print to Remove that most Hideous and Blasphemous Scandal which cou'd not be done otherwise For to what end was G. W's Correcting it with a Pen upon a Book that came in his way if he did it How shou'd this Un-deceive the World Who had never heard of it if he had not now told them And it is at their Pleasure how far they will Believe him This is like another Error of the Press which they let slip 28 years together See Sat. Dis. Sect. ii N. iii. p.
Quakers As a Christian Testimony and Heavenly Expression And to shew what Solid Instruction he had Learn'd among the Quakers it is told of him p. 5. and 6. That seeing some little Lyons of China upon the Chimney-piece he said Take away those Images for they are to be Trodden under foot And seeing another Piece of China which had several Hands he said Take away that Piece that is Covered for it hath Eyes and seeth not and Ears and Heareth not Then he took offence at a Pair of Guilded Tea-Pots And said you may take away the other things that are Guilded and wash it off And after they were taken away says the Relation He was at ease This is told to shew the Aversion of the Quakers to Idols and how Tender this Young-Man was upon that Head And this was Printed for the Instruction of those that come after To shew how Exactly this Precious Youth kept up to the Doctrin of their Great Master Fox who in his Iconoclastes makes it Heathenism and Idolatry to have the Likeness of any Creature Painted upon a Sign see Sn. Sect. xxi p. 299. And I suppose it is the same upon a Chimney-Piece See with what Froth and Chaff these Poor Quakers are Fed And Glory in at their Death And yet do not Believe themselves For if they did they wou'd not have the Likeness of Creatures Lyons Bulls c. Painted upon their Signs as is Common with them now in London Yea and China Birds Beasts and Men upon their Chimney-Pieces Guilt Tea-Pots too and moreover do Sell them for Gain and all the Rest that offended this Tender Youth upon his Death-Bed But not his Sins for Alas he had none he was one of the Perfect ones And his Example is set out to Encourage the Rest of the Quakers to follow it Now if you shou'd tell any Quaker who had the Likeness of some Creature Painted upon his Sign that he was an Idolater He wou'd take it very Ill and tell thee Thou art a Lyar a Satan c. If you shou'd Ask him again whether G. Fox was Acted by the Infallible Spirit when he call'd this Idolatry He wou'd Answer That G. Fox was above thy Shallow and Dark Mind That He was sent from God And Endowed with Power from on High And Taught the way of the Lord in Truth That thou wert one of those who made a Man an offender for a word He wou'd bid thee Read within And Hearken to The small still voice And such Banter nothing to the Purpose And then think that he had sufficiently Answer'd thee This is the Method they take to Reconcile Contradictions And no other will you get from them This brings me to another Topick they use in Answering Objections made against them 3. Bringing of Contrary Testimonies which is To bring Contrary Testimonies to those Objected without offering to solve those that are Objected not minding or Hoping the Reader wou'd not that this only Proves them Guilty of Contradictions which is one of the Great Objections made against them And indeed of this their Writings are so Fertile that hardly a Page can escape you wherein you will not find some of them For they are all Confusion and Contradictions This is the Method thro' all this Appendix which we are considering They bring Contrary Testimonies or so seeming to those which are Objected and think but they cannot so think that this has done the work and Clear'd their Cause 1. Thus Sect. vi In answer to their Contempt of Magistracy and Government their Manifold Treasons and Rebellions they bring Testimonys from p. 41. to p. 45. of their Acknowlegement to the Government And I cou'd have fill'd ten Pages more with the same for they made Submissions and Acknowledgments to all the Vsurpations and Governments that ever happen'd in their time as Each had the Fortune to get Vppermost And then they Beslav'd that which was Down which they had Worship'd before Of this Many Instances are given in the Sn. Sect. xviii To which not one word of Answer either in the Antidote or this Appendix But ther is an Answer which they have under their Thumb to some of the Passages there Produc'd which I must not Conceal tho' it shou'd fore-stall their Market because it will afford some Diversion to the Reader These Passages are in the Sect. above Quoted of the Sn. p. 222 223. out of a Book wrote by G. Fox which carries this Title Several Papers given forth by George Fox c. The Book I never saw yet will answer for the Quotations which notwithstanding I take not upon trust of any ones Memory or my own And can give them further Quotations out of that Particular Book which G. Fox Mark'd with his own Pen or Aule which he cou'd handle much better for I have seen of his Hand or Foot writing tho' not in that Book and it look'd rather like the Ingravings of a Sciver or the Scratches of an Aule than the Draughts of a Pen. Besides his Delicate Spelling of which I can Present the Reader with a Sampler out of that same Book Which shews how much he was oblig'd either to his Amanuensis or the Corrector of the Press that we had one Line right Spelt in all his Works tho' his Dictating has hardly afforded Us one Paragraph either of Sense or English The Book I Quote is in the Possession of the Friends where neither I nor any I can Employ can have Access I mention this as a Tryal for their Spirit of Discerning and will venture their Reproof for the Mis-Spelling but of a Word The above-Mention'd Quotations out of that Book are Bitter Invectives against the King Char. 2. to obstruct his Restoration and against All Kings and Kingly-Government It was Printed in the beginning of the year 1660 when things were coming on fast towards the Restauration But soon after when the King was Establish'd then it was time pursuant to their old wont to turn about and Tack with the wind Then G. Fox wrote Marginal-Notes upon one of these Books the same that I have mention'd to Reconcile those Treasons and Rebellions which were in it according to his Skill that is after the Manner of this Antidote and Appendix by giving a Contrary Testimony without Retracting the other In p. 5. ther are these words That the Christians were not to do any thing in the Name of an Earthly King And again The setting up of these Kings and Emperors and Protectors and giving them the Names of Excellency and Majesty amongst the Christians hath been since the Days of the Apostles amongst the Apostats in the Apostacy from the true Wisdom and Life Here he writes upon the Margin I give it you in his own spelling This was in the Days of Olefer Cromell who wou'd be King G. F. And the like upon the Margin of p. 8. where more of his Treasons were express'd This was the time when the was so besy of making Olefer Cromell King
speaking of it says In which Chapter the Malice and Impertinency of that Discourse is somewhat shewn Here is a Somewhat again to save their Credit But they tell not What! for that they cou'd not Yet that Discourse is Answer'd and there is an End of it It is very Easie Answering Books at this Rate And shews the Quaker-Cause to be past a Defence only something they must say to Amuse their Implicit Followers and those who will not be at the pains to Read what they write and Compare it with what is wrote against them Will. Penn at the End of his Primitive Christianity spends Eight Sections to Enumerate their Exceptions against the Church of England And these being the Causes of their Seperation are Particularly but Briefly Reply'd to at the Close of Primitive Heresie p. 30 31. and 32. And one wou'd think this a very Material Point for the Quakers to Justifie their Seperation The Appendix concludes with a Reply to this Which I will set down Every word to save the Reader the Pains of going thither for it Thus then it follows He now Numbers up in Page 30 31 32. divers things wherein he wou'd fain have the Church and Vs agree they not being sufficient as he says for Seperation This Man is of a very Changeable Humor in his Title and for near all the Book we are sad Hereticks but now he wou'd have us Associates which if we will not be he gives us a Threatning Advertisement that he will Trump up more Heresies upon us Well in that let him do as God shall permit But of two things he may be assured that we shall have no Communion with his Lies nor he true Peace in Persisting in them Thus the Appendix ends And ther is not one Syllable more in Defence of all the Alledg'd Causes of their Seperation Yet this is call'd an Answer to Primitive Heresie And it comes in but by the By as an Appendix to G. Whitehead's Antidote So now that Book Prim. Heres is Answer'd too And if you shou'd urge any of the Answers there given to the Causes which the Quakers Pretend to Justifie their Seperation and Schism from the whole Catholick Church They wou'd say O that Book of Prim. Heres is Answer'd And so their Cause stands Good and Firm Thus Easily do they Impose upon Themselves and wou'd Deceive the World if they cou'd I might give many more Instances of this Kind indeed thro' All their Answers But I cannot stay Their Pretending thaâ— the Quotations brought out of their Books are not Full because more than what is Pertinent is not Quoted 6. I must come to another Egregious Trick which they use when Quotations are brought out of their Books so Express and Full that nothing can be Answer'd to them then they look and see if ther be nothing else spoke of in the Place Quoted besides that which is brought against them of which they can seldom miss in their own Writings which are all Confus'd and Huddl'd a hundred things together without Head or Tail And then if the Objector brings only that which is Proper to the Subject he is upon as he ought to do to avoid Confusion they Cry out that they are falsly Quoted Why because forsooth the whole is not Quoted tho' All be Quoted that is Pertinent to the Subject which is all that ought to be Quoted and more wou'd be a Fault Thus in Prim. Heres p. 10. where the Subject was the Quakers Contempt of Baptism a Quotation is brought out of Edw. Burrough's works p. 190 191. where he Reckons up several things as Damnable Heresies such as calling the Steeple-House a Church saying that Singing David's Experiences in Metre was singing to the Praise of God and other like Perilous things Among the Rest he Names Sprinkling of Infants as they Contemptuously call Baptism and not only Reckons this among the other Damnable Heresies but says that to say Sprinkling Infants with Water is Baptism into the Faith of Christ this is the Doctrin of the Devil And this is thus Quoted in Prim. Heres Now what says the Appendix to this Do's it Deny the Quotation or any word of it No. What then it says p. 33. That ther are several things left out That is true For they did not belong to the present Subject which was Baptism But is not all that is said of Baptism in that Quotation And is it not Nam'd there among the Damnable Heresies And is it not said of Baptism particularly i. e. the Sprinkling of Infants and calling it a Baptism into the Faith of Christ that This is the Doctrin of the Devil Yea. None of all this is Deny'd What objection then can be made that other things which were not the Subject in hand shou'd be left out And which wou'd have Confus'd the Subject more if they had been in You shall see Appendix says That as the words lie in the Charge they are not like E. B ' s. words Why are they not his very Words Yea. But they are not Like them It says further The Snake has here declar'd himself an Enemy to well-plac'd slops and given us to Vnderstand that he more Merits Advancement in Spain than in England Why what 's the Matter now Don't they Love Well-plac'd stops in Spain As sure as can be here was some Reflection meant about Popery It is a Delicat Simile if Bays knew how to Apply it He was very Bigg with it he cou'd not keep it till the time of its Birth but threatens us with it two Pages before he says in the former Chapter p. 31. I shall anon Prove him this Snake to be a Splitter of Sentences an Enemy to Colons and Semi-Colons This Appen brought in to shew his Learning and that he had lodg'd one night next Door to a Grammer School Yet he looks a little Abash'd 'T is a Hopeful Lad He says his Lesson delicatly Come don't Cry don't be Asham'd Give me a Blow and I will Beat 'em What do they Laugh Did they do it Did they vex him Come The Direction of a Quakers Letter to one John Church at the Sun in Friday-street near the Church yard let us hear how your Master at Wansworth do's Dictate to your Precious youth Sit down Write Boys For John Steeple-House Comma in Sixth-Day Street Semi-colon at the Sign of the Great Light Colon near the Grave-yard There is the Punctum the Full stop Admirationis Captus Capta Captum O the Learning of Colons and Semi-Colons O ye Splitters of Sentences But Come All Play will not do We must to School again How Towardly soever you have been at your Colons and Semi-Colons you were put too soon to your Latin or to soon Left it And as Men are often Fondest of what they are worst at you had not the wit to Conceal it You had a Mind to have some Learning in your Book that the Poor Quakers might hold up their Hands and Bless themselves for that
Eyes of those who are Sincere among Themselves I will undergo the Penance of Exposing them Appen p. 35. makes a Great Noise of wrong done the Quakers in Prim. Heres Sect. v. by the Charge of their Forbidding to Marry and Preaching up of Fornication As if this were Laid out as a General Charge upon the whole Body of the Quakers Tho' it is Expressly sai'd in the very Beginning of the Sect. p. 12. That they are not All Charg'd with it nor Any of them but only the New Quakers in America And this Appen do's confess too And do's not pretend to Clear them from it Where then was the Abuse in Placing of the Charge O says Appen it s being against the whole Body of the Quakers is Imply'd in the Title Page and abundantly Charg'd in the Contents For says he I cannot find one Marry'd or Single Quaker left out First for the Title-Page ther is not one Syllable of it or any thing like it And the Contents saying Their forbidding to Marry is no more than the Hand of a Clock to Point where you may find the Hour And the Page being Nam'd There you See who are or are not Charg'd O but says Appen The first Charge runs over England and all the Rest of the World where ther are Quakers the last is Limited only to America Can any man make Sense of this This Implys as if ther were Two Charges one for England and one for America But by the first Charge they only mean the Title and Contents which they say Run over England and all the World of the Quakers This is Non-sense as to the Contents for they never go but where the Book go's Indeed Title-Pages are stuck up or may be put into the Advertisements of News-Papers But ther is not the least Hint towards this Charge of Marriage in the Title-Page So that all this Cry of the Quakers is no Wooll Yet Appen calls this Looseness in the Author and at best an Equivocal Lye They must give some Ill-words or else they cannot Speak If it were worth the while to make Reprisals upon these Quakers and Re-criminate upon them I might go over as many Books I believe as they have wrote for I can say it of as many as I have seen and shew not only in their Contents but Title-Pages the most Fulsom Boasts of what you will find nothing in the Book I have in the First Part given several Instances of it as to the Contents of the Antidote and cou'd give many more both in that and this Appen but that it is obvious to every one who will be at the Pains to Compare their Contents with their Performance I will here give the Reader one Instance because it is a Pleasant one and Discovers some other of their Principles Ther is a Gentleman who was long of their Communion now one of their Seperatists and a member of Turners-Hall Mr. Thom. Crisp who tho' a Quaker and Zealous even to Suffering with them yet run not to all their Mad Extravagancies he allow'd himself to Pay Tythes as a Just Debt being Enacted by the Laws of the Land for which he with others such Moderate Quakers were severely Censur'd by them He committed another Great Offence against their Orders and Constitutions he was Marry'd in a Church and by a Minister of the Church of England which Rais'd their Indignation Exceedingly Therefore they Press'd him very hard to make a Publick Confession of this Grievous Crime and to sign an Instrument of Condemnation against himself for it Pursuant to their Disciplin But not being able to Prevail they underhand and without his Knowledge dealt with his Wife who being Terrify'd with their Threatnings all In the Name of the Lord God Almighty did sign such a Paper of Condemnation as they Requir'd But Mr. Crisp knew nothing of it for several years after till they themselves upon his further Contests with them Publish'd it in Print without the Consent and against the mind of Mrs. Crisp who was not willing her Husband shou'd know it lest he might be Displeas'd with her But neither the sacredness of the Seal of Confession nor the Hazard of making Difference 'twixt Husband and Wife was strong enough for their Resentment when they thought they cou'd Reach a Blow at one who had Oppos'd them or rather who wou'd not be Intirely and Implicitly subject to their Popedoms for no other Opposition had Mr. Crisp then given them but only as to their Disciplin in the Jurisdictions of their Womens Meetings and other Institutions set up by George Fox as Cardinal Primat contrary to their Original Principle of leaving every one to the Measure of the Light within Himself Under which Pretence they Drew many away from their obedience to the Church But wou'd not Indure that Loose Plea as W. Penn calls it when urg'd by some among themselves See Sn. Sect. vi N. x. paragr 12. p. 79 against that High Authority which their Leaders Assum'd over all under their Dominion This was all the Contest at that time betwixt the Seperate and other Quakers as appears in what was then wrote by John Story Wilkinson Rogers Crisp Bugg and others of the Seperats wherein ther is nothing of those Errors in Doctrin and Damnable Heresies which they have since Discover'd but were then Involv'd in as Deep as the Rest Yet for their Refusing to be subject to this Plenitude of the Quaker-Church-Authority they call'd them Judases Apostats Devils In-carnate c. tho' Agreeing with them in Doctrin and all the other Articles of the Quaker-Creed It was this made them Discover Mrs. Crisp her Paper of Condemnation against her self for being Marry'd by a Priest of the Church of England in Revenge upon Mr. Crisp who joyn'd with their Seperatists But they were Disapointed of their Malice in thinking to make him Un-Easie as to his Wife for he as a wise Man Consider'd their Importunity and Terrible Denunciations of no less than Damnation to all who wou'd not come under their Disciplin which might work upon a Woman that had given her self up to be Guided by them And as he ought he plac'd the Abuse upon them who had thus Impos'd upon the Credulity of a woman whom they had Deluded to Believe them Thus says he in the 5th Part of his Babels Builders p. 9. Printed An. 1682. It is like She as too many more have gave too much Credit to what some of G. Fox 's CHEATS said And She is not the first that hath been Deceived by you And perhaps some among you that have Prated others out of their Money might Prate her unto the writing and giving you that Paper you Pretend to This is thus Quoted by G. Whitehead in his Judgement Fixed p. 290. And how do's he Answer it Why thus O Thomas be Asham'd of thus Abusing thy Wife And in his Contents which is the thing I am Coming to he sets it down thus p. 162. His Thom. Crisp's Abuse of his
Infallibility and Spirit of Discerning Equally Infallible In their Description of the Light within p. 38. say they And it is Eternally true That men by Believing in the Light notwithstanding his Idle scoff may become Children of the Light And it is of necessity that them that are truly such must be seperate from and Discerners of the Children of this World i. e. Darkness Thus Appen And if what I have said before be not sufficient to Prove these men to be stark Mad sure this will be such a Conviction as that none can Desire a Greater It has been Prov'd upon them over and over again that not only most Vile and Scandalous Livers but even Witches and Persons visibly Possess'd with the Devil have Preach'd VnDiscover'd amongst them some for Twenty years together see Sn. Sect. xxi as Winder's Witches c. Attested beyond all Contradiction And their Books are full of Complaints of Judases among Themselves so they call their Seperatists who liv'd long among them but were not truly of them whom yet they cou'd not Discover Did they Discover Christopher Atkinson and Thomas Symons's Maid till they Discover'd it themselves Sn. Sect. vi N. v. or George Archer Sat. Dis. Glean Sect. vi N. 2. p. 92. and many others till their Whoring and Vileness Grew Notorious in the Countries where they liv'd Who was it that Discover'd H. Winder's murderous Witches to the Quakers who stuck by them to the very Last Yet still notwithstanding of all these Convictions they stand firmly to it That it is of necessity that they must be seperate from and Discerners of the Children of Darkness Have they not had Instances enough to shame them out of this Senseless and Blasphemous Pretence They call for more while they Refuse to Repent And tho' it be needless I will Gratify them or the Reader with one more that is Remarkable The Great Quaker Apostle of Mary-Land in America was Thomas Thurston who while the Deputy Governor was absent a year or more in England came with a Message from the Lord as he Horridly pretended to his Wife who was a Quaker that he was sent to Propagate the Holy seed with her And when her Husband Return'd finding a Child more than he had left she Confess'd the whole matter Upon which he oblig'd her to go to the Quaker-Meeting and there Publickly to Declare the whole Monstrous Truth which she did Nor cou'd Thomas Deny it Upon which he came to England and till it was otherwise Discover'd was Receiv'd by the Friends and Preach'd among them as Formerly As he did in Mary-Land for sometime after it was Publickly known there And his Light within was thought so Infallible that another Quaker-Preacher own'd it to him of Good Credit who told it to me That the Generality of the Quakers there nay said he I my self Durst not Judge him even in our minds not to have had an Inspiration from God for what he did Yet it is of necessity That they that are truly Quakers must be seperate from and Discerners of the Children of Darkness And Rich. Hubberthorn p. 212. of his works says That they can Discern the Elect from the World And Denies those to be true Ministers of Christ who cannot do it This was the Argument by which G. Fox thought that he had Prov'd one Nathanael Stephens who was Minister of Drayton in the year 1655. not to be a True Minister of Christ This you may see in a Book wrote by G. Fox and others of the Quakers with this Title The Spiritual Man Judgeth all things or The Spiritual Man's True Judgment And how by him the Hearts of others were and may be Judged by the Spirit of Truth and also how things by the Spiritual Man were Judged of concerning both Salvation and Dammation c. Printed for Giles Calvert at the Black Spread-Eagle at the West-end of Paul's 1655. This Spiritual Man here mention'd was G. Fox And the Judgment which he pas'd upon the Hearts of Others and the Occasion of it is told p. 3. of a Chapter which bears this Superscription This is to go abroad to stop Lies and Slanders that Truth may be Cleared c. And it is subscrib'd George Fox There he speaks of himself in the third Person and says GEORGE FOX coming to Drayton to his Fathers in the Flesh Christopher Fox's House This was to Imitate the Stile of our Blessed Lord. Rom. ix 5. upon the Sixth day of the week being the Twelth day of the Eleventh Month Thus Particularly he sets it down with other Circumstances as who were Present c. Because of the mighty Miracle he shewed that Day in Judging the Heart of Nat. Stephens which he go's on to Relate and tells how he came into the Grave-yard so he call'd the Church-yard and met with N. Stephens the Priest as he thought he Reproach'd him and there before the Company particularly Christopher Fox his Father According to the Flesh being Present Then George asked him the Priest what he did Believe whether he G. Fox had such a Familier Spirit as it seems with very good Reason had been objected against him Yea or Nay The Priest Answered and said He cou'd not tell He might have a Good and he might have a Bad. Then George told him Here thou hast Manifested thy self to be no Minister of God but a False Minister For the Ministers of Christ and the New Covenant of God they cou'd Discern Spirits and Try them 1 Cor. 12. 1 Joh. 4. And as you may Read in Isaiah he Discern'd the Familier Spirit and Judged it Isa 8. And the Apostle Discerned the Witch-Craft of the Witches that had Bewitched the Galatians read Gal. 3. And here thou hast Manifested thy self to be a Blind Guide who can put no Difference between the Precious and the vile who hast no Salt to savour withall therefore thou art good for nothing but to be Cast out and Troden under Foot Mat. 5. Then George told him that the Spiritual Man Judgeth All things And Stephens and the other Priest Chester both Denyed it and said the spiritual Man did not Judge All things These are the words of G. Fox And upon this occasion the Book wherein this is told was written And bears the Title of The Spiritual Man Judgeth All things c. Through all which Book this Argument is carry'd on That he can be no true Minister of Christ who cannot Discern and Judge the Hearts of other men And the Quakers here take to Themselves those Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit which are mention'd 1 Cor. xii And equal Themselves to Isaiah and the Holy Prophets and Apostles of our Lord. None of whom ever Pretended to that Prerogative of God Alone to Know the Hearts of Men. Therefore it is said of Christ Joh. ii 24 25. â— That He knew All men And needed not that any shou'd testify of man for He knew what was in Man But this was never said of any Prophet or Apostle
the Quakers Sinless Perfection For they make Every Sin to be a Denying of the Lord that bought them And consequently to be not only Heresie but Apostacy and Renouncing of Christianity Whereby they have by their own Confession Vn-Christian'd All of Themselves in whom we can find the least Sin or Flaw And that has been done to Purpose in many other Instances besides this of the Hat But besides the Heresie and Great Mischief of this It is Gross Hypocrisie in you Quakers for at the same time that you will not shew that Respect to other men as to take off your Hats because Forsooth you wou'd not be the Servants of Men we Believe you you Exact that same Respect from your own Servants and make them take off their Hats to You. Nay not only your Menial Servants but your Apprentices as seen every Day in London Now do you think these to be more Servants to you and to owe you more Duty than you owe to the King or any Human Governor Yes You do think so and as Judas of Galilee and his Galileans that you ought not to be Subject to any King or Government but your own Jesus in whose Right you think that you have the Heirship of the whole Earth and Just Power to Fight for it too as you have set forth in your Printed Declaration which you have been so often told of but will Give no Answer to it This is the Secret of your Stiffness in not taking off your Hats to any Governors who are Children of the World as you call all but your selves that is the Children of Darkness as Appen do's Explain it and yet Requiring the same Respect to be Paid to your Selves by your own Servants I say not That all the Simpletons among you Understand this Ther are many that Follow your Leaders as some did Absalom in the Simplicity of their Hearts not knowing any thing It is not fit that the Great Secret of your Empire which you Hope for one Day shou'd be Expos'd to Every Body But may be you do not think that the taking off a Hat is any Token of Honour only a Foolish Fancy some People have got and you wou'd not Comply with the Folly of the World But you wou'd not Deny any True Respect to Governors No this will not do You Refuse it because it is a Token of Respect and for no other Reason As Francis Howgil a Quaker Pillar said to Mr. Burton a Magistrate before whom he was brought who told him he did not value his taking off his Hat to him but ther was a Respect due to Magistracy Howgil Reply'd That God had not Commanded him to take off his Hat and that he did not owe him that Respect nor wou'd he give it him Whereupon one that stood by took off his Hat and laid it upon the Table by him But Howgil took it up again and put it on Another took it off again and laid it on the Fire but within his Reach Yet Howgil wou'd not stoop to take it off the Fire for if it had been Burn'd ther had been Persecution and this Hat wou'd have been put into the Register of the Sufferings of Friends with the Childrens Clouts and Hundreds of Pins c. which are there carefully Inserted But Howgil had not that Pleasure for some body took his Hat off the Fire before any Harm came to it and gave it him which on he clapt again and wou'd not be Controul'd This and other Passages you will find in the Irreligion of the Northern Quakers Printed 1653. p. 67.68 But Instances of this kind are so Frequent that we need not make Quotations But to shew further how much they think the taking off of the Hat to be a Token of Respect ther was a Civil-War among them and several Books wrote upon it of taking off the Hat at Prayer Upon occasion of which Will. Penn wrote his Judas and the Jews against another Quaker Book call'd The Spirit of the Hat They may say that this is an Honour Pay'd to God True But still it shews what they think of taking off the Hat that it is a Token of Respect And this is the Reason why they will not Give it to any of the Worlds Magistrates But says Appen we Expected some Ancient Father to Condemn us pursuant to the Title of Prim. Heres And ther are none Nam'd in p. 17. But you were told p. 14. of the Repeated Exbortations in the Epistles especially of St. Paul of Obedience and Respect to Magistrates And that the Occasion of this was the Principle of the Gaulonits followers of Judas who like You threw off the Obedience and Respect due to their Magistrates who were not of their Religion And what needed this be Repeated over again in the next Leaf while he was treating upon the same Subject That is the manner of the Quaker Writers who Like so well what they do Themselves that they are never weary of Licking their Bears but never into Good shape But how did the Title of Prim. Heres Oblige the Author to bring any more of the Primitive Fathers in this Point besides the Apostles were not they Fathers of the Church and Primitive too And what the Title Engages is to shew that these Quaker-Heresics were Broach'd Condemn'd in the Days of the Apostles the first 150 years after Christ These are the words of the Title And is not this Answer'd by shewing the Authority of the Apostles in the Case But we see what it is to have to do with Angry Men who are Resolv'd not to be Satisfy'd and to find Exceptions whether they can or not It were Easie to Multiply Quotations out of the Fathers upon this Head But that wou'd be only to Over-Prove and Tire the Reader Especially considering what an Ample Testimony Appen has Produc'd p. 44. out of one of the Quaker-Worthys Will. Gibson in these words And those Rulers Governors or Magistrates who are a Terror to Evil Doers and a Praise to them that do well are worthy of Honour yea of Double Honour and all such are duly Honour'd by us with the Honour which belongs to them and we Really and with Pleasure Honour and Obey all such not only for fear of wrath but for Good Conscience-sake as the Apostles and Frimitive Fathers did Here are the Primitive Fathers Quoted and own'd by the Friends in this Case But Falsly and to very Ill Purpose For the Import of this Testimony of Gibson's is to Limit our Duty and Honour only to Good Governors But so did not the Apostles and Primitive Fathers for they both Pay'd and Preach'd Obedience and Honour to Wicked and Persecuting Governors Now we know whom the Quakers think Good Governors They shew it themselves they have Given us here a Test Those to whom they will take off their Hats and Pay them but that Single instead of their Double Honour these are they whom they Reckon Good Governors And all those to whom they
And they Bow after the same Fashion Who wou'd speak Three words to Purchace their Ungainly Conges as Stiff and Grave as an Elephant's or to see them thrust out a Limb for a Salute as if they were going to make a Pass at you But ther is a Mystery at the Bottom of Iniquity and Rebellion All that was Couch'd under the Parallel that is made to them of Judas and his Gaulonites And we may the Rather Believe this because the Quakers in this Appen do in plain Terms Justifie Judas for having Repeated his Principle as given in Prim. Heres out of Josephus That he and his Followers wou'd Expose themselves to all Torments rather than call any Mortal Man Lord or Master Appen Answers p. 49. Now Believe me Friends I cannot See the Heresie of this Doctrin Here then the Charge is Confess'd And the Parallel Acknowleg'd to be Just betwixt Judas and the Quakers who own That they Maintain the same Principle with Him And who can Doubt but that it is to the same End They Quarrel Prim. Heres for bringing the Testimony of Josephus as they wou'd make the Reader believe instead of one of the Primitive Fathers which Appen p. 48. calls Canonizing this Jew Whereas Josephus is only Quoted to shew the Principles and Sect of Judas Galilaeus not for the Condemning of them That is shewn from the Apostles And what Canonizing is hear of Josephus Can the Reader bear with this Trifling But these men will Complain nay Boast if they are not Answer'd But whether is this so much a Canonizing of Josephus as Appen do's of Judas who Justifies his wicked Heresie And Consequently must Rank his Sufferings for it upon the score of Martyrdom as of the Quakers for the same Cause And is Every Primitive Father that is Quoted therefore Canoniz'd But what Patience can hold out to see these Quakers make objections for want of Primitive Fathers And to Quote them too as Gibson before and others Do they lay any stress upon the Primitive Fathers or Pretend to Follow Them O yes by all means They wou'd fain be in Good Company And they call Quakerism now of Late Primitive Christianity in which Book ther is not one Syllable of what the Primitive Fathers held not one Quotation from one of them nor any of them so much as Nam'd How then do's their Christianity appear to be Primitive No matter for that Primitive is a Good word especially to stand upon a Title-Page which 100 Read for one that Reads the Book This shews They wou'd be Primitive or have the Reputation of it And so they have As Primitive as Judas whose Doctrine they Espouse and the Apostles Oppos'd But if they are so much for Primitive what say they to those Quotations which are brought in Prim. Heres out of the most Ancient and Vn-doubted of the Fathers And which Confront their Tenets very Expresly For them They care not two pence for as many more of them Appen p. 10. 11. calls them Stale Tracts of Vncertain Persons Do's he shew how they are Vncertain No not he Let them look to that or have the Quakers any Better Editions or other Works of those Fathers than those which are come to our Hands No no no They have None of them they Hate and Abhor them they were a Company of Bishops and Doctors But ne'r a one among them like George Fox or Edw. Burrough or G. Whitehead or Little Appen No not one of them Therefore says Appen p. 10. We shall not need to be at all Afrighted if we do find our selves to Differ from what is to be found under the specious Names of Ignatius Polycarp c. tho' Living within 150 years after Christ nor under the Great Names of them call'd Fathers in the Succeeding Ages And p. 5. It will not Avail tho' he bring many Clouds of such Witnesses And notwithstanding he calls this a Cavil we learn'd from Elder Dissenters we are not Afraid to stand by it and therefore Pay little Reverence to those nor any thing not Purely Apostolical But Ignatius and Polycarp liv'd in the Apostles Days and were Disciples to the Apostles What is that to Us Quakers It is no matter what they were or where they were We will have None of them So set your heart at Rest We have Better at Home We never Lik'd G. Keith since he was so Insolent to Compare the Books of our Friends to them call'd the Greek and Latin Fathers as supposing Friends Books to have been written by no Better Guidance See Sat. Dis Sect. iv n. v. p. 47. nor Clearer Light than theirs who Lived and wrote in those Dark times For which Thom. Ellwood has Pay'd him to Purpose And it is no wonder that he has left Us. For when any once get Fathers and Councils and Antiquity and such stuff into their Heads they can never Endure Us afterwards Therefore we Hate all Schools and Colleges and Learning and Human Reason for all these things make against Us. And now that we are Setting up Schools c. of our own I 'm afraid we shall not be Long-Liv'd That by the bye Therefore Appen wisely throws off all your Fathers and Primitives which serve us only for Title-Pages But says p. 5. Indeed if he can Absolutely Determin the Question by the Scriptures the work is done Yet in the Last Case against Judas and the Quakers the Proof was brought from Scripture and from nothing else And yet the work is not done For then you call'd for the Fathers then he has not Perform'd his Promise of Giving us Quotations out of the Fathers but puts Josephus upon us and Canonizes him for a Father But will the Scriptures do Then indeed the work wou'd soon be done Will you let the Scriptures be the Rule we will Ask no more Appen Denies it as shewn before Yet they will stand to what the Scripture Commands Provided the same thing be Requir'd by Their Own Spirit Anew See Sn. Sect. vii p. 92 93. that is if they Like it They cannot Deny but that the Scripture Requires Honour to be Pay'd to Magistrates Or that Taking off the Hat is not a Paying of Honour as Prov'd above And therefore Except the Reason I have Given which they will not Give I cannot Conjecture the shadow of a Reason for their Refusing it They say as Howgil before That God has not Commanded it Not Particularly as to the Hat Neither has He Commanded to take off our Hats at Prayer Why then did they Contend so zealously for that They Render themselves Self-Condemn'd They will as Judas call no man Lord or Master Why then do they call any Man Father for both are Forbidden in the same Place Matth. xxiii 9. And in whatever Sense they take the one they may take the other But their Practice shews their meaning They do call their Quaker Masters by the Name of Masters And they do now use the word Lord Speaking of or to Noble-Men but
That Man can no more be a Light to his mind than he is to his Body then cannot the Natural Vnderstanding of it Self see any thing not only of Spiritual but of Natural Matters more than the Eye when ther is no Extraneous Light That is it is Actually Blind But G. Fox's Blundering Spoyls at every Turn Will. Penn's Fine Schemes for this Mar-all will have the Light not to be any thing sent into the Vnderstanding or Eye of the Soul News out of the North. p. 19. but to be the Eye it Self The God of the World says he doth blind your Eye which is the Light By which Argument the Light it Self which they say is Christ is Blind And the Eye Christ is put out by the Devil who is the God of the World And this Hideous Blasphemy must be the Consequence upon the Quaker Foundation if ther be no Natural Light in the Vnderstanding And more if according to Fox the Divine Light that is Christ be the Vnderstanding it Self The Apostle says The Eyes of your Vnderstanding being Enlightned Eph. 1.18 Do's Christ Enlighten Himself Is the Light a Light to its Self so the Quakers think who Preach to the Light and Instruct Christ Himself ibid. p. 42. 43. To that in Every one of your Consciences I speak Says G. Fox which is the Light which Light is Christ This was his and the First Quakers common stile But since it is much left off among them for they have Discover'd the Nonsense and the Blasphemy of Preaching to Christ Instructing and Admonishing of Christ Which yet they cannot get off while they Allow no other Light in the Conscience They cannot come off with this Distinction which they bring in to Amuse the World of the Natural Light being only Un-Capable to see the Mysteries of Faith by its own Native and Inherent Powers For that has been Yielded to them And they Oppos'd it as it is Instanc'd in Prim. Heres p. 20. It was Granted by an Opponent to the Quakers in these words That no man by that Native Light Inherent in him had Power to Believe This G. Fox Opposes in his Gr. Mystery p. 42. and says The Light that doth Enlighten Every man he calls it Native and Inherent The names he gives of Native and Inherent are his own out of the Truth And Appen p. 54. do's Justifie this by way of Excuse he says That G. Fox had Reason to Oppose this Tenet Why Because he says his Adversary did mean by Native and Inherent Light that Light wherewith Every one that cometh into the World is Enlightned withal And what harm was ther in this Has not every man and must he not have what is Natural to Man else he were not a Man O but Christ is call'd The Light that Lighteth Every man Joh. 1.9 And what then May not Christ Enlighten a man that has a Natural Light in his Vnderstanding Indeed how otherwise cou'd He Enlighten him more than a Beast if he had no more Natural Light than a Beast to Vnderstand and Receive the Influences of the Holy Spirit It is said that Christ did open the Vnderstandings of His Disciples to Vnderstand the Scriptures Will it follow that they had no Natural Light in their Vnderstandings No. Therefore they had And Christ by the Blessed Influence of His Holy Spirit did Open and Improve their Light and work upon it You will not say That Christ the Light did Open the Light that is Open or Instruct Himself Therefore it was another Light i. e. The Natural Light of their Vnderstandings which He Opened Now here we have the Quaker Notion Truly viz. That ther is no Light in man that is Native or Inherent Tho' as W. P. says Some Mistakenly call it Natural Light But what other men Mistakenly call Natural Light that the Quakers say is the Light which is Christ and God And they say That ther is no other Light in the Vnderstanding of Man but that Now no man ever call'd Christ the Natural Light of our Vnderstanding What is it then which we Mistakenly call Natural Light It is not Natural say the Quakers else we do not call it so Mistakenly Is it not therefore Plain that they Deny all Natural Light otherwise how do we Mistake in Calling it Natural This Quotation out of W. P. is mention'd in Prim. Her p. 20. But not a word is said to it in Appen For indeed I think it cannot be Answer'd It is a full Demonstration that the Quakers Deny all Natural Light all that ever Mankind meant by the Light of Nature They will have no Light in Man but the very Original Divine Light which is God And this is the Original of all their Horrible Heresies as shewn in Prim. Her This do's necessarily Inferr that every Man is God for this Light which is God however it be in it self Supernatural to us yet if as W. P. says it be Natural for us to have it then it is of our Nature and consequently every Man is God even by Nature And whatever is Natural for us to have must needs be Native and Inherent Why then will they not have it call'd Natural or Native and Inherent Because Men do call the Light of Nature so And this is to beat down that Notion of any Natural Light in Man Thom. Lawson in his Book call'd The Lip of Truth opened Printed 1656. p. 47. says As for a Natural Light the Scriptures mention no such thing so when thou writes again acquaint People what thou means by Natural the Apostle speaks of a Divine Nature which the Saints were Partakers of 2 Pet. 1.4 But why do's Thom. Lawson Limit this to the Saints Here the Quakers confound themselves For they say That every Man that comes into the World is Partaker of the Light within But the Apostle here even as T. L. interprets it says of none but the Saints that they are Partakers of the Divine Nature which is Plainly the Import of that Text. And therefore the Light within and the Divine Nature are two things Because some may Partake of the One who do not of the Other Yet T. L. will not allow of Two Lights Or that ther is any Light in Man that can be call'd Natural Spiritual Reason or Grace for which his Adversary Contends in these very words But he Answers p. 42. The Light is but one even Christ. and p. 43. No Light we own but Christ who Lighteth every one i. e. The Light within is not any Inspiration from Christ but Christ Himself Nothing is more a Receiv'd and Common Principle of the Quakers than this nor more Zealously contended for Tho' now they wou'd Smooth and Cover it when they see it is thoroly Discover'd and thereby grown Odious to the Eyes of the World If you wou'd know for it seems strange why they are so Earnest against any Natural Light It is this That thereby they may bring Men to Lean wholly to their own Light
no Medium And not only thus Negatively have they Asserted it But Positively and in the Affirmative They say that the Soul is Infinite even Infinitness it self and without Beginning Which nothing can be but God And if the Soul be God it must follow that ther is no Soul but God Which R. Farmer p. 27. above Quoted do's charge upon the Quakers That they say Ther is no Spirit but One and so Deny any Angel or Spirit Which page G. Fox do's Quote in his Answer Gr. Myst p. 173. but says nothing at all to this he cou'd not Deny this to be the Quaker Principle And the Consequence of this is That ther is nothing Natural in Man for if all in Man be God then ther is no Nature of Man but only the Nature of God This is the true Ground why the Quakers will not allow any Light that is in Man to be Natural no not that Light or Reason which is Common to All Men. Nor will be Content to say That this comes from God No. They will have it nothing Less than God Himself It was Granted to G. Fox That the Eternal word Enlightneth All men with the Common Light of Nature This G. F. Repeats and Opposes The Light says he which Every Man that cometh into the world is Enlightned withal is not Natural Gr. Myst p. 172. What is his Reason Because says he The Light was before any thing was Made and all things that was made was made by it which Lightneth every Man that cometh into the World By this Argument nothing at all can be Natural to Us because not only our Light but out Life and Every thing we have is from God And Consequently we nor any other Creature can have any Nature at all And then ther can he No Creature at all but All is God This was the Ranters Blasphemous Notion That God is Every thing And Every thing is God Thus they Understand that Text That God is All in All. i. e. That Every thing comes by Emanation from God or that Every thing is the Nature and Essence of God Extended and Vary'd which Returns again into its self as Rivers come from and Return into the Sea And so All things Return into the Nature of God whence they Came. And that ther is no Nature or Being but only that of God And this the Quakers have Lick'd up from the Ranters from whom they came And tho' they seem to oppose them yet from them they Learn'd And still Propagate this with others of their Vile Errors This is the very Language of the Quakers Is not this that cometh out from God which is in God's hand Gr. Must p. 100. Part of God and from God and to God again is not this of God's Being And doth not the Scripture say God is All and in All Is not the Soul without Beginning ib. p. 90. coming from God Returning into God again who hath it in His hand Which brings it up into God which came out from Him hath this a Beginning or Ending And is it not Infinite in it self and more than all the world Now Consider what a Condition they call'd Ministers are in ib. p. 29. They say that which is a Spiritual Substance is not Infinite in it self but a Creature That which came out from the Creator and is in the Hand of the Creator which brings it up and to the Creator again that is Infinite it self And thou says ib. p. 91. the Soul is a Spiritual thing and yet a Creature But the Bishop of their Souls Christ the Power of God brings the Soul up into God from whence it came whereby they come to be One Soul Thus G. Fox which he had learn'd from his Lear-Father as he was call'd John Hinks a Chief man among the Ranters Who allow'd no Distinction at all betwixt God and Creatures but said that All was God And after him the other Quakers proceed in the same strain Christoph Atkinson sets down this as a False Principle which he opposes viz. That God who is Creator Sword of the Lord. p. 3. is Eternally DISTINCT from all Creatures in His Being and Blessedness And Replies in these words The Being of God is not Distinct from them that are Begotten of Him for as the Father and the Son are one without Distinction so are they that are Begotten by Him And p. 5. he Denies that Christ or God is a Distinct Person from all Saints and Angels For says he Christ is but one in All and not Distinct And this says he in his Title-Page I was moved by the Lord God of Life to lay open as it was made Manifest in me from the Lord. And now we see the Reason why G. Fox did not oppose what R. Farmer charg'd upon the Quakers of their Denying and Created Angel or Spirit and holding no other Spirit but God This G. Fox cou'd not Deny to be the very Principle of the Quakers Nay he Contends and Disputes for it In his Gr. Myst p. 207. he sets this as an Error of the Professors that they say God hath a Christ Distinct from all other things whatsoever whether they be Spirits or Bodies And Answers God's Christ is not Distinct from His Saints nor His Bodies So that by this not only all Spirits but all Bodies are God's Bodies nay every Body as well as Spirit is God For so it must be if God is not Dictinct from them This is true Ranterism And is the Dreggs of that old Corrupt Heathen Philosophy which made God to be only Anima Mundi the Soul of the World and consequently every thing to be Part of God of His Essence and Being The Blasphemous Absurdity of which has been Expos'd by many of the Heathens themselves And is now lick'd up again by the most Gross of Heathens the Quakers Mr. Farmer in his Book before mention'd is Large p. 58. c. in shewing now the Quakers took up this from the Ranters That they Approv'd of the Ranters Principles But Blain'd them for not keeping up to them to the Light that was in them as they say of their own Quakers when they Listen to the Flesh and are taken Napping In a Book wrote by G. Fox and Jam. Naylor An. 1654. call'd A word from the Lord unto all the Faithless Generation of the World c. p. 13. they give this Testimony to the Ranters You had a Pure Convincement I witness which did Convince you and you started up to be as Gods And Gods they thought Themselves and were thought by the Quakers till their Vileness as of the Quakers now was so fully Discover'd that meer Shame Drove all People from them Their Great Edw. Burrough and Fr. Howgill wrote an Answer to some Quaeres put by one Reeve of which this is the Second viz. What the true Creator was in his own distinct Essence Nature and Glory from all Eternity in Time and to all Eternity And wherein Elect men and
Meant than to Keep to his Light within Cou'd that have told him all that was Commanded in the Law of Moses How came all the Heathen then not to Know it for they had the Light within As little cou'd it of it Self without the Help of outward Revelation have Discover'd a Messiah the Son of God to be Incarnat and offer'd up a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World This Faith as the Apostle truly Says All men have not None Ever had it by Means only of their Light within But either by Express Revelation such as was Given of it to Adam to Abraham and the Prophets or by the outward Means of Hearing as the Apostle says in that same Chap. of the x. Rom. ver 17. Describing how that same Faith commeth of which he spoke ver 8. And he says That it cometh by Hearing viz. The outward Preaching of it For as he says ver 14. How shall they Believe in Him of whom they have not Heard And how shall they Hear without a Preacher So Mad and Void of all Common Sense as well as most Impious and Heretical Is that Quaker Exposition of Deut. xxx 14. And Rom. x. 8. Whereby they wou'd Exclude the outward Christ from being the Object of the Christian Faith And Blasphemously Translate it to Themselves that is to their own Light Within And by this make the Christian Faith Common to all Mankind even to those who never Heard of the outward Christ Which is To make Him His Blessed Death and Passion Vseless and Vn-necessary to the World Another Text they urge mightily for the Vniversality of their Light within is Joh. 1.9 That was the true Light which Lighteth Every man that cometh into the World This they Understand of Faith the True Saving Faith and so suppose that Every Man must have it But the Apostle from the beginning of this Chap. was speaking of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Divine Word by whom All things were Made And therefore not only what Light but what Life Every man or any Creature has is from Him Act xvii 25.28 Seeing He giveth to All Life and Breath and All things For in Him we Live and Move and have our Being Now that Light which He giveth to All Men is not the Light of Faith which All Men have not But the Natural Light of our Vnderstanding which is Common to All Men. And is a Ray Communicated from the Supreme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Reason The Quakers to Avoid this set about that Mad Task of Proving that All men have not Reason as before is shewn And yet wou'd give All men Faith of which no man is Capable without supposing him to have the use of his Reason Otherwise a Tree or a Stone might Believe as well as a Man I will Name but one Text more upon which they Chime Exceedingly that is 1 Joh. 2.20 27. But ye have an Vnction from the Holy one and ye know All things And ye need not that any man Teach you but as the Same Anointing Teacheth you of All things This they Interpret of the Light within which is Common to All Men. But then by this it wou'd follow That All Men do know All things Quite contrary to what the Apostle there Supposes who speaks of those who Knew not the Truth And Applys this of the Anointing only to those who Knew the Truth Ver. 21. I have not written unto you because ye know not the Truth but because ye Know it c. Therefore this of the Anointing was spoken only To and Of the True Believers and not of Infidels or Generally of All Men as is Plain to any who Read that Chapter These are the Chief Texts they Insist upon for the Vniversality of Faith which they call The Light within And they All prove Directly against them Ther are others so Forc'd and Strain'd as need not Confutation As 2 Pet. 1.19 We have also a more sure word of Prophesy c. which they apply to their Light within Whereas it was plainly spoken of the Holy Scriptures as the next Verse do's Expressly Determin it Knowing this first that no Prophesy of SCRIPTVRE is of any Private Interpretation I wish the Quakers wou'd Reflect Seriously upon this It wou'd correct the Exorbitancy of their Private Interpretations by what they call their Light within Different from the Sense of the whole Catholick Church in All Ages And let them see and Consider that ther was Great Reason for that Caution given in this same Epistle Ch. iii. 16. That the Vnlearned and Vnstable do wrest the Scriptures to their own Destruction The Quakers pretend sometimes to be Determin'd by Scripture and to admit of no Interpretation which is not in Express words of Scripture See a Book of theirs call'd The Divinity of Christ Wrote by G. Whitehead and G. Fox where in the Epistle they speak thus Where do the Scriptures speak of three Persons in the Godhead in these Express words Let us see where it is written Come do not shuffle for we are Resolv'd the Scriptures shall Buffet you about And where doth the Scripture speak of a Human Nature of Christ in Heaven And where doth the Scripture say the Soul is Part of Man's Nature Give us plain Scripture without Adding or Diminishing Come let us see Chapter and Verse c. Now the Quakers cannot Refuse the same Measure which they have Meated to others Therefore let us see Chapter and Verse where The Light within is spoke of In these Express words wher is ther any thing of Faith in the Light within of Believing In The Light within as this Appen do's often speak Where is it said that Christ was not the Lamb but that the Lamb was in Christ where is ther a word of the Manhood of God of Christ's Heavenly Flesh Blood and Bones of His Flesh that was Crucify'd when Adam Fell Where is His Body call'd a Garment or a Vessel where shall we find the Distinction of Christ Without and Within of an Outward and an Inward Christ of the Shedding of His Blood within Vs of the Blood and Bones of our Light within where is it said that the Person who Suffer'd upon the Cross was not Properly the Son of God He is oft call'd The Son of God what Text says that He was not Properly so In these Express words Come Produce Chapter and Verse Where are the Holy Scriptures call'd Beastly ware Serpents meat Death and Dust Where is the Text for Theeing and Thouing and for not taking off your Hats For your Silent-Meetings For the Ceasing of Baptism and The Lord's Supper For Womens Preaching and Womens Meetings which you call the Good Ordinance of Jesus Christ what Text do's Abolish Tythes in these Express words or Declare all going to War to be unlawful To keep Holy-Days or Marry by a Priest Where is it said that the Quakers are Infallible That their Preachings are of as Great Authority as the Scriptures and GREATER And
and Faith that is in us to every sober Enquirer and indeed are glad of an opportunity to satisfie any such Person who may be in doubt of the soundness of our Faith in the saving Fundamentals of the Christian Religion we have with the full and Unanimous Consent of this our said Yearly or General Meeting given a plain positive and we hope Christian Answer to each of the said Queries which that they may give thee full and ample satisfaction of our soundness in the Christian Faith in the sincere desire of Us who in behalf and by appointment of the said Meeting do subscribe and remain They Loving Friends Rich. Dungworth John Hampton Thomas Martin Geo. Hutcheson John Hart Thomas Budd Here follows Dr. Lancaster's Queries with the above-named Meetings Answer to each Query To the Quakers assembled in their Yearly Meeting at London this Whitson Week 1695. GReat objections have been made against you in many Books which of late Years have been writ as well by those who have departed from your Communion as by others But because we would not willingly take an Account of you only from your Adversaries no nor yet the advantage which may be had from some of your own Apologists we have chosen this solemn Time of your most general Assembly that you have in the World where there comes of your Number out of all parts where any of your Profession live even as far as from the West Indies on purpose to attend this your Yearly Meeting at London We have chosen this most solemn and convenient time for you to vindicate and clear your selves and to give satisfaction to the World particularly to the Church of England as to these great and grievous objections which are made against you It is said of you that as Hymeneus and Philetus 2 Tim. 2.18 did construe the Resurrection spiritually saying It was perform'd inwardly within our Souls and so avoided the litteral and outward Resurrection of the Body which the Scripture calls Overthrowing the Faith so that you do construe the Resurrection in the same spiritual manner to be the rising again of Christ or the Light in our hearts and consequently that the Saints generally have attained the Resurrection already and that ther will be no Resurrection of these our Bodies after they lie down in the Dust And not only this but That you construe likewise those Scriptures which testify of our Lord Jesus Christ in this Allegorical manner to mean no more than what you call the Light within and That this Christ or Light is Born and Crucified Dyes is Buried Rises again Ascends and is Glorified within you That it sheds its Bloods within you and thereby quenches the Wrath of God in you as your Sacrifice or Propitiation And that Christ has now no other Blood or Body than what he has within his Saints or other than he had with his Father before the World began That the outward Blood of that Man Jesus that was shed at Jerusalem was not the Propitiation or any Satisfaction to the Justice of God for our sins but only the spiritual Blood shed inwardly within us And by these means when you are asked Whether you believe in Christ that Dyed for our sins Rose again and Ascended and that by his Blood we are saved c. You can readily answer Yea That you believe all this and yet mean it all in an inward Allegorical sense that is The Blood shed within you The Light or Christ suffering within you c. and thereby deceive others and your selves and keep your meaning hid and double that the Truth of what you hold may not be known which if in plain words told and asserted would grate all Christian Ears and shew you to be those miserable Hereticks before told who brought in damnable Doctrines denying the Lord who bought them Therefore that you may clear your selves from this great and grievous Charge you are desired to give a plain positive and direct Answer to these following Queries Your Reasons or Explanations are not required this not being intended for a Dispute but only your plain Yea or Nay to each of these Queries that your Doctrine and Faith may be known Query 1. Do you believe in a Christ without you now in Heaven The Christian Quaker answers Yea. Qu. 2. Hath he now in Heaven the same Body tho' changed in Qualities and Glorify'd which he assumed in the Womb of the blessed Virgin in which he Suffered Dyed was Buryed Rose again and Ascended outwardly Ch. Qu. answ Yea. Qu. 3. Will he return in that same Body outwardly or without men to judge the World in the last day Ch. Qu. answ Yea. Qu. 4. Will our dead Bodies arise the same Bodies though altered in Properties and Qualities which we now have and shall lay down in the Dust Or do you believe an outward and litteral Resurrection contrary to Hymeneus and Philerus Do you believe that the Saints generally have already attained the Resurrectien either before or since Christ came into the World Ch. Qu. To the former part of this Query we answer Yea To the latter Nay Qu. 5. Do you believe that Christ or the Eternal Word was so made Flesh as that he truly and really became Man as truly Man as he was God and not only as the Socinians say that he dwelt in or did inhabit the Person of that Man Jesus Christ as a Garment or a Vail as he dwells in or inspires other holy Persons though not in so high a Degree or as Angels assume Bodies like men wherein they appear without taking them into their own Nature or thereby becoming Men Ch. Qu. answ Yea. Qu. 6. Is Christ now at this day and for ever to come truly and really a Man in true and proper humane Nature without all other men Ch. Qu. To this we answer Yea under the Qualifications contained in the second Query viz. changed in Qualities and Glorify'd Qu. 7. And lastlv Was his outward Blood outwardly shed at Jerusalem the true Propitiation and Satisfaction for our sins Is this the true saving Faith Was not his outward Blood that Blood without sheding of which there could be no Attonement Heb. 9.22 Ch. Qu. Answer Yea not excluding the work of the Spirit of Christ in our hearts The above Queries were signed by Dr. Lancaster Chaplain to the Lord Bishop of London and delivered Fryday the 17th of May. 1695. into George Whitehead's own hands in their general Assembly in Grace-Church-street and there publickly read They were desired to return their Answer to Dr. Lancanster at Mr. Wiseman's House a Chyrurgion in Long-Acre But we hear of no Answer that they returned Wherefore the said Queries were presented to the Yearly Meeting of the Quakers in Philadelphia That Party which have Excommunicated Mr. Keith returned Answer as set down in the Preface But that Party which joyn with Mr. Keith presently returned the Answers above inserted after each Query THis is Verbatim what was Printed at Philadelphia
desir'd them to begin with the Scriptures and prove the Contradiction of my Doctrine first to the holy Scriptures and then it was time to Consider these men's Books Samuel Jennings in a publick Meeting at Philadelphia on a first day said it was not necessary to prove me guilty of Heresie whereof they had accus'd me from the Scriptures but from Friends Books for said he the Question betwixt G. K. and them is not who is the best Christian but who is the best Quaker And though I still desir'd them to bring their Scripture proofs yet they for most part waved that and continued clamouring that my Doctrine contradicted Will. Pen. Geo. Whitehead and other Friends which I did not know all that time that it did for though the places they quoted out of their Books seemed much to favour my Adversaries yet I was not willing to think so but labour'd to retain my Charitable perswasion of them putting the most Charitable Constructions upon their Words as was possible so farr as I had read the passages in their Books that seemed to interfere with me At last I came to a firm Resolution in my mind to Come for England having first writ to George Whitehead and other Friends of the Ministry about our differences desiring to know their sense they seemed to blame me for the separation but in great part to approve of my Principles but the words in their Epistles were so dubious like the Heathen Oracles that as to the main difference of Principles betwixt my Adversaries and me in Pensilvania it was rather increas'd by their Epistles then allayd my Adversaries Construing them one way and I and my Friends another way After I arrived in England and came to London And had some private Conferrences with George Whitehead and William Penn about these very Principles of the sufficiency of the Light within to Salvation without any thing else by the something else that I did plead for declaring that I meant the man Christ Jesus and his most holy and perfect Obedience unto death for our Sins and his Intercession for us in Heaven I began easily to perceive that they greatly differed from me in those great things yet they did seek to hide themselves as much as they well could mainly and almost only blaming me for the Separation and making a breach in Pensilvania and the neighbouring Provinces among Friends But by degrees the difference in Principles betwixt them and me began plainly to appear before they Excommunicated me at their yearly Meeting in the Year 1695. For at a large Meeting of Friends of the Ministry where were many Country Friends about two days before the yearly meeting in 1694. William Penn accused me for seeking to bring in a new method of Preaching Christ and Faith in him differing from that of Friends and that new method was to preach the Man Christ without us and his Death and Sufferings in order to bring people to know the Divine Principle within them and the work of Regeneration And at the said Meeting G. W. blamed me for affirming that all the Light and Grace that any men had in any age of the World was the effect of Christ's Obedience unto death for us and argued against it thus Men had Light and Grace before Christ came in the Flesh to perform that obedience can the Effect be before the Cause this plainly enough let me see into G. Whitehead's Principles he had the same strength of Argument but that 's none at all against any mens having Remission of Sin by Christ's death before he came in the Flesh why can the effect be before the Cause I told him a Moral effect can be before its cause and oft times is and gave an Example how a man by a Contract or Covenant buyeth a House or Field and posesseth it before the Money is paid the Condition of the Covenant being that the Money is not to be paid until such a time so by Virtue of the Covenant of Grace which respected Christ to Come and the satisfaction he was to make to divine justice by his Death and Sufferings for mens sins past as well as to come all the faithful had remission of sin and inward Light and Grace as well before he came as since And some Months after this at a publick Meeting of the Quakers at Ratcliff by London William Penn did publickly oppose my testimony and charged me to be an Apostate and that I endevoured to pluck up the testimony of truth by the roots And at the same time He told the Auditory that Friends saw no great need to preach the Faith of Christ's Death and Sufferings for all England had that Faith and all Christendom had it but it did not profit them * Reader by this Argument it should not be Preached at all With many Abusive words all which he father'd upon a transport of the glorious power of God at the next yearly Meeting when I Complain'd upon his so abusing me Yet they have after all this sought to hide the differences in Doctrine betwixt them and me from publick notice so that in their sentence of Excommunication they blame not my Doctrine nor Morals in any particular thing but cast out some general charges against me for being turbulent c. and seperating my self from the Church of Christ But their unchristian dealings with me as well as Antichristian Principles have sufficiently proved them not to be a Church of Christ though still I have that charity to diverse among them that they belong to Christ and his Church but not as respecting that visible Society that has less the face of a Church than any Society of Protestants any where in the world A third Reason is that this publication of the foregoing Relation will be a true Evidence and Witness for me that as to the great fundamentals of the Christian Faith I am not changed from what I was Twenty years ago when own'd among them and for many years after acknowledg'd by them that I was in the Unity And that therefore it is manifest to be a Calumny and false Accusation rais'd by some Malicious Persons among the Quakers against me that I am Apostatised from my former Principles of Christianity and have embraced new notions or Priests and Professors Principles as they are pleased 〈…〉 that formerly I had relinquished and from a tentation that I had let prevail over me to seek and affect preheminence over my Brethren and not finding my desire and end answered in that I sought occasion to differ from them and purposely chang'd my Principles that I might have a ground of Strife and Contention with them all which the Righteous Judge of the whole Earth and the searcher of hearts knoweth to be false and injurious charges I have sufficiently in my late Printed Books proved that I am the same in all Principles of Truth that I was formerly and wherein I am changed in some lesser matters of Perswasion it is to
Ornament Answer It appears very opposit to the Apostles Doctrin and also their Practice for not only the Apostle James James 2.2 reproves respect to gay Cloathing in general and is not Gay Cloathing to gain Respect as Modest is to avoid Contempt but also in particular the Apostles Peter and Paul forbad ornament of platted Hair 1 Pet. 3 3. 1 Tim. 2.9 Vulger tortis Lucian Clemens Chrysostom as ours translate Crisped or Curled as others and the Ancients write that they both had Bald-Heads and if they should have covered them with Womens Hair would they not have retorted Was that the Cause Peter and Paul that you bad us leave off our Locks that you and such like might get them your selves to make Peri-wigs of Can any Christian believe that Peter and Paul would run into such an absurdity who 't is very probable restrained Women not Men expresly as needless Solon a Wise Virtuous Lawgiver made none against Parricide as not to be supposed It was a shame then for Men to have long Hair naturally like Women among the Greeks and Romans too For Julius Caesar as I remember was by his Foes called scornfully Puer comatus Long hair'd Lad viz. in effect a Lass Was it then likely they would wear long Wigs of Lasses Hair for an Ornament Woodland a Martyr a Deacon taunted by a Persecuting Bishop for his stock'd Hose saying He was deck'd like a Deacon answered More like a Deacon then thou like an Apostle True For if Deacons Wives must be Grave and Sober and their Ornament not outward but inward much rather the Deacons and then much more Bishops And most Apostles whom Christ sent forth with Sandals a single Coat c. Math. 10.10 whose Examples the famousest Primitive Christians followed Origen went in a plain Coat bare Footed and that too before the Emperor who yet admired his Majesty Tertullian left off the Gown and took the plain Coat for which he wrote a Book Depallio Clemens wore a White Coat and writes in defence thereof So did John Huss the Martyr the eminentest Preacher in Bohemia and bequeathed his White Coat to one his Gray Coat to another not his White Wig to one his Brown Wig to another He suffered for opposing Preachers Pride It remains to shew That 't is not an Ornament but a Deformity more then that it would Cover as if it were not in Fashion would appear even to the simple natural Eye The Americans seeing one Captain Morley take off his Wig cryed he had two Heads And 't were apt to affright a Child unused to it like the horrid and hideous Head of a Snake-hair-twisted Gorgon or cristed Bellona as Homer says Hector did his Son with his Horse-maned Helmet And who can refrain to fall into a Poetical Vein and Paint it out in such sad Colours that it may look as ugly as it doth For a glorying in a Shame as an Ornament sharpens a Pen to describe it to make it appear as it is Difficile est satyram non scribere Metamorphoses The manner of this Age unmannerly Is Man unmaning Womens hair to buy Dub Poles and Joles Dame Venus Knights to be Smock-Coat and Petticoat Breech their Livery Scarce Man-like Fac'd though Woman like in Hair As sting-tail'd Locusts in the Vision were As of Hyena's kind Hermaphrodites Or as abus'd Italian Catamites And like unto the Phrygian Ganymede Or as Tiresias Femaliz'd indeed Or one that sith he would a Woman be Put Period to Assyrian Monarchy Hair in a Night turn'd hew of Old 't was said An Old Man Young a Boy a Girle was made Elders so now transformed to Girles appear And Girles to Boys by their short curtail'd Hair By Bulls some seem 'i th ' twilight turn'd to Owls As Antique Harpyes or some new Night Fowls As charming Sirens bate their ugly Hair Having their Arms Necks Brests Backs Shoulders bare Nay for their Knights rich Garters some prepare Richard Richardson I have not Mended any of the Spelling or other Blunders as Depallio for de Pallio c. As in the foregoing Letter to Sir Thom. Lane N. V. p. 80. Sclanderous for Slanderous But I give it you in pure Quaker Orthography Points Spelling and all The Excommunication of Will. Wilkins for Marrying one who was not a Quaker And for being Marry'd by a Clergy-Man From our Quarterly Meeting held at Dorchester the 15th of the 5th Month 1696. WHereas William Wilkins of Vplime in the County of Devon Cloathier have for a long time frequented the Meetings of the People called Quakers and made profession of the holy truth and been some time a Sufferer in Testimony thereof which as believed in is sufficient to cleanse the heart purge the Conscience and preserve out of the evil of the world but of late the said William for want of watchfulness in the pure Light of Christ have let in a contrary Spirit by which his mind is drawn aside from the way of the Lord so far as to joyne himself in Marriage with one who do not profess the same way and truth with us and thereby is become unequally yoaked and also Married by a Preist contrary to the practice of God's people in all Ages for we do not find in all the holy Scriptures the Priests in time of the Law or Ministers of the Gospel ever Married people and altho' we are far from judging all the Marriages of other people to be unlawful yet for any of us whom the Lord hath seperated from the world its ways customs and Traditions that are vain to return thither again for the sake of a Wife Husband or any other advantage is no less then turning with the Dog to his vomit and with the Sow that was washed to her wallowing again in the mire And notwithstanding the said W. W. have been often in the love of God visited and in much tenderness warned to avoid going into the aforesaid practise as being perswaded it would prove to his hurt and loss yet he have very wilfully and obstinately slighted the love of God and good counsel of his Friends and followed the counsel of his own evil heart and is backsliden from the way of the holy truth he have long made profession off by which he hath excluded himself from the fellowship of the Gospel and those that walk therein And therefore for the clearing of the blessed truth and our holy profession we do hereby Testify and declare that the said William Wilkins is departed from the truth and is gone into the Spirit of the World and therefore we do not own him nor can we have fellowship with him altho' he may frequent our Religious Meetings untill he shall publickly condemn his evil practise and unfeignedly repent of the same if he can find a place which is truely desired by us who are grieved and our hearts saddened whom the Lord hath not made so at the hearing of this or any disorderly walking by any professing the holy truth Signed by appointment and on behalf of the said Meeting By Daniel Taylor The Quaker Disciplin go's on like the Roman to Deny what they call Christian Burial to those who Die not in their Unity And they have Refus'd to those Quakers who had some Differences with their Church or Governing Part the Privilege of Burying their Children in their Burying Ground tho' they had been Contributors towards the Purchase of it Of which I cou'd give several Instances But for the Present shall Name onely one because Part of the Cause was having been Marry'd by one of our Clergy And I will give it in the words of an Account of it sent to me from a Quaker who will make it good if Deny'd But I set not his Name to Avoide the Now Vn-governable Malice of the Quakers THomas Bradly of the Parish of St. Olives Southwark Bodice-maker died the 25th of October 1693. and that day upon his Death-Bed desired that he might be inter'd in the Park Burying ground where he had buried a Wife and Seven Children he requested of those called Quakers that visited him that day while his sences Remain'd that he might be buried there i. e. in the Quakers Burying ground The next day following being the 26th his Daughter Eliz. Bradly desired a Friend to go with her to have the Ground granted for her Father and accordingly one went with her to James Braithwaite one intrusted by the Quakers to grant the Ground but his Answer was he could not do it And the said James Braithwaite went with Eliz. Bradly and the Friend aforesaid to Hen. Snooke another intrusted for the same purpose who also said he could not nor would not i. e. give the Ground notwithstanding the said Tho. B. so earnestly desired it upon his death Bed And when an answer was demanded of J. B. and H. Snooke whether they would give it or not The said J. Braithwaite answer'd They could not do it by Reason he was at a Twofold distance from them First as belonging to a seperate Meeting by him so called Secondly by Reason he was some years past Married by a Priest And withall shifted Eliz. Bradly off by sending of her to Walter Miers and William Chandler for to ask them who also Denied it saying there was the Artilery nearer so they would not give it this is in short a true Relation of there Unchristian behaviour in Denying of the said Tho. Bradly his desire Thus that Account sent to Me. FAS EST AB HOSTE DOCERI