A true Prospect For the BISHOPS Priests and Deasons And all other within the jurisdiction of the Church of England who are Professors of the Common Prayer through which they may see how far they are short in Faith Principle and practise of divers sound truths therein specified Also the proper right of the Quakers to divers good things therein vindicated and pleaded for which no other people upon the earth can justly challenge And instead of being persecuted the Quakers ought to be protected by the Laws of King Edward the sixt Queen Eliz. Charles the 1st and Charles the Second which established the book of Common-Prayer in Equity and Right Reason which is the life of all just Lawes VVhereunto is annexed divers of the Priests practises for which they have no proof in the Scripture Published by a lover of truth and Righteousness where ever it appears known by the name of Ambrose Rigg And this is the confidence that we have in God that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth 〈◊〉 John 5. 14. But let him aske in Faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a Wave of the Sea driven with the winds and to sâ—ed Jam. 1. 6. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing from God Verse 7. Printed for M. W. To the moderate and Courteous READER MY principle end and aime in this small Treatise is to set forth and vindicate the sound and antient Truth in the Common-Prayer Book as it is now established and to bring the same forth as the Sun from under the Clouds that they may shine in brightness to the ends of the earth which thou wilt find true if thou reade over this small book with a single eye and not stumble at my plain down-right dealing with the men who so much cries up that book at this day and yet cannot away with those who answers the same in life and practise even every particular thereof which is gathered out of the Scriptures and onely denies those things and them for practising those things which are not taken out of the Scripture wherein doth lye the great difference between them at this day wherein the Lord is bringing to light many things which long hath laid hid and vaild in secret and is revealing the Mysteries of his Kingdome unto his sons and daughters servants and handmaids And all Superstition and superstitious Ceremonies he will utterly deface and demolish though never so strongly fortified outwardly and will set up his own righteousness and way of worship which is in spirit and truth according to the testimony of his Son in former Ages Iohn 4. 24. In which alone he will manifest his love power presence and vertue unto mankind again in the way of their recovery from the snares of death and darkness under which their souls have long mourned that they may set forth his noble Acts and declare his wondrous works unto generations to come And for this cause he hath raised up many at this day to testifie unto his Name and power and is leading them from one Nation to another people 〈◊〉 testimony unto his Son who is come into the world to save sinners and to finish transgression in the earth that his praise may be perfected among the Sons of men and he will suffer one Potshard of the earth to dash in pieces another until this be accomplished and no weapon formed against this decree shall prosper for this is that cause for which he ever appeared in any age and time whatsoever and for which he hath manifestly appeared in divers manners in this our age and hath overturned many high Mountains of the earth that he might fully vindicate his own truth where ever it appeareth without respect to rich or poor bond or free male or female high or low but in every Nation they who fear him and work righteousness he will accept that no flesh may glory before him who is rich in mercy and tender in compassion to all who early seek his face inrighteousness Therefore be not rash nor inconsiderate in these things which are of great moment but weigh every sentence in the ballance of equity so wilt thou come to a right understanding of the truth herein declared And my end is not in this treatise that the Priests who so grosly abuses their own principles and Prayers should be destroyed with a carnal weapon for my weapon to them is not carnal but that they may come to repentance and find mercy with the Lord and that the people may be truly founded upon the Rock of Ages never more to slide nor fall and for this doth my soul travail in suffering and heavinesse even to this day waiting for the promotion of that truth spoken of in the book of Common Prayer which the Scriptures of the Prophets Christ and the Apostles bears witness unto in patience induring all things till the words of God be fulfilled written the 22. day of the 4th month 1663. Who am a lover of Righteousnesse and truth and a sufferer for the same Called Ambrose Rigge A true prospect for the Bishops Priests and Deacons and all other within the Jurisdiction of the Church of England c. GOd who in the beginning made man upright in his own image and likeness and gave him life and dominion over death and darkness and the power thereof making him an instrument to shew forth his praise and glory in the earth far above any other living creature which his hand made In which dominion and life while man stood he had the blessing and presence of Almighty God upon him and with him and had perfect dominion over all the Beasts of the field and the Fowls of the Aire and knew no sin neither curse death nor darkness but stood in perfect freedome as the son and heir of God in whom God had more delight then any other creature which he made insomuch that he set him in that place in which his chiefest delight was that he might dress it and keep it for his Creator to walk in where also was the tree of life which yielded food to man so that he was altogether unsencible of any misery sorrow or tribulation of body or soul neither was he in bondage to any creature but Lord and Ruler over all the whole creation according to the word of the Lord Gen. 1. 28. in which free covenant of life he perfectly stood till the Serpent grudged his glory and in the envy sowed a cursed seed which took root in his heart since which time hath brought forth many wicked branches which hath long cumbred the ground And for receiving this and disobeying the word of the Lord he was disthroned from all his glory and was exposed to all misery and cursedness of body and soul with all his seed end race after him and was driven into the earth from the presence of the Lord and then was altogether unsencible of life and immortallity with God
even in things appertaining to God wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor Authority unless it may be declared that they be taken out of the holy Scriptures Therefore this invention of sprinkling Infants with Godfathers and Godmothers being not taken out of the Scripture neither can be proved thereby hath no strength nor Authority neither is to be beleived as requisite to salvation but is judged deemed and taken to be an error first of Pope Iginus and since of the general counsels according to the abovesaid Articles Furthermore our plea is that forasmuch as the contrivers and setters forth of the book of Common Prayer hath collected many good and true sayings out of the Scripture and hath put them into divers Prayers in which they desire to come into the same condition which the holy men of God witnessed in former ages of which things the Lord hath made us witnesses at this day in life and practise and in measure have obtained of the Lord according to our desire haveing asked the same in faith without wavering which are set down in divers places of the Common-Prayer book which the Priests and professors of this generation affirmeth can never be obtained while men live and therefore these prayers set down in the Common-Prayer-book and the things prayed for therein is quite contrary to their faith as hereafter shall be made appear In the Collect upon the Circumcision of Christ They pray to God to grant them the true Circumcision of the spirit that their hearts and all their members may be mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts and that they may in all things obey Gods blessed will c. Now let the wise in heart judge of this thing whether they do beleive that their hearts and all their members can be mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts and whether they can in all things obey Gods blessed will while they are upon the earth for after it is impossible they should and if they beleive they can why are the Quakers persecuted for being of the same faith and praying for the same things but if they beleive these things cannot be attained then what is their prayers worth For whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14. 23. So these good desires are turned into sin by this faithless generation of teachers who instead of propagating these prayers they are found depravers of them but the Collossians witnessed the body of sin put off by the circumcision of Christ Coll. 2. 11. So whether the Apostles testimony or the Priests testimony is according to the Scripture let the honest heart judge In the Collect for the first Sunday in Lent They pray to God to give them grace to use such abstinance that their flesh being subdued to the spirit they may ever obey his godly motions Herein they seem to own the spirits motion in words which they do and have so long cried against scoffing and scorning them who witness this spirit to lead them calling it error and Heresy in the Quakers thus to affirme though they read these things dayly in their assemblies yet they do not mean that ever they shall come to pass for if people were subdued to the spirit and came to obey the Godly motions thereof they know people would soon leave them as the Quakers have done so whether the Quakers or them are enemies to those good things in the Common-Prayer let sober minded people judge In the Collect for the third Sunday after Easter They affirme that God sheweth to all that be in error the light of his truth to the intent they may return into the way of righteousnesse This is most true and that which the Quakers from the beginning have testified of for which they are and have been all along oppressed and persecuted for if men that be in error be lighted with the light of Gods truth which is Christ and that to the intent they may return into the way of righteousness then they who turnes people to this light turns them into the way of righteousness but they who instead of turning people to this light cries against it and keeps people from following of it such doth not bring people into the way of righteousness as we see by dayly experience and so are not promoters of the truth in the Common-Prayer book though for their own gain they may read it outwardly yet it is manifestly seen that these blind guides are more for the promoting of Superstitious Ceremonies in the said book which hath no ground nor proof in the Scripture and so by the 20. and 21 Article of the book of Canons is declared to be of no force nor strength yea far more then the testifying and vindicating the sound fundamental truths therein which is collected out of the Scripture of truth which the Quakers both own and practise in life doctrine and conversation which light being followed and regarded would lead people to life and salvation if it were not eclipsed and veiled through these faithless generation of men who seeks to take away the Key of Knowledge which is the true light of Christ the truth wherewith he hath lighted every man that cometh into the world John 1. 9. and so will neither enter themselves nor suffer them that would so let any judge whether the Quakers or the Priests ought to be protected by the Lawes of King Edw. the sixt Queen Eliza. King Iames and King Charles and whether of them lives more in obedience to the sound fundamental truths in the Common-Prayer book In the Collect for Whitsunday They say God hath taught the hearts of his faithful people by the sending to them the light of his holy spirit and they desire by the same spirit to have a right judgement in all things If this affitmation be true as certain it is then what need hath people of their teachings unless it be to keep them in blindness of heart from the dictates of this spirit whereby the hearts of his faithful people is taught according to this Collect which is agreeable to the Scripture which saith All thy children shall be taught of the Lord Isa 54. 13. Joh. 6. 54. And again the Apostle saith to confirme this The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us c. Titus 2. 11. 12. all which the Quakers own and witness and therefore they deny them who denies these things and would have people ever learning of them that they may ever feed them with money and if people have a right judgement in all things by the holy spirit of God according to this collect then they who are against this spirit in its teachings and leadings must of necessity have no right judgement in any thing and this the Priests hath manifestly appeared against both in word and righting and therefore let their own Common-Prayer book be a witness between them and us whether we or they walks more according thereunto in
the Hypocrites in former ages did and have no more answer from God then they had for we know that God heareth not sinners but if any man do his will him he heareth John 9. 31. Now if this Scripture be true what is all these mens Prayers worth who both are sinners and can never beleive they shall be otherwise in this life this is a degree of unbeleif beyond what ever I read of among the Jews therefore such we can never receive as Ministers of Christ who hath no more faith in him but we do renounce them as a faithless Generation who cannot please God in these their Prayers being not in faith for without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6 So it is far contrary to justice and right reason to persecute us for coming out from such whose works declares to all men that their faith is not according to their words and this is the only cause for which we have undergone such afflictions this many years and not only that we have or do deny any thing that is sound truth either in the Common Prayer book as it is now established or in any other way of worship for it is not unknown to many thousands what our lives practises and principles are both in things appeartaining to God and also in civil things amongst men So it is and will be very ridiculous to persecute us under the notion of Heriticks when it is so manifestly contrary In another of their Prayers They desire God to shine into their hearts that the night and darknes of sin and the mists of errors on every side driven away he brightly shining within their hearts they may all their life space go without stumbling or offence and may decently and seemingly walk as in the daytime being pure and clean from the works of darkness Let all who reads over these lines with a single eye judge how far these men are from beleiving what they here desire for if men by the light of God shining within their hearts can go all their life space without stumbling or offence why is the Quakers persecuted for holding forth this light for all people to be guided by do we think that the Common-Prayer Readers of these times will own this if so why do they so much condemne it in Pulpit and Press if not why do they profess it with their mouths when their hearts are so far from the beleif thereof this is but feigned humility and will-worship which is double Hypocrisie so either they must deny their own words in all these foregoing Prayers or else they must acknowledge the Quakers holds more of the sound truths in the Book of Common-Prayer then they themselves do in principle and practise and therefore for shame give over persecuting of them and reprove the Priests for their confusion and hypocrisie and unbeleif that they may repent thereof if the day of long-suffering be not over for many hath been turned aside through their inchantments from the way of truth and life which the Lord hath set before them Therefore by the Law of God and the King they are not to be upheld nor protected in their hypocrisie and wil-worship being utterly repugnant to the sound truthes in the Common-Prayer book which by law is established In the Collect for the 19th Sunday after Trinity Wherein they desire the Lord mercifully to grant that his holy spirit may in all things direct and rule their hearts c. This hath been counted absurd also in the Quakers to beleive any such thing as the spirit of God to direct and rule their hearts in all things oh how they have been abused by the Priests and their followers for owing what is prayed for in this Collect and if it be the mercy of God to grant his holy spirit to direct and rule the hearts of his people in all things then why are such made a prey upon unto whom God hath shewed this mercy in giving them his holy spirit to direct and rule them in all things who are not under the Law of God neither hath it power over them Gal. â— 18. much less ought the penalties of the Law of man to be inflicted upon them yet such now are and in all ages have been oppressed by the Lawes decrees and constitutions of men who erred from this spirit though they professed it in words because such who were guided by this spirit in all things could never walk answerable to their wills witness the Apostles who were guided by this spirit Acts 5. 28. 29. witness the three children who was directed with the spirit of God Dan. 3. witness Mordecai Esther 5. 9. and a cloud of witnesses more in the Scriptures So here again the Quakers life and doctrine are answerable to the truth here inserted and the Priests manifestly contrary In the Collect for the 21. Sunday after Trinity Wherein they desire God to grant unto his faithful people pardon and peace that they may be cleansed from all their sins and serve God with a quiet minde Again this is as far from the Priests faith as the east is from the West for if it be possible for men to be cleansed from all their sins and serve God with a quiet mind according to this Prayer how will this sute with the Priests doctrine who saith men cannot be cleansed from all their sins nor never come to peace here but must be in a continual warfare as long as they live and consequently not serve God with a quiet mind according to this Collect I suppose their faith is much repugnant to this if they were throughly examined yet notwithstanding they make use of these Prayers and sentences now for their gain and for fear of punishment yet I verily beleive there is not one among 500 of them that beselves ever to receive these things praied for while they live for what is counted more absurd at this day then for any to beleive that they can be cleansed from all their sins and serve God with a quiet mind yet these very men that cries out blasphemy against such and tell them they need no Saviour as the Priests hath often said of the Quakers will pray for the attainment of these things aforementioned therefore let all Gods faithful people judge how feigned formal Hypocritical and faithless their praiers are which can never enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabboths who only hath respect unto the righteous and his ear is open to their cry Psal 34. 15. but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth ver 16. If this be true as certain it is then the Prayers of these sinful men are an abominable sacrifice which is neither heard nor regarded by the Lord nor his people but here also let the Quakers and the Priests be laid in the ballance together and see whether is more equivolent to Scriptural truth in the Book of Common-Prayer