is sometimes used when there is no swearning it seems to have been necessary for the Translators to put in I protest or some other word equivalent or else they had not fully expressed the full Import of the Apostles words But whether they have translated well or ill it 's certain that ne is in the Text which they have so translated and therefore it 's false that there 's nothing in the Text for I protest This puts me in mind of what he saith p. 117. it is no where said that the Apostle swore as if every one that swears must say I swear by God or the like or else he doth not swear that would be a notable way to excuse many thoustands of Oaths that are sworn by prophane men every day Now I would not have you think that I can produce no more Instances of this mans failure in quoting Scripture for I can more and yet I suppose I have not read above half that Book whence I have collected these For in truth it 's a burthen to me to read so many Tautologies and Repetitions so much non-sence and bad English so many Contradictions and Absurdities c. If you produce any man that has wrote a Book this 500 years wherein you can find so many or half so many false quotations of Scripture as I have shewed you in G. F.'s Book you will somewhat lessen then wonder and make it appear that he is not an unparallel'd perverter of Scripture but still one of the greatest that the world ever saw Surely those that are ingenuous among you will blush when you read what I have written for you are not concerned in him only as one of your party but as one and the chief one of your Ministers leaders and not only so but as in one that was of the first if not the very first that came forth in your spirit way one of greatest authority among you so great that some of you are offended to behold it one that writes in your behalf and professes to give answer in this one Book to above one hundred Books and papers of your Adversaries So that his faults are in some degree imputable to you especially if being warned you do not declare against them disown both him them Neither are these things that I object against him matters whose proof and evidence depend upon any curious arguments or even logical Demonstrations but upon the Demonstration of sense for the Question is How readest thou Doth the Scripture God Christ the Apostles and divinely inspired writers say those words that G.F. charges them with If not as I have shewed to your eyes they do not then I have proved what I undertook viz. that G. Fox is not only not infallible but a false prophet a liar or Impostor and that in matters which concern the most holy God and his Son and the holy Apostles and writers If I have prov'd also to your eyes that he passes severe censures upon others for far less crimes than himself is guilty of in the same kind then ought ye to condemn him out of his own mouth Moreover if according to your principle which forbids all swearing those of you that affirm falsly are to be reputed as perjured persons then G. F. is highly liable to be so reputed And if ye being now called as his Peers and as it were a numerous Jury to try and judge the cause of G. F. whether he be guilty or not guilty of those crimes which I have set before your eyes if ye I say shall not find and declare him guilty why shall not you also be accounted for perjured persons The evidence is not only as clear as that Twice two are four for G. F. has deny'd as plain a proposition as that namely that twice one are not two but all one but as clear as that one Egg is not two Eggs a Horse not a Cow or that THE is not AND c. And now that I have brought such undeniable evidence against him in obvious matters of fact I will take the boldness to tell you that it 's manifest also to any common understanding that F. G. neither knows the meaning of the words he writes nor considers them to such a high conceit of himself is he arrived Who that either knew or car'd what he said would have given out for Scripture such a plain absurdity as that in the 9 th Instance by whom the world was made before it was made Suppose he had reference to that in Joh. 1.3 and without him was not any thing made that was made Would any man but he have rendered it as he hath done What Sottishness what pride and folly would not you impute to another that should so do If he had known the meaning of the word infallible would he have said How can they but delude people that are not infallible As if there were no difference between To fail and To be not infallible Who but he would have said it was contrary to Christ's words to say That the Son of Mary God man is absent from his Church Who that knew what he said would have urged that Bunyan is deceived who said he Christ is Distinct from the Saints p. 16 and p. 293. that the Son is not distinct from the Father Who that knew the meaning of words would contend against him that said The soul is not infinite in it self but a creature and have asserted that it is infinite it self inmortal and infinite p. 29. and p. 68. Is not that the Soul of his being and p. 90. Is not the soul without beginning coming from God c. and p. 273. it is not horrid blasphemy to say the soul is a part of God for it came out of him c. Who that knew what he said or whereof he affirmed would have reasoned thus p. 325. If the seed of Israel be men then by thy account the seed of Israel is the seed of the serpent for they are men His Adversary chargeth him that he professed equality with God and he answers as if he did grant that some do witness equality with God only he did not say it of G. Fox See p. 127. If he had known the sence of the word carnal would he have said of the Bells p. 30. If they be not carnal then they are spiritual Who but G. F. would have said It was contrary to the Apostle's Doctrine to assert The Enjoyment of immortality is not till they have put off the body p. 40. And p. 55. he saith They that are not worshipping him Christ in them are worshipping men Devils or Angels But he never play 's the Critick with greater glory than when he meets with the word humane spoken of Christs nature for then he answers where doth the Scripture speak of humane the word humane where is it written tell us that we may search for it Now we do not deny that Christ according to the flesh was of
bodies and estates but also to their souls and eternal estates affirm that to be true which to your own eyes is manifestly false or that to be false which is true then he is what I have said But G.F. doth so oftener than once twice or thrice Again if G.F. doth bely not an ordinary person a mortal man or Prince but God Almighty our Lord Jesus and the Holy Ghost then he is much more guilty Moreover if he deal thus not only through sloth or pride or carelesness but also through design and purpose then he is an Impostor with a witness Lastly if he doth that which he judges and condemns in others and much more than that then he is much more guilty of that condemnation Therefore thou art inexcusable O man whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest dost the same things Rom. 2.1 I suppose you will not require it of me to bring proof that George Fox prosesseth himself and is esteem'd by you for a Prophet seeing your principle doth not allow any to be of the ministery but him or her that hath an immediate revelation or a Prophet besides Solomon Eccles no mean man has born so great a testimony to him that even John Penniman has impeacht it of Blasphemy And G. Fox himself in his Book intituled The great Mystery of the great Whore which I shall animadvert upon saith p. 82. How can ye be ministers of the spirit and not the Letter if ye be not infallible And how can they but delude people that are not infallible c p. 72. And again Is it not blasphemy for you to speak and preach sure there is the same reason of writing that which ye have not received from heaven Here we see we are to expect nothing from George Fox but what is infallible otherwise he is a Deceiver and a Blasphemer And that we may be confident he will not impose upon us as others do he tells us p. 50. of that Book You run into all Absurdities that give your meaning to Scriptures Will not this man be far from falsifying Scripture who will not so much as give his meaning to them We shall see that afterward But first I must shew you how severe he is in taking notice of his Adversaries misciting or defective citing of Scripture For misciting Scripture see p. 7. Where he brings in his Adversary saying Whosoever saith he hath no sin deceives himself and he saith He perverteth the Scripture of John He wrongs Johns words and puts He for We. I know not whether this change makes any alteration in the sence but it 's fit we should be exact in these matters He charges his Adversary with perverting the Scripture upon the same account p. 37. and how often besides I know not Nay so wonderfully punctual is he in the citing of Scripture that he will not have the pronoun Ye expressed where of necessity it must be understood Seep 188. And Christ did not say destroy ye this Temple thou perverts his words Methinks he is more nice than wise at this turn Now for defective citations see p. 75. and 29. They are both to the same purpose He cites the Priests saying And the Holy Scripture is able to make men wise unto salvation He answers among other things That ever the ministers of Newcastle should say that the Scriptures are able to make men wise unto salvation and leave out faith It is to be acknowledged a defective citation but in the mean time that I may note it by the way neither doth the putting in of Faith make it full except he add also which is in Christ Jesus See 2 Tim. 3.15 For there may be faith which is not in Christ hence Christ saith Joh. 14.1 Ye believe in God believe also in me But George did not care for that Again under the head of Scriptures corrupted by the Translators he reckons Rom. 1.19 where In the Greek Lat. Eng. Copies saith he it is speaking of the Gentiles that which is known of God is manifest in them or made known in them though some dare say and do say among them The like corruption he finds in 11 Cor. 2.6 We speak wisdom among them that are perfect in the Greek saith he it is in them that are perfect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And yet it 's doubful whether that is good English though it is good Greek He might have spar'd the Translators such a small fault but indeed among about 22. places of Scripture there vindicated by this Grecian with whom nothing is more common than false English construction and oftentimes non-sence from the Translators corruption 12 or 13. of them depend upon the rendring of this particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in But this observation tended to the credit of their beloved Doctrine of The light within Once more for the credit of right citing Scripture In p. 64. he corrects his Adversary for not speaking proper like Scripture And saith he there is a proof to thee that the Quakers are sent of God who speak to thee of the Scriptures right as they are I hope then he will give us leave to conclude they are not sent of God if it be apparent they do otherwise And now to the trial 1. The first Scripture which I shall pitch upon as misrecited in his language perverted and corrupted shall be that in Joh. 1.9 the very foundation of all his Doctrine which he repeats to nauseating often times Thrice sometimes Four times in one paragraph Thrice he has it or a great part of it in 8. lines p. 21. And he cites it almost as often wrong as right The Scripture runs thus in our Translation That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world In the Greek it is coming not that cometh and so if may refer to light as well as to man but George Fox p. 9. hath it thus And John said Every man that cometh into the world is enlightned And p. 10. which every man that cometh into the world being enlightned that through it he might believe And p. 24. which every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withal See also p. 11.15 with 20 or 40 more But now has he observed that exactness which he requires in others may there be no difference between lighteth and enlightneth and must every man of necessity be enlightned because the light lighteth him If there were no difference yet he is faulty according to his own law for he has changed both the phrase and the tense or time But there is great difference in that case for example in another word Rom. 2.4 non knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance but we cannot say that impenitent hearts of whom the Apostle speaks are led to repentance for God is said sometimes to do that which is not effected because he doth all that is fit on his part for the
tell me what is It is now saith Daille of the right use of the Fathers the space of some Ages past since the Eastern Church accused the Western of having added Pilióque and the Son in the Article of the Nicene Creed touching the procession of the Holy Ghost But the Pope and his Council were never so impudent as to make that addition to the Scripture as G. Fox hath done See how upon occasion of an Inference not asserting it to be the words of Scripture G. Whitehead pronounceth the curse upon his Adversary John Newman Christ ascended c. p. 21 22. J. N. from Rev. 1.7 Those that pierced him in his body of flesh shall see that body visibly come again G. W.'s Answ These are not the words of Scripture but added although to add or diminish be forbidden under a penalty Rev. 22.18 19. Yet this mans presumption leads him to incur that What would G. W. have said to him if he had done a G. Fox has done Well! there is a righteous God that judgeth the heart and tryeth the reins and is no respecter of persons It 's true he doth not quote the Ch. and verse but more to blame he for if he had we could soon have seen his forgery whereas now perhaps not one of a Thousand that has read his Book has discovere it Or if he can tell us where those words of his are to be found in Scripture he shall escape the Curse for addition to it till then it lies upon him 22. The 22 th instance of his negligence and fallibility in quoting Scripture may be that place p. 71. of his Book where he saith and Paul declares himself take Paul's own words not of Man nor by man but by the will of God now this citation might have passed currant for Scripture though it 's no where found in this form for all I know but that he so confidently calls them Paul's own words which is false if they be not found together and not only apart 23. The 23 th this p. 68. speaking of the Churches or Temples wherein God is worshipped by some saith he Is God worshipped in Temples made with hands Is not be worshipped in the spirit and in the truth the different letter wherein he puts it intimates that he would have us take it for Scripture and there are some words like his in Joh. 4. and Acts 17. but in neither of those places are either the same words or the same sence but it 's sufficient against him that there are not the same words 24. The 24 th Scripture perverted is Joh. 7.38 He that believeth on me saith Christ as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shalt flow rivers of living water where his belly is plainly spoken of him that believeth but G. Fox applies it to the light Christ saying p. 130. and believing in the light Christ out of whose belly flowed rivers of living mater The light the light must be magnified by G. F. and the Scripture must be wrested to that purpose come on it what will 25. The 25 th instance of his fallibility or deceitfulness in the use of Scripture is taken from p. 27. where he makes the Priest say A true Church is guilty of Injury G. F. Answ Contrary to the Scriptures where the Apostle saith the Church is the pillar ground of truth without spot or wrinkle or blemish or any such thing The Apostle saith indeed Eph. 5.25 27 Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing He saith That it might and should not that it is as our G. reperesents it 26. So he abuseth us with a defective quotation of the 30 th verse of the same Eph. 5. which he has both in the 11. and 12 th pages in the same manner as in divers other places The 11 p. thus Priest They are no Christians that doth not hold Christ absent from his Church but Antichrists By the way I believe he wrongs his Adversaries in making them speak bad English Answ Which is contrary to the Scriptures which say they are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone and they are as nigh together as husband and wife But the Apostle thus For we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones If he had not left out the former clause we are members of his body the latter clause which he takes would not so well have served his purpose and also have been more easily understood for we know it 's ordinary for a member of a Body or for the head it self of a Body which is an assembly as the word Ecclesia here rendered Church signifies to be in one Countrey when the Body or Society is at a far distance in another But this was not so discoverable in the Allegory of flesh and bones alone 27. The 27 th place shall show that our Author's memofulness or negligence as fallible rather more fallible than that of other men which is a great reflection upon his infallible spirit Thus p. 152. he saith And the Apostle said the deep things of God was revealed by the spirit of God It 's a small matter with him to make the Apostle speak bad English But the Apostle speaketh neither so nor so but God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 And v. 11. the Apostle saith But the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God but G. Fox thus p. 39. The natural man receiveth not the things that be of God he leaves out spirit though for ought he knows there may be a vast difference between the things of God and the things of the spirit of God as there is a vast difference between blasphemy against God which may be forgiven and the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which shall not be forgiven unto men Mat. 12.31 28. And if G. F. were a man capable either of rendring or understanding reason I would aske him why in using those words of Paul Rom. 14.9 he puts in the term God in stead of Lord for thus he saith p. 99. who Christ both died rose again that he might be God both of the dead and the living But the Apostle saith For to this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living So p. 17. Let the word of God dwell in you richly The Apostle hath Christ Col. 3.16 But this savours of his willingness to have no distinction between God and Christ For he saith p. 142. Christ is not distinct from the Father 29. And p. 160. by the Character he writes in he gives us these words for Seripture and so who is in Christ is a new creature And old things pass away But the A postle saith 2 Cor. 5.17 Therefore if any
come before in your Judicatories you are not of another mind before you hear the Judgment of those your Elders and sometimes afterward also and whether you do verily believe that in all cases that have been decided by you every particular person would have been of the same mind being alone as the Society was of in their determination Nay do you not sometimes find your selves aggrieved at the Judgment of men and are you not forced sometimes to set up the Judgment of a part or of the Elder against the Judgment of another part of the people If you are then how is the light in every one of you extended to every particular case or is the light contrary to it self in this and that man or number of men And where is the Infallibility you speak of in particular persons in all cases If you consider this well I am perswaded you will perceive that the light in every man especially in those whose Judgments have been prepossed with false notions as many of you have been before you were Quakers doth not teach him all things whatsoever but all things that are necessary for him to know in order to a holy trust in God and sincere obedience in the general course of his life Besides Doth not the light in every man teach him to make use of such helps and assistances as God has afforded him And doth not the Apostle Paul say whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Rom. 15.4 And the Apostle John These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his name Joh 20. 31. Now supposing the light in every man would teach him every particular thing it is always to be understood if he be obedients to what he knows and diligent in the use of those means God has afforded him of which we find the holy Scriptures are very great means and perhaps he has been negligent in the use of these indeed who can think any less of you who have suffered a Book to be set out in your names about 12 years agoe wherein I have shewed you about fifty false quorations not only false Interpretations or meanings besides non-sence and other faults and yet I am apt to think that scarce one in 500 of you that have read that Book have observed any such falsities And must we believe that God will still give you a light actually teaching you all things whatever how negligent soever you have been or are in the following of that he hath given you Must God be bound with his divine light and Inspiration to supply the defects of you Idleness and pride For when other men count it great mercy and favour in God that he is pleased through the vilest means that may be and through their earnest Study and diligence to grant them the knowledge of his will inlightning their minds by his holy Spirit you must have it like the Angels that always behold his face by immediate Revelation and without labour and Industry So now my friends I deny not that there is a light in every man which he is obliged under pain of the displeasure of the Almighty diligently to eye and follow that so doing it will lead him by degrees into all necessary truth and at length to eternal life I deny not but some of you have received and done much good by following this light but I must say again and that with great sorrow of heart that your preachers especially G. F. have greatly mistaken both the Teachings of and the Obedience to the Lights that your zeal been in great part not according to knowledge that you lay great snares in your onw way by binding your selves to those things to which God hath not bound you that in stead of worshipping God in spirit and truth you require the observation of ceremonies things in themselves neither good nor evil such are your not putting off the hat in Salutations not saying you but thou to a single person not calling him Master that is a Master and the like which your negative precepts no man in the world is one jot the better for your are the worse But above all your allegorical way of interpreting Scripture tends utterly to make it void and of no use and consequently to the ruine and overthrow of all Christian Religion Now I doubt not but there will be found among you more then one Solomon Eccles whose blood will boile within him and stir him up to the vindication of this great Prophet I can easily perswade my self that there is scarce any one of you that at least has at any time wrote any thing in your cause but he or she will think him or herself as soon they read the Title-page able to give a confuting answer to all that can be said against so worthy a person but I should think that as none of you is so able so none should be more provoked to defend him than your late Apologist William Pen who from Jenner's relation did observe that the only blasphemy was against G. Fox in speaking evilly of the Lord's servant p. 170. of that Apol. If he be moved to ingage in it I only beg of him that he would first be satisfied in his own conscience and light concerning that underta king and if he can do that I shall ever after have a better opinion of the Popish writers that ingage in defence of Transubstantiation Here I easily foresee one substantial Objection against me and Defence of George will be that I was ashamed of my name and durst not subscribe it to the charge Now I am almost ready to grant the last part of the Objection for I have some fear upon me on that acount and my reasons for it are such as these 1. There are some of your writers that make it a great part of their answers to Books the reproaching of the Author and they are very Rhetorical in that point and truly I desire rather a pertinent answer and am not willing to put into your hands an occasion for an impertinent one If you had my name then it must be considered what party I am of whether an Episcopalian Prechyterian Independent c. and accordingly all that is odious or so reputed either in the Doctrine or practice of the whole party or any particular person thereof must all be raked up against me and serve for a very plausible Answer Or if I should chance to be an old man of sixty six like your Adversary Jenner that would help as it doth against him to render me doting at every turn and be matter for a good part of an eighteen pence Apology Or if I have been a Brasier heretofore or a Tayler the world must be made to know what a pitiful mean fellow I am and must be told my name with Tinker or Tayler at the end one See the Apol. p. 2. But if this will not be enough you have a way that will serve you effectually to disgrace any man living so far as it is in your power and that is by suggesting as G. Whitehead against Mr. Danson Divinity of Christ p. 49. that he was given to Gaming Bowls and Nine-pins any crime whatsoever and when the suggestion is proved to be false if it so fall out unhappily you may come off as he by saying you did but quaere whether it was so or no you did not positively affirm it Will these things incourage any man to put his name into your hands that can keep it out Judge yee Besides I known not what disadvantage it will be to you not to know my name for what I have written will be as true without it as with it I confess that perhaps you will lose some of that sweetness of Revenge you would take in lustily bespattering me and that I am not willing to gratify you with I thank God through Jesus Christ I have a full testimony in my own Conscience both touching the causes and Inducements of my present writing viz. my hearty love and affection to Truth and your persons for whom I have longtime dayly prayed God who is light to lead you into the true light and the acknowledgment of the Mystery which was hid from Ages and Generations and also touching my faithfulness and Intergrity in the collection and Citations and Observations I have made so that whoever of you have a true discerning of spirits which you lay so great a claim to I am sure ye must justify me in what I have done and receive it as that which I was moved to in the general by the light of God and Christ in my heart But however you receive it or judge of it he that justifieth me is the Lord to whom I commit my self and it still praying for you for I am Your affectionate Friend FINIS The courteous Reader may be pleased to take notice that the words relating to Scripture in the Citations out of G. Fox should have been Printed in a different Character as they are in G o F's Book such are these p. 6.1.7 l. 12. p. 7. l. 21.14 p. 8. l. 12.13.24.25.27 p. 9. l. 15.17 them l. 30. p. 10. l. 20.29 p. 11. l. 25.26 p. 12. l. 〈◊〉 p. 13. l. 16.27 p. 14. l. 21.26 the Spirit l. 32. 82. ERRATA Page 7. l. 33. non read not p. 11. l. 18. r. found there p. 13. l. 〈◊〉 for I am only to 1. It 's enough that l. p. 31 l. 12 for 1 far p. 38. l. 25.1 think * In his Book called The Quakers Challenge thus Stand up Muggleton the sorcerer whose mouth is full of Cursing Lies and Blasphemy who call st thy last Book A looking Glass for George Fox whose name thou are not worthy to take into thy mouth who is a Prophet indeed and hath been faithful in the Lords business from the begâ—nning It was said of Christ That he was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not So it may â—o said of this true Prophet whom John said he war not but thou wilt feel this Prophet one day as heavy as a milstone upon thee and although the world know him not yet he is known