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A32812 A skirmish made upon Quakerism being a brief confutation of a most gross principle or point of doctrine published and maintained by one William Penn, a Quaker, in a certain book entituled Quakerism a nick-name for old Christianity, subverting religion and all duty both to God and man / by J.C. J. C. (John Cheyney) 1676 (1676) Wing C3827; ESTC R24826 11,214 16

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A SKIRMISH MADE UPON QUAKERISM Being a Brief CONFUTATION OF A most gross PRINCIPLE or Point of Doctrine Published and Maintained by one WILLIAM PENN a Quaker In a certain Book Entituled Quakerism a Nick-name for old Christianity Subverting Religion and all Duty both to God and Man By J. C. a Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed for Richard Butler next door to the Lamb and Three Bouls in Barbican 1676. Imprimatur Hic Tractatus cui Titulus A Skirmish upon Quakerisme cui nulla praefigitur Praefatio Ab. Campion Reverendissimo Domino Archiepisc Cant. à Sac. Domest 16 Sept. 1676. A SKIRMISH MADE UPON QUAKERISM THere have risen up in these dayes of outs a Sect of People called Quakers about the Year 1652. declaring themselves to be a People fearing God above all the Families of the Earth and that do Worship him in his own Way viz. in Spirit and in Truth such also as do love God above all and their Neighbours as themselves c. as we are told by their own Writers Moderate Enquirer Pag. 3. concerning whom and their Principles many are sufficiently informed by their own Experience and Observation and by the Writings which are extant and are sufficiently established in the Truth by the Grace of God in their Souls and are better able to over-throw erroneous Principles than I. Confessing my own slender Abilities to any such Service and relying only upon the clearness of the Cause I presume to tender to Christian People an Account of one Capital Position and Fundamental Errour of the Quakers asserted by one William Penn who styles himself one of them in a Book Entituled Quakerism a new nick-Name for old Christianity Chap. 7. Pag. 71. with a brief confutation of it If any one demand a reason of my doings in this case I beg his candour and charity reason of I have in mine own breast known and approved to others that know me I do not forbear to mention them because I distrust them but I think the matter needs not and I would not trouble the Reader with more than needs if God and Conscience approve me thou may'st well rest in the matter delivered as some reason to stay thy enquiry and a little charity will serve for the rest I have by me sundry other of their Errours gathered out of their Books very gross and intolerable with the constitation of them but I forbear at present to make them publick and shall only now present the Reader with one but such a one as may serve for all and there needs no more to the subverting of all Piety Charity and Equity then this one which I here set down in his own Words No command in the Scripture is any farther obliging upon any Man than as he finds a conviction upon his Conscience It is conviction that can only oblige to Obedience When any Man is convinced that what was commanded another is required of him then and not till then he is rightly authorized to perform it For the confutation of this Position I shall advertise and premise this That the Quakers are by us charged to deny and subvert the Scriptures which Charge they do deny and account it a most vile and ungodly slander and would not in any wise be thought to diminish ought in the least from the just authority and eminency of the Scriptures and profess to be great honourers of them and to build their Religion and Hopes upon the Scriptures So that by their own confessions they give us ground to argue from the Scriptures against them I shall here manifest that for all their pretence and profession of just respect to the Scriptures they do quite subvert and undermine them contradicting their own concessions and opening a Flood-gate to all Errour Atheism Impiety and Wickedness and that this Position of Penn's is the overthrow of all Law and Government a most intolerable and damnable Errour I. Since they profess so stick to the Scriptures and that the Scriptures do in all Points make for them and against us let them produce any one Text of Scripture containing any such assertion or favouring it Let Penn. produce any one Scripture which willeth any Man to forbear Obedience to the command of God and Scripture till he shall be convinced thereof or suspending the Authority and Obligation of Scripture-command till Conscience shall be convinced Let the whole Bible be consulted and view every Command and see if any such clause can be found Instance in all the ten Commandments where doth God say none of these Commands shall oblige any Man whose Conscience is unconvinced or contrary convinced Instance in any the Precepts of the Gospel believe on the Lord Jesus Christ repent and be converted deny your selves and take up the Cross worship God in Spirit and in truth and the like where is there any such clause as Penn's None of all these Commands shall oblige you further then you be convinced in Conscience So when the Scripture forbiddeth Hypocrisie forbiddeth Sensuality or other sin Where doth it say as Penn saith None of these Prohibitions are obliging further then there is a conviction upon your consciences I provoke him and all his partakers to produce any Word of Scripture requiring Man's conviction as a condition antecedent to the being and binding force of God's commands 2. If this Position of Penn's be true then sins of Ignorance are no sins for all conviction is by knowledge where there is no knowledge there can be no conviction upon the conscience So that this Position justifieth all sins of Ignorance And whereas God in Scripture faith It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will have no mercy on them Isa 27.11 by Penn's Position it should rather be said You want knowledge and so want conviction and therefore God will have mercy upon you And whereas God by Scripture saith My people perish for lack of knowledge Hos 4.6 by Penn's Position it should rather be said Your want of knowledge disobligeth you from obeying Gods commands because without knowledge you cannot be convinced and without conviction the command of Scripture hath nothing to do with you This doth justifie the Jews murder of Jesus Christ for the Scripture saith they did it ignorantly Acts 3.17 and had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2.8 This doth justifie Paul's Blasphemy and Persecution and gross sins against the Gospel before his conversion because he saith be did it ignorantly 1 Tim. 1.13 And whereas Paul doth up and down confess his sins and acknowledgeth himself not worthy to be called an Apostle because he persecuted the Church of God Penn's Position tells another story What needst thou accuse and judge thy self before all the Churches of Christ by such confessions for no command in Scripture is of any such force to oblige ignorant unbelieving sinners Thou didst all this in thy ignorance and unbelief and therefore they were no sins and crimes