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A65844 The case of the Quakers concerning oaths defended as evangelical in answer to a book, entituled, The case of the Quakers relating to oaths stated by J.S. Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723. 1674 (1674) Wing W1899; ESTC R19753 38,726 52

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Judge we pray what Retractation is this And should not our Opposer have shewed us where he retracted that Opinion aforesaid against Oaths if he could or where ever he acknowledg'd himself convinc'd that this was an Error His Submission was principally to the Evangely or Gospel of Jesus Christ which J. S. leaves out as he doth holy before Church we hope he will not charge W. Brute that he design'd a Submission contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ being that principal thing without which the other could not determine But we do not find that W. Brute retracted any more in the words above then he did sometime before when he told the Bishop thus If any man will shew me that I Err in my Writing or Sayings by the Authority of sacred Scripture or by Authority of Reason grounded thereon I will humbly and glady receive his Determination But as for the bare words of any Teacher Christ only excepted I will not simply believe except he be able to establish them by the Truth of Experience or of the Scripture Now consider Reader that this was but a Submission conditionally proposed any more then the other and that some time after this he positively wrote against Oaths for which we refer thee to the Quotations And this conditional Submission seems rather to argue his Belief that they could not convince him of Error herein no more then the Bishop of Hereford did when he could not confute Walter Brute's Exhibits on his own Defence And has it not been a common thing with many established in the Truth to propose such conditional Submissions to be convinced and receive Information by or according to the Holy Scriptures For our parts we do not find this man's Representation of Walt●r Brute to have so much as a face of Truth in it or that he was either doubtful of or did recant of that Opinion charged against him by the publick Notary viz. That he held that it is not lawful for Christians for any Cause in any Case to swear by the Creator neither by the Creature But rather that he was positive in this amongst his last Testimonies against the Pope and Church of Rome see Act. Mon. vol. ● fol. 653. As for J. S. his Conclusion pag. 43. it savours both of Scorn and Envy and a Persecuting Spirit that would instigate the King and Parliament to afflict us as if we were not Conscientious in what we profess but we knowing the contrary in our Consciences as being therein oblieged to Christ and his Command we sleight our Enemies Flouts and Revilings To his saying The Order of Middleburgh is no ways applicable to the Quakers Case who have refus'd to pay Church duties The man seems herein wilfully to shut his Eyes for the said Order is very plain for Liberty of Conscience and Freedom from the Imposition of Oaths unto those Inhabitants who refus'd the taking the accustom●d Oaths and who instead thereof proffered as the Quakers do That their Yea should stand instead of an Oath and the Transgressors thereof be punished as perjured Persons which with the Advice of the Governour and Council of Zealand was accordingly ordained and confirmed That this Peoples Yea aforesaid should stand instead of an Oath before the Magistrates of the said City A Noble President to our Purpose Obj. But the Quakers have refused to pay Church-Duties and thereby Rob the Royal Exchequer which is partly supplyed out of Tenths and First Fruits To the first of refusing to pay Church-Duties it seems he means Tythes to the Priests And must we therefore not be allowed the Liberty of our Consciences but be exposed to Ruin Loss of Estates and Livelihoods because we cannot pay Tenths to the Priests Oh hard Man and unjust Judge that respects more the Pope's Yoak and Antichristian Imposition then the Lives or Liberties of Protestant Subjects and True Christians And his implying an Indulgence for us if we did not refuse to pay the Priests Tythe is like as to tell us We may have the Liberty of our Consciences if we will be Conformable Oh generous Indulgence to such as need it not Could our Consciences serve us to Conform Pay Tythes Uphold Priests c. what needed we make Address for Liberty His charge of Robbing the Royal Exchequer is envious and false shewing a Persecuting Spirit The Priests ●yth-Barns are not the Royal Exchequer we cannot help to fill them They demand Tyths of us not only of our Lands but of the Fruits and Encrease of our Labours and Industry a manifest Extortion and their Demand of them is as Ministers of Christ and on a Religious Account as claiming a Divine Right in neither of which are we sati●fied nor can we own either and we have reason to think that the King is more Merciful to them about the First Fruits then they are to us and doth not so severely prosecute or strictly look after them as they do to us having caused many deeply to suffer both in Persons and Estates and made grievous Havock by taking away and spoiling mens Goods driving away their Cows Oxen c. many times more then the value of the Tvthe besides the sweeping away House-hold Goods and exposing many poor industrious Families to Ruin as also the many long tedious Imprisonments which they have caused many to suffer in till Death But when have we refused to pay our Civil-Duties or Taxes being in a Capacity that is out of Bonds and Sufferings which have disabled many And if the King and Great Council of the Nation were pleased to repeal those old Laws inforcing the Payment of Tythes and to convert them into some necessary civil Use as for the Poor or some National Service and Benefit it would appear whether we should not pay our parts and whether the Royal Exchequer would not be conveniently supplyed without the Tenths from the Priests As for our Desire of being exempted from taking an Oath because our Consciences will not allow us to swear to this our Adversary adds viz. When you actually do Swear in as solemn august a Form as its possible for the Tongue of man to express even then when you say You dare not Swear God who is the Searcher of Hearts knows that it is with a Holy Respect to the Reputation of Christianity the Evangelical Dispensation and to Christ's express Prohibition c. This Person has given us various Definitions of an Oath of which he reckons that to say God who is the Searcher of Hearts knows is a most solemn august Form of Swearing But surely he egregiously misseth in this for at this rate of defining a solemn form of an Oath we shall scarce know how to mention the Name of God in any serious or solemn Way either in Prayer Thanksgiving Appeal to him either as witness for us or singly as desiring that the Truth may be discovered in any case but this must all be lookt upon as a most solemn and august Form