said Book occasionally coming to my hand by a Friend of mine in the fourth month last as I remember and I looked into the Book and read some part of it over and did fully observe the current of the matter conteined in it and the drift and intent of the Spirit of the Author and in my Meditations upon the same I found his work composed and made up of such kind of ingredients as these following First Ignorance Secondly Malice Thirdly Lyes and Slanders Fourthly Contradictions And fifthly Downright opposition to the Truth I say a certain composition I found in his Book made up of all these mixtures which he had published to the world 1 His Ignorance was apparent to me in asmuch as he had in some things mistaken and placed such and such things upon Account against us ignorantly and then seemed to confute them and give his Judgment against us thereupon and this meerly upon mistake through Ignorance fasly supposing we held such a thing which indeed we held not and so flying out against us in Judgment upon his ignorance and mistakes 2 His Malice was apparent in asmuch as he had slandered us and belied us without good Ground and Cause at all having perverted our words and meaning in many things and placed things against us deeply charging of us without any sound Reason at all rendred by him but meerly as to me doth appear upon his own malice and hatred purposely to render us odious to the World and to our enemies which must needs be out of malice and emnity and not out of love and Gentleness to inform us better and convert us if wee had been in error But I found him to be so far from that Spirit of love and good will towards us that he hath taken every occasion he could and also made occasions falsly to traduce us and to reproach us in the sight of our Enemies as it were on purpose to enrage the Spirit of the ungodly world to destroy us 3 His lyes and slanders were apparent in such an abundant manner throughout his Book that every page almost had some contained even as great reproaches and accusations as well could be as if we were Hereticks deniers of Christ having familiar Spirits Witches and what not Such kind of lyes and slanders as these I found a very great number in his Book it is true I have not accounted them in particular but made a guesse at the whole sum which I suppose may be above 200 of Lyes Slanders Callumnies falsereproaches Back-bitings Bitter words and such like 4 His Contradictions were apparent throughout his book in divers particulars sometimes saying thus and so and sometimes quite contrary sometimes accusing us of one occasion and some time accusing us of a contrary And thus his contradictions were made manifest as in our Answer is at large discovered as the Reader may observe 5 His down-right opposition to the Truth was apparent in as much as throughout his book he hath opposed the very Truth of the Gospel as particularly the Light of Christ which every man in the World is enlightned withall and concerning Quaking and Trembling and concerning the anointing and the sufficiency of its Teaching and concerning destroying the Whore the Word of God and Scriptures all these things cum multis aliis c. he hath opposed and gainsayed directly or indirectly and thus as is made manifest in this following Answer his whole work is compounded of such mixtures and ingredients as aforesaid as every impartial man may judge Well upon my further Considerations of his Book I found he had subtilly directed the current of his matter so as it might be taken notice of to be an eminent Work as he thought and yet not so to be taken notice of as if he had directed it immediatly is opposition to us called Quakers for I found not that name once mentioned in all his Book and yet implicitely he had directed it to us for his intent was I discovered to be against us by that word so often scornfully rehearsed To the Preachers of and to the Light within all men c. And by divers other things I found that his Book was intendedly against us and also that his said Book well deserved an Answer from us that the malicious intent thereof might be diverted though many other Considerations presented themselves in my mind at my first looking into his work as 1. The unreasonablenesse of the time of its bringing forth and publication to the world thought I is this a time and fit season for us and them to fall into contention one with another and to oppose each other to the end to discourage and dishearten each other in the sight of our publique Enemies who stands ready themselves to devour us both and by all means seeks occasions against us and to ruine us both if it were possible who doth account us as two parties of their greatest adversaries and are persecuting and imprisoning of us as one in opposition to them and would be glad to see us destroyed and it being thus with both us and the Baptists so called thought I again how unseasonable this mans work is at this day to fall to reproach us and traduce us in the fight of our Enemies thus opposing of us with tooth and nail giving thereby occasion both to his and our enemies to mock at us and laugh us to scorn rejoycing to see us whom they count their Enemies falling together by the ears and as it were tearing one another this I knew would be a great occasion to them against us both in such a season as this when as it would have been more meet to have encouraged one another and strengthned one another in the way of Truth and Righteousnesse and to have been helpfull to one another in our afflictions and sufferings espâ—cially in the things wherein we do agree against the common open prophanenesse and idolatry and persecution which abounds at this day in the world that we might have been a rejoycing one to another as Brethren in Truth seeing we are both a suffering People at this day and accounted Brethren by our Enemies rather then a cause of affliction and grief and greater tribulation one to another as this same J. W. had endeavoured in his Book to be the occasion of this and such like was my considerations upon which I concluded the unseasonablenesse of the time of publication of his Book and the folly and weaknesse of its Publisher 2. I considered the errour and ignorance of the man in respect of the subject of his matter as stated by him and prosecuted which is this against and in opposition to the Light within many times rehearsed oppositely and scornfully to the Preachers of and to the Lâ—ght within all men making this the subject matter of his opposition as if it were the greatest heresie that could be that any should preach up a Light within and this I found he had set himself to
THE Son of Perdition REVEALED By the brightness and light of the Son of God in his Saints And the Preachers of his Light within and their Doctrines Principles concerning the mysteries of God the weighty things of Salvation Vindicated and Cleared from the Reproacheâ— Slanders Calumnies cast upon them by the spirit of Satan and Antichrist which hath largely appeared in one Joseph Wright who esteems himself one appointed by the Flock of Christ for a Defence of the Truth of the Gospel as is apparent in his Book intituled A Testimony for the Son of man and against the Son of perdition c. which he hath given forth against them that preach the Light within But herein his Pride Insolency and Impudency are Reproved and his bundle of Errors Blasphemies Confusions and Slanders in his book against the Light and the Children of it Discovered And the eternal Truth in its own clearnesse touching many weighty Principles of the True Religion made manifest for the satisfaction of the people and of all that are doubtful By the Light of the Son of God in his Servants Geo. Whitehead Edw. Burroughs LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the sign of the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate 1661. A Table of the Chief Heads of the following Discourse 1 COncerning the Light within Christs coming in the flesh and dying for all men 2 Concerning the Nature and State of Christ of the soul of man and of the Saints partaking of the Divine Nature 3 Concerning the Resurrection from the dead 4 Concerning that Light in the Consciences of people which the Preachers of the Light within appeal to and the subject of their Exhortations by which men are converted and edified 5 Concerning Ordinances 6 Concerning Quaking and Trembling 7 Concerning the sufficiency of the Light and the Annointing within to teach all that do believe 8 Concerning meeting together and silent waiting upon the Lord with somewhat about Back-sliders and the spirit that acts them 9 Concerning Humility and Vnity 10 Concerning destroying the Whore discovering secrets and sufferings c. 11 Concerning the Word of God and the Scriptures and the Word and the Writings truly distinguished 12 Concerning the Infallible Teacher and that it is the Spirit of God that gave forth the Scriptures and not the Scriptures The Epistle to the Reader FOR as much as it hath pleased the God of Truth and Righteousness most gloriously to appear in these last dayes in the hearts of his people according to his promises of old who hath said That he would exalt his Mountain upon the top of all Mountains and his House should be established and his Kingdome should be set up spiritually in the Hearts of the Children of men and he hath promised to dwell in men and to walk in them and write his Law in their Hearts and put his Spirit within them and they should be his People and he would be their God and he alone would be their Teacher and Comforter and his Day-star should arise in their Hearts and the Light of his Glorious Gospel should shine in their Consciences These things hath the Lord promised and he is a fulfilling of them in these our dayes in and amongst his People Blessed be his Name for ever for he hath opened the eyes of the blind and caused them to see and Light is risen out of obscurity and darkness is passing away and the Light of the Day even of the Day of God is approached nigh unto his People and Life and Immortality hath he brought to Light in his People by the Light of his Glorious Gospel which shines in their Hearts and they are become the Temple of the Holy One and his Habitation is with them and his Promises are fulfilled and fulfilling abundantly this Day our Eyes have seen our Ears have heard and we have tasted of the VVord of Life which is revealed in us and these things we cannot but bear witness of and testifie concerning them unto all the world that they may partake with us of that heavenly virtue and be satisfied therewith for evermore through faith in Christ Jesus and receiving of him to dwell in them that they may not be reprobates for all in whom Christ is not are reprobates as it is written in the Scriptures of Truth But notwithstanding though the Lord hath promised these things and is now fulfilling of them amongst us to his Glory and Honour yet that adversary the Devil and Satan doth not cease to make opposition against this good work of the Lord if it were possible to prevent and stop the purpose of the Almighty in his proceedings of fulfilling his promises unto his people and it is not unknown through these parts of the world how many and divers kinds of oppositions the Devil hath made through his Children against the VVork of God What woful Persecution of these late rears hath been brought forth upon the Innocent people in whom the Lord is fulfilling his Promises What cruelty exercised What reproaches and slanders uttered And what obstructions and oppositions hath been made of these late years against an Innocent people t is hard to be exprest every City and Town and Country must bear witness of that cruel Persecution and hard dealing that hath been exercised upon the Innocent people and for no other end but for Truth and Righteousnesse fake and from no other cause but from the enmity of the seed of Wickednesse in the ungodly world for the end to oppose and stop the work of the Lord and these things are so God and Angels and Saints do bear witnesse And also the opposition hath been great against the work of the Lord not onely by outward open opposition and persecution through prophane and cruel men but also by the Professors of Religion of our age even of such as have cryed the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are we and such as have professed Ordinances Churches and Fellowships and that have thought themselves to be men of Wisdome and Conscience even such as these have lift up their hands against the Lords Work and have consulted and imagined mischief against the Lords interprize for as the prophane World have persecuted by cruel reproaches and abuses Imprisonments and unjust dealing as aforesaid so also have the professors and wise men of this Generation Preached and Prayed and written Books and published their principal Reasons and Arguments against the Way of the Lord and all this in the opposition to the Work of the Lord an evidence hereof is manifested by Joseph Wright in his Testimony for the Son of Man so called in which Book he hath fully opposed and gain sayed the Truth of the Gospel and the People bearing witness thereunto amongst whom the Work of the Lord is blessed and prosperous yet hath he partly out of Ignorance and partly out of malice set himself in opposition against the work of the Lord and against his Truth and people as aforesaid And his
Answ. As for discerning of Spirits I do say it is the gift of God that God giveth unto his People and there is such a gift in the true Church as discerning of Spirits and secrets and this same gift God hath given some at this day but that we discern not the mystery of Christ Jesus nor of God manifest in the flesh this is J. W. his accustomed language to wit of lyes and falshood which I sum up to the rest of his Lyes and as for our being guided by the Spirit of Antichrist and deceiving others thereby this is spoken in his haste if not in his malice and because he gives no proof for it I passe it with the Answer of a plain denial And as for mistake of persons or things which he imputes to us suppose it be true which he saith yet this proves us not to be dissemblers and deceived as he concludes of us for was not the Apostle Paul who had the gift of discerning sometimes mistaken as particularly in the case of the High-Priest and afterwards said he wist not that it was Gods High-Priest now J. W. would have charged Paul by the same rule he charges us that he was ignorant of the mysteries of Christ and led by the Spirit of Antichrist and a deceiver and dissembler and deceitfull dealer and that he had not the Spirit of discerning but was proud in heart Why because he mistook a Person but such false judgement J. W. spends in his haste and malice Now I come to the fifth Particular about sufferings and J. VV. saith It is not sufferings onely which makes a Martyr but the cause for which the sufferings are and he bids leave off boasting in our sufferings for Romish Priests though great Adversaries to the Truth yet for sufferings they exceed us and we suffer many times as evil doers and there is a Spirit in us that waits but for an opportunity to make others to suffer and he speaks of one that hath been threatned to be thrust out of doors by head and shoulders and sayes you will be as free to execute punishment whensoever you obtain Power to enable you to do it c. page 190 191. Answ. 1. As for sufferings we do confesse that we are and have been a suffering people under cruel persecutions even to death and banishment out of the Dominions where some of us have lived and such our sufferings have been for the Name of the Lord and for good Conscience sake this the Lord himself from Heaven bears witness of daily and then what need we care for all J. VV. saith with his lying Spirit to the contrary and some of our Friends have been Martyrs not because of their sufferings onely but for the cause for which they have suffered which is the direct cause of God and of a good Conscience and J. VV. is never able to prove the contrary though we do not boast of our sufferings as he falsly saith nor do we look upon our selves to be the People of God because we suffer but we know we are the people of God and therefore we suffer and herein is Christs words fulfilled upon us who said as they have done unto me so shall they do unto you and they shall speak all manner of evil on you for my Names sake and he that suffers as a Christian it is a Testimony to him that he is of God and that his Persecutors are of the Devil 2. As for the Romish Priests who have deeply suffered though I will not say for Truth and Righteousness sake yet their sufferings are a shame to your Generation who cannot suffer for that which you call the Truth as they do for that which you call falshood and do not they here shame you who can suffer death for their Religion but you Baptists that was lately tryed by Imprisonment though at first many of you refused to swear as out of point of Conscience yet afterwards the generall part of you did deny your own Principles and did swear contrary to the command of Christ and to what once your selves professed and for which you were imprisoned and thus you proved deceitful Persons and Hypocrites and such as would neither keep Conscience to God nor Faith to men and J. VV. himself came feebly off in this point as some well knowes and so indeed he had need to plead that suffering is no good sign seeing he and his Brethren could not suffer no not so much as the Romish Priests to their shame be it told who were many of you in great confusion about that very thing of Swearing some of you holding against it and some writing for it and suffering a while for refusing and at last did swear and so made your selves a scorn to your Enemies and proved your selves to be in confusion and treacherous to your own Principles and Consciences 3. In that he chargeth that we suffer many times as evil doers and not for the sake of Christ and Truth we charge him to prove this in his next or else silence shall be taken that he acknowledgeth himself to be a Lyar and Slanderer and as for our waiting an opportunity to make others to suffer this is onely his envious surmise and for some threatning others as he saith and cursing them having no better weapons this I account like the rest of his stories not worth answering though t is possible J. VV. judgeth of us by himself as if we wanted Power to execute what our wills could do this I verily believe is the state of him and his Brethren for we have Power enough according to the will of God and out of his will desires no more Power though J. VV. wickedly suggests as if we would be cruel like himself but this is but his imaginations and not worth heeding for God hath made us long-suffering and patient towards all men CHAP. XI Concerning the word of God and the Scriptures and the word and writings truly distinguished NOw I passe over to his fifth Chapter as finding little to oppose between the 192. page and the 205. excepting half a score of Lyes which I leave till J. W. and I meet which I hope may be in a good season and his fifth Chapter contains Concerning the Scriptures and the word of God and he charges us that we deny the Doctrine of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the word of God and uses reproachful language concerning it and speaks of one laying the Bible upon the ground and setting his feet upon it and we delight to abuse the Scriptures and are filled with rage against the Word of God and that we foam out disdain against the Scriptures and then takes in hand to prove the Scriptures to be the VVord of God c. page 205. Answ. 1. Here is a grievous charge laid down and managed in manner as aforesaid for it is utterly false that we use any reproachful language concerning the holy Scriptures neither ever have
which doth convince and convert and turn from darknesse to Light and how can their Doctrine be from the same inspiration which is against the Doctrine of the Scriptures page 219 220. 222. Answer Here Joseph Wright hath jumbled some illiterate Logick which may be proved false as thus the Scriptures its true doth declare of the things that ought to be done and believed and the things that ought not to be done as to the general part of things Yet there are many particular Actions and things which the Scriptures do not make manifest and we would have J. W. to leave a little room and work for the Spirit of God and not thus utterly to reject it for the scripture saith it is the Spirit that reveals the Things of God and the Mystery of Salvation and not the scriptures viz. the writings and that sure word of Prophesie which Peter speaks of that was as a Light shining a dark place was something more sure then the very words which Christ spoke with his mouth to them which were written by Matthew and the light which shone as in a dark place to which they were to take heed was more sure to them then Christs words which were written and were scriptures and thus J. W. may see his mistake and perverting of scriptures if he will be but sober and reasonable and that the Commandement of the Lord is Pure and the word is a Lamp we do not deny but gives as full witnesse of as J. W. can do and therefore he needs not cite these scriptures to oppose us for it s thy malitious Spirit that opposeth us not the scriptures for we acknowledge to the truth of these scriptures by the Spirit which gave them forth which is greater then the scriptures and as for the powerful operation of the Doctrine of the Scriptures it is not of themselves that they do operate in any but it is by the Spirit that gave them forth which worketh in the Hearts of Believers to comfort and refresh with the Love of God and it is the spirit according to the scriptures that doth convince and convert and not the scriptures without the Spirit as J. W. would say and it was the Gospel that Paul Preached that turned them from darkness to Light and not the writings which say that the Gospel is the Power of God and not the writings and it is meer ignorance in J. W. to intimate that our Doctrine is against the Doctrine of the Scriptures this I shall account amongst thy slanders and it is not the least of them And whereas thou flyest out high in high words against us That we must consider and leave our inventions else sin will lye at our doors and our bloods will be upon our heads c. and there is no less then four lies in thy last page but these words are to thy self and not unto us for we are not the persons concerned we follow not vain inventions but we are saved out of our blood through Jesus Christ and for J. W. now to exhort us to repentance when as in page 47. he hath given absolute judgement on us without limitation That the mist of Darkness is reserved for ever for us This is a direct contradiction which shews what spirit he has been guided by in all his work And thus we have searched and examined J. W's whole work from the beginning to the end and given an answer to the material parts thereof saving that we have not mentioned many lies and slanders which we have passed over and do reserve them till we come face to face otherwise till our next reply and what we have written we must commit to the judgement of the Spirit of God in all sober persons who may for their own edification compare his work and ours together and truly weigh each of them in the ballance of equity and to the spirit of found judgement and to the Fear of the Lord all are committed and commended in the reading and considering and judging of these things Last of all for a final Conclusion for present if it be supposed by J. W. that this is not a sufficient Answer to his Book I do propound unto him this further in order to the satisfaction of any sober persons if any be doubtfull in this case That first both of us may agree to appoint a convenient time and place for a meeting to dispute it out face to face that which yet remains in controversie between us 2. This being done that all his Friends and ours that are doubtfull or desirous of such a thing may have knowledge of it 3. That in such meeting no foul reflections nor impertinences nor bitternesse of Spirit be allowed on either part but discretion and moderation 4. I shall first take in hand to prove a very great number of Lyes contradictions and falshoods in his Book 5. Then I shall hear his Defence for himself and his Objections against any thing in ours and answer them and after this manner shall be our proceedings if we do meet It s true times and seasons are unsuitable for such a meeting and work yet rather then any Detriment should fall upon the Truth or the cause of preaching the Light within be endangered to harm I am willing to hazard the greatest adventure hoping we may do such a thing if necessity require in that Wisdom and Prudence as may not offend any This I shall leave as my farewell to my Antagonist at this time and thus seal up the whole sum E. B. THE END ERRATA IN the 6. page of the Preface line 5. for contra read contrary in the 7â— page of the Preface line 27. for this work read his work in the 2. page of the book line 9. read we vindicate l. 14. read and his pleading against free-grace to all confuted p. 3. l. 29. for own while r. one while p. 6. l. 31. for strife r. self p. 17. l. 29. for arising which r. arising with p. 27. l. 9. for then r. their p. 31. l. 13. r Ignorant of it p. 48. l. 22. for receive r. reverence p. 50. l. 11. r. tell Lyes * Witnesse Jer. Ives who openly swore to get himself out of prison after he had written against swearing for which some of them called Quakers openly witnessed against him also divers others of the Baptists did swear for fear of suffering as also the said Jer. Ives and John Tombs and Hen Den who have long been Teachers did divulge their deceitful stuff in their books for swearing as those that sought to betray the simplicity of God in others of their brethren who were more conscientious then themselves who could not with a safe Conscience swear though some through the deceit of their Teachers were diverted from the Truth in their own consciences