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cause_n	defence_n	fail_v	great_a	37	3	2.1124	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46640	Verus Patroclus, or, The weapons of Quakerism, the weakness of Quakerism being a discourse, wherein the choicest arguments for their chief tenets are enervat, and their best defences annihilat : several abominations, not heretofore so directly discovered, unmasked : with a digression explicative of the doctrine anent the necessity of the spirits operation, and an appendix, vindicating, Rom. 9. from the depravations of an Arminian / by William Jamison.	Jameson, William, fl. 1689-1720.	1689 (1689)	Wing J445; ESTC R2476	154,054	299

ought to receive any Command from any man or thing without him yea or from the Scriptures themselves And further denyeth without any limitation that the Scriptures ought to be called a Rule And all this tho most blasphemously and absurdly yet most consonantly to the Quakers Principles Our Vindicator in stead of doing Service to his Party notably prevaricateth their Cause not sticking to give away their great Principles while other shifts for defence thereof fail him 4. What he addeth without the operation of the Spirit men cannot obey to the good of their own Souls is altogether impertinent as if one should in answer to a Man enquiring what Duties he ought to perform to such a Superiour tell him what for the time he was in case to perform so as to reap any Advantage thereby which would be as the Proverb goes falcem pro ligone dare 5. He quietly slideth over without so much as naming these words of Furley viz. yea it is the greatest error of the World that ever was invented and the Ground of all error to affirm that the Scriptures ought to be a Rule to Christians which Doctrine as it rendereth any Lover of God and his Word secure from being tainted with Quakerisme so that the palpableness of the Blasphemy is an Antidote to the Poison in like manner it hath rendered our Vindicator speechless denuding him of his Shifts of Primary and Secondary Rule under the Protection of which distinction the Quakers would fain shroud themselves For in these words of Furley there is no mention of a Primary or Secondary Rule which without doubt Furley had made if he had believed the Scripture to be a secondary Rule seing certainly he was not ignorant that the Quakers were branded with the name of being Enemies to Scripture 6. In the last place our Vindicator declareth that all he hath hitherto said in D●fence of Furley was but the patrociny of a very bad and indefendible Cause in that he would fasten upon his Adversary the Falsification of Furleys Words For if they were falsified why attempted he to defend them as they were while the sense was quite altered and perverted as he insinuateth Moreover if those words of Furley were falsified he was bound to have vindicated and delivered them as they were written by Furley which doubtlesse he was in case to do if there had been any such thing seing he professeth that he hath Knowledge of the Matter which he doth not professe concerning any Quaker mentioned in his Adversaries Book Hence it is evident that his Adversary is not at all guilty of the ignominious Epithets of Fool and Calumniator but whether or not they light upon the Author I leave it unto men of Judgment to consider 4. From what is said it is most evident that the Scriptures according to the Judgment of Quakers are in no sense to be counted a Rule and lay no obligation upon any to believe and walk according to them Hence William Pen sayeth that the Spirit of God who is God is the alone Rule of a Spiritual Christian viz. of Faith and Life for of that he is handling Rejoin Pag. 76. And this the most of their Arguments if they prove any thing intend As for Example that common Topick of the Quakers viz. That which was the Rule of the Patriarchs Faith before the Scriptures were written is the Rule of ours now But I subsume that the Scriptures of the old and New Testament were in no respect the Rule of the Patriarchs Faith. Ergo according to the Quakers the Scriptures in no respect can be called the Rule of Faith and Manners but finding that the grossnesse of this Doctrine bewrayeth it self and too palpably unmasketh its abettors they have invented several distinctions under the Covert of which they might shroud themselves and elude all the Arguments whereby the Scriptures are proved to be the Rule of Faith and Manners As that the Scriptures are the Verbal and Histicorical Rule of Faith which is the Devils Faith but not of saving Faith. Thus speaketh William Pen Rejoin Pag. 71. But that wherein they place their Sacred Anchor or main strength is that of Adequate and Primary inadequate or secondary Rule asserting that the Scriptures are not the adequate or compleat and Principal Rule of Faith and Manners but only an inadequate in-compleat and secondary Rule That is that the Scriptures contain not all that we are bound to believe or do and that we ought to believe or practise nothing tho never so clearly holden forth or commanded in the Scriptures as for example that God sent his Son into the World or that we ought to love God or our Neighbour except by a miraculous Revelation from Heaven as Hubberthorn in his Reply to Sherlock speaketh we be told the same thing over again By which Revelation we ought say they to examine the Scriptures And because we deny this Doctrine and abhorre it as the Flood-gate of all errors They cry out that we are carnal Enemies to the Spirit void of Light upon this ground also the Ministers that make the Scriptures the Rule of their Doctrine they call by the Names of Baals Priests Thieves Devils Enemies of God with a thousand of the like denominations wherefore that the State of the Controversy may appear and our Adversaries be deprived of their lurking places I premit this assertion in order to the production of true and saving Faith two Principles are required First The Declaration of the Object or thing to be believed or practised which is commonly called in the Schools Objective Revelation This may be either immediate as it was of old to the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles To whom God himself immediatly did speak and dictate his will without the Intervention of any thing as a medium or mids Declaring that Revelation to the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles or it may be mediat as it was in respect of those to whom the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles delivered it and as it is in respect of us for whose sake the Prophets and Apostles wrote it Rom. 15.4 The other thing necessary for the Production of Saving Faith is the operation or influence of the Spirit of God whereby the vail of natural blindnesse is removed and the eyes of the soul or the understanding are opened to know and believe the wonderful things contained in Gods written Law and to see these divine Characters that are imprinted upon the Scriptures and to understand the Scriptures from the Scriptures themselves so that the Person thus savingly illuminated attendeth to and heartily closeth with what is delivered in the Scriptures And this is ordinarly called Subjective Revelation or more properly Illumination or an application of the Revelation made already hactenus factae as Dr. Baron speaketh This Doctrine is clear and most intelligible to all that will not close their eyes The Truth of which is proven by the following Scriptures Psal. 119. 18. Luk. 24 46. 2 Cor. 3.15 16. Rev.

in the Soul are not God under what notion soever he be taken a Declaration of the Fountain is not the fountain it self Hence the Quakers grand principle that immediat objective Revelations are the primary Rule of their Faith falleth to the Ground and these imprinted Rules are but only secondary Ergo even according to what is here gained from the Quakers the Scriptures are equal even in their primariness to immediat Revelations for the one can no more be called the primary Rule than the other and that by the Quaker his own Concession Moreover seing these immediat Revelations imprinted on the Soul are not the primary but secondary Rule then certainly they ought to be examined according to the primary Rule Now to assert this is most impious Seing these Revelations must be supposed to be self evident and their Divinity already undoubtedly apparent For this is to maintain that we ought to doubt whether or not there is veracity in God and horresco referens Judge that the God of Truth may prove the lyar and deceive us But once more how shal these imprinted secondary Rules be examined not by other words or dictats of whatsoever kind for to do this will cost the examiner a journey to in finitum to which he will not come in haste seing these other Dictats or Revelations are not the Fountain but a Declaration of the Fountain more than the first and to assert that these Revelations may be examined according to God himself and not by the Word of God is to go some stages beyond the wildest of nonsense and again there is very good Reason to wonder why any Revelation should be more primary than the Scriptures both being given by the same Spirit seing the primarinesse is not the immediatness but the chief binding power the prerogative to be the touch-stone of all Doctrines Now this notion of a primary Rule being had there is very good Reason to wonder why the Dictats of the Spirit should be preferred before the Scriptures seing God hath told whether mediatly or immediatly it 's all one the Quakers themselves dare not deny that God hath indeed said it that they are able to make the Man of God wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.16 17. And hath commanded and commended the perusal of them as the Book in the determination of which we ought finally and surely to rest in the matters of greatest import Isai. 8.20 Ioh. 5.39 Act. 17.11 2 Pet. 1.19 20. With many other places But on the other hand in all the Scriptures there is not so much as the least intimation that all persons within the Church and fa● less all men have divine immediat Objective Revelations by which they may examine and discern good from evil and here he is very angry with his adversary because he accused him of confounding in his Apology the principal Rule and the principal Leader and yet as though he had not confounded them compleatly enough in his Apology he here again in his Vindication in one and the same page viz. 38. both calleth the Spirit as imprinting Truths into the Soul the primary Rule as was even now cited and also the same Spirit the principal Leader as imprinting Rules into the Soul to walk by by which Rules must be understood the Truths he spake of just now above here the Reader may see that not only the same thing is both Principal Leader and principal Rule but also that there is not so much as a Metaphysical formality betwixt them for both of them is God under the notion of imprinting Rules or Truths into the soul yet the confidence I shal not say the impudence hath he to deny that he confounded them 8. But the Quakers well knowing that if God speaking in the Holy Scriptures be admitted Judge of the present Debates between us and them Or if the Holy Scriptures be not Esteemed False Ambiguous and Nonsensical then their cause is lost and their great Diana of Immediat Revelations and the rest of their Monstruous and Impious Doctrine falls to the ground they assert with the Papists that the Spirit of God Speaking in the Scriptures is not his own Interpreter and so bereave the Scriptures of that which is the Soul Sense and Marrow thereof denying all Scripture Interpretation though never so Genuine and Clear except they have Immediat Objective Revelation to tell them that such a Meaning is true Hence they say they may very well reject all our Interpretations and Consequences of Scripture seeing we do not pretend to the Spirit that gave forth the Scripture but declare our selves Enemies to it Thus replyeth George Keith to Mr. Iohn Alexander Truths Def. Chap. 8. Behold Reader the grossest of Popish Shift●● to defend the grossest of Popish Doctrine for the Papists still say that we can know nothing Certainly because we reject their Doctrine of Infallibility just so do the Quakers maliciously belying the whole Reformed Churches Impiously crying out that they are Enemies to the Spirit of God and that because we examine all Doctrines and Practices by the written Word of God. Hence we find that the Spirit the Quakers pretend to is Diametrically opposite to the Scriptures and therefore the Spirit of Lies and Delusion at this they are enraged and cannot away with it Nam trepidant immisso lumine manes Hence William Pen thus speaketh Rej. Pag. 72. Let them shew me that Scripture that plainly and uninterpretatly tells me such a proposition is true and such a One is false that only consists of their additional Meanings such a new Nick-named People Right and such wrong and they do their busines If they cannot as it is impossible they should they must have recourse to some thing else to Rule and Determine and what can that be besides that Eternal Spirit Thou seest Judicious Reader that according to the Quakers God speaking in the Scriptures cannot tell us what is true or what is false who are Right or who are Wrong of the same Nature is that which the Quakers have in their Queries to Mr. Iohn Alexander in which they often require an Answer to be given in plain words of Scripture and in particular Querie 10. They have these Words We say they expect plain Scriptures from you for this without any Shuffling Meanings Consequences or else never pretend Scripture Rule more but acknowledge that it hath been your Meanings Consequences which have been your Rule Hence according to this Doctrine our Saviour laboured but in vain when he proved the resurrection of the Dead from the Scriptures Matth. 22.31 32. for the Sadducees might have answered that such express words were not in the Pentateuch viz. That the dead should rise again and therefore they were not bound to believe it tho the inference were never so clear except they had a new immediate Revelation which they might have said we have not and who could have proved the contrary yea if this Doctrine be true a man doth not sin tho

and the whole is greater than the part and all that is deduced therefrom the Knowledge of the things of God but these Evasions are as easily everted as invented for who can deny that by the same species or kind of Knowledge and reason whereby man can deduce excellent politick and Oeconomick Conclusions and order a Common-wealth or Family he can also conclude from the beautiful Fabrick and comely order of Heaven and Earth and the admirable Providence of God apparent therein that there is a first and supreme Power from which these things did proceed and by which they are guided into their proper ends And indeed in this did consist the wisdom of the wise Heathens as is evident to any that have but the least acquaintance with the writings of Plato Aristotle and such other heathnish Philosophers to whom the invisible things of God even his eternal Power and God-head were made manifest by the things that are made being by them ponderated and contemplated Rom. 1.20 Certain it is that it is as easy by the same kind of Knowledge and Reason to know that every effect hath a cause as to know that the whole is greater than a part But the Quaker granteth that by natural light only a man may know this latter Axiom with whatsoever can be deduced from it Ergo he may as easily know the former with whatsoever may be deduced from it but from this former Axiom the natural Philosophers firmly conclude that there is a Supreme Cause Ergo a man having natural Light only may conclude from this Axiom which is imprinted on the hearts of all men that there is a supreme Cause or Author of all things which is God. Moreover it is certain that the defect of the Wisdom of the Heathens is every where by Scripture placed in this that by it they could not perceive Christ and the Mysteries of the Gospel which as they were to the Iews a stumbling Block so they were to the wise Greeks foolishness and no where in this that they could not so much as know that there is an Omnipotent and Just God which ought to be reverenced and served though with what kind of Worship they knew not and that we ought to do unto another as we would he should do to us Again that a Brute hath more knowledge in Politicques or Oeconomicks than it hath in Mechanicks or Arithmetick is false and ridiculous for indeed they have alike in both for if the Bee can imitate the Politician or the Governour of a Family she can also be the ape of the Mechanick and prettily imitate him in making Cells to contain honey the hen also when she hatcheth or hath brought forth can perceive if any be wanting of her Eggs or Birds Hence I may conclude that the Hen is as skilful in Arithmetick as the Bee is in policie the hungry dog also will be very loath to part with any piece of the Morsel he hath gotten into his clutches Hence I may as well conclude that a dog understandeth that Axiom viz. that the whole is greater than the part as the Bee or Ant understand the Fundamentals of policie and Oeconomie But it is needlesse to dwell any longer in the refu●ation of these things which are no lesse unreasonable than impious 17●y Our eight Argument we draw from Rom. 1.19 20. Because that which may be known of God is c. from which place our Divines have alwayes concluded against the Socinians see Pareus on chap. 1. to the Romans dub 16. and why may not we with as good Reason against the Quakers infer That there are some reliques of the Divine Image or Natural Knowledge of God left in man against which inference Robert Barclay pag. 52. saith that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is to be known of God is not understood any thing which man retained in the fall but a new visitation of Light and Grace And 2 dly that tho this Knowledge of God be common to all men yet they receive it only by this new visitation of Grace and Light But to answer at this rate is only loudly confidently to proclaim that his Doctrine is pure Paganism for who that ever thought there was any Necessity of the Christian Religion in order to Salvation wou●d dare to affirm that what was common to the Heathens yea devils also was as really saving the fruit of Christs purchase as that which is proper to the godly For surely this kind of Knowledge of God of which the Apostle here speaketh and sayeth that it is learned by the contemplation of the Creatures is common not only to all the Heathens but even to the Devils themselves I hope we have by this time sufficiently demonstrated that there are some reliques of the knowledge of God and something of the principles of Morality remaining in man even considered in his lapsed Condition We have also vindicated so many of Mr. Browns Arguments as the Quaker thinks fit to take notice of many others he hath left untouched see for Examples sake chap. 5. num 28 29 30. But indeed the Quaker here as he doth all along playeth like the Dog in Nile making a mint and then to his heels again for he either leaves the Arguments and Proofs of his Adversary as also his answers given to his Arguments altogether untouched or else opposeth such pitiful Trifles as being examined and pressed instantly resolve in the apples of Sodom and yet certainly here if ever the Quaker was concerned to have played the man and given sufficient ground for this Doctrine For with this light all the Quakers Religion standeth and falleth which indeed is nothing but the meer Remainders and small spunks of that sometimes bright Image that shined in our first Parents which altho they can never be quenched yet are never alike or sufficient to reveal these Mysteries The knowledge of which is absolutly necessar to Salvation or to lead man through the dark and dangerous Wilderness of this World into the more excellent Canaan of eternal rest And therefore there is no Light common to mankind sufficient for Salvation seing all men have no other Light common to them but this which we have evinced to be altogether natural and yet this natural Light is to the Quakers their God their Christ their Grace their Scriptures and whatsoever else is necessary to Salvation That it is to them their Rule or in stead of the Scriptures we have seen already and that this Light also is to them in stead of God and Christ or that in their account this Light of reason and Conscience for no other is common to all men is God himself these following passages evince In him was Life and the Life was the Light of men If the Life be the Divine Essence the Light must be so also for such as the Cause is such the Effect must be Thus George Whitehead in a Manuscript cited by Hicks Quaker Appeal answered pag 4. and Will