BABILONS DEFENCE Broken down and one of Antichrists Warriours DEFEATED In an Answer to a Scandalous Pamphlet Intituled THE QVAKER-JESVIT OR Popery in Quakerisme Put forth by one William Brownsword who calls himself Minister of the Gospel at Kendal In which the Doctrines of the Quakers so called are more truly stated than he hath stated them and fully manifested and clearly proved by the Holy Scriptures to be the sound doctrines of Truth In opposition to his false Slanders of them to be Popery In which also it is fully manifest that our practices are the practices of truth for which we have the holy Prophets and Ministers of Christ for our Example Wherein it is clearly manifest that he hath no more true ground to compare us to the Monks than the Enemies of truth had in Generations past to compare the holy Prophets to Idolators who practiced such things in obedience to God in their Age as we practice in obedience to God in our Age being a true testimony that many of the things that he hath said concerning us and our Religion are false With a few Queries to him concerning those Doctrines and Practices in which he hath compared us with the Papists By John Stoery Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake Mat. 5. 11. As many were astonied at thee his visage was so marr'd more than any man and his form more than the sons of men Isai 52. 14. LONDON Printed for Robert Wilson at the Black-Spread-Eagle and Wind-mill in Martins near Aldersgate 1660. Babylons Defence broken down and one of Antichrists Warriours Defeated In an Answer to a Slanderous Pamphlet Intituled The Quaker-Jesuite Or Popery in Quakerisme c. WHereas a Lying Pamphlet being come to my hands of William Brownswords who professes himself to be a Minister of the Gospel at Kendal but his Fruits and Practices doth rather demonstrate him to be a Minister of Anti-Christ and of that Generation that cryed Report and we will report it who ever did and doth report their lies and slanders against the Innocent to make the truth odious who are of that generation that shuts the Kingdome of God against men neither entering by Christ the light themselves nor suffering them that would but endeavours to perswade people that it is Popery and dangerous to hearken to the light of Christ within them and so endeavours to divert them from the means of recovery out of the shaddow of death and grosse darknesse which hath over spread the whole world out of which there is no way or means but in and through Jesus who is the true light of the world and did so testify of himself that all people might believe in him to have Life and Salvation who redeems mankind out of sin and saves from destruction and gives Eternal Life to as many as believes in him and leads out of darknesse all them that follow him in whose light all Nations of them that are saved must walk In which light is the Saints Union known and the Blood of the Lamb witnessed which was shed for many to remit sin And thou who would instigate people against the light of Jesus and endeavours to perswade that it is Popery to exhort people to hearken to the spirit of truth or light of Christ in them neither enters by him thy self nor is willing to suffer others but the day is appeared and the everlasting light is manifesting which will discover all thy deceits and thy refuge of lyes shall be swept away and thy slanders will return upon thy own head in the day when the Lord pleads with thee for all thy hard speeches and rewards thee according to thy doings Whereas Thou calls thy Pamphlet the Quaker-Jesuite Or Popery in Quakerisme Answer The people of God who are by the world in scorne called Quakers do deny thee and the Jesuites and all theirs and thy doctrines that are contrary to the truth and distructive to mens salvation and as for thy saying there is Popery in Quakerisme No Popery thou hast or canst prove to be amongst us or any doctrines that 's contrary to the holy Scriptures and Gospel of Christ therefore will these thy sayings and slandrous words that there is Popery in Quakerisme return upon thy own head and be thy burden at last Except thou confess thy fault and Repent And whereas thou further calls thy Pamphlet A cleare discovery that their doctrines with their proofs and arguments are fetch out of the Counsel of Trent Bellarmine and others Answ Our doctrines which are the wholesome doctrines of the Gospel of Christ which we have not received of man neither were taught by men but by the Revelation of Christ are not fetch out of the Counsel of Trent Bellarmine and others but it is no wonder that thou being blind saith that our doctrines are fetch out of the Counsel of Trent Bellarmine and others when thou sayest those good and wholesome sayings Of the holy Scriptures and Apostles of Christ which thou thy self hast quoted as proofs which we bring for our doctrines are fetch out of the Counsel of Trent Ballarmine and others was the Counsel of Trent Ballarmine and others the Original of those Scriptures or are they Popery and we Papists for bringing them to beare testimony of our doctrines Canst thou behold thy work again and not be ashamed when thou seest thy folly and Ignorance made manifest unto all that have the least measure of true knowledg Is thy Pamphlet a cleare discovery that our arguments are fetch out of the Counsel of Trent when here is not not any of our arguments in all thy Pamphlet but onely a few doctrines stated in such a manner as hath pleased thee to state them but our doctrines which are the wholesome doctrines of truth which thou hast not nor canst not disprove but thy own self hast quoted the Scriptures which doth in effect prove the things of which we say Therefore let that mouth be for ever stopped that sayth they and their proofs which is the words of the holy Scriptures are fetch out of the Councel of Trent Bellarmine and others And so thy slanders of us and our doctrines and the holy Scriptures shall returne back upon thy own head until thou confess thy folly and repent and do no more so wickedly And thou further saith that their practises are fetcht out of the Rules of Popish Monks Answ It is utterly false for our practises have we not received as traditions from them neither do we walk by their rules but by the rules of the Spirit of Truth by which we are led from that which is evil and through which we receive power to practice that which is good which spirit is become our leader into all truth and will abide with us for ever Whereas thou begins thy Disswasive Exhortation saying Beloved The respect that I beare to your Souls the Trvth's and Church of
Acts 10. 34. where Peter saith of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons Sixthly where thou sayest there is no absolute decree of Election and reprobation from Eternity and sayest see a late Confession of Faith by Burroughs To this I say there is no such position in his confession of faith as thou here hath asserted but that we do believe that their is a state of Election and Reprobation as is there confest and faithfully acknowledged Seaventhly thou sayest that the Scriptures are not the Rule this is charged upon them by the Ministers of New-Castle as thou sayest To this I say as many as are begotten of the immortal seed to a lively hope by the word of God which abides for ever are his sons and children and such are led by the Spirit of God and it is their rule and not the letter Rom. 8. 14. and yet such are not Papists nor to be parallel'd with Bellarmine who shews the Scriptures are not necessary for they acknowledge that they are necessary that the man of God may be perfect and throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3. 17. Eighthly thou compares us to the papists for saying the baptisme of Infants is not to be proved by the Scripture and quotes Bellarmine for calling it a tradition that 's no where written To this I say though we are no Papists yet I believe that Bellarmine confesses in this thing more truth than thou for it is very like it is a tradition which in its beginning was instituted by the Papists Church yet however this I am sure of that it is not recorded in the Scriptures of truth that ever God commanded it or any of his Ministers whom he sent forth practiced it therefore the Papist and thou that preaches it up as an ordinance of God is required to prove if you can when God ordained it or any of his Apostles practiced it and if you cannot Confess you have taught for ordinances mens traditions and seeing the Papists do confesse it is a tradition well may you Protestants doe the same for you had the practice of sprinkling Infants from them and in this you have drunk the whores cup. Ninethly whereas thou sayest that one day of seaven which we call the Lords day is no more than any other day and that it is without divine Authority To this I say further there is no command of God in the Scriptures for observing the first day of the week as a Sabboth of rest by ceasing from all bodyly labour of man servant or maid servant cattle and stranger that is within our gates as there was a command of God to the Jewes to observe the seaventh day and keep it holy to the Lord for a Sabboth of rest to them their sons and daughters man-servants and maid-servant cattel and stranger that was within their gates which Sabboth unto them was a signe and thou further sayest we make it Tipecal in which thou compares us to Bellarmine which comparison is altogether unequal for though Bellarmine counted it Tipical yet we make it not Tipecal for it was the seaventh day and not the first day which we say was a signe and concerning the first day of the week if thou hold that it was commanded by divine Authority as the seaventh day once was when thou writes again shew when it was commanded and where the holy Scriptures testifies of any such Command Tenthly whereas thou sayest that we say the Lords Supper as administred in your Churches is nothing but a bit of bread and wine and that we speak scornfully of it To this I say when thou writes again I desire thee to shew us an example if thou canst where ever the Apostles and true Church mett together in a Steeple House or Idolls Temple and broke bread in such a form and manner among unconverted people as you do calling it the Lords Supper or a Sacrament but the Lords Supper which is so in truth we do freely own and whereas thou compares us with the Papists in saying we speak scornfully of that which you call the Lords Supper in this I say thy comparing of us with them is altogether unequal for we do not speak scornfully of it but where we see either the Papists or you in an error we do rather pitty you than scorn you and desires that you may be recovered out of all error and be saved in the day of the Lord yet we do despise and reject the vain traditions of men which is practised for the worship of God by you Eleventhly thou sayest that wee affirm that Protestants Ministers are no Ministers of Christ that we use the vilest Language against you that we can invent deny your call and say you came from Rome c. Answ If thou meanest by Protestant Ministers of such of you as seeks for your gain from your quarters and Preaches for hire and makes a bargain for so much a year these practices being the same as the false Prophets and Papists are in doth in some measure demonstrate that your begining was from Rome for no example can you shew for those practices aforementioned among all the Holy Prophets or Ministers of Christ that have been since the begining And whereas thou sayest that we use the vilest language that we can invent against you I Answer this is utterly false for no vile language do we use or invent against you but the language of truth telling you plainly without flattering of the evil of your wayes that you may repent and in thus doing we have the holy Prophets of old for our example Twelfly that we have the same spirit of Infallability that the Apostles had To this I say further both we and all Gods children who are of the little flock have the same Infallible Spirit according to its measure and manifestation which is given to every child of God to profit withall 1 Cor. 12. 7. and both thou and all that say they have it not but counts it Popery for any to confess they have it art so far from being a Minister of Christ that both thou and they that have it not are not yet of his flock for the Apostle saith plainly if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. 9. and yet he was no Papist nor with them to be parallel'd no more are we that confesse we have the Spirit of Christ I having rightly stated and vindicated our doctrines against thy slanders and proved them by the holy Scriptures to be the wholesome and sound doctrines of the Gospel I shall go on to lay open and reply against thy slanders and falsities concerning us in which thou hast compared us with the Popish Monks but it had been more wisdome and more like a Minister of Christ to enquired truly into our practices before thou had given judgement upon us or have compared us to the Popish Monks in whose discipiline thou sayest we seem to be admirably
Christ much endangered by secret and unweared actings of the Emissaries of Rome Answ Though thou dost endeavour in this thy Disswasive Exhortation to perswade the Inhabitants of Kendall That wee called Quakers are Romes Emissaries by which the Truths of Christ are much endangered yet Romes Emissaries we are not neither are the Truths of Christ endangered or opposed by us as thou thy self hast confessed in the fourth position of the leaventh page of thy Pamphlet where thou confesseth Wee never opposed any fundamental truths that thou heardest of Therefore in this position thou hast cleared us from being Romes Emissaries by which truth is indangered which in thy Disswasive Exhortation thou hast endeavoured to perswade the Inhabitants of Kendall wee are Here the Inhabitants of Kendall may see thy envy and confusion who would have them to believe That wee are such by whom the truth is endangered And yet thy own tongue in contradicting thy envious disswasion is made to cleare us saying That wee never opposed any fundamental truths that ever thou heardest of which is truth For fundamental truths wee have not opposed at any time And as concerning the Church of Christ I say this It is builded upon the Rock which Romes Emissaries nor the gates of Hell can never prevaile against For all who are of the true Church and body of which Christ Jesus is the head and in his light dwells and walks by it they see and is able to diserne betwixt Truth and Error the doctrines of Christ and the doctrines which are preached by the Papiâ—…s and thee which thou wouldest instigate into the inhabitants of Kendall to cause them to believe that we their country men well known to some of them are Papists and that our doctrines are Popery but all thy labour in slandring us is in vain and thy asserting that our doctrines are Popery to no purpose for thou neither hast or ever canst confute them by the holy Scripture and Truth therefore in the end thy slanders will returne upon thy own head and unrighteous sayings be thy burden whereas thou speaks of a Quaker Jesuite at Bristol mentioned by Mr. Prynne as thou calls him That his sayings was made appear to be false and a slander I shall refer the Reader to the Answer of his scandallous paper Intituled The Quakers unmasked Put forth by William Prinne wherein his slanders is made to appear and he is found with a lye in his mouth Whereas thou goes on saying occasioned a late serious publique disswasive of you from the Church and Doctrines of Romes under what name soever and by whomsoever they were propounded to you and especially as they are propounded by the Quakers Answ It is utterly false to say the Quakers propounds Romes Doctrines either to the Inhabitants of Kendal or any other people for no other doctrines have we preached but the doctrines of Christ which we are able to prove and maintaine by the sound Arguments of Truth and Scriptures to be the doctrines that tends to the Salvation of Souls And when thou writes again give under thy hand positively what doctrines they are thou calls Romes doctrines propounded by the Quakers and name the man or men that is owned to be Ministers of Christ among us that thou call'st Quakers that did propound or preach them and till then let this slander reture into the uncleane bottle from whence this and all the rest of thy slanders hath come And thou sayest the charge of false-hood against me by them hath produced this demonstration of the truth of what I had publiquely asserted which I hope will tend to settle you against their way Answ This demonstration of Lies and Slanders doth not any way clear thee from my charge against thee in the â—ight of any who rightly understands the controversy betwixt thee and us but rather is an adding sin to sin and a heaping up wrath unto thy self against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God for the thing that was desired of thee by me was as thou behind our backs had devulged publiquely in the Steeple-House that our principles and doctrines was Popery That thou would give us a faire Meeting where all might heare the discourse betwixt ther and us And if thou could by the Scriptures prove our doctrines to be Popery or contrary to the Scriptures and distructive to mens Salvation then would we lay them down if not but we on the contrary could manifest our doctrines to be truth and according to the Scriptures then as thou had publiquely spoken against our doctrines calling them Popery thou shouldest publiquely confess thy fault and this was the substance of what I said to thee in the street of Kendal and thou being not able to manifest that to be true which thou had publiquely asserted concerning our principles and doctrines this charge is still good against thee till thou publiquely acknowlege thou hast wronged us And whereas thou further sayest in these doctrines which are peculiarly Romes doth the doctrines of the Quakers conspire and may therefore be called Popery without falsehood Answ I say of this as of the rest of thy slanders that it is altogether untrue for no doctrines do we preach and hold forth but the doctrines of the Gospel of Christ and for the defence of them and manifestation that they are true against thee and all that oppose them we can bring pertinent testimonyes out of the holy sayings of the Prophets Christ and his Apostles Words who preached the same Gospel and Doctrines before us and no doctrine of ours if rightly stated and as we preach them hast thou parallel'd with the Papist and thier doctrines but thou mightest as well have parallel'd the doctrine of the Apostles with the doctrine of the Papist as it will after more fully appear in our own stating the vindication and proof of our doctrines to be true which thou hast not neither ever canst confute or disprove by the truth or Scriptures Therefore thy slander of our doctrines will returne back upon thy selfe having replyed against some of thy slanders and untruths cast upon us and our doctrines I shall go on to the right stating and more full manifestation of our doctrines to be the sound and wholesome doctines of Truth though thou hast parallel'd them with the Papists that it may appear more fully that wherein thou hast parallel'd our doctrines with any thing they say which is truths in themselves thou might as well a parallel'd the Apostles with them because they may hold some of the same truths in the unrighteousnesse which the Apostles held forth and we hold in the righteousnesse and thou thy self confesses they hold some truths I. Doctrine that light which John came for a witnesse of that all men through his testimony might believe which doth light every man that comes into the world which is Jesus Is sufficient to convince of sin and lead to repentance all them thâ—… to his call hearken and is