has not told us very likely 't is by some severe means as Hanging the Quakers and Burning their Books this Priest hath Malice enough for both as if that would prevail more to the safety of Souls from Error then all the Priests Preaching or Arguments 'T is evident how little Interest they have in mens Consciences But then this course would honour the Quakers with Martyrdom and raise greater enquiry after their Religion and then it will be time for Persecuting Clergy-men to be silent Pr. Ibid. Books not so dangerous as this is have been burnt by the hand of the common Hangman Answ He smels still strong of the old Where 's Cup Envy and Persecution But the Impartial Readers will see that his Book is more fit for such Execution 't is so filled with Scorn and Blasphemy against the Light of Christ Jesus within Pr. Ibid. The Author is gone to his Judge so this Book deserves a black mark for his sake and its Pestilent Doctrine Answ Malicious and Blind Presumption thus finally to condemn the Author as he has the Book as if he were infallibly sure that he is gone to utter Damnation But see his Ignorance and Falshood in his proofs Pr. Ibid. This Quaking Primmer begins with a Lye to corrupt Children's Minds the Light within which is no express Scripture phrase is indeed a meer Fancy the Real Quaker's Idol Answ Gross Ignorance and Blasphemy the Light within is no Fancy nor Idol 't is the Light of Christ within God's inshining in our Hearts that we profess that mens Minds may be turned from Darkness that 's within them to the Light of Christ within That God hath shined in our Hearts is express Scripture Pr. p. 28. It s false Doctrine to make the Light within to be the Teacher of the Fear of God Answ The Light of Christ within teacheth to depart from Evil and to do good to speak and practise Truth and therefore the Fear of God is taught by it Pr. Ibid. In this Quaking Primmer little Children are taught to take heed to the Light within them that the Scripture the more sure Word of Prophecy may not be regarded by them as their Guide or Rule of their Lives Answ The more sure Word of Prophecy mentioned 2 Pet. 1.19 is explained in the same place what it is Whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto A LIGHT that shineth in a dark place until the Day dawn and the Day Star arise in your Hearts And therefore it is a Light of Christ within which directs and guides unto his inward Appearance who is the bright and morning Star It could not be the Scriptures of the Prophets that was intended by this more sure Word for they could not be more sure than that Voice which Peter James and John heard from the Excellent Glory when they were with Christ in the Mount Nor yet more sure than the Apostles Testimony Wherein then lies the Comparison but in that Divine Word or Light of the Son of God being more general and more near to them than that Voice though both true This Word doth shine in many dark Hearts that never heard that Voice Pr. pag. 29. Gross Popery here is Deliverance from Condemnation not by Faith in Christ's Merits but by obeying the Light within their worst Guide Answ Here is gross Ignorance and Blasphemy against the Light of Christ within still Christ did not oppose his own Merit Deserving or Dignity by exhorting his Hearers to believe in the Light that they might become Children of the Light and if we walk in the Light as he i. e. God is in the Light we have Fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin 1 John 1.7 and this in relation to the Divine Light for God is Light vers 5. Therefore this Light within is that whereby men may know the Benefit of Christ's Blood and Merit But this Priest has here branded Christ's and his Apostles Testimonies herein with gross Popery Pr. Ibid. Quakerism serves as a Stepping-stone for Popery in this Church and Kingdom Answ If Papists had not greater Hopes of making many of you Clergy-men swallow down Popery for Preferments and Self-ends than they have of the Quakers they would not be so confident in their Attempts 'T is easie for them to suppose that a Temporizing Clergy man whose Conscience is benumbed either by Avarice or Covenant-breaking is a fit Agent to introduce Popery gradually under some hidden Disguise or Cloak as this Adversary can cry up the Church of England and cry down Popery while he looks and steers his course directly towards Rome both in his Rage against dissenting Protestants and asserting divers Popish Doctrines Ibid. Qr. Primmer p. 13 14. Hearken not to the Deceivers who keep you from the Light of Christ Jesus believe them not that turn you from the Light for they are not the Ministers of Christ Pr. answers Here you may observe how this Quaking Primmer is mainly designed to foist these new Vessels by this bad Liquor put into them Other Teachers whether Arch-Bishops or Bishops Priests or Deacons are but Deceivers no Ministers of Christ to whom little Children are here taught not to hearken nor believe them Answ How plain is it here that by his making the Application to the Arch-Bishops Bishops Priestsor Deacons he has granted them to be such Teachers as keep Persons from the Light of Christ Jesus and turn them from the Light for such are they that little Children are taught not to hearken to nor believe viz Hearken not to the Deceivers who keep you from the Light of Christ Jesus c. Pr. pag. 30. Abominable False Doctrine that the holy Scriptures are not the Way to know the Truth Ibid. God's Ministers teach that the Scriptures are the way to know the Truth Answ Christ saith I am the Way the Truth and the Life and the Spirit of Truth shall guide you into all Truth Where do the Scriptures say They are the Way Surely they are not Christ nor the Spirit but testifie of both which is no decrying of the holy Scriptures to allow the Spirit the Preference Pr. Ibid. These Quakers are strangely fond of the Light within so as to cry down the Light of God's own Word This Quaking Dotage Answ No Fondness nor Dotage in crying up the Light of God's living Word within which is nigh in the Heart which is not to cry down the Scripture as is falsly supposed I have hid thy Word in mine Heart that I might not sin against thee 't is a Light unto my Paths and a Lanthorn to my Feet saith David Qr. Primmer p. 16. Such are Deceivers who preach for Money and Tythes such cannot lead you out of Transgression for they are in Transgression themselves for Christ said to his Freely ye have received freely give and Paul made not the Gospel Chargeable but these Priests that preach for filthy Lucre deceive people Pr. The Priest answers
only Well to make the best on 't 't is granted that by Christ's Merit and true Faith in him we are Justified Whence it therefore follows that our Justification is not fulfilled wholly without us unless our Faith must be wholly excluded or shut out as wholly without us Pr. Ibid. The Case is sad that IMPARTED Righteousness may not be retained but Imputed Righteousness like Ishmael must be câ—st forth yea LOATHED as a Sin-pleasing Notion rejected as that which is Horrible Wicked Answ Here is an Abusive Insinuation suggested against us We do not cast forth nor loath any Righteousness that God for Christ's sake imputes to us or reckons ours through true and living Faith We do not set Imparted Righteousness in Opposition to what is truly Imputed to us because 't is not truly Imputed unless Imparted As that of Faith which was reckon'd to Abraham and is still to his Children who are of Faith and walk in his steps But 't is here granted that there must be Imparted Righteousness and that it must be retained and therefore Imputed Righteousness not cast out nor rejected If not cast out nor rejected then it must be retained within So on the other hand I may justly argue that 't is sad that Imputed Righteousness may not be retained but Imparted Righteousness must be cast forth and loathed as Popery Or that we should be reckoned as denying Christ's Merits or Deservings while we are also asserting his inward Work Righteousness and Obedience of Faith unto Justification for these are not inconsistent Qr. To William Penn's affirming that Christ's Work was twofold 1st To remit forgive or justifie from the Imputation of Sins past such as truly repent and believe 2dly By his Power and Spirit working in the Hearts of such to destroy and remove the very nature of Sin to make an end of it to finish Transgression c. Pr. To this the Priest answers p. 11. viz. With this Distinction he doth only play the Mountebank's part This Counterfeit Balsom he Juggles like the Devil this real Quaker hath the Knack to deliver some Truth according to Scripture that he may the better mannage his Devilish Design to put off his bad Wares Answ 'T is no Mountebanks Part or Juggle to deliver Truth according to Scripture nor hath the Real Quaker any Devilish Design therein this Foul-mouth'd Slanderer is far louder in his Charge than in his Proof the Distinction is honest and just in the first the Merit Dignity and Interest of our Lord Jesus Christ is confest In the second is his Power and Work of Grace in the Heart unto Sanctification and Justification asserted which does not oppose but effectually speaks forth his Dignity and Merit for man's eternal good Pr. Ibid. The first part of this Quaking Distinction is very lame the latter part full of false Doctrine to make Justification by Christ's Righteousness without us a Counterfeit Doctrine and Justification by Inherent Righteousness only Thus the Papists and Quakers are in a great measure Hail Fellow well met only the Quaker hath the Honour to be the more perfect Dotard of the Two Answ Here is no Confutation but Scorn and Perversion which shews himself rather the Perverse Dotard For Christ's Righteousness and Merit as in himself or as it was without us is not excluded Remission or Justification from the Charge of Sins past on Repentance and Faith Nor is Justification wholly placed upon the inherent or inward Righteousness of Christ but both are concern'd in man's absolute Justification Only the Doctrine of Imputation to exclude or reject Christ's Inherent Righteousness in Justification of the Unrighteous Unconverted or Wicked this we oppose as unsound § VI. And further there is no such Correspondency between the Papists and Quakers in the point for the Papists place the Merit of Justification and Salvation upon their own Works after the first Justification by Christ's Merits thereby rendring God indebted to them for their Good Works Acts of Charity c. though done by his Grace The Quaker distinguishes between Merit in the strict sence as used by the Papists and obtaining Acceptance with God upon the Faithful Improvement of his Grace and Obedience of Faith God accepts us in and for Christ's sake in our Obedience to his free Grace but we do not thereby Merit Buy or Purchase Salvation to our selves as making God a Debtor to us in the Papists sence For 't was of his free Grace that we are what we are and that we obey and practise what 's our Duty For by Grace through Faith we are saved not of our selves it s the Gift of God to whom we must render the Praise of all Qr. Ibid. To William Penn's granting such as Repent and believe receive Remission or a Justifying from former sins through the Righteousness of God declared in by Jesus Christ But Compleat Justification is a making inwardly Just through a purging out of Iniquity mortifying of Corruption and bringing in Christ's Everlasting Righteousness Pr. To this the Priest gives his Answer viz. Here 〈◊〉 have the Real Quaker a down-right Papist he is professedly gone into the Tents of Rome he is become a stout Champion under the Popes Banner Behold this Real Quaker dabling in gross Popery Answ This is all a Slanderous and manifest Perversion 't is no Popery but Scripture-Testimony to assert That Compleat Justification is a making inwardly Just through a purging out Iniquity mortifying Corruption making the Soul to partake of Christ's Everlasting Righteousness seeing that according to his Mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and Renewing of the holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour Tit. 3. And this is not a meriting Salvation by our own Works in the Papists sence For 't is placed upon the Kindness of God in Christ and washing of Regeneration Pr. Ibid. Acccording to the Tenour of his words Compleat Justification is a MAKING INWARDLY JVST through a purging out of Iniquity mortifying of Corruption and bringing in Christ's Everlasting Righteousness Answ And this Adversary hath said nothing in Confutation of this he only recites and reviles our words and rails at us but Reasons not to our Conviction or Confutation If to Justifie be Justum facere to make Just as some of his own Coat have confest and that on the place cited Tit. 3.4 5 6 7. then this must be inwardly effected through a purging out Iniquity and a bringing in Christ's Everlasting Righteousness even through the washing of Regeneration But see what the Priest offers to confute us in the Sequel Pr. p. 12. Thus the Doctrine of the Church of England is trampled under foot c. Answ He thinks he has gotten a strong hold in the Church of England there is his Castle and Garrison to Consute the Quakers by telling them Thus the Doctrine of the Church of England is trampled under foot but tells us not what that Doctrine is But it seems it is a Doctrine
that does not allow that Compleat Justification is a making inwardly Just through a purging out Iniquity mortifying of Corruption and bringing in of Christ's Everlasting Righteousness As if he should tell us That the Doctrine of the Church of England is contrary to this before-cited i. e. That Compleat Justification is not a making inwardly Just nor a purging out of Iniquity or Mortifying of Corruption c. but that Justification is VVholly fulfilled and compleated without men they are compleatly Justified by Christ's Merits while inwardly Unjust and their Iniquities unpurg'd out their Corruption unmortified and Christ's Everlasting Righteousness excluded or wholly shut out of them At this rate this Person may reckon himself one compleatly Justified whilst a Persecuting Malicious Scornful Spirit remains in him whilst he is a Railer a Persecutor a Scorner and Oppressor c. but herein he is highly guilty of that Abomination which he that justifieth the Wicked and he that condemneth the Just are guilty of As also I must tell him He has in this matter apparently wrong'd the Doctrine of the Church of England and several of the Eminent Doctors thereof who have not only in their Prayers but Preaching called for and urged a Real Righteousness both Inherent and Practical to constitute men Just and Righteous and Acceptable to God and have flatly opposed the Imputarians Calvinists and Antianomins in their asserting Persons imputatively Righteous and Justified while actually Unjust Immoral c. § VII Pr. Ibid. But the worst is yet behind And what is it †W.P. If not then to exclude this and yet conclude men compleatly justified by what Christ hath done wholly without is a Doctrine of Devils for it leaves men in an Impure state and allows the Devils Kingdom to continue in Being Pr. Priest Answers p. 12. These Quaking Lines according to this Quakers base words in Print the Church of England doth hold fast that which is a Doctrine of Devils c. a base Aspersion cast on that Church which is beautiful in the Eyes of all sober Christians Answ He wrongs the Church of England again he would bring in his Antinomianism and father it upon the Church of England as if it were Authentick in the Church of England to exclude Christ's Everlasting Righteousness and deny inward Purging and Mortification in the point of Justification and as if to conclude men compleatly Justified by what Christ hath done wholly without while they are both Unjust Unpurg'd Unmortified Corrupt and Wicked were good Profound Doctrine in the Church of England or to conclude men compleatly Justified while the Devils Kingdom is in being in them For opposing this he balls and clamours most Hideously against W. Penn crying up the Doctrine of the Church of England the Church of England against him but has most shamefully abused that Church with his Antinomianism Pr. Ibid. Christ's Righteousness wholly without Iibid. Made our's by Faith a Doctrine of Devils How base is the Light within W. P Answ If Christ's Righteousness be made ours by Faith then 't is not wholly without This Priest is inconsistent here One while 't is wholly without another while 't is made ours by Faith the latter is true No Doctrine of Devils as most wickedly he hath charged the Light within For true Faith and Christ's Everlasting Righteousness are Inseparable This Faith has its Righteousness from Christ and is attended with true Obedience good Works and â—oly Conversation 'T is a Heart-purifying Faith a Justifying Faith a Faith by which we see him who is Invisible and bring forth Fruits to him Let 's see if our Adversary dare deny this § VIII Pr. Ibid. Surely it is high time for the Kings Majesty the Defender of the Faith to gird on his Sword those that make so bold with this and other Truths are but like stinging Snakes in the bosom of Indulgence Answ Here this Incendiary would instigate the King in defence of his Antinomianism of Justifying men in their sinful and corrupt state and to Persecute the Quakers for asserting that Christs Righteousness wherein the Saints are Justified is not wholly without them but they are inwardly Partakers of it by Faith and through a Purging out Iniquity Mortifying of Corruption bringing in Christs Everlasting Righteousness otherwise to deny or exclude this saith the Quaker and yet conclude men compleatly Justified wholly without is a Doctrine of Devils leaving men in an Impure state and allowing the Devils Kingdom to continue Because of this the Persecuting Clergy-man would have the King's Majesty to gird on his Sword and what for but to cut down this Quaker that is for asserting a Real Righteousness of Christ within and against the wrong Imputation of the old Antinomian He is angry that such are Indulg'd that cannot favour the Devils Kingdom he counts the King very faulty and charges him highly as preserving stinging Snakes in the Bosom of Indulgence though doubtless he wanted Indulgence before he Temporized But now this Popish persecuting Spirit in the Clergy-man wants to have the Miter set above the Crown all that are not for his Turn he would have them punisht He can assume the boldness to publish to the Nation that the King harbours stinging Snakes in the Bosom of Indulgence You have heard his Charge and his matter before and what Refuges he flees to to maintain his Antinomian Sin-pleasing Doctrines and revile them that oppose him he would fain have the Church of England and the Kings Sword to maintain him in that which is plain Repugnant and Abusive to the Church of England Thus like a Temporizing Mercenary Hector and Popish Agent he has manag'd his Work as will further appear to his shame as a Hectoring Bravado a scornful proud disdainful Person § XI See what follows about a Book of mine Entituled The Nature of Christianity Pr. p. 13. Upon my Confessing to Christ Jesus his Manhood and Divinity the Priest saith viz. Here 's a parcel of good Words to gull unwary Readers the Devil to promote Errors hath alwayes used to dress himself his Agents in the Garb of Truth The Quaker will anon shew us his Horns we shall ere long know him to be no tame Beast His ill inspiring Spirit will appear you may certainly expect from this Quaking Pamphlet most base pitiful Stuff Answ Behold how he Boasts Vapours Infults Hector Scoff Jeers and Contemns but the frothiness falseness and silliness thereof will more evidently appear in the Progress of our Controversie It is not for any weight in his Words that I cite them but to let the serious Reader see the Image or Character of his proud and scornful Spirit Ibid. Touching my Opposing R. G's affirming a Justification and Redemption of Men even while no good is wrought in them by any Light or Spirit whatsoever and when no qualification is wrought in man by any Spirit whatsoever All this Passage the Priest leaves out and only falls upon my latter Words concerning my calling in question R.
G's Terms viz. That God-man purchased and compleated Reconciliation Justification c. with God at once without us which I could not own to be a Scripture-Phrase or good Sense Hereupon instead of any Convincing Confutation the Priest flies out in Railery and Reviling at his wonted rate Pr. viz. That God purchased of God an old Socinian Cavil Thus the Light within is at unawares singing the old Cuckoes Song Thus the Quakers Ignis Fatuus c. What a blind pitiful Elf is this Quakers Light within that it cannot discern Redemption by Christ God-man as purchase made without us Answ Though he has herein revil'd me with Socinianism and a Cuckoes Song and shamefully blasphemed the Light within as an Ignis Fatuus a blind pitiful Elf c. This makes nothing to my Conviction but shews that this Proud man glories in his Shame Blindness Scorn and Blasphemy which is no convincing Argument Let him call it what he will I am not yet convinced that the Phrase viz. God-man purchased and compleated Justification with God at once without us is either Scripture-Language or good Sense why does he not produce us Scripture for it for it renders God in the first place as the Agent purchasing or buying Justification c. of God himself and so over-looks and confounds or mis-placeth his Mediators Office which as Man through God's Help he performed as God hath said In a Day of Salvation have I helped thee he was made lower than the Angels in respect of his Sufferings yet God the Father helped and supported him even in his Sufferings for Mankind Again If the Father's Kindness to Mankind was no whit inseriour to the Son's Kindness or that they were both alike kind to Man as 't is not to be doubted then it was in the freeness of the Father's Love that Christ came to redeem or purchase lost Man to God It was by the Grace of God that he tasted Death for every man and became a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling Savour to God But where the Priest sayes God-Man purchased our Redemption of God this supposes him as God to be the chief Agent in purchasing Redemption of God Can this mean any otherwise than that either God did so purchase or buy this of himself or else that Christ as a God inseriour to the Most High God did buy it of him which so much borders on Socinianism denying the Deity of the Son of God or that he is the Most High God that I cannot be thus Socinianiz'd For though Jesus Christ be both God Man in absolute and wonderful Union yet those Works and Sufferings of his in the Flesh which concern'd Man's Reconciliation Eternal Redemption and Salvation with Respect to his Merit and Dignity therein they all related to Christ as Mediator between God and Man and as such he is called the Man Christ Jesus and in these Considerations he is made inferiour to the Father as he said My Father is greater than I We have one Mediator between God and Men even the Man Christ Jesus It was as Man that he dyed and gave himself a Ransom for all and it was by this One Man Jesus Christ that the Grace and Gift of God hath abounded unto many as by man came Death so by man came the Resurrection of the Dead this is Scripture Language and accordingly Redemption by Christ as his giving himself for us to Redeem us from ALL Iniquity from the Vain Conversation from the Earth c. is truly owned by us Pr. pag. 14. God the Son made Man purchasing our Redemption of God the Father by the price of his own Blood as God Intâ—rnate Answ Now he has mended the matter 't is as he was made Man that he purchased or rather obtained our Redemption By his own Blood he entered once into the Holy Place heb 9.12 having obtained eternal Redemption for us And this Redemption that he obtained for us was our Deliverance and Freedom from under Sin Death and Condemnation as the following words clear it For if the Blood of Bulls and Goats sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the Flesh how MUCH MORE shall the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without Spot to God Furge your Conscience from Dead Works to serve the Living God Hence it most clearly follows that that Eternal Redemption which Christ obtained for us by his Blood and Sacrifice without us must be partaken of and enjoyed within us by a real purging and sanctifying of our Conscience as before And since Remission of Sins Redemption and Justification are attributed to the Blood of Christ as Means or Cause thereof through Faith it follows that though these were obtained by the Sacrifice of Christ without us they are effected and compleated by him within us for our absolute discharge from the Guilt of Sin Condemnation and Curse by a real Purging our Consciences and Purifying of our Hearts by a true Faith in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ whereby we partake of the Effects and Benefits both of his Merit and Sufferings outward and his effectual Work inward to our Salvation from Sin and the sad Effects thereof He hath obtained Eternal Redemption for us he hath gotteâ— the Power thereof for us that we might have it and enjoy it through his effectual Work in us in setting us free from the Bondage of Sin and Corruption and this allows not that men are compleatly justified and redeemed while no Good no Qualification is wrought in them by any Light or Spirit whatsoever as R. G. affirmed and whose Cause this Priest has espoused and therefore 't is Chargeable upon him wherein they have at once justified the Unclean the Wicked the Unbelievers the Unconverted the Impenitent c. and excluded the Light and Spirit of Christ Faith Repentance Conversion Sanctification Humility Sincerity c. which are Inward Qualifications and Fruits of the holy Spirit from being conterned in this great Work and State of Justification and Redemption contrary to Christ's own Testimony Except I wash thee thou hast no part with me Pr. pag. 15. This Quaking Proteus turn'd into a Socinian shape It s still no less than unscriptural that God-man hath purchased all of God without Farewell to the received Doctrine of the Church of England Answ Quaking Proteus a Fabulous Flout and Falshood The Quakers greatly differ from the Socinians both touching the Deity of Christ and his divine Light in man and Perfection in this Life as owned by Quakers not by Socinians The Doctrine of the Church of England allows of no such Doctrine as that Persons are compleatly justified while no good is wrought in them by the Spirit of Christ and that under the Pretence of God-Man having purchased all of God without For even E. Still Treat pag. 270. Stilling fleet in his discourse of the Sufferings of Christ against Socin Crel counts it an Opinion which few who have consider'd these things do maintain
And also see 1 Cor. 6.11 where both Washing Sanctification and Justification are said to be in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And even Erasmus in his Paraphrase on Acts 13.38 39. saith expresly Through this same Jesus each man without respect of any Person or else offence hath Righteousness or Justification and Innocency profferred unto him so that he believe the Promises of the Gospel Note Surely then these are profferred to be received Therefore this Adversary's saying That the Quakers have a Pâ—pe in their Bellies and that the Quaker his Lines are hammered out upon his Popish Anvil as in pag. 22 24. These are some of his Abominable Scurrilous Slanders such Temporizers as he are more like to have a Pope in their Bellies that for their Bellies can Temporize Change and Turn their Coat in Religious matters And how like a Popish Incendiary has he acted in rendring the People called Quakers so guilty of Popery as if he had a Design to carry on for the Popish Interest either by endeavouring the Quakers Destruction because of their opposition to Popery or else by encreasing the Number of Papists by adding the Quakers thereto or rather falsly rendring the Popish Interest far bigger than it is Besides he grosly mistakes as well as shallowly argues about Popery in his rendring some Truths which the Council of Trent held to be Popery whereas Popery is the Gross Erronious Idolatrous and Superstitious part of their Doctrine and Religion and not any Scripture-Truths that they hold But this man it seems where they hold the New Birth and the Renovation of the inner man c. as necessary to our Justification this he 'll deem Popery because held by the Council of Trent But further Though Christ dyed for all all are not Partakers of the blessed Ends and Benefit thereof but those to whom it is communicated for unless in Adam they were faln and degenerate so as to dye in their own Injustice unto Righteousness they should not be unjust so unless they be regenerate in Christ they should never be justified and live to him Council of Trent chap. 3. Sess 6. Vnless they were born again in Christ they should never be justified Then it follows because that Regeneration is given to them by the Merit of his Suffering by Grace received whereby they are made Righteous What Protestant ever denyed this that only the Regenerate had the Benefit of Christ's Sufferings and that Regeneration was given freely and that thereby they were made Righte ous or Sanctified or Repentance wrought in them and Newnes of Life By Grace we are saved saith Paul through Faith and that not of our selves it is the Gift of God This Man appears in this Point an Adversary to the Papists and Protestants that are not Libertines And the Charge is true against him that the Papists untruly bring against the Protestants viz. of Libertinism And at this rate he may as well invalidate much of the Doctrine of the Church of England so much applauded by him for that she holds the same Truths which in divers things the Church of Rome holds and both have recourse in many things to the same Authors and Fathers for their Assertions And in this very Case of Justification inwardly the Rhemists in their Annot. on Rom. 3.22 cite St. Augustine speaking thus The Grace of Christ doth work our Illumination and Justification inwardly also De Pec. Mer. l. 1. c. 9 10. And again He giveth to the Faithful the most secret Grace of his Spirit which secretly he poureth into Infants also And again They are justiâ—â—ed in Christ that believe in him through the secret Communication and Inspiration of spiritual Grace whereby every one leaneth to our Lord. And again He maketh just renewing by the Spirit and Regeneration by Grace And also a Person of note who lately wrote the Book entituled The Middle Way of Perfection with indifferency between the Orthodox and the Quaker he vindicates us in this very Point of Justification as it is from the Charge of the Law and the Charge of the Gospel confessing That our Faith and Repentance is our Righteousness in regard to the Gospel but Pardon of Sin together with this Righteousness so both into universal Justification p. 5. And also pleads for God's justifying us by this Righteousness that is by Faith and Evangelical Obedience And farther saith he I do not find that the Scripture doth denominate or pronounce any one Righteous or a Just Man from one end to another upon any other account then his doing Righteousness As also saith That calm Protestants grant the Constitution of a real true Righteousness according to the Covenant of Grace pag. 15 16. And grants A having the Righteousness of a perfect Heart for Justification and yet no man justified but by the Grace of God through the Redemption which we have in Christ Jesus pag. 26. And also consesseth That we have their Divines on the blind side and that the Orthodox are quite out that will have any justified without a Righteousness that is perfect according to the Law that justifies him i. e. the Law of Grace pag. 26. And confesseth also on St. Augustine Aug de Spir. et Lit. That 't is possible for a Man to attainto such a perfection as to live without Sin by Grace or the special Assistance of God's Spirit granting it also to be our Duty But our Adversary tells us That it is an old Popish Trick to assert Justification by Works of the Spirit p. 23. Thus he still persists in his Antinomian Libertine Sin-pleasing Principle to shut out the Work of the Spirit from Justification that Impure and Poluted Persons may be deemed Just and Righteous under the Notion of Imputation contrary to the most Moderate and Learned of all sorts both Protestants and others and contrary to what 's before-cited out of their 17th Article for the Spirit 's working in due season and mortifying the Works of the Flesh And I would know where ever any Protestant Writers of note did charge the Council of Trent with Popery on the two Passages before cited out of the said Council against us As also contrary to many Passages in the Common-Prayer or Service Book as in their Absolution to be pronounced by the Priest viz. That Almighty God hath given Power to his Ministers to declare and pronounce to his People being penitent the Absolution and Remission of their Sius he pardons and absolves all them which truly repent and unfeignedly believe c. Wherefore we beseech him to grant us true Repentance and his Holy Spirit that those things may please him which we do at this present and that the rest of our Life hereafter may be Holy But with what Heart or Faith can our Adversary thus pronounce or pray when he neither believes a Pureness of Life nor grants Repentance and such unfeigned Belief to concern our Justification while he shuts out the Works
not a little Flie-blown with Spiritual Pride Answ That 's thy own state Proud and Scornful Man Spiritual Pride and Conceit puffs thee up Qr. J. P's Tryal of Faith You believe you shall never overcome your sins so long as you are here Here you shew your Faith is not built upon Christ who came to destroy the Works of the Devil and to cleanse from all sins Pag. 60. Priest Answers This is the Corrupt Testimony of this Quaking Martyr that they are no sound Believers whose Faith doth not cleanse them from all their Sins that the Faith of Christians is not built upon Christ if it doth not make them free from their Sins Answ That which the Priest calls the Corrupt Testimony is according to Christ and his holy Apostles Testimony Christ came to Wash and Cleanse true Believers from Sin that they might be Clean every whit he gave himself for his Church that he might Wash it by Water through the Word that he might present it holy without Spot c. By Faith he purifies their Hearts he destroys the Work of the Devil the Blood of Christ cleanseth them that walk in the Light from all Sin And Faith in him overcomes the World it was and is the Saints Victory These are plain and Scriptural Testimonies how ignorant soever this unsanctified Priest shews himself wholly a stranger to the washing of Regeneration Pr. Ibid. A sinless state reserved for the Kingdom of Heaven is no true Divinity in the Quakers School Answ How is a sinless state reserved for that Kingdom if not attainable in this Life Pr. Ibid. If we say that we have no sin which the Quakers usually do we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us Answ An Untruth against the Quakers where or when do they usually or ever say they have no sin but that though there is a time of having sin there 's a time of confessing and forsaking sin and if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from ALL SIN 1 John 1.7 9. And saith he My little Children these things write I unto you that you SIN NOT Chap. 2.1 What John writes relates to several states Pr. Ibid. This Quaker is certainly for a more holy Faith than God himself did ever require It s not the Ruling Power but the being of sin which this Quaker's Faith makes free from without doubt this is to be Righteous over much in this World Answ The Priest is grosly Erroneous here the Quaker is for that holy Faith which is the Gift of God whereby he purifies the Heart and which Faith overcomes and is the Saints Victory over the World And to have the being of sin destroyed by Christ is not to be Righteous over-much in this World for 't is for this End that Christ is made manifest to take away our sins and to destroy the Works of the Devil 1 Joh. 3. Christ destroying the Works of the Devil is to destroy the being of Sin that it may neither Rule nor be in true Believers And this work of Christ is effected by degrees as he is obeyed and truly followed whose Work of destroying Sin this Priest has apparently opposed lest he should be Righteous over much in this World so that his Faith will carry his sins with him into the next World if he relinquish it not and where he will get rid of them there he tells us not but by his Opinion he must expect a Purgatory or place of Purgation after Death seeing he confesseth A sinless state is reserved for the Kingdom of Heaven Observe here how near of Kin he is to the Papists and how nearly he has border'd upon the Doctrine of Purgatory only they exceed him in believing that their Canonized Saints and Martyrs shall escape Purgatory and go directly to Heaven Pr. Ibid. If the Ill Spirit of the old Catheri was not gotten into this Young Quaker The Quakers Idolized Perfection Answ If by his word Catheri he means the Puritans or those called Old Puritans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ì i. e. Puri then I must tell him that many of the Old Puritans were more Conscientious Sincere and Religious to what they knew then himself is or ever was Hist Eccl. Euseb Pam. Lib. 6. C. 42. for they were not such Temporizers and Opposers of the Light and Work of Christ they durst not call either an Idol as he has done And whatever Novatus was who called his Sect Cartharous that is Puritans I matter not there were many Honest people in England and other parts of those called Puritans Pr. p. 61. By this false Doctrine he hath concluded the Church of England at home all Reformed Churches abroad under Vnbelief for being of this right sound Mind that they shall never be made free from all their sins as long as they are here Answ Here he counts it a right sound Mind that they shall never be made free from all their sins so long as they are here but when and where they shall be freed he tells us not I am sure it is not the Mind of Christ that men should live in sin all their days And I think this Priest has wrong'd the Church of England if the Church of England means as she speaks and professeth viz. in promising to forsake the Devil and all his Works c. And in praying O God make clean our Hearts within us and take not thine holy Spirit from us Vouchsafe O Lord to keep us this Day without Sin with many other passages to this purpose in the Morning-Prayer and Service-Book And what has this Priest done less then charged the Church of England with Dissimulation and Hypocrisie as being of a contrary mind then what 's here exprest As also Edw. Stillingfleet in his Sermon preached before the King March 13. 1666. he strongly argues and pleads against that Opinion of God's laying Impossible Laws upon the Sons of Men and puts the Question thus * Ed. Still 6. Serm. 1669. pag. 69 70. For what is it that God requires of men as the Condition of their future Happiness which in its own nature is judged impossible Is it for men to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this World For that was the End of Christian Religion to perswade men to do so § XXII Qr. The Scripture was spoken from the Light but is not the Light the Word the Life the Judge the Rule the Guide nor the Tryer of Spirits for all this belongs to Christ Pr. p. 61. I must truly say this is none of Abel his Language nor a faithful Testimony for God except another Qr. Atheist or Anti-scripturist none would have laid such base things to the charge of the holy Scriptures Answ Here is one of his base Abuses For to say The Scripture was spoken from the Light but is not the Light the Life the Judge c. is only as much as to
And 2 Cor. 3.6 Who also made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit And whether the words Carnal Commandment and Carnal Ordinances related to no part of Scripture Heb. 7.16 9 10. And whether no part of the Scripture or Writing of Moses or any else was intended in this term Letter But consider all Scripture as it signifies Writing ought there not to be a distinction made not only between the Writing and the matter written but much more between the Writing and the Spirit Life or Substance declared of in the Writing Concerning Baptism he defends his practice very poorly whilst he intends Baptizing or rather Sprinkling young Children in his telling us That the Church of England is grosly mistaken this Quakers Doctrine hath Quaked the Doctrine of the Church of England into a meer delusion p. 78. And why so but because the Quaker saith The Baptism we own is the Baptism of Christ there is but one Lord one Faith one Baptism from Matth. 3.11 Ephes 4.5 6. Collect. J. P. p. 67. Now this Priest proves not that Baptizing with Water muchless that Sprinkling Infants is this one Baptism we have only his Say so or his Belief for it or that Sprinkling Infants is a sign of Regeneration whereby as an Instrument the baptized are grafted into the Church p. 78. He produces us no Scripture-proof for it Pr. pag. 78. This Quaker hath very mean Thoughts of the Lords Supper he counts it but the Worlds Communion As for the Bread broken which is the Body of Christ this Quaker calls it the Bread which the World breaks he speaks abominably of this Bread blessed and broken calling it Carnal Natural that it passeth out of the Body c. Bread and Wine but the Husk and Shadow without p. 79. Answ It appears by this that he deems their Bread and Wine Spiritual Supernatural the Substance the Bread the Body of Christ and then by this the Wine must be the Blood of Christ when blest or consecrated by the Priest Which is rank Popery all one with the Doctrine of Transubstantiation as the Rhemists in their Annot. on Matth. 26. affirm a Consecrating the several Elements of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ the Bread into his Body a part as betrayed broken and given for us the Wine into his Blood a part as shed out of his Body for remission of Sins and Dedication of the New Testament Which is their professed Transubstantiation or changing the Substance of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ according as our Adversary tells us That the Bread broken is the Body of Christ He has left the Doctrine of the Antient Protestants and Protestant-Martyrs who did not own any such Change of the Elements of Bread and Wine but only that as a Sign or Figure of the Body of Christ crucified they were received as a grateful Comemoration of Christ's Death and Sacrifice for mankind But this Adversary is offended that the Bread and Wine should be counted Natural nothing it seems will serve him short of their being the Body and Blood of Christ according as the Rhemists also on Luke 22.19 say Although sense tell thee 't is Bread yet it is the Body let Faith confirm thee judge not by Sense after the words of our Lord let no doubt rise in thy mind of the Verity of Flesh and Blood there is no place to doubt c. See how exactly our Adversary agrees with these Papists in saying The Bread broken is the Body of Christ as before By which he hath now more fully manifested his Popish Spirit especially if he means as he spoke as both repugnant to the Faith of all true Protestants who either look upon these outward Elements to remain the same in themselves in Substance both at and after the words of Consecration and no more than Signs Shadows or outward Mementos at most or look upon them as a Figure or Shadow of the Spiritual receiving of Christ's Body and Blood in the Mystery to eat his Flesh and drink his Blood by Faith as he is the living Bread that comes down from Heaven who gave his Flesh for the Life of the World For there is an Inward and Spiritual Supper of the Lord as well as there was an outward which they partake of who hear the Voice of the Son of God and open the Door of their Heart unto him that he may come in and Sup with them and they with him according to his Testimony in Rev. 3.20 Yet we acknowledge the Sign and Figure in its place and day but the Mystery or thing signified is greater and more Excellent Pr. The Letter or the Scripture is Dust the Serpents Meat which they food upon Answ This he falsly infers and casts upon J. Parn. whenas there is no such passage in J. P's words but that Those who pretend to study Divinity and go among Ignorant People and sell that which they have studied and got into the Brain and those who receive it get it into the Brain and so they live upon Dust which is the Serpents Meat Collect. J. P. p. 78 79. Hence its evident that he did not term the Scripture Dust but the Hireling Priests studied Brain-Notions or Knowledge Whereas the Priest appears in a great Rage and in Cruel Mockery against J. Fernel for his plain dealing with the Magistrates Heads and Priests of England as where J. P. saith For the Testimony of this true Ministry some of us are Imprisoned some Stoned some Stocked Whipped and shamefully intreated as Vagabonds Deluders Wanderers Raisers of Sedition c. and esteemed not worthy to live in the Nation both by Priest and Rulers who are out of the Commands of God and are Vagabonds and Fugitives from God who go in the Way of Cain and Envy and murder the Innocent Collect. J. P. pag. 80. As also where he saith We own Magistracy in its place for whilst there is Transgression there must be a Law and while the Devil hath Power over Man there will be Transgression The Law was given forth to curb Evil-doers c. And true Government according to the Law of God is Serviceable in its place and all Magistrates who fear God and hate Covetousness and are guided by the Light of God in the Conscience and execute the Law in its place without partiality and respect of Persons such are serviceable in their place and this we own and honour and are subject for Conscience-sake J. P. Collect. p. 81 82. These Passages the Priest has left out in his Citation except the first Line and then goes on citing viz. They neither know how to rule or govern who are guided by their own Wills such rule with partiality and respect of Persons and give forth Laws in their own Wills Persecute the Righteous encourage the Heathen c. Upon these and such passages before cited the Priest shamefully inveighs against and belies the Quakers
THE Real Quaker A Real Protestant And the Spirit of POPERY directly struck at In Answer to a most Malicious and Scandalous BOOK Entituled The PAPISTS Younger Brother By a Disguised AUTHOR under the Titles MISOPLANES and PHILALETHES But on the CONTRARY proved Philoplanes Misalethes By a Servant of Christ G. Whitehead Psal 36.2 3. The Wicked flattereth himself in his own Eyes until his Iniquity be found to be hateful The Words of his Mouth are Iniquity and Deceit Printed in the Year 1679. The Title of our Adversary's Book THE PAPISTS Younger BROTHER OR The Vileness of Quakerism Detected as it has been Printed and Published by Themselves AND An Appendix of the Quakers Unsound Faith which is also gathered out of Their Own Printed Books By Misoplanes and Philalethes A Hater of Error Lover of Truth The Anti-title relating to the following Treatise THE Real QUAKER a Real PROTESTANT And therefore no Brother to the Papists AND The Verity and Christianity of that Profession nick-nam'd Quakerism asserted and their own printed Books vindicated from the gross Abuses Slanders and Calumnies exhibited by a Malicious Persecuting Priest who is justly Recharged and proved guilty of Popery in Spirit Practice and Doctrine AND An APPENDIX to the following Treatise of the QUAKERS Sound Faith in Opposition to their Adversary's Appendix plainly evincing his Most Abominable Abuses and Forgeries against the People called Quakers In all which he is evidently proved to be Philoplanes A Lover of Error Misalethes A Hater of Truth AN Introductory Epistle Vnprejudiced Reader WEre it not to inform the Ignorant in Truth 's Vindication and to remove that Smoke and those Mists from before their Eyes which the Devil's Agents are busie to raise and cast before them to obscure and vail Truth with Prejudice I should not have set Pen to Paper to Answer this Adversary for I count him not worth those few dayes being near one Week's time that I have spent in Collecting and Answering so many of his gross Absurdities Falshoods Perversions and Slanderous Abuses which I have the more particularly set down in his own words and some of them in his own frequent Reiterations though I might more concisely and briefly have collected his confused Rambles into Heeds but I have thus traced his Absurdities and Slanders as I met them dispersed that they may remain upon record as a Testimony against him in such an obvious manner and all who own or abet him therein for his Abusive Work carries a more general Reflection than only upon himself 1st Because he makes himself some great Agent Champion for the Clergy and Church of England 2dly Because his large Pamphlet being above Twenty Three Sheets goes out with this Approbation viz. LICENCED W. JANE November 15. 1678. But as for his own Name he conceals it whether from a Jealousie of his Work or from a Consciousness of his own Disreputation that it may weaken the Credit thereof or from a Fear of incurring some of the Papists displeasure and endangering his own Promotion if they should have a Day for some Reflections upon them in his unjustly charging the Quakers with Popery only he subscribeth Misoplanes and Philalethes whereby he would be thought to be a Hater of Error and a Lover of Truth but his Work will manifest the contrary that as a Lover of his own Erroneous Wayes he shews an absolute Hatred to Truth His chief Quarrel is against the inherent or inward Righteousness of Christ Jesus for the compleating our Justification and Salvation and against the Light of Christ in Man and the Doctrine of Perfection or Freedom from Sin being attainable in this Life as also against the Light and Spirit of Christ being the only or chiefest Rule of Faith and Life as it is to all true spiritual Christians and Believers above Scripture so that the true Gospel and New Covenant Urim and Thummim to wit Light and Perfection true Knowledge and Holiness in the Breast-plate of Judgment in the Royal Priesthood of Christ are stumbled at and blasphemously opposed by this inveterate Clergy-man to the great Disgrace of his Coat and Shame of his Profession and Disparagement of his Moregrave and Learned Brethren for suffering such a furious discomposed Agent to be such a publick Advocate in their Cause who when he can't Answer nor give any modest Reply he Reviles Hectors Vaunts Boasts Scoffs and Jeers as if by that means he would conquer all when he cannot Reason he Rails and Clamours most hideously when he cannot confute his Opposers nor remove the Charges against him and those of his Spirit and Fraternity he recites and reiterates the Charges with Taunting Jeering and Scoffing and his chief Refuge and confuting Argument is The Church of England the Church of England 's Faith is Opposed though I must needs say he has greatly wrong'd and misrepresented that Church in several particulars wherein he is here reprehended for she should not be made worse than she is and instead of endeavouring to convince the Quakers in any Christian way of their being Deluded as he charges he does not only unjustly render a Real Quaker as being a Papist and charge Popery upon him for holding such plain Scripture-Truths relating to the new Birth and Justification by Grace received not excluding the Merit or Deserving and Dignity of Christ in his Suffering Death and Sacrifice for Mankind as an obtaining and procuring Cause thereof for all truly believing in him But also our Adversary shews himself offended at the King's Lenity towards Peaceable Dissenting Protestants nothing less will satisfie him than to have the Priests exalted and their Designs carried on over all by the secular Magistrate that they may be atop and both Kings Princes and Subjects subservient to them which hath been alwayes a Popish design and to this purpose this Priest in his very Title Page has given us a Citation which is very grateful to the Popish Clergy viz. Neque enim aliunde haereses obortae sunt aut nata sunt schismata quam inde quod sacerdoti Dei non obtemparatur Divus Cyprianus libro primo Epistola tertia i.e. For neither from any thing else Heresies have risen nor Schisms bred but hence that Obedience is not yielded to God's Priest So that its Obedience to the Priests our Adversary chiefly aims at as the chief Obligation to prevent Heresie and Schism and that the Security both of Church and State Kings and Princes may center in the Priests in all being obedient to them if by such Insinuation they of this mind could get the Miter set above the Crown their Princes not obeying such Priests nor siding with their selfish Interest may be liable to be Condemned if not Deposed as Hereticks This our Adversary greatly endeavours to incense the King and Government to Severity or Persecution against the despised People called Quakers using such Expressions as these Is it not high time for the King 's Sacred Majesty to arise and judge pag. 5. and surely
'T is high time for the King's Majesty the Defender of the Faith to gird on his Sword comparing the Quakers to stinging Snakes in the Bosom of Indulgence calling the Quakers Meeting or Church an Unlawful Conventicle the Congregation of Evil-doers pag. 43. and not only accusing the Quaker with being no Loyal Subject but also with Treason and Rebellion His Out rage being chiefly because Hat and Knee Honour and such Worldly Out-side Complements and Earthly Honour cannot be complyed with by the Plain Simple-hearted Impartial Quaker who being in the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ has an Eye to that Honour which comes from God only and not that which is from below earthly and must all be laid in the Dust Thus this Adversary has not only reflected on the King's Indulgence and sought to instigate him against his Peaceable Protestant Subjects but also like a Popish Incendiary to divide and weaken the real Protestant Interest and animate the Papists and introduce Popery and Arbitrary Government in Church State which with Persecution and Coertion to uphold it is Popery in the highest and therefore whilst this Clergy-man makes a great Noise against Papists and Popery he is but under a Disguise to cover his own Popish Rigid Persecuting Arbitrary Self-Willed Spirit and therein carrying on the Design of Popery and not only in this of Persecution but also in his very Language Doctrine and manner of Arguing where instead of Rationally Confuting the Quaker he cryes up the Faith and Authority of the Church as having the King and Bishops or outward Powers on his side therein like as if he should impose upon us that we must be of the Faith of that Church that has a Coercive Power to maintain her and what Interest will not this serve And where he frequently calls the Virgin Mary the Mother of God he shews himself greatly offended at the Quaker for deeming the Phrase Popish and Unscriptural pag. 26 27. As also his saying that the Bread broken that is in the Sacrament is the Body of Christ pag. 78. Thus this pretended Anti-papist hath his Work intermixed with such Popish Language and Stuff and yet he would be thought a Real Protestant while he is unjustly branding the Quaker with Popery There are two sorts of Clergy-men whereof this seems to be one that are very liable and fit to introduce Popery at unawares even under Pretence of the Church of England among the Simple and Ignorant People in this Nation to the vitiating and corrupting of their Minds and that is the Temporizing Clergy-men and the Debauched Drunken Clergy men which our Nation is too much filled with God knows for neither of them are either Tender or Conscientious about Religion but so corrupted hardened and debauched in their Consciences that they have lost their Zeal for the Protestant Cause Religion and Interest only fit to comply with such Interests as may most serve their own Ends and Turns which is the very way to introduce Popery Idolatry and Arbitrary Rule and Imposition both in Affairs Ecclesiastical and Civil 't is apparent that as Hypocrisie Loosness and Debauchery do harden and sear Peoples Consciences and make them Irreligious and Atheistical so these things are not only privious to Popery but In lets and Incouragements thereto for what Religion can be more grateful to the Flesh than that which is most Indulgent to it in its corrupt Wayes as for men daily to commit Sin and then believe that Priests have a Dispensation from the Pope or Sea of Rome to indulge and pardon them and that though they live in many gross Sins and Enormities all their dayes as they that plead for Sin and Imperfection to continue all their Life time yet the worst and final Punishment for them is but a Purgatory hereafter for some term of Years as their Priests for their own Ends make them believe What can be more easie and grateful to Fleshly Minds than such a Religion as this and how near a kin to this is our present Adversary's pleading and contending for Sin term of Life and which is worse charging the best of men with sinning daily so long as they live let the serious Reader Judge when he reads the Controversie hereafter And though this our Adversary has conceal'd his Name and would go Hood-winked I have some Account out of the County of Durham who he is and what he is as to his Conversation among his Neighbours in these words viz. There being a Pamphlet lately put forth against Friends entituled The Papists Younger Brother or the Vileness of Quakerism Detected by Misoplanes and Philalethes in which Gotation out of Friends Books are taken and Wickedly and Enviously paraphrased upon to render Truth Odious and Friends Obnoxious to expose them to Persecution Friends here about Darlington can give a sufficient Account of him as being a very great Persecutor by whom our Friends of Darlington Meeting have suffered very much His Name is Leonard Wastall Priest at a Town called Harworth about two Miles from Darlington where he has been Priest both in Oliver 's dayes and in these his Envy and Wicked Carriage is sufficiently known his Name is in the Record of the Sufferings of Darlington with many Circumstances of his many inhumane and wicked Actings against Friends if thou or any other may see any service of having an Account of him or his Conversation or Carriage Envy and Wicked Proceedings against Truth Friends here at Darlington can return you it with many Remarkable Circumstance Thus far the Account from a Person of Credit bearing date the 7th of the 3d Moneth 1679. For a more evident Discovery of our Antagonist the Reader is desired by the way to observe this Certificate which lately came to hand viz. These are to certifie that whereas there is an Abusive Book put forth against the People of God in Scorn called Quakers entituled The Papists Younger Brother c. and no real Name at it but instead thereof two Fained Names viz. Misoplanes and Philalerhes which Book was believ'd to be put forth by Leonard Wastall Priest of Harworth a Man well known in this Country to be Maliciously bent against the same People and a great Persecutor of the same yet for certain satisfaction hereof I did ask the same Leonard Wastal if he owned himself to be the Author of that Book entituled The Papists Younger Brother c. and subscribed by Misoplanes and Philalethes and he did own himself to be the Author of that Book so entituled in the Presence of Richard Scaife Merchant of Darlington Robert Johnson of Bernard-Castle Attourney Robert Lin of Blackwell Yeoman Men of good Credit Edward Tonstall 'T is also very remarkable what a great height the Priest's Envy and Malice is gotten to in his falsly representing the Quaker as being the Papists Younger Brother both contrary to the general sense of all moderate true English Men and Protestants and the publick Resentment and Cognizance that both the Commons
and none need to think themselves obliged to do it which is that Christ paid a Proper and Ridgid Satisfaction * Let my Adversar reconcile his Doctrine to this of Christs Satisfaction as held by the Presbyterians where he sayes That Satisfastion made by Christ God-Man to God the rathers Justice is a precious Gospel-Truth Is not this such a Notion as Edw. Stillingfleet here opposeth for the Sins of Men considered under the Notion of Debt and that he paid the very same which we ought to have done c. And further saith If the very same had been paid in the strict sense Ibid. p. 271. there would have followed a Deliverance Ipso Facto for the Release immediately follows the Payment of the same c. But we see that Faith and Repentance and the Consequences of those two are made Conditions on our parts in order to the enjoying the Benefit of what Christ hath procured And he further argues and saith We are to consider that these very Persons assert that Christ Paid all for us Ibid. p. 272. and in our Name and stead c. But above all things it is impossible to reconcile the Freeness of Remission with the full Payment of the very same It is impossible the same Debt should be fully paid and freely forgiven And he counts that they give the Church's Adversaries too great Advantage who hold this Opinion built upon a Mistake that Satisfaction must be such a strict Payment However let it be noted That seeing Faith and Repentance and the Consequences of both are made Conditions on our parts in order to the enjoying the Benefit of what Christ hath procured It follows that Justification and Redemption are not compleated wholly without us or that men are justified and redeemed while no Good no Qualification is wrought in them by the Spirit and Light of Christ for Faith and Repentance are some Good wrought in us thereby Pr. Ibid. No such thing discoverable by the Light within any Quaker as that the Godhead and Manhood were joyned in one Person who suffered was dead and buried to reconcile his Father to us and to be a Sacrifice not only for Original Guilt but also for all Actual Sins of Men. Ibid. The Quakers deny Christ to be God-Man in one Person Answ 'T was discoverable by the Spirit of Christ in the Prophets that Christ should be called the Wonderful Counsellor the Mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of Peace Isa 9.6 as also by the same Spirit and â—ight of it they did soresee his Sufferings as Man and the Glory that should follow and that thereby as a Sacrifice he should make a Reconciliation for Iniquity and also that he should bring in Everlasting Righteousness Dan. 9. And accordingly God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself and it is as in Christ who is truly God and truly Man inseparable that God and Men are reconciled and in Union but not so out of Christ in their Unbelief Sin and Transgressions § X. Pr. Ibid. If this with his Fellow-Quakers were enjoyned by the King's Majesty the Defender of the true Faith to subscribe to the Thirty Nine Articles then by their declaring their unfeigned Assent and Consent but to the two first Articles thereof their False Christian Paint would soon fall off these Saints Seed People Answ This man 's Hypocritical Paint is greatly defaced by his Scoffing and Flouting and shamefully Belying us therewith We hope to approve our selves True Christians Saints and People of God when he and such Temporizing Hypocrites and Scorners shall be had in universal Contempt for their Wickedness As to the two first Articles if that will either quiet him or he thinks it may make for him I can assent and subscribe to the substance of the two first that is To the One Living and True God infinite in Power Wisdom and Goodness the Maker and Preserver of all things and the Father Son and Holy Ghost as of one Substance Power and Eternity And to the Son his being the Word the very Eternal God of One Substance and that he took Man's Nature in the Virgin Mary and that so he is one Christ perfect God and Man who as Man truly suffered was crucified dead and buried and so became a Sacrifice for Reconciliation between the Father and us This without any Equivocal or Reserved Sense I can freely consent to let my Adversary make what he can of it Qr. G.W. Now if Professors come not to feel and experience these Things or Works of Christ viz. Reconciliation Redemption Salvation Justification fulfilled within them they are but meer empty Professors and Talkers of them without the true Life and Power of Christianity and true Religion Priest answers p. 16. They are Quakers in Heart ill principled in Christianity who do not see plainly how this Quaker 's Spirit hath put him upon playing the Sophister as well as an Ignoramus in it Answ Here he counts us Ill principl'd in Christianity Sophisters and Ignoramus's for asserting that Reconciliation Redemption Salvation Justification must be fulfilled within as much as to tell us that Professors possess the true Life and Power of Christianity without having these Works of Christ fulfilled within them as if they were all wholly compleated without them without respect to the Work of Christ within them This is still his old Antinomian Notion which he would father upon the Church of England but how contrary not only to Scripture but also to the Seventeenth Article of the Bishops concerning those who are Chosen in Christ let the serious Reader judge The words in the said Article are these viz. Wherefore they which be endued with so excellent a Benefit of God be called according to God's Purpose by his Spirit working in due season they through Grace obey the Calling they be justified freely they be made Sons of God by Adoption they be made like the Image of his Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk Religiously in good Works and at length by God's Mercy they attain to Everlasting Felicity Here is as much said for me as I can desire to this Adversary's Confutation discovering not only his Abuse of the Quakers but of his own Church in his pleading for a Justification of men wholly without them so wholly excluding the Works of Christ from within leaving them under the Dominion of Sin and Satan But this is not all but also in the said 17th Article there are these words viz. And such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ mortifying the Works of the Flesh and their Earthly Members and drawing up their Minds to High and Heavenly Things fervently kindle their Love towards God How plain is it that here is Confession to the working of God's Spirit even to the feeling if it within Obedience to his Calling being made Sons of God conformable to the Image of his Son c. included in the State of Justification contrary to our Adversary's
WHOLLY WITHOUT By which 't is still evident how he has contradicted the Church of England in this Point Pr. There is not one Syllable of Redemption by Purchase to be found in it p. 16. Answ He intends this of my sense of certain Scripture-terms relating to Christ and his Work pag. 8 9. of my Book Nature of Christianity but herein he has shamefully belyed me For Redemption is found and thus explained in it viz. A Ransoming Buying again a Rescuing or Recovering such as were under Bondage c. Pr. p. 17. Not only ignorantly but basely explain'd they must be all felt and experimentally fulfill'd within Professors Answ No base Explanation to feel and Experience Justification Salvation c. the Works of Christ fulfilled within But this man shews his Baseness in contemning this and his Contrapiction to the Bishops Article before cited else what mean those words therein viz. Such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ mortifying the Works of the Flesh c. Pr. Ibid. Justification is altogether Popishly explained a plain Instance that the Quakers Light within is from Rome below and not from Heaven above This is an Abuse again 't is not Popishly explain'd by us For though the Papists place the first Justification of men through the Means and Merits of Christ to be when God finds no good Works to Reward but Sins to Pardon unto such as have Faith in him yet they hold a second Justification and Salvation through the Merits of their own Works by the Assistance and Co-operation of God's Spirit * Vide Rhemists Annot. in Nov. Test on Rom. 2 3 4 9 10. Chapters and on 2 Tim. 4. Chap. Vers 8. where they say That all good Works done by God's Grace after the first Justification be truly and properly Meritorious and fully worthy of Everlasting Life and that thereupon Heaven is the due and just Stipend Crown or Recompence which God by his Justice oweth to the Persons so working by his Grace by which Merit or Meritoriousness of their own Works they do not mean in a mild sence an obtaining acceptance with God as by doing their Duty but in a strict sence that they have so deserved their Hire or Reward at God's hand as that they reckon God as a Debtor to them Whereas we place the Merit Deserving or Dignity wholly upon Christ both in his obtaining Redemption for us and his working in us that which is well-pleasing to the Father and his enabling us to do those things that please him wherein our Acceptance is wholly in him both with respect to his Suffering for us and his working in us and his working by us and what good we do by his Assistance 't is but our Duty not our Merit 't is that wherein we obtain Acceptance through the Assistance of his free Grace and not that whereby we can be said strictly to merit buy or purchase Salvation to our selves For what 's of Grace is not of Debt as from God to us we are Debtors to him for Christ's sake but he is no Debtor to us in his Gracious Rewards For we have all that 's good Root and Branch from him who hath ordain'd Peace for us having wrought all our works in us and we are bound to give thanks to God always for what we have and are even by his Grace and Goodness in Christ to us § XI Pr. Pag. 19. To believe and wait for the Life Everlasting after Death is no Article of this Quakers Faith this is a putting Salvation at a great Distance Answ This is a foul Perversion as if I did not believe Life Everlasting after Death whereas I only detected R. G. his Mistake on Heb. 9.28 his making the Believers looking for Christ and his Appearance the second time without Sin to Salvation to be a hoping and waiting for Salvation after the Bodily Death whereas I intended a Salvation from Sin and consequently from Wrath that this Salvation ought not to be put off till the Life to come For all that truly know this Appearance of Christ for this end experience him to save them from Sin and can truly say Now is come Salvation and Strength and the Kingdom of our God and the Power of his Christ Rev. 12. Pr. p. 20. To affirm that the Salvation of Sinners yea of the whole World should be compleatly finished by Christ's Death upon the Cross above Sixteen Hundred Years since this is strange Doctrine to this Ill principl'd Quaker Answ If the Salvation of the whole World was compleatly finished by Christ's Death on the Cross so long since what should hinder any man of Salvation And if so compleatly finish't there is none like to miss of it let them be as Corrupt as they will in themselves there is no exception of Condition on Man's part But if Salvation was so long since compleatly finished for Sinners yea for the whole World why does this Priest so Rail against me and the Quakers He should think by his own Rule that we are compleatly saved as well as he But if he says that we want Faith Christianity and sound Principles and therefore are not saved this still confutes himself and grants an inward work of Christ to produce Faith Christianity c. for the compleating our Salvation although Christ dyed for all men Pr. Ibid. You see clearly it s no part of this Quakers Faith to believe that Christ is the Son of the Virgin Mary Answ This is an apparent Lye and gross Perversion we have alwayes believed the Scriptures even in this very matter of Christs being born of the Virgin Pr. Ibid. This Quaker is bold to say to this Purpose If any man believes that Christ shall come at the last day to judge the quick and the dead to adjudge the Righteous to Heaven to condemn the Wicked to Hell then he may look till his Eyes drop out c. Answ A Notorious Perversion again I said nothing to this purpose against Christ's coming to judge the quick and dead at the Last Day but against my Opposer's putting off Salvation till after the Bodily Death in reference to that Appearance of Christ without Sin to Salvation to them that look for him and this on Heb. 9.28 Upon which I said 'T is strange that Salvation of Sinners yea of the whole World should be compleated at once above sixteen hundred Years since and yet to be so long after Death look't for how long is not known to thee c. Nat. Christ p. 29. Here is not one word in opposition to Christ's coming to Judgment But what was argued by me in this Case was in respect to the Salvation of Sinners and Christ's Appearance to save from Sin For but in page before I mentioned his Saving us by the Washing of Regeneration and Renewing of the holy Ghost on Tit. 3.4 5 6. Pr. p. 21. As for Christ's Righteousness without us made ours by Faith this is the Doctrine which is disowned by
of the Spirit there as he hath done surely he pronounceth and prayeth what he believes not but from the Teeth outward And also let it be noted how Inconsistent our present Adversary is with the Sermon preached before the Lords in Parliament upon the Fast day February 4. 1673. by Herbert Bishop of Hereford where after he has exclaimed against the Vice Debauchery Pride and Luxury the abominable Lust Excess and Superfluities of our Times he earnestly presseth and urgeth upon their Consciences For Humiliation Weeping Mourning Fasting mortifying their Carnal Bestial Lust that so God from his Mercy-seat might look down with Compassion upon them and pardon all their Crying Sins and then God would Bless them c. Here he did not preach Pardon Peace Blessing or Justification to them if they continued in Sin And further plainly saith Now that Sin is more hateful unto Christ than any Sufferings is evident because he endureth all these to take away Sin Christ could endure the greatest Torment in the World but cannot endure the least Sin for Sin is not only hateful but a flat Contradiction unto God for God is Holiness Can we be such ungrateful Beasts such savage Wolves such cruel Tygers such bloody Monsters as yet to crucify him afresh and put him again to open shame God forbid But let us rather scourge and crucifie the old Man that hater of this our blessed Saviour Thus sar the said-Bishop with much more of this kind of his Sermon aforesaid I am perswaded if the Bishops did see and rightly consider much of my Adversaries writing and what Sin-pleasing Antinomian Notions he would father upon the Church of England they would conclude that he had need to preach a Recantation Sermon or otherwise that he deserves to be degraded and Excommunicated I have quoted the more against him of matter owned by the Protestants and Church of England because he brags so much of that Church as if she would shelter him in all his Deceits and Abuses § XIII Pr. p. 25. In this Quaking Ramble we find too much abominable Doctrine viz. 1. No Hosanna due to Christ as the he Son of M ary no existing Bodily without us 2. Jesus the Son of Mary is not God our Saviour 3. That Jesus Christ is not the Son of the Substance of the Father Answ In all these this Envious Priest hath most shamefully abus'd and perverted my Words as may apparently be seen in the Book Entituled The Nature of Christianity c. pag. 40 and 41. As First About No Hosanna a falshood For I confess'd that the multitude cried Hosanna to the Son of David Matth. 21.9 And ask'd if Hosanna be not Save now I beseech thee only I shewed R. G. his mistake that it was the Multitudes that cryed Hosanna to the Son of David which he placed upon his Apostles and all his Ministers in all Ages whereas they all confessed his Deity as well as his Manhood his being the Son of God and the Root as well as the Off-spring of David Yet I condemn not their Hosanna to the Son of David who in simplicity of Heart cryed so But yet that there is an higher Expression of Honour to him with respect to his Deity and as the Eternal Son of God and David's Lord according to his own Testimony when he questioned the Pharisees and Scribes who called him the Son of David viz. What think ye of Christ whose Son is he They said unto him The Son of David He said unto them How then doth David in Spirit call him Lord saying The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou on my Right Hand till I make thine Enemies thy Foot-stool If David then call him Lord how is he his Son And no man was able to answer him a Word neither durst any man from that day forth ask any more Questions Mat. 22. and Mark 12.35 36 37. Did Christ herein deny himself to be the Son of David or of his Seed according to the Flesh no sure no more have we What I writ as before was in relation to the Honour due to Christ as the Eternal Son of God which the Pharisees allow'd not of though they confessed him to be the Son of David but were offended at his owning himself to be the Son of God John 10.36 and 19.7 The Jews charged him with Blasphemy and said He ought to dye because thereof Secondly The Priest has most shamefully belyed me by inferring upon me a denial of the Deity of Jesus Christ as if I denied him to be God our Saviour which is a gross Lye for I have in plain words confest that the holy Prophets Apostles and Ministers pointed and testified unto Jesus Christ both as Man born of the Virgin to his coming in the Flesh Nat. Chri. pag. 40. and unto his Divinity and manifestation in Spirit Thirdly The Priest hath abominably belyed me in charging this Doctrine upon me that Jesus Christ is not the Son of the Substance of the Father * Which also he sets down in his 10th Article as the Quakers belief p. 147. whenas I have plainly confest his Divinity and the main drift of my Discourse is that he may be chiefly honour'd and worshipped as in respect to his Deity Divine Power and Glory as the Eternal Son of God For that Hosanna and Adoration Claim of Salvation which some pretend only to Christ as the Son of Mary or to him as the Son of Mary only this I was not satisfied with because it excludes his Divinity from that honour chiefly due thereto And it was hereupon that I asked R. G. the Question If he had so considered Christ to be God the Saviour or the Son from the Substance of the Father Which I asked not to deny him in either of these 't was far from my thoughts but only to shew my Opposer his mistake in attributing all to him only as the Son of Mary Thus far was I from denying the Deity of the Son of God or his being of the Substance of the Father from everlasting before the World was As also I shewed Mark 6.3 that they who called Christ the Carpenter the Son of Mary and were offended at him did not shew that honour and respect to him that Peter did who said Nat. Christ p. 51. Thou art Christ the Son of the living God though this can be no Denial of his outward Birth of the Virgin Pr. pag. 26. They deny that the Son of Mary is to be worshipped as God Answ We do not divide Christ though we distinguish between his Godhead and Manhood viz. That though he be perfect God and perfect Man yet inferior to the Father touching his Manhood as is confest in the Liturgy And if any of us have denied that meerly consider'd as the Son of Mary he is to be worshipped as God I think we should not be rendred Offenders nor yet Deniers of his Manhood on this occasion for men more Wise and Learned than our Adversary
pag. 30. In this Quaking Primmer here is a base Charge drawn against all the Ministring Priests of the Church of England Here these Quakers have fired their Beacon that the Youth of this Church may have timely notice to beware of their best Soul-Friends Here the silly Sheep are slightly counselled against their Keepers that the Quaking Wolves may the better prey upon them Answ Here the Priest rages and rails but defends not himself and his Brethren from the Charge of such being Deceivers as preach for Money and Tythes and who being in Transgression not able to lead others out of it only he sayes 'T is a base Charge against all the Ministring Priests of the Church of England as if he had told us all the Ministring Priests of the Church of England do preach for Money and Tythes and then cryes out Quaking Wolves as if that were enough to clear him and his Brethren and to be a deadly Blow to the Quakers Who is it cannot see such Impertinency Malice and Railery He tells us They are God's Priests and Ambassadours by whom God doth beseech his Rebel-Subjects to be reconcited but proves it not we have only his Say-so He should have proved his own and their Call to the Ministry We deny that they are immediately called of God either to be his Priests Embassadours or Mouth How should they be so Called that deny Immediate Teaching and Inspiration and especially such who scoff at the Light within and the Spirit 's Teaching as this Adversary doth And for a mediate Call I deny that they have it from the holy Apostles or primitive Church of Christ in their dayes Pr. pag. 31. Here little Children are taught to look upon all Teaching Priests as so many Deceivers as those Hirelings that preach for Money and Tythes which is a Lying Slander Answ No this is mis-stated for they are taught to look upon all such as preach for Money and Tythes to be Deceivers Hirelings c. Pr. Ibid. According to the baseness of these Quaking Lines its a shame for the King 's sacred Majesty the Defender of the true Faith that such base Priests should be owned by him Answ Here for a shelter he would make the King a Patronizer of the Priests Cause how Base soever any of them are in Preaching for Hire and Cruel in Persecuting and Imprisoning People for Tythes he thinks he argues stoutly in their Defence to tell us The King 's sacred Majesty owns them when alas his Majesty knows not a tenth part of their Baseness and Cruelty who are guilty of persecuting his peaceable Subjects for their Bellies and filthy Lucre. And rather than not have their Covetous Ends answered they 'l throw a Man in Goal for the Value of a Tythe-Pig they are so cruel and hard-hearted many of them that they value a few Tythe-Piggs more than they do Mens Liberties or Lives I am perswaded such Priests will bring no Honour to the King Pr. Ibid. Devilish Lessons that the Scripture is not the Word of God Answ No where doth the Scripture call it self the Word but in the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God c. and his Name is called The Word of God John 1. Rev. 19.13 Yet what the Scriptures call themselves we call them so and own them to be Pr. pag. 32. To say that God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost are Three Persons but One God this is to speak we know not what c. Ibid. To say with the Church of England In the Vnity of this Godhead there be Three Persons of One Sâ—â—sâ—ance Power and Eternity the Father the Son and H. Ghost is in this Quaker 's Account the Doctrine of the World Answ That in the Unity of the Godhead there 's Father Son and Holy Spirit of One Substance Power and Eternity we do own and confess according to the Scripture but that these are Three distinct or separate Persons as some have called them we have no Scripture Proof for these Terms Why does not this man bring us plain Scripture-Proof in this Case seeing he professes it to be his only Rule of Faith Has he not given here great Advantage to the Papists to tell him that the Church is his Rule and not the Scripture in this great Article of his and their Faith Pr. pag. 33. To prepare little Children to slight them i. e. the Scriptures as being unable to bring them to know God and Christ and the Spirit of Truth according to these Quaking Lines St. Paul was mistaken when he said that the Scripture was profitable for Doctrine Answ 'T is no preparing any to sleight the Scriptures to testifie of Christ his Light and Spirit of Truth as being the Way to know God whom no man knows but by the Son 's revealing him And God who commanded Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined in our Hearts to give us the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Christ Jesus This is not said of the Scriptures though as given by Inspiration of God they are profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Instruction that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnisht unto every good Work Herein Paul was not mistaken for the Man of God is Divinely Inspired unto the right Understanding and Use of the Scriptures Therefore this Inspiration is the Ground of Divine Knowledge The Scriptures are profitable by the help of this through the Blessing of God hereby have we found Profit and Comfort in reading the Scriptures which no man can without the BLESSING of GOD by his Spirit Pr. Ibid. To Exalt the Quakers Idol the Light within little Children are here taught to slight the holy Scriptures as a Duâ—â— Book Answ Here is both horrid Blasphemy against the Light of Christ within and a gross Lye that little Children are so taught to slight the holy Scriptures for they are told in the very words cited by this Priest That the Scriptures of Truth do declare of God Christ and the Spirit of Truth and this is not to slight the Scriptures thus to own their Testimony on the behalf of God his Christ and the holy Spirit The holy Scriptures may be made instrumental for our Profit and Confirmation through the Divine and Gracious Assistance of the holy Spirit but not of themselves or without it His Comparison between Popish Catechisms and ours and his telling us of Papal Quakers that make their Followers two-fold more the Children of Hell are both False Infamous and Slanderous and nothing like any rational Proof urged by him but a continued persisting in his Abusive Railery and Reviling for which the Lord rebuke him § X V. The Priest's next Quarrel and Railery is against William Smith's two Treatises Primmer and Catechism Pr. pag. 33. Both Primmer and Catechism are the fittest for Smithfield to receive the Hang-man's Imprimatur Answ This same Envious Spirit that is still finding Work for the Hang-man to
live upon Tythes and Forced Maintenance Imprison and Spoil many Innocent Subjects that the Lofty Domineering Priests may live in Pride and Fulness which thing doubtless can be no Delight nor Advantage to the King that the Priests should thus harrass and destroy his Subjects considering his divers Declarations for Liberty of Conscience and Toleration But if the King should grant and cause a Law to be made to leave People free to their Consciences and Perswasions in that Case of Payment or Non-payment of Tythes then I suppose this Priest would not so readily cry up the King as the Churches Nursing-Father What the Prophet saith That Kings shall be thy Nursing-Fathers and their Queens thy Nursing-Mothers relates not at all to any Persecuting Church or Priest-hood but to God's own afflicted People Zion or Church of Christ in the Restoration and Gathering of the Gentiles thereunto to whom he saith Thy Destroyers and they that made thee Waste shall go forth of thee Isa 49.17 So that when such Persecutors and Destroyers as many of the Priests are come to be removed and the Hearts of Kings and Princesses come to be made tender by the Invisible Power of God they shall be a Comfort as Nourishers and Relievers of God's afflicted People from their Oppressions when the Beast shall hate the Whore and lay her Desolate that she may no longer persecute nor drink the Blood of the Saints So that this Prophecy of Isaiah Chap. 49.23 does not appertain to a Persecuting and Oppressing Priest-hood or Church but to the Afflicted and Oppressed Zion and People of God in the Day of his Churches Restoration and encrease even among the Gentiles Pr. p. 39. Our Singing of Psalms in the Time of Divine Service is as bad as our Preaching and Praying Answ Praises are not comely in the Mouth of the Wicked their Prayers and Sacrifices God regards not If I regard Iniquity in mine Heart God will not regard my Prayers You sing what you experience not in David's Psalms Prayers Complaints Lamentations c. You falsly personate David in Conditions that are none of your own Pr. Ibid. The Quakers to the shame of true Christianity are they only who sing with the Spirit and Vnderstanding Answ We do not say that Quakers only sing with the Spirit and Understanding but that the true singing is therewith If this Priest pretends to sing with the Spirit then I hope he will own the Spirit 's Guidance in this point and so to sing and pray without Book by the Spirit 's Motion and Guidance if he owns this to be concern'd in true Christianity then why does he Revile the Quakers so called for owning the Spirit 's Rule and Guidance If he owns it not then no Injury to tell him his Defect wherein his Brethren are generally concerned Pr. p. 39 40. To mount the Baseness of Quakerism aloft the singing of Psalms at Court in the King's Chappel in the City and Country in Cathedrals and Parish Churches is a very prophane piece of Service Answ Their being sung at Court in the King's Chappel and in Cathedrals c. does not make the Service one bit better 't is not the Places but the Hearts of men that God looks at if the Hearts be bad and wicked at Court in the City or Country in Cathedrals or Parish Churches so called God will never a whit regard their pretended Services for the sake of the Places for he is no Respecter of Persons he regards not the Face of Princes It is not the Kings Palace that will excuse men in offering Prayers or Praises from a poluted Heart Iniquity at Court is Reproveable in God's sight as well as in City or Country 't is Truth in the inward parts God requires Pr. Qr. Prim. p. 36. Christ did not ordain sprinkling Water in a Child's Face Answ If he did let 's have Scripture proof for it where-ever Christ did ordain or command Infants to be sprinkled or called that the Baptism I am apt to be more than confident that he has no Scripture to be his Rule in this Practice Pr. Priest answers pag. 40. We have quite lost Baptism and the Lord's Supper in the Church of England This Quaker doth buldly say They rose from the Pope's Invention Answ The true and real Baptism and Lord's Supper both in the Type and Antitype did not rise from the Pope's Invention but dipping or sprinkling Infants and calling that Baptism was imposed by Popes I challenge him to produce plain Scripture-proof for sprinkling Infants if he can Pr. pag. 41. Who can but laugh this Baal 's Prophet to Scorn or rather who can but pity his great Ignorance Answ This Person is given more to Laughter and Scorn than he is to Pity but his Laughter and Scorn are but like the Crackling of Thorns under a Pot for he laughs and scorns at such as truly own the Light and Spirit of Christ within to be their Guide and Teacher Pr. Ibid. Let this be noted that the Quakers own no other Baptism but that which is in the Spirit which certainly is NO SCRIPTURE-BAPTISM Answ The One Baptism which the Quakers own is the Baptism of the Spirit testified of in Scripture There is one Faith one Baptism Ephes 4. We are all Baptized by one Spirit into one Body and As many as are Baptized into Christ have put on Christ For this man to say This is no Scripture-Baptism shews his great Ignorance as well as Error Pr. pag. 42. Alas poor despised Church of England What 's become of thy Two Sacraments which are generally necessary to Salvation Answ Where is his Scripture for this Passage for the word Sacraments and for the Two Sacraments necessary to Salvation If he cannot produce plain Scripture-proof herein then the Scripture is not his Rule but the Church is his Rule as the Papists say His Railing and crying out The Vgly Face of these Quaking Lines is no Proof for his Positions but Reviling still Pr. pag. 4 3. Who knows not that a Material Church is a Place made by Men and not by Angels Answ Where is his Scripture for a Material Church made by Men or that a Steeple-house or old Mass-house is the Church He distinguishes not between Ecclesia and Templum here Pr. Ibid. As for that Church which this Quaker calls a Living Thing it is an Vnlawful Conventicle Ecclesâ—a Malignantium the Congregation of Evil-doers with which this Church and Kingdom is too much pestered Answ That Church which the Quakers call a living Church is built up of Living Stones whereof Christ is the Head and Chief Corner-Stone no Unlawful Conventicle He now talk like a Malicious and Popish Informer that would incense the Magistrates to Persecution against us Pr. Pag. 44. Not the King's Majesty on the Throne nor the Peers of this Realm do escape this Quaker 's Lash Answ Neither the King on the Throne nor the Peers of the Realm will be able to excuse this Priest in the great Day of God
to the Light viz. That no Priests of the Church of England or else-where did ever deny that God might not be known by the Light of Nature within them pag. 120. See how manifestly the Priest has Contradicted himself here Did ye ever read that God might be known by a False Christ or by an Idol or by an ELF before as he calls the Light within †Whether by Elf he means a Fairy Nymph or Dwarf his Term is very Irreverent and Blasphemous Pr. pag. 68. It is a confessed Truth among us that all those do hold the Truth in Vnrighteousness that do not live according to it Answ Many such Professors there are among you that do not live according to Truth we wish your Repentance and Amendment of Life that you may through the Grace of God live answerable to Scripture Pr. Ibid. But 't is no false Light in any of us to profess the Scripture to be our Rule By God's own appointment the Scripture is the Rule of Faith and Life Answ The cripture is not your Rule if you walk contrary and hold Truth in Unrighteousness and live a sinful Life the Scripture is not the Rule of such a Life to be sure And if ye know it to be a Rule and profitable to you it must be through God's Assistance and his divine Illumination else ye cannot understand it But where by Gods own appointment the Scripture is called the Rule of Faith and â—ife he shews us not by Scripture Pr. Ibid. It 's folly to think that the sinfulness of any man's Life can make the Scripture to cease to be the Rule of Life as God hath declared it to be Answ He shews us not where God hath declared the Scripture or Writing to be the Rule of Life or the Rule of Faith and Life we have only his Say-so for it no Scripture-proof for this Article of his Faith And then where is the Foundation of his Faith which he pretends the Scripture to be the Rule of he is not content with its being a Rule Subordinate to the holy Spirits Guidance and Illumination of the understanding but by way of Emphasis he must have these Epithetes placed upon the Scripture which signifies Writing viz. The Rule of Faith and Life which yet he brings us no Scripture-proof for that ever God hath declared it so to be much less the Word of Life the Judge the Tryer of Spirits those streams which make glad the City of God Wherein he might as well plainly have told us that the Scripture is God Christ the Spirit the Life the Light and what not § XXIII Pr. Ibid. Without doubt it is a false Light in any Quaker which guides him to say that the Scripture is not the Rule of Life without the Light within to guide him Answ Here the Priest renders the Scripture the Rule of Life without the Light within to guide as if Men could know the benefit of the Scripture while in their Darkness without the Guidance of the Light The man is quite out here How should any rightly understand use or improve the Scripture without divine Illumination or Inspiration to open their Understandings seeing that there is a Spirit in Man but the Inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding The Spirit of God is sufficient to instruct men in those Nations where they have not or cannot read Scripture But the Scripture of it self cannot guide any men nor be of any real profit to them so much as a Rule of Life without the Spirit and its inward divine Illumination For what can dark minds and Earthly Corrupt Hearts or Natural men by their own Wisdom truly understand of holy Scripture 't is as a seal'd Book unto them And therefore the Psalmist applied himself to the Lord in Prayer in this wise Teach me thy Statutes make me to understand the Way of thy Precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous Works Remove from me the way of Lying and grant me thy Law graciously I will run the way of thy Commandments when thou shalt enlarge my Heart Teach me O Lord the Way of thy Statutes and I shall keep it unto the End Give me Vnderstanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole Heart With many more such passages in Psal 119. Of whom did he seek this Teaching Understanding and Help but of the Lord Could then the Scripture of it self do all this no sure Consider of it and let all serious Readers take notice how blind Opposers of the Light of Christ within stumble and fall in the dark § XXIV In the next place the Priest appears greatly vex't at James Parnel's Book called The Trumpet of the Lord blown or A Blast against Pride and Oppression About which the Priest greatly abuses the Author and the people called Qrs. most shamefully perverting his Testimony against Pride and Oppression as may plainly appear in a few Instances As Whereas James Parnel saith Wo unto you that are called Lords and Ladies Knights c. in respect to your Persons who are Exalted in the Earth who are Proud High and Lofty c. With other passages Threatning and Warning of them for their Pride Wantonness Voluptuousness c. instancing Dives Haman Pharaoh c. Pr. Hereupon the Priest saith According to this Qr. the last End of all the aforesaid Persons without exception is to be destroyed p. 70. And that according to this Quaking Scrible all that are called Lords Ladies Knights Gentlemen and Gentlewomen Master Mistress Madam shall every one of them unless they turn Quakers be damn'd forever they shall without any Exception be cast into Hell p. 71. Answ The Priests horrid and gross Abuse in these Passages in saying that without any Exception they shall be all cast into Hell Here he makes the Threat Absolute as if because they are called Lords and Ladies c. they must all be damned in the Qrs. sence which is a most Sordid Perversion and Knavery leaving out much that concerns their Destructive Ways and States and the very Principal Condition or Matter which J. P. inserted in those Threats and Warnings of his and yet for all this the Priest puts in or Forges a Condition or Exception in his own Terms That unless they turn Qrs. they shall be damned forever These are none of J. P's words and yet a forged Exception enough to render the Priest Contradictory to himself And it is to be noted that this Priest in his Citation pag. 71. out of James Parnel's Book pag. 31 32 33. which he takes together he hath left out the most Materal Passages both relating to those Ways and States that are Destructive and to those Conditions that tend to Salvation As for Instance After the Words Rising up to Play the Priest leaves out and live in Pride and Covetousness And after the words The blind eads the blind into the Ditch he leaves out and so you lead your Lives and spend your Time here and
is with us manifested in the Flesh Answ But this the Priest believes not either of us or any people else for he counts it a high base Doctrine intolerable Blasphemy an abominable Quaking Assertion and all one as to say that they are no less God than himself is Godded with God and Christed with Christ Thus he has exploded such a Doctrine as the Saints partaking of the Divine Nature of Christ as an Abominable Quaking Assertion as his words are more at large aggravated in his 116th page whereby he hath discovered his gross Darkness Blasphemy and Ignorance of the Scripture and Testimony of holy Apostles see 2 Pet 1.3 4. According as his Divine Power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto Life and Godliness through the Knowledge of him that hath called us to Glory and Virtue whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises that by these ye might be PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE having escaped the Corruption that is in the World through Lust But this partaking of the Divine Nature the Priest counts an Abominable Quaking Assertion Quaking Blasphemy c. see now what an Ignorant Blasphemous Person he hath shewn himself one that neither knoweth the Scriptures nor the Power of God See § 30. Pr. Art 63. We Q. do believe that the true Church is where there is one Lord one Light one Life one Priest over the Houshold of God one Hope one Baptism one God and Father of all § 30. Answ Yes we must believe this whether the Priest will believe it or no and if he will not believe it he will not believe as the Scripture faith There should be One Shepherd and One Sheep fold there is One Body and One Spirit even as ye are called by One Hope of your Calling One Lord One Faith One Baptism all which the true Chutch partaketh of Pr. Art 64. We Q. do believe as G. F. writes that the Priests of England are going mad in preaching for Rewards and Gifts in Cursing Excommunicating and Imprisoning so that Balaam 's Ass may reprove them all Answ And we have no Cause to believe that the Priests of England are going Wise in Preaching for Rewards and Gifts in Cursing Excommunicating and Imprisoning such as do not put into their Mouthes But it seems this Priest believes they are Wise Priests that preach for Rewards and take these harsh and severe Courses of Cursing Excommunicating and Imprisoning them that cannot put into their Mouthes But did not Paul confess he was Exceeding Mad when he persecuted For he counts what G. F. has written in this Case one of the Articles of the Qrs. Unsound Faith Pr. Art 75. We Q. do believe that there is a Way to go through Moses and through the Prophets and through John to come to Christ that when a man hath gone this strange Way then he may see that the Light is but one Answ This is a Strange Way to our Adversary the Priest and to all that are alive without the Law but 't was not a Strange Way to the Apostle Paul nor to any true Christian who have traversed those steps of Judgments and through Death and Condemnation under the spiritual Administration of the Law under which the Offenders Mouth is stopt and all the World become guilty before God and the Righteousness of God is witnessed by the Law and the Prophets Rom. 3. And I had not known Sin but by the Law saith Paul Chap. 7.7 And we know that the Law is Spiritual Vers 14. And saith Paul I through the Law am dead to the Law that I might live unto God I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the Life which I now live in the Flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God Gal. 2.19 20. And therefore he did spiritually pass through the Law And see what Christ saith Matth. 5.17 Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am not come to destroy but to fulfil Again he saith Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you do even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets Matth. 7.12 Luke 6.31 And this is no strange Way to any true Christian Pr. Art 77. We Q. do believe that Jesus Christ remains in Heaven that the same that did descend did ascend Answ This is also rank't in among his Articles of the Quakers Unsound Faith which plainly reflects upon the Apostle Paul's Testimony Ephes 4.10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens that he might fill all things Pr. Art 79. We Q. do believe that Christ lives in that Body which is the Church Answ And must this needs be an Unsound Faith too Does not Christ live in his Church To deny this how contrary is it to Christ's and his Apostles Testimonies see John 17.23 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one And did not he walk in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks which were the seven Churches of Asia Rev. 1.13 20. And his being in the Heavens and living in his Church are not inconsistent Hebr. 8.1 2. We have an High Priest who is set on the Right Hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens a Minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man And where was this Sanctuary and true Tabernacle but in his Church where he lives and ministers to the Edification of all those in whose Hearts Christ dwells by Faith Pr. Art 97. We Q. do believe that all the Teachers of England who are not sent who have no Commission from God who go forth only in the Will of Man that they are no Ministers of Christ that their Doctrine is not from Heaven but men below they teach for Doctrine the Traditions of Men. Answ And how should we believe otherwise of them who have no Commission from God but go forth in the Will of Man how should we believe that they are Ministers of Christ or that they receive their Doctrine or Commission from Heaven * §. 15. If our Adversary will still believe that such unsent Teachers as have no Divine Commission from Heaven are Christ's Ministers he may believe so long enough before the QVAKERS will be of his Faith There are several more things in his Ninety Eight Articles wherein his Ignorance as well as his Falshood appears But I think I have given Instances sufficient to evince both to any impartial and unbyassed Readers as also to Vindicate Truth from his Malicious Perverse and Knavish Attempts for which I leave him to the Just God to Reckon with Judge and Reward him according to his Works