taken share and deeply drunk in that persecuting Spirit and to aggravate his Matter against us on their behalf he has that Passage reflecting upon the Nonconformists twice over cited in his Preface from our Pen as his Phrase is quoting Quakerism a new Nick name As also in p. 27. he has the same Passage over again with another out of William Penn's Book styled A just Rebuke to one and twenty Divines reminding the Presbyterians of their former Proceedings c. so that he appears so much disgusted at a Reflection upon the Presbyterians c. that he begins and almost concludes his invective and bitter piece about it as offended that they were upbraided such a deeply concerned and zealous Presbyterian Agent is John become I may give the Reader a hint of one Fling that John has at me if he had had Sedition or Treason against me to be sure I should have heard of it and many more besides His Fling is this viz. about F. B. who he saith was one of the chief Preachers of the Quakers and in very great esteem among them This Man is charged by Jer. Ives to have justified the late War against the King and is defended by George Whitehead another of their chief Preachers p. 9. To all which I answer as a Man not Conscious to my self herein Do but see how fallaciously and deceitfully the matter is stated by this peevish Incendiary as namely upon his repeating the Anabaptists charging E. B. with justifying the late War against the King without any Distinction he addeth and is defended by G. W. which looks like as if I do defend such a Justification of the late War against the King What is this but Malice and Wickedness to render me obnoxious and seditious to the Government and so uncapable of so much as the Act of Indemnity As for a present defending of that War which I never was concerned in nor is there any Words of that import in my answer to Ives see Serious Search which John quotes but leaves out the principal Matter wherein I defend E. B. in his testifying against the Men then in Power and the Quakers from Ives his most unjust Accusation against them in these general Words viz. You justifie the late War against the King What Impostors c. This our Adversary has most enviously seconded as one beholding to the Anabaptist Preachers and was not he a zealous Chaplain more than a little concerned in the Old Army against the King himself who not very long after his open scurrilous Behaviour boasting vapouring and malicious Work against us was soon cut off by Death Now J. P. has enlarged upon his Work against us to render us odious to the Government and me in particular as defending such a Justification of the late Wars against the King as his Words may be easily taken rather than defending our Friend or Friends from that Charge which not only my self but also many thousands of us and among us are wholly clear of nor did I ever like Wars and Blood-shed being a simple-hearted harmless People towards the King and all Men and do eye the over-ruling Hand and Power of God and dayly fear him for our Preservation being in his Holy Will resigned to be patient and passive under what Government he is pleased to set up Moreover let the Reader please to take notice how evident John Pennyman's Abuse Deceit and Falshood is on some Passages he cites out of a Paper entituled A Declaration from the People called Quakers to the present distracted Nation of England 1659. p. 12. where upon these Passages viz. We have chosen the Son of God to be our King and he hath chosen us to be his People and he might command thousands and ten thousands of his Saints at this Day to fight in his own Cause and give them Victory over all their Enemies and turn his Hand upon their Persecutors but yet his Kingdom is not of this World neither is his War-fare with Carnal Weapons c. neither hath he chosen us for that End neither can we yet believe that he will make use of us in that way c. But for the present we are given up to bear and suffer all things for his Name 's sake c. Upon which John Pennyman has this Observation viz. So that they were not then of that Mind That the Spirit would never move them to fight And this he brings to contradict their Declaration to the King 1660. Testifying that the Spirit of Christ which leads them into all Truth will never move them to fight and war against any Man with outward Weapons 1. In the first place I intreat all that read this to take notice That the aforesaid Declaration which J. P. has the said Observation upon viz. That the Quakers were not then of that Mind That the Spirit would never move them to fight was as he saith true subscribed by many but tells not the Reader That he even John Pennyman himself was one of those many who subscribed it As I am sure his own Name is to it with thirteen or fourteen more wherein he hath dealt most disingenuously and deceitfully thus to reflect upon the Quakers and E. B. about it without giving any notice how far himself was concerned in it by subscription which he must needs see and call to mind if his Malice did not befool him to overlook or not heed the Subscriptions but his casting it upon E. B. as being moved by his Spirit to give that Paper forth shews that he has of late looked on the Conclusion of it it being there said That the Substance of this was given forth the twentieth Day of this tenth Month being moved of the Lord by his Spirit thereunto through Edward Burroughs and is now judged meet to be published to the Nation in the behalf of us and our Friends under our Hands viz. Ger. Roberts Thom. Hart Gil. Latey John Anderdon Joh. Osgood Robert Benbrick John Boulton Ellis Hooks William Crouch Gobert Sikes James Strutt John Pennyman John Crook E. Billings and Ben. Furley See now here is J. Pennyman among the rest espousing and highly owning the Declaration aforesaid as the Substance of it being then given forth at the Motion of the Lord by his Spirit and published in the behalf of them who subscribed it and their Friends Well I have seriously perused the said Declaration and I must confess it looks so impartially and with so much Innocency and Freeness from a fighting Spirit and so plainly confessing our Choice of the Son of God to be our King and his Choice of us to be a People and that his Kingdom is not of this World and that his War-fare is not with Carnal Weapons as also that neither is his Victory by the murthering and killing of Men's Persons nor hath he chosen us for that end c. with divers other Passages to the same purpose as in p. 8. viz. We do not war against any with
Concern therein by placing the Publishing and Printing of it upon another Person Now he is for exposing and doing what mischief he can against us having presumptuously given Sentence of our Destruction positively concluding that there is no hopes of our Repentance The Lord rebuke the Insolency Pride Presumption and Envy of this gain-saying Luciferian Spirit For what end does John Pennyman come so often into our Meetings to Preach and make a noise among us smiteing and reflecting upon the Testimonies of the Servants of Christ exalting himself as Judge over all What can his end be therein It cannot be to Preach us unto Repentance which he has already judged there is no hopes of neither can We and our Friends receive him as either Prophet or Minister of Christ though he intrudes himself as into the place of such an one or at least as if he would have People believe that he had some special Commission But he appears so very empty dry and dead that the least Child of Light doth see him and his forced presumptuous Messages to be both void of Life and Charity as well as of Faith and Hope having no Hope of their Repentance to whom he Preaches He hath told us the Righteous are as bold as a Lyon but where was his Boldness in the times of our late Sufferings and Persecutions when the Informers were abroad He came not then to Preach Prophesie or reprove among us he would then rather keep obscure than forfeit his 20 or 40 l. for Preaching in our publick Meetings To whom I conclude Oh John mayst thou yet be humbled unto Repentance Mayst thou yet find a place of Repentance for thy great Envy and all thy hard Speeches against the Lords Servants and People My Soul yet desires thy Repentance if a place be yet to be found that thy Gray Hairs may not go down to the Grave in Sorrow and Contempt thy days are hastning towards a Period recollect thy Self and consider thy ways and the evil and mischief thou hast attempted and done against the Lord's Heritage and Servants not only against the Living but also against the Dead who are at rest in Christ The Lord open thine Eyes and hasten thee to seek Repentance if it may stand with his good Pleasure otherwise thy Destruction hastens Remember and think of it From a Friend to Truth and thy poor Soul G. W. London the 14th 1st Month 1690 1 The Principal Passages OF A Letter sent to a Friend And here placed for a PREFACE Dear Friend J. O. SInce that thou madest Enquiry of me concerning the Book in Manuscript entituled The Quakers Unmasked c. what we thought to do in it This is to acquaint thee That though such kind of Controversies are not desirable nor pleasant to me any more than to thy self whom I know to be a Man of a peaceable Spirit and unwilling as well as I that the Religion of us and all Conscientious Dissenters should be exposed to open Contempt by such Controversies and raking up Occasions Yet upon a serious and strict Examination of the said Book with the principal Quotations Observations and Argumentative Passages I with some others have been stirred up and enabled by the Lord out of a Holy Zeal for his Truth and People and from a Necessity laid upon us to draw up and compose an Answer to the said Book First To reprehend his Envy and Malice And Secondly To vindicate our Innocency towards the Government and Consistency of our Addresses to the King with our Principle and Conversations as a People from the beginning And for thy Information take the following Account and General Notes of our Proceeding and Sense in this Matter viz. That we have an Answer in Manuscript already prepared to John Pennyman's late Book in Manuscript not willing to publish it until he first give us occasion by publishing his and that therein we have by sufficient Demonstration proved him guilty of apparent Lyes I. In the general Charge against the People called Quakers II. Against Particulars as also of most gross Hypocrisie and Contradiction to himself Malice and base Temporizing and manifest Falshood in divers Particulars as to Matters of Fact in clamouring against the People called Quakers for their Declarations and Addresses to the King of their peaceable Intentions c. All his Allegations and Retortions upon any other whatsoever cannot excuse nor hold parallel with himself as to matter of Fact His Unjustness in making General Reflections from some Particulars That we reserve our Answer in readiness for publication if his Malice prompts him to publish his not desiring or expecting any Mercy from him That his Book some of the Persons concerned in it do detain it being to be communicated according to the Title-page That his Book if published may be prejudicial to thousands of Innocent Unconcerned People in this Nation And no Advantage to the Author but to his great and utter Disgrace Shame and Contempt in the Eyes of all sorts of Moderate Indifferent People it tending to beget Jealousies and an evil Eye in the Rulers and may bring in question all Religion under the Name of Dissenters c. if the Lord prevent not That if John Pennyman will not be reduced to Christianity but proceed on in his Work to render us obnoxious to the Government which is the tendence of much of his Book some of our Friends out of their Zeal for God and his Truth Religion and People are resolved through God's Assistance and with his Permission further to detect and unmask him until he learns so much of Morality and common Civility as to live peaceably among his Neighbours and lay aside this his Factious and Turbulent Work against peaceable Subjects This in hast at present I am thy assured Friend G. W. The 29th of the 9th Month 1677. Christ's Lambs defended FROM SATAN's RAGE HAving lately had some Opportunity and Occasion to view a Book in Manuscript entituled The Quakers Unmasked signed by John Pennyman and charging the People called Quakers with Double Dealing Fals-heartedness Contradictions Confusions and Temporizing such Wickedness as can hardly be Paralleld as great Dissemblers Deceivers Deluders of the People as have appeared in this our Age Lyers False Prophets and to be avoided and witnessed against Deceitful Workers Hypocrites charging G. F. to be one of the greatest Hypocrites and Deceivers in this Nation deceiving the People threatning him with cutting down c. Here 's a hideous out-cry but the Falsness and Malice thereof will appear anon when we come to his pretended Proofs which consist of Collections taken out of their own Writings as he saith which he hath so placed that he saith those of the meanest Capacity may easily discern and see them to be as great Dissemblers Deceivers and Deluders as have appeared in our Age And for all this he pretends the Discharge of his own Conscience His placing his Collections to make his Charge obvious against the People called Quakers are in two
added especially since it concerned a Man who is deceased and dyed a Prisoner for the Testimony of Jesus and at rest and who in his Life-time bore a faithful Testimony for Truth and Righteousness 'T is a most base and revengeful Spirit in J. P. to rake E. B. out of his Grave to bring Infamy upon his name his Gospel Testimony which he bore and Prophetical Spirit which was in him now he is not here to answer for himself and not rather have prevented both by Friendly Advice in his life time when they were in Society but instead thereof it may be rather questioned whether he was not in those Cases too much beset with such unstable Spirits as J. P. who now might have put more charitable Constructions upon E. B. and us than he has done namely that he feared the effects of a Monarchy and that he was so zealous against the great persecuting Whore that has made her self drunk with the Blood of the Saints that therefore he would have had the Beast that has long carried her so to hate her as to cast her off as being a Man who in his Spirit simpathized with the Martyrs of Jesus and those Souls under the Altar of them that were slain for the word of God who cryed with a loud voice how long O Lord Holy and True dost thou not Judge and AVENGE our Blood on them that dwell on the Earth Rev. 6. 10. And whatsoever in any of the Writings cited by J. P. may seem disgustful as to Monarchy we have still this cure for it all that John Pennyman has prescribed namely that these things were writ out of these Mens Zeal and Fear that Monarchy would be oppressive and cause more Burthens or Impositions to be laid upon the Nation than before And this excuse was pretty warily contrived for if he had flung all that former Zeal and Fear into the dirt 't is not unlikely but he might have highly disgusted his Friends the Presbyterians and Independents c. And therefore as a Person that appears rather affected with these former Passages which intimate a Fear concerning Monarchy than with our late Applications to the King c. he has taken the great pains to collect and transcribe them the more at large and sorely to chide us the People called Quakers for making Declarations and Applications to the King Council and Parliament to perswade them of our faithful and peaceable Intentions or for any Relief from the Imposition of Oaths c. for this we are sorely chidden not only as Temporizers but also for a late fawning flattering Address to the King and Parliament as he is pleased to call it We meet with no such chiding for these particular Passages that seemed to dislike of a Monarchy in Cromwel's days for the Fear and Zeal that was therein shall either cure all that or else John shall relinquish the Medicine of his own preparing and wheel about again and wholly desert his Friends the Nonconformists both Presbyters Independents and others of his private Abetters and Cabalistick Council As concerning that passage to the Officers of the Army where after they are reproved for abusing the Power of God and loosing it and putting them in Prison that struck at the Root meaning the Quakers saith he there is this passage viz. Had you been faithful to the Power of the Lord God you had gone into Spain to require the Blood of the Innocent that there had been shed and have commanded them to have offered up their Inquisitions c. and knocked at Romes Gates before now and trampled Deceit and Tyranny under And demanded the Pope and commanded him to have offered up all his Torture-houses his Racks and Inquisition c. Hereupon we have several questions put upon us viz. Could any People have declared themselves more for fighting How should the Army set up their Standard upon the top of Rome but by fighting How require the Blood that has been shed in the Inquisition but by fighting Here he may think he has sorely opposed and puzzelled us But 't is no very difficult matter to answer with clearness herein and safety to our Christian principle against killing and destroying one another for either these Passages must be spoken as from a Prophet of God or only as a Christian however conditionally First if as a Prophet then he speaks not always what is desirable or pleasant to him according to his Christian Principle nor within the compass of his Understanding as a Man nor from any Human contrivance but what 's commanded him of God as relating to Judgments or Calamities which may be of divers kinds and then he may Speak and Prophesie of Wars and Destructions c. and yet not at all be of such a Spirit or Principle in himself as to maintain or desire Wars and Fighting as the Prophet Isaiah who was an Evangelical Prophet and against Wars and Fighting and saw the end thereof Isa. 2. 3 4 5. and the Indignation of the Lord upon all Nations and his Fury upon all their Armies Isa. 34. 2. yet this Evangelical Prophet said O Assyrian the Rod of mine Anger c. I will send against an Hypocritical Nation c. see Isa. 10. 5 6. And further all yee Beasts of the Field come to devour Isa. 56. 9. And Christ Jesus himself who said my Kingdom is not of this World for if it were my Servants would fight yet prophesied of the sad and miserable destruction of Jerusalem and of those Murderers that slew the Heir and said to those Hypocrites fill ye up the measure of your Fathers Iniquities and this was that all the Righteous Blood shed might be required at their hands And several Instances of Gods Judgments might be brought out of the Revelation of John against the great Whore c. So that a Man may speak as a Prophet and be yet a Christian of divers Calamities and Judgments which he cannot be active in and yet not destroy his Christian Principle Secondly But if as a Christian only and within the compass of a Christian Freedom and understanding these aforesaid Passages are spoken then I may lawfully conclude that the design thereof was not to incite to Fighting Killing or Bloodshed but rather that it was writ from a Belief that if they had eyed the Lord and aimed at the removing Oppression and Persecution they might have been such a dread of Nations as is expressed in the same Paper that possibly they might not have met with such Resistance if any in that case for who knows not that they were formidable for a time And what success they might have had for such an end our Adversary cannot determine However to require their Inquisition and to knock at Romes doors proves no violence all this might have been done by Embassies as in the case of the D. of Savoy that persecuted the poor Piedmontors the Stock of the Waldenses For he proves not an incitation unto Bloodshed and Slaughter
it was I. P. or suppose such an one had S. C. acted the wise Man in taking his Confession without such record with Hand and Seal nay it seems he had more than ordinary confidence in the Man that he so much valued his Affirmation and every engagement that Men make under Hand and Seal though God's Name be mentioned therein is not therefore an Oath For are the last Wills and Testaments of the deceased Oaths or Swearing which are made and begun In the Name of God Amen and confirmed with Hand and Seal Are these Oaths or esteemed the Oaths of the deceased because mention is made of the Name of God and Hand and Seal to them If Hand and Seal to any contract or promise wherein possibly some â—ccasionally have made mention of the Name of God which we are very tender of using make it an Oath I confess this is a new definition of an Oath And he that assisted J. P. in this Accusation and other Notes Observations and most unjust Inferences against us may very well be ashamed of such malicious work and of his abetting him therein and his sculking shall not excuse hide or rescue him or J. P. either from the righteous Judgment and stroak of God's Hand Let them note and remember this I have not writ out of any ill will to them or their Persons but from a holy Zeal for Truth and Righteousness against the contrary in them Being a Friend to the Souls of all Men G. W. An Appendix to the Precedent Treatise Being a Collection of divers Remarkable Passages by several Hands but omitted and left out by our Adversary in his Quotations out of the same Books made use of by him wherein his unfair Dealing and Abuse may the more appear and also the Innocency and Clearness of the People of God and true Christians called Quakers from Wars and Figbting and their constant Testimony against the Ground thereof as also their plain and impartial Dealing with the former Powers in testifying against the great Persecutions and Persecutors in the Protector 's Days All which being seriously considered together with the many faithful Warnings from the said People to those in Power all-a long ever since they were a People doth shew that there are Prophets of God among them and manifestly clear them from that most unjust Charge of being Temporizers c. And also shews the great Disingenuity of our present Adversary in his picking carping quarrelling and perverting as much to our Disadvantage as he can imagine like those whom the Prophet complained of Psal. 56. 5. Every day they wrest my words all their thoughts are against me for evil OBserve the following Collections and Citations with the brief Notes thereupon Good Counsel p. 37. to O. C. After the Words cited by J. P. p. 5. viz. That thou nor they may lose that Dread of the Lord J. P. leaves out viz. for that strikes a Terror in the Hearts of all People Observ. This Dread is preferred above the Arm of Flesh and Carnal Weapons And learn true Patience And the patient Spirit remains in the Lord's Work for that is it that tryes stands and abides which gets the Victory and obtains the Crown left out Observ. Herein he writ to them as a Minister of the Gospel of Peace and not to incite them to fight and shed Blood c. Hear the Voice of God and it will keep thee from Hardness of Heart Ibid. p. 27. Observ. And consequently from Oppression and Cruelty had he hearkned to it this was seasonable Advice tho too much rejected The Lord hath visited thy House because thou hast suffered thy Servants to smite the Servants of the Lord and Lambs of Christ and prisoned the Lambs and his Sons and Daughters some until Death therefore thy Sons and Daughters and Servants will I take away with Death and visit thee and thy House with Sickness saith the Lord and thou shalt know that I am the Lord who reigns Therefore spare my Sons and Daughters that I may spare thee and thy House and that thou mayest know that I am the Lord. O how art thou fallen under Men and thy House will suffer as long as my Sons and Daughters and Servants suffer by thee and thy Servants and dye in Prison and you not visiting them nor suffering their own Friends to visit them therefore take heed lest thou become weak as Water c. Ibid. to O. C. p. 36. writ the 10th of the 6th Month. left out by J. P. p. 5. Observ. What plain Reproof and conditional Threats the aforesaid Paper contains against O. Cromwel and his Family because of the Oppression and Persecution in his Dayes and how unlike a temporizing Spirit this was After crumble Men under he leaves out stand up in the Power of the Lord and the Lamb's Authority Observ. Which Power and Authority would have invisibly subjected Mens Spirits to quietness which I understand by the Phrase as by the Dread of the Lord striking Terror into the Hearts of People and not in a literal Sense to crumble their Persons to Crumbs or small Pieces That were a gross Sense indeed which the following Passages clear him of for the Lamb's Power does not destroy Men's Lives but saves them 1659. To the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England G. F. p. 16. He that fights with Creatures with Flesh and Blood he cannot fight with Spiritual Wickedness and Powers of Darkness with Swords and Spears He that fights with Swords and Spears fights with Flesh and Blood doth not preach the Gospel to that which is captivated with the Powers of Darkness He that runs against the Creature with Swords and Spears and defaces and mars it doth not go the way to bring it into the Liberty of the Sons of God not in J. P' s Observ. A plain Testimony to the Gospel Dispensation against Fighting and Killing one another plainly clearing G. F. in that Point G. F. To the Protector and Parliament 1658. After lose the Power of God these Words are left out viz. When the Children of Israel went from that of God in them they would have Kings as other Nations had as Transgressors had and so God gave them one J. P's Citation p. 3. Observ. So when God has given one is it temporizing or contradiction in us to own and submit to him as far as we can with clearness of Conscience After take heed of putting honest godly Men out of the Army J. P. p. 6. J. P. leaves out Or putting them out of their Places being Justices of the Peace G. F. to R. Protector Observ. For such Army-Men and Justices there were turned out that were against Persecution and did relieve and rescue many of us when in great Sufferings and Jeopardies by cruel Persecutors who sought our Lives Had we not good reason then even as Men to oppose their turning out of such G. F. To the Council of Officers p. 2. After the Power of God you have abused J. P. leaves