thee Francis Bugg alas how hast thou betrayed thy great weakness folly and envy had it not been farr better for thee thou hadst never set Pen to Paper in bringing forth such a wicked piece of work hast thou not clearly evinced there how aptly thy name answers to thy crooked perverse nature and thy devlish venomous disposition the enemy hath wrought in thee for thou hast done what thou could to wound hurt and spoil not only the good name and reputation of particular persons but hast endeavoured with all thy strength and policy to bring a lash and blur upon many thousands of faithfull Friends however all thy Malicious smitings in the dark and thy open notorious abuses and scandalous reflections will be in vain and return as a weighty load upon thy own head for I know that the Innocency and uprightness of the one with the honest circumspect conversation of the other will out-live confute and disprove all thine and the rest of that hellish Combination your forged callumnies and lying stories and all your malicious insinuations and false suggestions shall but redown to your own utter ruine and everlasting shame perpetual defamation and eternal Confusion if you repent not but stoutly persevere and obstinately continue in this wilfull wicked work of opposition to and separation from the Lord and his People and be of such who have sold themselves to do wickedly and so devoted to the Devils service to be his Vassals Slaves and subjects Oh! for shame for shame that ever it should thus befall any who have made profession of Gods Truth and confession also to the Testimony thereof through many sufferings and hardships and yet to become the absolute greatest enemy to the Profession and Progress of it which I am perswaded had more gloriously shined and that more universally in the Nations had not these Clouds of Division and separation loosness indifferency and dishonest conversation of many convinced of and who have appeared for the same come over to Ecclipse the Splendor of this glorious day but I know in due time the Sun of Righteousness will so arise and shine in that brightness and Glory as that all these Mists and Clouds shall be dispelled and scattered And therefore this is that which is weighty upon my spirit in the Powerfull Name of the Dreadfull God of Heaven and Earth to warn you all to cease from the evil of your doings and O return return so long as it may please the Lord to strive in you by his Holy gentle spirit and bow every one to his righteous Judgments in your hearts to destroy that wicked perveâ—se opposing and separating Spirit that 's prevailed upon you and remember what the Apostle said that is very weighty For if God spared not the Angels that Sinned but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into Chains of Darkness and spared not the old World and turned the Cities of Sodom and Gomorah into Ashes and in his Exhortation to the Hebrews 10 25. Says Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is For observe well what follows Oh! how near and close a Sentence is it IF WE SIN WILFULLY after that we have received the knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sins but a certain fearfull looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the adversaries Oh! dread fear and stand in awe of the living Almighty God who is a consuming fire to all the workers of iniquity and who knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of Temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of Judgment but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and dispise Government who are Presumptuous self-will'd they are not affraid to speak evil of Dignities mark these sayings And let me tell you plainly that for all your fair specious pretences Plausible Eloquent Orations smooth speeches cunningly contrived your great and high Notions glorious-like appearances and Mysterious Transformations may be as an Angel of light or like unto a lamb covered with a profession of Truth it self and Preach up the words and Principles thereof in the manly part and with the Wisdom from below that 's your beloved darling endeavours thereby to catch the affectionate itching part of simple People and such as are but young raw and unsettled in their minds For all this know as certain and which I am constrained in the holy fear of God to forwarn you off You that are the workers of iniquity however you may cover and hide your selves for a time from the Eye of Mortals if you dye as thus you have lived in opposing the Work of Truth in separation from the Lord and his People you I say shall be eternally excluded and forever shut out from entering into the Pure everlasting Kingdom of Eternal Glory rest and Felicity and the Lord Jesus will no more acknowledge you than he did those that though you as they did Cry Lord Lord have we not Eaten and Drunken in thy presence have we not Prophesied in thy Name and cast out Devils and done many wonderfull works yet you shall meet with the same dreadfull Sentence depart from me I know you not for all your fair Plea ye workers of iniquity Wherefore this is a seasonable warning to all you gain-sayers who are in the work of Corah in the Devils work of Division opposition of tearing rending and devouring of disorder and confusion and innovation who are become mockers scoffers and abusers of the Lords work and his Innocent People and that in a higher Degree than any of your former Predecessors if you come not sadly to mourn deeply to lament for and unfeignedly to repent of the same a most terrible heavy stroke and dreadfull cup of weighty vengeance shall be your Portion from the terrible hand of the mighty Pure God of righteousness the just Judg of Heaven and Earth who shall reward every man according to his works This from the Lord I lay before you receive or reject it as you please however I shall enjoy Peace with him in clearing my Conscience to you and discharging my Duty before him and so shall be clear of your Blood who sincerely wisheth and earnestly Prayeth for the Recovery of backsliders and Restoration of all such whose gracious day of Visitation is not quite expired By one that heartily prays for the daily increase of the Peace of Jerusalem and the prosperity of Sion and for the Advancement of Holy Jesus over all throughout all the Earth R. Sandilands Postscript FRANCIS BUGG I desire to advertise thee that what I have now wrote in Answer to thy Book was in the First place with a regard to the clearing of my Conscience inthe sight of God as a Testimony against Malicious Opposers and crued Hard-hearted Apostates and in the Second place it was with a true desire and real intent of mind for thine and others good if perhaps thou maist be thereby perswaded
Advertisement THere is now in the PRESS a Book Entituled The Liberty of an Apostate Conscience being a plain Narrative of the Controversie long depending Between Francis Bugg on the one part and Samuel Cater and George Smith on the other part whereby F. Bugg's Liberty of Conscience is proved not only Unchristian but Immoral and Injurious Righteous Judgment Placed upon the Heads of Malicious OPPOSERS AND Persecuting Apostates In some brief Animadversions upon Francis Buggs Book entituled De Christiana Libertate In which his great Weakness and gross Wickedness is Detected his foul Defamations and uncivil Reflections are Reprehended With a seasonable Warning to him and the rest of his Abettors in their Mischievous Work of Opposition to and Separation from the Lord and his People By a Lover of Peace Robert Sandilands Together with an Ingredient by another hand Now I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them Rom. 16.17 For there are many Vnruly and Vain Talkers whose Mouthes must be stopped T it 1.10 11. I will remember his Deeds Prating against us with Malicious Words 3 John London Printed by John Bringharst at the Sign of the Book in Grace-Church-street 1683. THE PREFACE TO THE READER READER ALthough this with divers other Testimonies may prove as Water spilt on the ground and seem altogether as ineffectual so as to produce any real conviction upon the Spirits of some of our Opposers who are become many of them so obstinate stout and hard-hearted that the most clear demonstration that may be produced to convince them of their folly appears partly impossible to prevail so as to perswade or bring them to a true sense of their unchristian proceedings and malicious endeavours Yet I am not without hope but the sober unbyassed persons whose minds are not pre-possessed neither with partial selfish designs of Interest on the one hand nor with private Affection on the other hand may reap of the profit and gain a right understanding by their serious perusal and deliberate examination of this and other Testimonies And therefore is it mainly for such we are incouraged to open and give a true naked relation of matters as plainly before the All-seeing Heart-searching Divine Majesty Who will bring all the hidden things of dishonesty to Light and indeed had it not been upon this Account I do reckon that the confused rambling impertinent stuff made up with most notorious lyes and malicious Insinuations grievous Slanders and Reflections were not worth while to take notice of for I mind well the saying of a Wise Man Contra verbosos noli contendere verbis We are not to contest by words against windy Men or Men of words and he gives a good Reason Sermo datur cunctis animi sapientia paucis Many have the Gift of Speech but few comparatively attain to Wisdom and therefore we are advised in the Holy Scriptures Answer not a Fool in his Folly lest thou become like unto him But lest advantage should be catched the simple ensnared and the true Enquirers misinformed we are not willing to be quite silent The Reader may also take notice what dreadful hardness of Heart some of these contrary opposite Spirits are fallen under that they have had the daring boldness most insolently to deny the very power of God in its Operations and Effects when it hath wrought upon his people true tenderness and brokenness of Heart and if they have thus impudently slighted the same no wonder then that they so basely abuse us at such a rate as W. R. T. C. and this F. B. and others have done Now Reader if so be that through he good hand of God thou art not one tinctured with this dirty foul prophane flouting and I may say in some respect Blasphemous and Atheistical Spirit O! praise it highly I beseech thee as thy great mercy as I do and I pray God keep thee with my self and all Gods faithful honest-hearted people from the Snares of this murdering Spirit that hath destroyed in such in whom it hath prevailed the inward tender sense of the precious life of Jesus that they have as openly denied and violently opposed the same as any of our former or present publick Enemies among the Professors ever did or can do Obs Crying out Away with our inward sense away with our discerning of Spirit which I have heard some of them to say And if Reader thou be one of a mild sober retired mind and desires not to be much concerned with these Controversies then Ladvise thee regard well the prosperity of the work of Truth and feel thy daily experience thereof in thy own particular and Oh! well had it been this day with many That they had looked more at home than abroad Beware I pray thee of a cold luke-warm indifferent Spirit which would appear neutral and it is not but is neerer to that which is wrong than right and this I know lies neer to enter many well-disposed persons who are of a good natural temper and mean well and if it happen thou be at any time exercised concerning the differences of Opinions or in things in themselves indifferent be not stiff in maintaining thy own Judgment of them but rather be of a condescending mind and so let thy humility and meekness appear thereby that thou art rather willing to acquiesce in thy Sentiments to the understanding and sense of others when especially there is a reason and a cause requires the same then seem to be of such who are heady high and self-conceited in their own imaginations there is a notable expression of a certain Devout Person wort by of observation It s true saith he that every one willingly inclines to follow those who are of the same Opinion with him Sedsi Deus est intra nos â—ecesse est ut relinquamus etiam quandoque nostrum sentire propter bonum pacis i. e. But if God be amongst us there is a necessity that we sometimes also for the good of Peace forsake or leave our own Opinion for who is he that is so Wise that can fully know all things And if so be thou art one that hath suffered thy Affections to corrupt thy Judgment and cloud thy Vnderstanding that thou cannot discerne nor judge of things clearly as they are on neither sides and yet some true tenderness and good-will to both and a reverend regard to the Testimony of Truth remaining in thy heart Well Reader I would counsel thee in the first place be still patient and quiet in thy mind and then draw in the Affections of thy Soul from all visible presentations and so singly wait upon God to feel him reveal that to thee which thou sees not and in the interim have a special care that hardness of heart insensibly come not over thee and steal in upon thee as too many have been thus sadly betrayed especially after once that their Affections have been catched with
so that nothing can be justly charged against them that is apparently Wicked and Gross yet in the mean time their Hearts not right nor â—ound before the Lord something that is â—bominable offensive and grievous to his Holy â—pirit Thus hath it been with many of the seperate party is secretly lodg'd â—nd privately enterâ—ain'd as their beloved Delila which at â—ast may be breaks forth into some Extravagancy or other I say one as a Hypocrite may be thus dressed up with a specious shew and fair cover appear so and so Yea and for their interest sake Conform to that which is good and praise-worthy and which in its self is commendable and laudible but in the bottom rotten and deceitful yet though these do so it will not follow in good reason that those who are truly and inwardly sanctified cleansed and purified in their Conscience from dead works and whose Hearts are Sincere Honest and Upright should not so and so appear as to the outward in an holy harmless Life and innocent Conversation and also in a Conformity and Submission to that which is Orderly and Decent and to be subject to follow that which is convenient needful and profitable amongst a People no more then that 's true though as the common Proverb is It is not all Gold that glisters And as we say All are not in the Possession of what they are in the Profession of Yet is there no true Gold that glisters And surely those who do possess of the living Vertue of Truth and are faithful to the Lord they are ingaged publickly to appear in Profession of and Confession to the same In the beginning of the Preface page 7 F. B. says The main thing intended by this Discourse is to shew the Mischief of Impositions on tender Consciences in matters Spiritual c. Thus he insinuates as a false charge upon the whole Body of our Friends to be guilty of which indeed is their main principal Basis or ground from whence doth proceed all their fierce violent Clashings bitter and malicious Invectives base and unchristian Reflections viz. Their Imaginary formed and groundless supposition and envious suspicion That we endeavoured to compel and force tender Consciences in matters Spiritual to be conform'd and in subjection to that contrary to the perswasion of their minds and Light of Christ in their Consciences this is easily disprov'd and has been fully confuted by many living Testimonies that we have given forth on this account both by word and writing and for a further confirmation thereof thus do I affirm on the behalf of all my dear Friends who are thus abused by these foul perverse and scoffing Spirits That the Almighty God the searcher of Hearts and tryer of Reins he knows we never endeavoured nor designed to compel any to subject in a Conformity to that which we know was both just and reasonable who were not fully satisfied in their own Consciences and not freedom and clearness in their minds thereto For they who received Truth in the love thereof and continue in subjection to it the power and force of it will inable and make them willing to obey the voice of God immediately in their own Hearts and in the Mouths of his Servants which Voice of God calls unto Holiness without which none shall see him and there being an aptness or proneness in many after they are reached to by the Lord to neglect that Duty he requires of them therefore in his tender Love hath he given Gifts for the work of the Ministry for the perfecting of the Saints for the Edifying of the Body till we all come in the Vnity of the Faith into a perfect Man unto the measure of his Stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4.8 c. And well said the Apostle Peter Yea I think it meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up or to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance that we may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the Holy Prophets and of the Commandement of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own Lusts 2 Pet. 1.15.3.1 2. c. Which also was practised by the Apostles in Exhortation Admonition Counsel Reproof and Condemnation as the Spirit of Truth Directed them and according to the several states of People to whom they Ministered by Word or Epistle And Reader it is well known that any who were really scrupulous from a true tenderness of their Spirits careful or fearful to do any thing but what they found to be their Duty and in the Light of Christ Jesus did see they were called to be obedient to the same over these we have been very tender and have encouraged and counselled them Singlely to wait upon the Lord for a sight and sense from him by the in shinings of his pure Light of that which they ought to do and if we could inform their understandings and in the good hand of the Lord be instrumental to clear their Judgments by opening to them the profit and great advantage reaped by those who have found it their place to be in Unity with their Brethren in a Christian Condescention to those things that are decent orderly and profitable in the Church of Christ that we have endeavoured to do and blessed be the Lord our labour of Love and pains therein hath proved successful and many have been helped thereby to see through the Mysterious wiles and subtle workings of the Enemy both immediately and instrumentally So thou mayst be assured we never pleaded for a conformity or submission of any to the Christian Order and wholesome Discipline amongst us but as they came to be Convinced in their own Consciences and well perswaded in themselves from a clear and sensible Conviction That it was their bounden duty so to do And therefore I say and thou mayst see that this Authors false Charge with all the rest of his confederacy in all their lying Clamours proceed from a base perverse Spirit that does surmise to People that we were bringing in an implicit Faith and blind Obedience by forcing a Conformity before Conviction which is opposed by us with our utmost endeavours and is of the Devil the Father of lyes who is the original Author of all this mischievous dark work of Separation c. and makes use of those his wicked Agents to defend the same under the specious pretence of Liberty of Conscience Liberty of Conscience and influences them to defame the Lords faithful and innocent Servants by malicious abusive Reflections and false Insinuations to amuse People as if the end of all their labours and travels in the Service of Truth for the preservation of Gods Heritage were to bring them into a Vniformity of such and such Canons Decrees and Orders that tended to an Apostacy Imposition and what â—ot Now I hope Reader thou wilt plainly see that the
very main thing intended by this angry Author as the principal foundation of his work is notorious false and abominable seeing it is so without all doubt then thou mayst safely conclude all the rest of his work I mean his ensuing Treatise is a piece of perfect Forgery absolute designed Lyes and Slanders so much of it as insinuates and has a tendency to introduce a false report and beget a wrong belief concerning us whose Innocency is well known both in the sight of God and sober-minded people that it was never our business directly or indirectly to drive any to a forced subjection contrary to their perswasion inclination of their own minds And for my part I do ingeniously declare that I could never perceive any such thing less or more amongst Friends where ever I have been in any of our Meetings neither truly do I yet see and I hope never shall I desire never to see it whilst I live that by all the vain Scribling Prating and Tattling of their Idle Ridiculous Stories either by Words or Books of our Opposers that they have produced any convincing solid proof rational or clear demonstration to any judicious understanding Persons that the Body of Friends are so and so Apostatized and do so and so drive impose force and compel any to a Conformity to the wholesome Christian proceedings in their Men and Womens Meetings or that G. F. that faithful Servant of the Lord is become an Apostate or Innovator as W. R. c. most maliciously suggests As for this of F. B's I have considered it and I find much weakness attended with a great deal both of extream Wickedness and also of foolish Drollery Malice and Envy and I doubt not but the impartial and such as are not prepossessed with prejudice will easily discern and readily observe the same by what follows For in Page 8. he brings in an impertinent parallel saying And now I will shew you a Parallel betwixt the Treatment which the Protestants met withal from the hands of the Papists for their pains and betwixt the Treatment W. R. T. C. and others have met withal from the hands of G. F. and those of party with him for their pains and so sets down at large in page 11 12 13. the manner of the Papists Cursing Thomas Bennet for publishing and manifesting their Error Ans Is not here the height of Malice and extream wickedness first to insinuate most falsly our being like to the Papists for which F. B. thou deserves a dreadful reward and shall unavoidably meet with it from the hand of the just God of Heaven and Earth if thou speedily repent not And Secondly To compare what several of us have given forth from the Spirit of the Lord in a true living Zeal and from a holy Constraint and Detestation against that rending tearing and dividing Spirit that is cursed of God for ever which weighty Testimonies through his People shall stand over thy head and all those joyned with thee in that mischievous work of Separation from the Lord and Opposition to his Work and that which would divide and scatter his Heritage I say to bring in Parallel betwixt what the Lord gives forth in the Authority of his Eternal power through his Children either singly as with respect of themselves or joyntly as a Body of People gathered together by his power to give forth a true Sentence and Judgment upon that which is wrong with what the Pope or Papists have done in their dark and blind minds by their Bulls and Curses Oh! what a wicked and abominable thing is this And as if this was not sufficient to shew thy Rage thou also basely insinuates page 15. As if we were not a suffering People our selves and had but once the Law to assist us in our Church Censures c. We would expose People to Fire and Faggot Curse and Excommunicate them and deprive them of their Priviledges and Advantages Temporal as well as Spiritual as ever the Papists did And that Reader this is the true English and natural Consequence of this Mans unsuitable Parallel and not by bare Inferences there-from he expresses the same more fully in plain legible Characters falsly saying page 200. A Man may transgress the Scriptures days without number but yet never be Excommunicated by G. F. and his Party this is largly inserted but not at all proved in his Book but I. B. never sold but one Book namely that of W. R. his publishing that ever I heard of but I ask how many did I. B. vend and dispose of them into the Country and I doubt he sold many more then one which I believe himself will not deny And so you see he is dismembred no Spiritual Followship no spiritual Communion they can have with him that 's true nor with thee either or any such Rambling Ranting Loose Libertine Spirits like W. R. and thy self yet here no Curse though no Concord no deprivation of Temporal Priviledges though an Exclusion of Spiritual Communion Nay says F. B. they do not only testifie against that Bad Spirit as they account it but him also viz. the Man also Oh that we could but say Take him Iaylor and that effectually and further as a compleat Draught of thy Divellish Malice in page 203. where thou says Had I all the Books of Controversie by me I presume it were a thing too hard for me to undertake so that I must take a step into the Papists Road of Cruclty and Severity c. Oh! the most Envious Cruel Hard-hearted Man full of Malice and Mischief what shall I say unto thee Certainly the Lord God will call thee to an account for this perverse deceitful devillish piece of Treachery Lies and implacable Enmity and remember I tell thee in the fear of the great God if thou do not deeply lament for unfeignedly and speedily repent of it most dreadful shall thy Portion be and most terrible shall the Judgment and Indignation be which thou must feel from the hand of the Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth Being much astonished to see the great boldness and strange Impudence of this unruly Person and other Rambling Disorderly Opposite Spirits that dare give forth in Print and publickly also report such manifest Forgeries Notorious and Apparent Calumnies against the Faithful Innocent people of the Lord and in the serious consideration of all their ungodly Railing Expressions with many scurrilous Mockings abusive and scoffing Reflections May not I say and many also with me as they of old expressed their Admiration of that unusual passage mentioned in Judges 19. And it was so that all that saw it said There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the Children of Israel came up out of the Land of Egypt unto this day Consider of it take Advice and speak your minds Was there ever such Wickedness and Folly done Was there ever such Madness and Envy seen in any People since the time the Lord appeared unto
us and brought us from under the Egyptian Bondage and Darkness and since the day that the Lord Visited us by his mighty Hand and out-stretched Arm and gathered us to be a People to himself as in these now who under the Profession of the same Truth have it seems even made a Covenant with Hell Death and the Devil and proclaimed a Confederacy together to War against the Lord and his People by their open Opposition to and disdainful slighting of the comely and commendable Practices in the Church of Christ especially considering which greatly aggravates their guilt the singular advantages they have had above many people what understanding I believe divers of them came unto concerning the work of Truth their great knowledg they had attained of the Principles of the true Religion and some of them its like once enjoyed experimental nearness to the Lord and Fellowship with him and his People and yet for such to become as Absolute Stour Resolute Enemies to oppose both as everany yea by many degrees are farworse and as it were in the superlative endeavours to exceed their former Predecessors I mean the old dry Apostates was there ever such a deed done or seen And that notwithstanding the Lord hath been so graciously pleased both signally to appear by his Heavenly and Divine power as well for the preservation as the vindication of his chosen faithful ones who have stood in his Counsel and in the uprightness of their Hearts could appeal their Innocency to him and also hath evidently manifested and apparently discovered his Wrath and fierce Indignation against his and their Enemies on every hand in so much that those who in their time rose up with a high lofty and imperious Mind proud and exalted Spirit abusing and villisying the Innocent Servants of the Lord amongst whom our ancient faithful Friend G. F. has not been one of the least concern'd both then and at this present juncture of Controversie I say where are these now with all their confused stuff of Janglings and Contentions What came all their Noises and Bustlings to We clearly see the Devil and all his cursed Agents could not produce what they designed thereby and why The Lord Iehova the mighty God of Heaven and Earth appeared as a terrible Enemy against them Now 〈◊〉 it â—o 〈◊〉 Admiration to me to see thee treading on in the very Foot-stepts of those old Back-sliders from the Holy Commandment of Life delivered to them who from the same perverse Spirit to the same end and much after the same method Opposed the Truth and abused Friends thereof as thou dost but thou and W. R. c. go some steps beyond them and did not they as well as thou F. B. print divers Scandalous Pamphlets amongst which there was one called Liberty of Conscience asserted against Imposition if I be not much mistaken wherein they endeavoured to misrepresent Friends to the World as Apostates and Innovators and such as were setting up a Romish Hierarchy and bringing in Arbitrary Jurisdiction over tender Consciences so that now its clear as the Sun shines their false charge thou and thy Adherents have revived their way you have followed their Cause you have undertaken evidently demonstrates you to be in the same work of wickedness and one with these in the very root of bitterness How comes it Francis that thou art so benumbed stupified hardned and beâ—oâ—â—ed yea and befooled by the Devil But alass What shall I say He eveâ— the God of this Woâ—d hath lulled thee into a deep Lethargy or sleep and so blinded thy Eyes again if ever they were once opened that thou and such as thou art cannot see nor apprehend what you are running and hurrying head-long into till the Flames of Eternal Judgment and the fury of that fiery Indignation make you sensible what your wicked devillish Work has been But O! the earnest Prayer of my Soul is to the God of infinite Mercy and unspeakable Compassions That you may prevent such an awakning and that you in time now may be roused up and allarm'd by his Righteous Judgments in your Hearts by lying under the same and by bowing to the Indignation of the Almighty you may obtain mercy from him to your poor Immortal souls before the day of mercy be quite shut against you that though you then may cry yet you will not be heard CHAP. II. IN p. 21. I find F. B. say But if G. F. and his party shall stifly stand to it that the womens meetings it of Divine Institution c. and then brings in an impertinent needless Query Whether Christ was deficient either in his Delivering to that honoured Auditory or in his Memory Answ I say he was in neither but according to the Capacities of the People amongst whom he conversed it was that he spoke delivered and opened things to them And F. B. scoffingly interrogates And who did he constitute in his room to supply that defect whether a visible head namely G. F. c. We do know very well whom he did appoint in his room when he was to be removed bodily he encouraged his Disciples with a sweet promise I will not leave you comfortless but the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name Obs The true force of the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Advocate one called to sent for invited to come upon what occasions or for what end soever see 1 John he shall teach you and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you and although he gave forth and spoke much unto them yet they were not able to bear all things therefore he says I have yet many things to say unto you but you cannot bear them now howbeit when the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all Truth for he will not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come he shall receive of mins and shall shew it unto you From which we may observe that there is large room left for the Spirit of Truth who should receive of Christ's and shew unto his followers to instruct and lead to never contrary but agreeable with the Scriptures of Truth that which is needful proper and profitable in the Church for the preservation of the Members thereof in the comely commendable gospel of Order that thereby the lovely sweet Unity Concord and Heavenly Harmony may be retained amongst them to their mutual joy comfort and edification and to the praise of his glory who hath called us to be his peculiar people zealous of good works and hath preserved us against the malice violence and rage of the Devil and all his Instruments under every appearance or transformation Now whereas this angry peevish Man makes such a noise against and bustlings about the Lawfulness of Womens Meetings because he cannot find Chapter and verse expresly set down in the Scripture for
been betrayed by their reasonings and consultings with that deceitful cursed Spirit of Separation and the Lord has blessed our endeavours therein and our earnest Cry to him That none may be lost but the Son of Perdition such who are simply and ignorantly betrayed I hope may be restored into Unity with God and his People as many are who have true honesty or rather an honest right ground remaining in them But for those who have sinned wilfully as the Author to the Hebrews writes after they have received the knowledg of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries and so goes on and gives the reasons and concludes with a severe sentence It 's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God who is a consuming Fire Heb. 10.26 27. For such who speaks lies in hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with a hot Iron whose hearts are quite hardned and become twice dead plucked up by the roots whose day of visitation is expired by their reiterated abominable provocations and rebellion I fear such are hardned to destruction and judicially sealed up to damnation And Thirdly There is a notorious Lie For when any difference arises amongst us there is a free Conference and sober Debating thereof admited to reconcile and resolve the same so that he lies in saying That both by our practice and advice it 's stiffly denied In pag. 101. Come give us Chapter and verse for your Womens Meeting distinct from the Men to be constantly set up unless a litle n = * When that comes we have seen by many observable Instances how these Separates have crept into holes of the Earth to save themselves from Persecution much like to the Flies when it 's warm Weather they vex both Men and Beasts but hardly to be seen when Winter comes cold weather intervene Monthly about the 10th hour to get a litle stock we suppose thou meanest speaking to G. F. a lttle money for certain select uses it being a more private way than the Bason and Platter c. We say to thee F. Bugg and all Professors by way of retortion Come give us expresly Chapter and verse for Mens meeting together to take care of the poor Widows and Fatherless at such a place in such a Month and of such an hour of the day as thou puttest us upon proof concerning Womens Meetings in pag. 101. Couldst thou bring Chap. and verse in express terms for the proof of the former which thou allowest of to be Lawful as with respect to place Month and hour of the Day Query And ought not then the Men to meet together to discharge the foresaid Christian Duties unless thou canst bring expresly Chap. and verse to prove their practice therein as with respect to place month and hour If thou say Nay Then has not this a tendency to overthrow Mens Meetings as well as the Womens Meetings Though we know in the holy Scriptures of truth there is plentiful encouragment for both Men and Women to serve God and each other in love and faithfulness and though divers Circumstances relative to Men and Womens Meetings as day hour month and place cannot be proved from express words of Scripture yet the Meeting of Men and Women and their appointing in the wisdom of God day hour month and place is not contrary to the Scriptures For now any rational person may conceive that it were grosly absurd and irrational to affirm that every good act or thing done which cannot be proved by express plain Scripture words without any sound inference and true consequence is therefore contrary to Scriptures Consider this seriously and in the coolness and calmness of thy mind and I hope thou willt not be so stout in opposing Womens Meetings as thou hast been and likewise I desire thee and the rest of thy brethren in mischief to consider what the wise man expresses in Ecclesiasticus A Back-biting Tongue hath cast out vertuous women and deprived them of their labours who so hearkneth unto it shall never find rest and never dwell quietly Eccl. 28.15 16. And to compleat thy Draught of Mockery maliciously and unseemly abusing that worthy ancient Labourer of the Gospel G. F. by thy proposing a Battledore and in thy flouting airy mind sets within it the form of Spectacles in pag. 163. thereby to beget a light wanton mind in the People and so makes but thy self a Mocking stock or the foolish like to thy self to deride thee and the sober to distaste and disdain thy scurrilous base unworthy doings May not I now say unto thee for these and many more of thy unchristian defamations malicious suggestions and inhuhumane reflections as Paul said to Elimas Art not like to him in his wicked work Hast not thou by this Devilish piece of treachery withstood the Lord and his Servants and thereby endeavoured to turn away many from the faith of Gods elect Thou enemy of all righteousness thou Child of the Devil O full of all subtilty wilt thou not cease to pervert the right wayes of the Lord And now behold the hand of the Lord is against thee and if thou humble not thy self speedily under the same most lamentable shall thy state be when thou must bid an everlasting Adieu to all thy comforts pleasures and riches thou enjoyest in this life God grant thou mayest find a place for repentance CHAP. VI. IN pag. 63. F. B. inserts an Order recorded in the Quarterly Meeting Book in the Isle of Ely which I leave to those particularly concerned to take notice of but supposing that they had done amiss which I do not grant pray tell me what reason or justice is it as amongst men that a whole Nation or Body of People should be charged so and so with the fault of a particular County or any one Quarterly Meeting Most part of this Chapter relates to particular Persons to answer if they find it worthy the pains But he makes such a bustle and noise about J. A's Marriage its meet something should be particularly hinted at as concerning the same Our Friends for Conscience sake could not own nor countenance J. A's Marriage which he would impose on us to own without the Womans appearing whom he intended to take And is this W. R's and F. B's Conscience that we must own J. A's Marraige to a Woman that comes not with him to the Mens Meeting to declare her mind for we know our Womens Meetings they are against and disregard And we must declare its a matter of Conscience to us in the Case of J. A. or any other for him to come to our Meeting and tell us that he intends to take his House-keeper to be his Wife and we desire him to bring her to our Mens Meeting to hear what she says to it And he says He is not free to bring her to declare that she intends to take him to be
lying slanders cast upon us that we did so and so without regard either to God or Men. And further Such also will condemn thee Francis and thy adherents who in your hasty forward and rash minds cannot wait in the patience to have your matters done in that orderly discreet way and method amongst the Lords people And this brings before me and which I cannot well omit but take notice how impudently thou insinuates and slily infers That the way Friends take were an easie way and more pleasing to the flesh and is most taking and drawing after them the greatest number I speak of them that profess the Truth see pag. 83. Now let but any rational and judicious person consider in the first place Whether that way is more easie and pleasing to the flesh which leads people to a weighty serious deliberation of such a great solemn Concern as Marriage is and so after their ponderous considerations to propose it before Meetings of Friends both of Men and Womens and so to be satisfied in patience and submission of mind with the ordering hand of God as they have Unity therewith and gives way to be accomplished which sometimes as occasion presents as circumstances stand and need is may be pretty long betwixt the proposal and accomplishment this I know has been so far from being an easie way and more pleasing to the flesh that on the contrary to several it hath proved a very unpleasant hard and difficult exercise to come before our publick Meetings so often in the way and order of Truth and it has been in the cross to their own wills and they have got good by it both outwardly and inwardly though for the present time it might seem tedious and grievous to some And next consider Reader Whether this way of Marriage be not indeed an easie and more pleasing to the flesh for a man after that his affections are drawn out towards a woman immediately to give Friends a kind of a general slight notice thereof may be after your publick Meetings and tell them he intends to take such a woman to be his wife and so whether they have the consent of Friends and their Unity therewith or not they are resolved and in their minds fixed to go on and so in their own wills and at their own time out of the fear of God and the good order of Truth begins and ends their matter And because several disorderly hasty forward spirits could not have Friends at all to countenance them they have run to the Priest and been married by him and become either on the one hand loose yea and more wicked and extravagant in their debauched conversations than they were formerly before they were convinced of the Truth or made profession thereof or on the other hand from the pride and prejudice of their minds turned disaffected and so joyned to the discontented opposite party and as this was the very rise or original cause viz. either pride and prejudice in some or looseness and libertinism in others that hath brought forth this cursed work of separation from and opposition to the Lord and his people and which at last leads into Ranterism yea Atheism and all mannet of prophanity so it s the very same this day that draws so many to joyn with these Separatists and become their proselites either such I say as are from pride and prejudice disaffected and discontented or are inclinable to looseness wantonness and false liberty and so such grow weary of the Cross and cannot nor delight not to walk longer in the strait and narrow way of holiness that alone leads to everlasting life Thus that proverb is fulfilled as to them The Dog is turned to his own vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire CHAP. VIII AS concerning the V. and VI Chapters wherein he inserts the Opinion of several of the Clergy both Bishops and Ministers and shews the judgment of ancient Protestants and Martyrs against Impositions and forcing a Conformity to Mens Traditions not grounded on Scripture Authority c. We are not at all concerned with the wrong abusive application of these and divers other good testimonies of those worthy men the great tendency of all which both what 's cited by F. B. and also much more could be produced was to testifie against the Romish Antichristian Tyranny of Imposing upon Tender Consciences to be subject to their Superstition and Idolatry and of persecuting and inflicting Temporal or Bodily Punishments upon such as could not comply nor bow to them therein See R. B's Anarchy of the Ranters c. that opens this very clearly For though we do say and always have declared that forced Imposition of Consciences is an Antichristian Abominable and Unreasonable Practice Yet we also affirm according to the Scriptures of Truth The true Church is to exert that Power and Authority with which she is invested and to improve that Priviledge God Almighty has bestowed upon her in those Admonitions Reproofs c. this in short being more largely treated of by T. Ellwood see his VI. Chap. in his Antidote c. and other Friends and also I direct thee to peruse W. Gibson's General Epistle for the preservation and increase of Charity and Unity amongst the Professors of Christ Jesus c. lately Printed and Sold by John Bringhurst But to return to the Matter in hand Thou maist observe the height of Wickedness Baseness and Malice in the Superlative Degree in F. B. falsly insinuating in p. 115. in his ungodly lying pretended Discovery of that Hypocritical and two-fold Practice Viz. Of pleadâ—ng to the Magistrate for liberty of Conscience and at the same time are using and exercising all force rule dominion and authority they are capable to inflict upon their dissenting Brethren thou shewest thy self here a to be an impudent lyar that I must needs tell thee by the way who cannot fall down and cry Hosannah to every likeness and here thou art an insolent Scoffer lest the accepting and conforming to one needless Ceremony should be ground of encouragement to the Ruling Party to introduce another and so a numberless number until at length Rome may if possible be out-done c. Reader I cannot but signifie to thee that we are not unsensible what the main Design is of all this sad grievous work of Unchristian Defamations base lying Reflections and groundless Suggestions as if we were endeavouring to impose upon tender Consciences and so to Persecuâ—â— such as will not Conform and be in Vniformity this I say is the very Work of the Devil to expose an innocent harmlesâ— People to the hard Censures severâ—â— Thoughts and strange Apprehensions oâ— them and not only so but to be an occasion of ambage to the cruel maliciouâ— Persecutors both to harden them iâ— their work and also to instigate others whose inclination leads them not thereto So thou maist easily discern what is thâ— tendency of this devilish Work of Opposition to
shall be continued to answer those services we believe that as it now is it also will become our duty to be at unity with our brethren in the service thereof and though one of us viz. J. Wilkinson did condiscend to subscribe a paper for the erecting a womans meeting in the Country to answer the ends proposed in the paper which he testifies he then did in singleness of heart for unitys sake yet according to that inward sence we now have there appears to us no absolute necessity to continue Womens meetings in the Country distinct and separate from the men and therefore do conscientiously forbear to assent or incourage to lay the Intentions of Marriage before them yet that inward sence and heavenly understanding we receive from God hath and yet doth confirm us in this Judgment that it 's not agreeable with the line of Truth to oppose others in the Exercise and appointed service of the said Meetings as heretofore and yet setled and agreed upon who being conscious therein are otherwise minded than we are if any of our words actions have any tendency to oppose c. which we are not conscious of but if we were we would readily confess we say the Truth in us would have condemned it even as it now doth and if it shall please the Lord to manifest unto us a service in those Meetings in the Country as well as Citys the same integrity towards God which hath dwelt with us this many years past we believe will become a Bond on us to joyn Hand and Heart with others our Brethren and Sisters therein but till then our desires are that they may not become an occasion of straitness of Spirit each towards others but that embracing the wholesome Council of the Apostle in another case If in any thing ye are otherwise minded wait till God reveal it we may walk together in pure undefiled love of our God which thinketh no Evill This I have from T. C's Book called Several Testimonys concerning Liberty of Conscience page 23. the same also is set down at large in W. R's Book 4 part page 37. which we suppose he has abbreviated out of it Secondly But that which more closely contradicts F. B. hear what T. C. his Brother in Iniquity saith in the 9'th page of his Babels part 1st Now those they term STUBBORN are not against Men and Womens Meetings but differ about the form and power thereof they are only against Women having Meetings apart from the men when they have no business requires it not against them in Citys Great Towns and Places where they live near together occasions require but where they live remote from each other and have no Business also the form of Marriages c. for these persons who they say are against Meetings do and are willing to use them on necessary occasions this is the great State of the Difference and Case of those Persons G. F. c. terms Apostates bad Spirits c. and G.F. c. say The Universal Spirit cannot receive that Thus far T. C. fairly grants from which 1st observe They declare or T. C. on their behalf that they are not against Men and Womens Meetings and that they are only against Womens Meetings apart from the Men when they have no business which grants they are for them when they have business even to be apart from the Men though they say there is no Precept President nor Command for them in Scriptures and who should be the most proper Judges of the Business I hope they 'l grant that those who are most immediately concerned to do the business must judge when they have business c. Secondly They declare or T. C. for them that they are not against Womens Meetings distinct or apart from the Men in City's Great Towns and Places and yet Cry out against without distinction scoffing at them and calling them a Dead Lifeless Image and comparing them to the Rood of Grace so called c. that F. B. saith would smile when a good gift was given it c. Thirdly They are only against Womens Meetings where they live remote from each other have no business but if they have business then they may meet He doth not say they must bring Chapter and Verse for their meeting at the tenth hour of the day to get a little stock c. no no if they have but business they may meet saith T. C. though there is neither Precept President nor Command for them I will dispense with that in Cities great Towns and places nay in Counties too if they have business and then I hope if there be need they 'l grant they may meet when they be found in the practice of communicating and doing good which the Apostle saith is that Sacrifice wherewith the Lord is well pleased as also to visit and communicate where need is the Fatherless and the Widow and not be like to those the Apostle mentions If a Brother or Sister be naked and destitute of dayly food and one of you say unto them depart in peace be you warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needfull to the body Ja. 2 16. And if they have a stock for these Christian Charitable Uses it matters not what the Devil envious or hard-hearted men women may say that may have of this Worlds goods and yet suffer your Brothers and Sisters or the poor Fatherless and distressed to want for these Cannot truly say with good Job 31.16 17. vers If I have withheld the poor from their desire or have Caused the Eyes of the Widow to fail or have eaten my morsell alone and the Fatherless have not eaten thereof If I have seen any perish for want of Cloathing or any poor without Covering If his loines have not blessed me and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep c. Then let my arm fall from my shoulder-blade and mine arm be broken from the bone So by what T. C. writes it is over and over granted that the women may meet apart from the men So that one may tell F. B. that T. C. whose Babells he quotes grants what he spends many pages against And Prints a foolish nonsensical Ballad of scorn against to which is added many verses that were not in the former and this saith T. C. is the great part of the difference and the case of those persons G. F. terms Apostates c. viz. in short that they are only for womens meetings when there is business and necessary occasions c. Well if they can produce when or where any women had their meeting and no business nor necessary occasion let them and then prove that its a Crime at such times to wait upon the Lord in his Spirit and fear to receive of his Divine Counsel and Wisdom by which they may be acted and guided to the praise of his Grace to shew forth the vertues of him