the Reader to all bookish men that have read the Histories of those years wherein these things are said to fall out and they will tell us that these things are asserted by so many credible Authors at that time living agreeing in the same as takes away all doubt of forgery and slander Or the Reader may find them in Bullinger adv Anabaptist Sleiden hist Heresbachius hist Anabaptistica Lambertus Hortensius of the same Spanhem Diatr hist de Anabap. Joannis Clopenburgius gangrena Anabaptist And also Mr. Robert Baily Mr. Rutterfords Survey And a Peece lately transsated by a Minister of New-England and published by Mr. Hook of the Savoy entituled Johannis Becoldus Redivivus will further satisfie the Reader Anno 1528. Ludovicus Helster Joannis Trajer Seekler and other Enthusiasts were in the matter of Oaths Magistracy c. confuted by Hollerus and Kolvius at Bern and driven to say The Spirit taught them otherwise then the letter of the Scripture spake Rutterfords Surv. p 7. David George born in Delph austere as any Capuchin Frier that did often fast three dayes together by trade a Painter in 1540. did vend these Heresies among others That he was the Son of God the true and spiritual David born of the Spirit whereas Jesus Christ was born of the flesh That the Doctrine of Moses the Prophets Christ and the Apostles was imperfect carnal litteral That his Ministry was the time of perfection when all Ordinances shall be useles That it was the sin against the Holy Ghost to refuse the Spirit in David George his Ministry and to go back to the Prophets and Apostles These seeds he sowed in Germany and Transilvania Rutterfords Survey Gasper Swenck field in Luthers time a great opposer of the Reformation taught That the Doctrine contained in the Scripture is not properly the Word of God but improperly by a Metonimy where the sign is put for the thing signified That Faith and Conversion come not immediately by the Word preached but immediately from heaven by inspiration That the preachers of his time Luther Bucer Calvin Peter Martyr Beza Musculus Grynaeus Tossanus Melancthon c. were not sent of God and that no man was converted or the better for their preaching That no Doctrine in the Scripture CONDUCETH TO SALVATION That God is to be sought in his naked Majesty in dreams inspirations and revelations of the Spirit That our Righteousness and Justification is not in the imputed obedience and righteousness of Christ but in a conformity with Christ in glory by the in-dwelling Spirit of Christ Rutterfords Survey out of the Germne Authors CHAP. V. Of the Quakers of England since the Reformation HEnry Nicholls the head of the Sect called the Family of Love here in England wrote an Epistle to two Daughters of the Earl of Warwick in King Edward the sixth's dayes disswading them from Regeneration by the Word of God read or preached he denied Christ to be God This Epistle was answered by Henry Ainsworth he ascribed his blasphemies and heresies to the holy God as the Author of them saying of himself That he was annointed with the holy Ghost in the old age of the holy understanding of Jesus Christ Goded with God in the Spirit of his love illuminated in the Spirit with the heavenly truth the true light of perfect being That Christ was not God nor man but the state of perfection in believers or annointing or Sabbath or the holy disposition or Godliness That all Ordinances Hearing Preaching Scripture Scripture-learning Baptisme the Lords Supper all confession of Christ before men all externals in Religion are things of no worth indifferent free trivial laid on us by no Law of God That our second Birth is our Saviour Christ. Rutterford That he could no more erre in what he said then could the Prophets of God or Apostles of Christ His Prophet of the Spirit Cl 13. See 8. quoted by Rutterfords Surv. p. 169. Of this Tribe were Hacket Coppinger and Arthington and that great number called Grundletenians from a Village in York-shire where they met in Queen Elizabeths and King James his dayes concerning whom Mr. Richard Baxter affirms in his Treatise of the sin against the holy Ghost p. 149. I had an old godly Friend that lived near them and went once among them and they breathed on him as to give him the holy Ghost and his Family for three dayes after perceived him as a man of another spirit as half in an extasie but coming to himself he came near them no more The hanging of Hacket in Cheapside 1591. who died blaspheming did much marre their matters and Arthingtons Recantation in a Book called His seduction did stay many CHAP. VI. Of the Quakers of New-England BEcause some Enthusiastis agreeing in many heretical and blasphemous Opinions with the Quakers did sail to New-England in the Reign of King Charles among those godly Ministers and people that went thither to free themselves from Prelatical Monarchy let 's follow them and take a view of them Mrs. Hutcheson and her Disciples taught That Love in the Saints is the very holy Ghost As Christ was God manifested in the flesh so is he incarnate and made flesh in every Saint The new creature or new man love or the Armour of God Eph. 6. is not meant of grace but of Christ himself The Faith that justifieth hath not any actual being out of Christ it is Christ believing in us The search and knowledge of the Scriptures is not a safe way of searching and finding Christ A Christian is not bound to the Law as a rule of his Christian walking In the Saints there is no inherent grace but Christ is all Frequency and length of holy duties argues the Party to be under a Covenant of works All Doctrines Revelations and Spirits must be tryed by Christ rather then by the Word The soul need not go out to Christ for fresh supply but is acted by the inhabiting Spirit In the Saints Christ loves prayes believes praises formally in them and they are wholly Christed and Godded A Christian is not bound to pray nor to any spiritual acts but when the Spirit exciteth and moveth him thereunto He that hath the Seal of the Spirit can infallibly judge of another whether he be elected or not No Minister can convey to another more then he hath experience of in his own soul The Law is no rule of life to a Christian Mrs. Hutcheson said Her own Revelations about future events are as infallible as Scripture the holy Ghost is Author of both That she is obliged with certainty of Faith to believe the one as well as the other Rutterfords Surv. out of Welds Narrative Almost every one of these Errors and Blasphemies are the same for Substance with what the present Quakers hold as may be seen by comparing The Errors and Blasphemies of the Gortinians from Sam. Gorten banished out of New-England about the year 1646. That the Ministers and Churches of New-England that are not
Circumstance of time he fetches their Original but from the year two hundred and seventy but I find them above two hundred years sooner even in St. Paul's time as may be seen in my next Chapter This Difference is not very great But for the other point That the Quakers can plead more for themselves from the first two hundred seventy years then Mr. Baxter for the present Orthodox Religion laid down in the Saints Rest or the Confession of the Assembly I do heartily profess I differ from him as much in my opinion as he doth that loves to speak truth from him that will say otherwise for advantage and as a Protestant different from a Papist And in this Difference I have all Learned Protestants of my side the Papists and Quakers I think are for him CHAP. III. The Quakers chief Predecessors in the several Ages of the World since Christ AS to the main design of the Spirit of Hereticks viz. The disgracing and opposing of Christ and his Gospel both the Scripture Ministry and Ordinances The Quakers are the chiefest Instruments upon the earth as will appear by their Opinions and Practices And these were the chief of their Predecessors in the several Ages of the World since Christ was upon the earth 1. The false Apostles that did so oppose the true ones and teach Justification by the workes of the Law that they occasioned Saint Paul to write the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians against them and charge them with setting up a new Gospel which infection proceeded so far that those who before would have plucked out their eyes for him did now take him for their enemy 2. Simon Magus a Leader of a deluded Society and an opposer of the Apostles and the Gospel of Christ pretended himself to be God and Christ that seemed to die at Jerusalem denied that Christ was really come or did suffer also the Resurrection of he body and brought in the promiscuous use of Women Jacks Chron. 186. 3. Menander his Disciple And 4. Saturnius his Disciple who said that Marriage and Generation were of Satan many of whose followers would not eat of my living sensitive creature 5. Basilides taught that it was not Jesus but Simon of Cyrene in his shape that was crucified And that saving Faith did not terminate in him that was crucified but in Jesus that came in the shape of a man and was thought to have been crucified 6. Carpocrates and the Nicolaitans some of them made themselves to be equal with Christ and some the same with him they used multitudes of amazing words Inchantments and were familiar with Devils The Cerinthians Cordonites Ebionites Valentinians and Marcionites who had all the general name of Gnosticks from their own proud pretences of the Knowledge of such mysteries as the Catholick Church was ignorant of but were called by the names of their respective succeeding Leaders because every one added to or altered somewhat from the Doctrine of the former yet holding the same in the main These were as Irenaeus shews Lib. 1. cap. 30. all the Disciples of Simon Magus the Witch and continued the substance of his Doctrine with some additions though some of them would not own his name All the fore going were against the Christian Doctrine Ministery and Ordinences The Arrians who denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ and that he was the only begotten Sin of God Coequall and Coeternall with the Father and the holy Spirit and consequently his Merit and Satisfaction and Justification by the imputation thereof and his Ministers The Katharoi who affirmed that they being justified were perfect and free of all sin as the glorified in Heaven Anno 1118. Adamites devised a Church to be as a hot house to keep them from cold The Service time they were all naked men and women the Virgins preached unto the rest their Church they called Paradise and themselves Adam and Eve Epiphan haeres 52. Priscilianus a Gnostick said the Soul was of one Substance with God mans actions were governed by the Stars condemned the eating of flesh parted married Couples ascribed Creation of the flesh to wicked Angels Aug. lib. de Haeres Pelagius a Monk of Bangor he held that man without the grace of God was able to fullfill all the commands of God that the Just have no sin in this life that Children have no original sin Aug. de Haeres See Baxters sin against the Holy Ghost All these Hereticks with their Heresies and Blasphemies were in the Church many hundred years ago and condemned by Councils and Fathers and many of them witnessed against from Heaven by dreadfull judgements For the truth of my Collections I appeal to all that have read the ancient Histories of the Church which are of as clear evidence as the Chronicles that give us the Names and Reigns of William the Conquerour Henry the Eight and Queen Mary So that it is not lawfull for any man to say these Stories are lies untill after diligent search he find them to be so or untill upon his enquiry of honest learned men they say so which will never be Mahomet growing famous for Wealth and Magick by the advice of Sergius a Monk called himself the great Prophet of God denied the Sufficiency Perfection and Authority of the holy Scriptures but stole abundance of the words names and things therein contained to make up his Speeches and his Alchoran also the Trinity He held Community of Women was an Enthusiast pretending to Revelations and Infallibility CHAP. IV. Of the Quakers of Germany in Luther and Calvins time that opposed Christ at his then coming to reforme the Church COme we now to the Quakers of Germany though not so called These were some of the principal of them Nicholas Stork Tho. Muntcer Dr. Belthazer Hubmore Melchior Rink John Hut Jo. Deuter Lodovick Hetzer Phifer John Becold Rotman Harman Staxrede Henry Rolles Knipperdoling Cipperbroke Creching John Mathews David George Conradus Jo. Trajer Seekler David George Gasper Swenckfield Baxters Sin against the Holy Ghost When Satan perceived that he could no longer keep up the Tyranny and Errors undisturbed but that Christ would send out such a light as should disgrace and dispell his darkness he renewed his old attempts again and setteth upon Christ in his own Kingdome and falls upon the Reformation in its own quarters to disgrace it by the diversity of evil Doctrines and practices of those who pretended to be Reformers They began in a seeming simplicity of harmlesness as if the Reformers had not reformed enough but they must carry on the work where we left it and cast out children from the Church as we cast out Superstition and Errors But when the spirit within them had once vent and field-room for agitation it soon discovered it self to be of the great Deceiver as will abundantly appear by the ensuing Epitomy of the Stories of some of them Muntzer and his company at Mulhuze chose a new Senate of their Party to seize upon the
p. 11. 25. By the power of it is the Creature brought into the world James Nailors Answer to Winterton p. 7. 26. It revealeth without the Scripture the lives and actions of Christ and his Apostles and of the Resurrection to judgment Farnworth against Hagger and Pollard p. 55 58. 27. That nothing else can reveale Christ Edw. Burroughs Answer to Bunion p. 18. 28. By this light all the holy men of God were taught that gave forth the Scriptures Edw. Burroughs Truth defended p. 17. What it is 29. Christ is this light Fox his Exhortation in James Nailors Answer to Higgenson p. 5. James Nailors Answer to Pendarvis p. 6. 30. It s the light and Spirit of Christ James Nailors wickedness weighed p. 22. 31. It is the light Spirit and power of God unto salvation which is the Gospel of Christ Farnworth against Hagger p. 57. 32. It is the perfect Law of liberty Ja. Nailors Answer to Higgenson p. 5. 33. The Lord God and the Lamb is the light within men Farnworth against Higgenson p. 54. 34. It is the light of the Covenant of grace James Nailors Answer to Fr. Harris p. 15. 35. This light in all men is God and when Paul committed them to God it was to the light within them Farnworth against Hagger p. 48. 36. It s the word of faith which the Apostles Preached Edw. Burroughs against Firmin p. 18. 37. It is reason and understanding that is in every Man Edw. Burroughs against Firmin p. 19. 38. It is a perfect rule in every mans Conscience where man is guided by it ibid. p. 18. 39. That in a man which is just equall and righteous telling him he ought not to do wrong Answer to Berks Letter p. 6. 40. And that reproves him in secret of his secret iniquities Answer to Griffith p. 33. 41. It s the light life and power of God the just and living truth from which the Scriptures were spoken forth Answer to Berks Let. p. 7. 42. It s that of God in a mans Conscience Answer to Berk p. 20. Humph. Smith reply to Edm. Skip p. 17. 43. It is the light of Israel Hubherthorns Answer to T. Winterton p. 3. 44. This light with which Christ enlightneth every one that comes into the world is the same thing with the life and light of Adam in Paradice but when he went into the selfish knowledg he became brutish and this a witness against him Hubberthorn against Tho. Winterton p. 8. 45. This light is the grace of God that teacheth to deny all ungodliness c. and this grace is Christ himself Masons Answer to Rayners Precepts p. 20. 46. This light in every mans Conscience is the right heir give him the kingdome of your hearts this is the Son of God in whom he is well pleased Mason against Rayners Precepts p. 49. 47. It is no other thing than the light of the Gospel Edw. Burroughs Answer to Bunnion p. 18. 48. It is the same light with the annointing both in believers and unbelievers Truths defence against refined subtilty by Geo. Fox and R. Hubberthorn p. 67. Of judgeing and discerning mens hearts and persons 49. That the Saints by the Spirit that is in them can judg of mens hearts not by outward appearance and that such judging is Christs judging of men And that Christ shall judg no where else but in his Saints James Nailors Answer to Jo. Pendarvis p. 7. Of Justification 50. That that is a blind Doctrine which Preaches that righteousness which justifieth is not in them James Nailor against Higgenson p. 6. Burroughs against Firmin p. 21. 51. He that hath a covering for his sins no nearer then above the Stars will one day be found naked James Nailors Answer to Higgenson p. 8. 52. The obedience of Christ and of the Creatures is not two obediences but one James Nailors Answer to Higgenson p. 22. 53. Christ Jesus made manifest and revealed in us is our righteousness for justification Ed. Burroughs Truth defended p. 12. 54. The faith of God justifieth alone without imputation thy imputation to thy dead works without thee we do deny Truths defence against refined subtilty p. 93. 55. That Christ bought us not with the price of his blood that was shed upon the Cross at Jerusalem 56. That the blood of Christ is but one as ever 't was by which we are redeemed from our vain conversation That this blood is our witness and seal by which we are redeemed but not at Jerusalem only but made manifest in us Truths defence against refined subtilty p. 95. Of faith and its Object 57. God hath given his Son who is not only that light which inlightneth every one that comes into the world but to all that believe therein and follow it he leads them out of darkness thereby and gives them the light of life James Nailors Answer to Higgenson p. 17. 58. Without faith in the light of Christ within a man a man cannot know the things of God nor have his duties accepted James Nailors Answer to Beacon p. 9. 59. He that believes in the light and follows Christ who is the light shall have the light of life Hubberthorns Answer to Winterton p. 2. The light within also is asserted to be the Object of Faith By James Nailors Answer to Fr. Harris p. 26. id against Jo. Beacon p. 39. id Answer to Tho. Winterton p. 7. Mason against Jhonson p. 3. We must believe in the light James Nailors Answer to Harris p. 26. Of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament 60. Mr. Breck of New-England asks How came you to know there was ever such a man in the world as Jesus Christ They answer not by the Prophets nor by the witnesse of his holy Apostles and Evangelists left in their holy Record of the New Testament but by the eternall infallible Spirit Answer to Edw. Breck p. 16. l. 34. compared with his Letter prefixed p. 9. Quest 2. 61. That it is dangerous for the ignorant and unlearned to read the Scripture 1. Because they are made use of against the Saints 2. The Ministers of it are the Ministers of death 3. They make a trade with it yet the holy Brethren may read them Truths defence against refined subtilty By Hubberthorn p. 101. 62. But if any raise from the Scripture points tryals motives uses he adds to the Scripture and to him are added the curses and plagues Rev. 22.18 Truths defence against refined subtilty p. 101. Whithead against Clapham p. 11. 63. That the Scriptures are for the perfecting the Man of God and not for the instruction of others for that is for destruction 64. It is the man of sin that talks and prates of the Scriptures who is exalted above all that is called God in thee Truths defence against refined subtilty By Hubberthorn p. 102. 65. That the Scripture is not the Word of God nor a standing Rule James Nailors Answer to Baxters Q. Cat. p. 26. 66. It is not a perfect
flesh to the intellect we must live in contemplation lay by all Offices in the Commonwealth and own no fleshly Relations as they call them not the Relation of Brother or Sister not the Relation of a Magistrate or of a Master not the Relation of a Father or Mother Son or Daughter nor love any because of such a Relation but only as Justice binds us to requital for what they have done for us That none should own the Relation of Husband or Wife nor love each other as so related That we should endeavour to be perfect and therefore to forbear all carnall acts of Generation as being of sin and of the Devil and therefore Husband and Wife should part asunder or abstain That all things should be common and none should own propriety with abundance more which are Jounded on certain vain unproved fancies of Behmens That God at first created man a spiritual body in one sex only that containing both sexes vertually having an Angelical power of spiritual Generation and that this gross corporeity and diversity of Sex Marriage and Generation are all the fruits of sin and Satan with abundance more such audacious vanities not worth the reciting Now I shall come more closely to treat of the people among us that are commonly called Quakers The chief Ringleaders are named in the Quotations following CHAP. II. Containing some of the Blasphemies and Errors of the Quakers which they have Published in their Printed Books which I have not taken upon trust but have seen them every one and reduced them to the following Heads Of the Authority of their Words and Writings 1. THat what Christ the Prophets and Apostles spoke and what is spoken or written by the Quakers are all given forth by one Spirit according to measure and that a man may as well slight the one as the other Mr. Camelford Minister of Stasly Chappel in Lancheshire having told Tho. Atkinson in answer to his Queries that his Queries were condemned to the fire to be burned Geo. Fox replies You might as well have condemned the Scriptures to the fire Truths defence against resined subtilties By Geo Fox and Rich. Hubberthorn p. 2. and justified by James Nailor in his Answer to Jer. Ives p. 15. 2. That they have as full a measure of the Spirit as the Penners of the Scriptures had Geo. Fox and Rich. Hubberthorn Truths defence p. 43. 3. That the same gift that worketh miracles is among them as was among the Apostles Geo. Fox and Rich. Hubberthorn Truths desence p. 44. Of Antichrist 4. That that denying of Christ to be come in the flesh which is the mark or Character of Antichrist or the Man of sin is the denying of Christ to be come in the flesh of his Saints Masons Answer to Johnson Of Atonement 5. That there is that in the spirituall Man which being turned into and followed can redeem and make Atonement and that in him the Attonement is made IN Answer to Higgenson p. 3. 6. That the light which is in every man sheweth the true Atonement and no other thing can shew it to every particular Person ibid. p. 38. Of civill Titles and Gestures of respect unto Men. 7. That bowing the body and putting off the Hat unto one another is an Heathenish Custome and Idolatry James Parnell's Goliahs head cut off p. 39 40. 8. Mr. Raynor of Lincoln is called Babilonian for directing his Epistle to the Right Worshipfull the Major of Lincoln Masons Answer to Raynor p. 4. Of Christ 9. George Fox being asked whether Christ have a body in Heaven and be a particular man or person incompassed with a body to live for ever ye or no Affirms that Christ hath but one Body and that is the Church Truths defence against refined subtilty by Geo. Fox and Hubberthorn p. 78 79. Edw. Burrough's Answer to Bunion p. 28. 10. Christ hath but one body and that is his Church James Nailor against Ives p. 23. Edw. Burroughs against Bunion p. 30. The destinction of Christs personall presence in Heaven and spirituall presence in his people is denied James Nailor's second Answer to Tho. Moore p. 13. 11. That the Election Ordination and Adoption so often spoken of in the Scriptures is Christ and the drawing is the Spirit of the Father which is administred in the light which draws to Christ the Election James Nailor against Jo. Beacon p. 40. 12. That Christ was the Gospell which the Apostles Preached Ja. Parnell's Goliahs head cut off p. 17. 13. Christs coming in the flesh gave Adam his created estate and recovery Hubberthorn against Tho. Winterton p. 8. 14. Christs coming in person to Judgement is denied Hubberthorns innocency of the righteous seed p. 7 8. he is no where to be looked for but within Mason against Johnson 15. It is no deceit to own Christ no otherwise then as he was before the world began Edw. Burroughs against Bunion p. 13. Of the Church 16. Christs Church is in God and God hath not a visible or temporall Church in the world nor is the Order or Rule or Government in the Church visible but spirituall and eternall Farnworth against Hagger p. 17 23. 17. That since the Apostles dayes hath been a great Apostacy and not a true Church of Christ could be found and ever since hath the same Generation as now of false Prophets stood under severall formes and appearances deceiving the Nations but now the pure light of Christ shines c. Answer to Griffith Of Religious Education 18. That for Masters and Mistresses to make their Servants read Scriptures and to bring them to the publique Ordinances argues a persecuting Bonner like spirit and is a seeking to dethrone Christ and is treason against the King of Saints and his tender Lambs Masons Answer to Mr. Rayners Precepts p. 37. Of free will and of the power of nature 19. The light of Christ within or the light that is in every Mans Conscience if walked in and hearkened unto will be strength to lead a Man to life Edw. Burroughs Truth defended p. 12. many of their assertions concerning the light imply the same thing Of internal light and what it can do 20. That the light which is in every one that comes into the world shews a man sin and evil and the deceipts of his own heart Geo. Fox Exhort to the People in Answer to Westm Ministers Pet. 21. And loving this light it will bring you off all the worlds wayes and worships to worship God ibid. And lead you into the light of life Farnworth against Hagger p. 51. Hubberthorn against Tho. Winterton p. 2. From impurity unto holiness Masons Epistle to his Answer to Mr. Rayners Precepts 22. It is spiritaall 23. And the light of Christ wherewith he enlightens every one that comes into the world 24. It is pure and whosoever beleives and follows it shall not abide in darkness but shall have eternal life and whosoever believes it not is damned James Nailors Answer to Fr. Harris