Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A57308
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The serpent's subtilty discovered in a plain answer to a lying scandalous paper, lately came from Leonard Letchford, who calls himself rector of Hurst-Pierpoint in the county of Sussex.
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Rigge, Ambrose, 1635?-1705.
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1663
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Wing R1490; ESTC R217999
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16,680
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not be rightly said to be the Devil in L. L. who sends the servants of God to prison for practising of prayer holy duties which the Lord hath led them to perform as he hath done many of late years and as for any extraordinary motions which the Quakers doth own as Christ in them which differeth from or standeth in no conjunction with the Scripture I charge L. L. to produce any such that the Quakers either own or practise or else let shame cover his face from condemning the Innocent without a cause Pr. 2. Affirmation And now he may boldly adventure to become a seducing and an erronious Devil having drawn him from the rule which is the written word which he calls sometimes the declaration of the mind of God I suppose he means to other men who are in darknesse he calls the Quakers to have recourse to some voice within him which was Saul 's delusion I verily thought that I might do many such such thingâ— Acts 26. to attend upon some new revelations and declarations of the mind of God which he hath not given to other men and which are not contained in that dull and dark lant horn of the Scriptures as they esteemed it if this Devil play as he doth with the Quaker may not the dreams of St. Frances and St. Anthony the Revelation of St. Bridget and St. Katharine come to be of higher esteem and to be preferred before the Scriptures Popery Popery is not this making way for unwritten traditions a bringing them into credit to the slighting of the written word of God Answ As for the Devil being a seducing erroneous spirit this hath been his practise many ages having drawn both the Priests and their followers from the life and power of God in Christ Jesus which only redeems out of Satans Kingdome but as for drawing the Quakers from the rule of righteousnesse or the word of God this he neither is nor I hope shall ever be able to do for it is the sword of the Spirit by which we have and doe quench all his fiery darts which either he or any of his ministers hath or can shoot against us but where dost thou read of a written word to be the rule if thou canst prove such a word by the Scriptures bring it forth now because thou hast urged that so often to make us odious who cannot call the Scripture that which it doth not call it self but a declaration we can truly call it because the holy men of God did so call it as thou mayst read Luke 1. 1 2. which plainly demonstrates that the Scriptures or writings of the holy men of God from the beginning was called a declaration And the word was God Joh. 1. 1. And Christ who was one with his Father his name was called the word of God Rev. 19. 13. And the Bereans were noble because they received the word and then searched the Scriptures Act. 17. 11. which again makes a manifest difference between the word and the writings which was first received before they could rightly search the Scriptures for if we had not received the word of God and thereby searched the Scriptures we could not have found out the deceivableness of the Priests so much as we have done And as for the Dâ—vil calling the Quaker to some voice within him this was never the Devils call but the call of God as thou maist read Deut. 30. 13 14. And it was not the word of the Devil in Paul who said the righteousness of faith saith the word is nigh thee even in thy hearâ— mouth that thou maist hear it do it Rom 10. 6 7 8. here he called them to a voice within as God called Moses as I have shewed above it was not the Devil that led Paul to say Christ spoke in him 2 Cor. 13. 3. whose voice he both heard and exhorted others to hear And to say that that was the light within Saul when he said I verily thought c. this is an absolute lye for that was the same Spirit of darkness and delusion which now leads his Successors to think they do good service in persecuting the Church of Christ and the members of it who follows their evil thoughts as he did but when he came to know the true light word and power of God this brought into captivity every thought unto the obedience of Christ as he himself affirmed 2 Cor. â—0 5. and then instead of being a persecutor he was persecuted by them who followed their evil thoughts and among such who now follows their evil persecuting thoughts instead of the true light of Christ Jesus the imaginations of their own brain is more esteemed then the sound Truths declared in the Scriptures and as for St. Frances St. Anthony and Bridget I know no such Saints but if they follow their own dreams imaginations it is but as the Priests doth at this day who sets up that from Scripture which bears no testimony unto it which is but meer Popery in the ground though covered with a more fair cloak Pr. 3. Affir He is in the Quaker a proud supercilious uncharitable censorious Devil to cloak and colour which he gives him leave to be outwaâ—dly and in shew a reserved and humble and grave and abstemious and abounding with sanctimony and self-denial as the most religious Monk or Hermite or the strictest Votary in the Church of Rome that he is not in lewdness like other men there lieth the foundation of his spiritual pride if he had not this boast of the Devil could not hope to make him half so like himself who is the king of pride though he never wore ribonds nor lace nor band strings to judge and censure condemn all men who are not in their way by calling themselves the blessed of the Lord the followers of the Lamb the counsel and nobility of the Royal seed is such a piece of diabolical pride and uncharitableness the devil were a very fool should he not be willing to give them the glory of that deep humility and self-denial as the renouncing of a hat band a pair of cuffs and a band string Answ Was that a proud supercilious uncharitable censorious Devil in John who said we know we are of God the whole world lyeth in wickedness 1 Jo 5. 19. was their gravâ— humbleness abounding with sanctimony self-denial to be judged as L. L. would judge the Quakers whose light so shines before men that the worst of their enemies cannot but see acknowledg to their good works yet the Devil having no just occasion against them that way to satisfy his malice to make them odious would brand them with spiritual pride or liken them to the strict votaries in the Church of Rome therby to cast dirt in their faces for which God will them judge But as for the Church of Rome time may manifest whether the Priests or the Quakers are more like to her in principle
of Christ who ends the Law and that Priesthood also offers up the ninths tenths also to the Lord who gave it not to up hold such who are called of men Master stand praying in the Synagogues loves the uppermost rooms at feasts going in long robes love greetings in market places which Christ the Son of God cried many woes against Mat. 23. Pr. 6. Affirmation He is in the Quaker a rebellious trayterous Devil denying the King his Supremacy in things spiritual in things appertaining to the worship and service of God such of time place gesture conducing to the more comely and decent ordering of it having proudly and perversly settered and hampered himself is resolved to admit of no other bonds or obligations then those of his own humors and fancies have laid upon him Answ As for the Kings Supremacy let them answer to whom it concerns but we are neither settered nor hampered unlesse by the prisons and fetters which the Devil and L. L. hath laid upon us for the tryal of our faith and patience according as it was foretold Rev. 2. 10. Pr. 7. Affirmation He is in the Quaker an absurd senseless stoical Devil affirming that a man is not to make resistance so much as to defend himself if any other come to take his purse or his coat from him it is likely he will say if any comâ— to pull the Kings Crown from his head or his Scepter out of his hand an excellent encouragement to thieves rogues rebells and traytors what preys and booties would the Quakers who for the most part have little or nothing make could they fool men into their doctrine and perswasion Answ If it be an absurd senseless stoical Devil to affirm that a man is not to make resistance c. then Christs doctrine was such who said unto his Disciples resist not evil but whosoever shall smite thee on the one cheek turn the other and if any man will sue thee at the Law and take away thy coat let him have thy cloak also Mat. 5. 39 40. and Christ said unto him that smiteth thee one the one cheek offer also the other and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also Luke 6. 29. now this I leave to the judgement of every judicious man whether this is an absurd senseless doctrine of Christ or no or whether if L. L. had been in Christs dayes when he preached this doctrine he would not have called him an absurd senseless stoical Devil for affirming this yea or nay and have told him this Doctrine was an excellent encouragement to thieves rogues and rebells and have said what preys booties would he who had not whereon to lay his head in the world make could he fool men into his doctrine and perswasion as L. L. now saith of the Quakers who if they have little or nothing of the world it is because such ravenous wolves as he hath devoured their outward substance by spoiling their goods and casting their bodies into prison which was never the practice of Christ nor his Ministers but of the Devil and his as before is shewed Pr. 8. Affirmation That he is in the Quaker a trifling pedling ridiculous Devil putting them upon the dispute of good English thou or you the tenth hour the ninth Moneth about bells hour-glasses ribons and band-strings to take them from weightier matters Answ This the very School-masters throughout the Nation of England will condemn who instructeth youth to put a difference between Singular and Plural â—u and Vos and would count it ridiculous indeed in any boy learning his Accidence to say Vos to a single person it being false in matter and manner yea it would be laughed at by the very Greeks and Jews who speaks thou to one and yee to many which is sound truth and is testified throughout the Scripture therefore L. L. I send thee to thy Accidence again to read there whether it be a trifling pedling ridiculos Devil that makes a difference between Singular and Plural as thou wouldst make the Quakers for speaking good English and as for the tenth hour the ninth Moneth c. was not this the language of S. Mâ—tthew 20. 5 6 9. 27. 45 46. Mark 15. 2â— 33. John 1. 39. all these called the ninth hour and the tenth hour and yet was not pedling nor ridiculous Devils and the holy men of God did not call the Moneths after the Heathens invented names as L. L. and his brethren doth but called them the first Moneth Gen. 8. 13. second Moneth 2 Chron. 30. 2. third Moneth Ezek 31. 1. the fourth Moneth Ezek 1. 1. the fifth Moneth Num 33. 38. the sixth Moneth Luke 7. 26. the seventh Moneth Gen 8. 4. the eight Moneth Zech. 1. 1. the ninth Moneth Ezek 10. 9. the tenth Moneth Gen. 8. 5. the eleavâ—nth Moneth Zeck 1 7. and the twelfth Moneth Hest 3. 13. Now L. L. bring us forth any other names that the Moneths hath in the Scriptures canst thou prove March April May by the Scriptures is it not a pedling ridiculous Devil in thee to condemn others for slighting the Scripture who are found more according to it then thy self who in all thy words writings actions one can scarce find one thing of a hundred that is concordent to the Scripture but either blundering in an Heathenish Popish invention or another to the slighting of the holy Scriptures whereby that charge which thou wouldst lay so heavy upon others falls the heaviest upon thy own head and there shall rest till thou clear thy self both of this and many more evils of which thou art deeply guilty Pr. 9. Affirmation He is in the Quaker an Atheistical Devil whose doctrines and endeavours tend to the destruction of Christianity witnesse his daily work which is to render the Ministers and Teachers and Pastors of the people odious and contemptible to them using all the means they can to draw them from having any thing to do with them or their Ministry laying down this for a conclusion that none ought to pay them but those that hear them those that partake of their wares and commodities which if men were left free to do I would know whether to save their purses they do not believe that the first thing that they conceive nineteen parts of a Nation if divided into twenty would do would not be to resolve never to hear a Sermon more doth not the Atheistical Devil in the Quaker put on fair to make an Atheistical people Answ One would think the Devil himself might blush at this to leave his Minister at Hurst so naked and contemtible in the sight of God the whole Nâ—tion what now Leonard hast thou preached so long with the â—est of thy brethren till you have begat the whole Nation into covetousnesse like your selvâ—s that the nineâ—eenth part to save their purses if left free would resolve never to hear you more it now appears you