by this Mr. Keith and thou must understand and mean Either That these Three are Three Christs in Three distinct Persons Or that these Three are but One Christ in One distinct Person Or that these Three are indeed No Christ at all in No distinct Person And when thou hast plainly and honestly declared this then we shall easily discern your Quibbling or understand your Meaning better in the mean time for your condemning using Distinctions in others and yet using them your selves you fall under the Apostles Sentence and Condemnation Rom. 2.1 Therefore thou art inexcusable Oh Man whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest dost the same things In the beginning of this Epistle Intimated to thee the Gifts and the Power of the Spirit indeed that the Christians the members of the true Church in the Apostles days were Gifted with viz. Such as were visible and demonstrable to others and for the proof quoted several Scriptures which I thought fit to alledg That thou might seriously Consider and I leave it to the Consideration of all sober and truely understanding men When thou comest to Condemn or Correct the Baptist Church or and Church with design to set up thy own as the true Church Whether thou oughtst not to prove and Demonstrate thy Church to be truer then their Church which thou Condemnest as false or Vnchristian or Antichristian and that thou oughtest to pretend to and bring something for Proof thereof which they nor no false Church can pretend to and produce as thou doest Is not this equitable just and rational agreeing to common Justice and Equity and according to the sound understanding of all men Nay and is it not what the true Christian Church had and could and did on all necessary occasions Demonstrate Otherwise suppose it be granted theirs to be false that will not prove thine to be true Thine may be false also But if proving theirs alone to be mistaken or False would prove another Church to be true the Romanists and all the Churches in the World might then as well by this prove theirs respectively to be true as you yours To make this yet more plain it being worthy thine and every mans serious thoughts I will give thee an Instance or two As for Example Here are great Contests and Disputes betwixt the Baptists and your Church the Baptists say we are true Christians and you Quakers are not The Quakers say we are the true Christians and our way is the true way and you Baptists are not Now I and thousands of poor Souls besides would willingly know which of you two are undoubtedly in the Right and which of you indeed are false and pretenders only If any of thy Friends shall tell me We are in the Truth and therefore we are the true Church Thou knowest in thy Conscience that is so far from an Answer that it is only a shameful begging of the Question For the Baptists they pretend as much that they are in the Truth as thou dost and it is yet to be decided betwixt you so that that is still the Question If thou sayest the Light within me will testifie to thy Way I profess really I have minded and inquired of the Light within me what it says in that Particular and it testifies no such thing If thou sayest it is Demonstrable by the Effects and Fruits very well I have inquired into that also and I find none among You but what may be found amongst the Baptists also Except it be keeping on the Hat and saying Thou and Thee c. which also the Baptists or any others may and can do if they please as well as you Or if thy Friends should tell me That ye have the Spirit and are in the Power of God so say the Baptists that they have And wherein does the Power of God or the Spirit shew it self more in you than in them If thou shouldst say it is Within but does not Demonstrate it self Outwardly Why then do you trouble the Minds of People Can you not let it keep in its place in every one where you say it is and then thereby thou wouldst acknowledg the Baptists to be Externally as good Christians as your selves and so may be Internally for ought thou canst see if it cannot demonstrate it self outwardly So that here I profess in the fear of God I see no real discriminating Character that Demonstrates you to be either truer or better than they if thou canst shew any I shall be glad to see it Another Instance is this in a higher nature at your own doors also viz. In Mr. Maggleton and his Disciples Why shouldst thou or thy Friends be believed more than Muggleton or an Impostor THE QUAKERS AND THE Muggletonians Compared 1. MVggleton says He hath received a Commission from Heaven and so do the Quakers that they have and both much about the same time but of the two I think Muggleton's pretence was the first and ancienter 2. Muggleton saith he had it by Divine Revelation and so do the Quakers that they had it 3. Muggleton saith He hath or is inspired by the Spirit of God and so do the Quakers that they are 4. Muggleton pretends to Infallibility and so do the Quakers 5. Muggleton says He is one of the two Witnesses spoken of in the 11 th Chapter of the Revelations that God hath given Power to Prophesie and the Quaker they say They are the true Witnesses to the Light and have received Power to Preach the Everlasting Gâ—spel to Prophesie c. or to the same effect 6. Muggleton denies that the Father and Son are two distinct Persons and so do the Quakers 7. Muggleton pretends to and produces Scripture and yet doth not really own it for the Rule of Faith and Practice and so do the Quakers 8. And all this Muggleton assertâ— with the highest Confidence imaginable as great as it is possible for the Quakers to assert theirs 9. Muggleton hath several Disciples and Followers that Believe him and are Convinced of the Truth of whaâ— he asserts as a Seal of his Ministry and so have the Quakers several Followers that are Convinced and believe them which they say are a Seal oâ— their Ministry 10. And yet for all this Muggleton Curses and Damns the Quakers and that by the Heavenly Power and Commision he pretends to have received And the Quakers Judg and Damn Muggleton and that by the Light thâ— Heavenly Power and Commission they preâ—end is Revealed to them See the Book Intituled the Quakerâ— Neck broken writ by Muggleton and answered by G.F. Now then Consider Is it not highly necessary one should know which of these two be the Impostors or whether since they both pretend with such Confidence and yet both Damn one another and all others that Contradict them both of them may not be Impostors for it is possible What canst or dost thou produce or pretend to more than Muggleton
ridet Qui non videt suo se jugulavit gladio Unprejudiced Readers IT is no small thing but well worthy of your serious taking notice that G.W. being by many reputed so close so cunning and crafty a Man as no doubt but that in some things he is yet should be so far infatuated and over-shoâ—t himself here as to let fall from his Penn and publish in Print to the World two such Sentences the one by way of Interrogation and the other of Position Which if duly weighed and applied absolutely destroys his own Cause and answers himself in effect in all he writes Argumentum ad hominem The first by way of Interrogation effectually enervates and plucks up by the very Roots the whole of the Quakers Religion 1. For put the Case the Dispute be about immediate Revelation from God which the Quakers assert as one of their grand Principles and deny others to be true Christians that have it not Why G. W's words will as well serve for an Answer against himself What if God will not bestow such Gifts now as immediate Revelation must we therefore be no Christians 2. So as to Divine Inspiration now immediately by the Spirit as the Apostles had Why G. What if God will not bestow such gifts and signs now must we therefore be no Christians 3. So as to being sent and Commissioned by God and called by the Spirit to Prophesy and Preach the Gospel as the Apostles indeed were in the Primitive Church and the Quakers now pretend to Why alas George What if God will not bestow such Gifts and Signs now Must we therefore be no Christians 4. So for the Light within which the Quakers so much talk of and pretend to as their great Principle What if God will not bestow such Gifts and Light now must we therefore be no Christians 5. So for their Doctrine of Infallibility What if God will not bestow such a Gift now must we therefore be no Christians 6. So for their Doctrine and Pretence of the Gift of discerning of Spirits What if God will not bestow such a Gift now Must we therefore be no Christians And thus you see how by this Question he cuts the throat of all their own Pretensions and shakes the very foundation of his own and the Quakers Religion BVT can any be so ignorant as to think that God will inspire call send by Commission persons immediately and give no such Gifts or Signs that may distinguish them from others whereby we may certainly know they are so inspired call'd Commissioned and sent and not Pretenders only The second by way of Position puts such an Answer into the Mouths of George Whitehead's and the Quakers Opponents that if they please to make use of it in like manner as G.W. himself hath done He nor all the Quakers in England can never be able either to confâ—te or confound their Adversaries For let W.P. or George himself object what they can against them let them but have and take the like Liberty as G.W. himself â—ath here done which they cannot refuse to others they using it themselves without the greatest injustice and unreasonableness not to say impudence and it will be impossible for the Quakers to fix any thing upon them let them but say as why may they not as well as the Quakers if they have but so much confidence such titles or words are not strictly but figuratively placed in or on our Books And all 's done And therefore here I think I might on this ground of the Quakers if they will have that to be admitted undertake to do Mr. Hicks that service Gratis and G.W. also though I never promised it to one or other nor was desired by either of them to do it as to answer all G. W's second part of the Quakers Plainness or at least to enervate the chief sinews of it only using of George's own words Mutatis Mutandis As for example how silly is it for thee G.W. to take exceptions against the Title of his Book and that was one of the chiefest matters of the Charge at the first till the Anabaptists had pretty handsomly handled you and beat you off from that by producing a Book or Books of your own Friends who writ after the same manner A DIALOGUE betwixt a Christian and a Quaker why cannot T. Hicks tell thee like as thou thy self art so silly in thy own case to tell him that such a Title was not STRICTLY but FIGURATIVELY placed on his Book and then for all the rest of his words wherein W.P. and thou chargest him with Forging and Forgeries Slanders and Lies Thou hast here taught him a short way to the wood and so may Answer thee if he please all in few words Such Titles such words or sayings are not strictly but figuratively placed and put down in his Dialogues and thus George himself hath taken the pains to answer and confute himself and hath with one blast of his mouth blown away those dismal great charges of Lies and Forgeries laid on his Adversaries Oh! kind-natured Man But I dare say it was against his intention only he could not tell how to clear his Friends otherwise from other Mens charge of Blasphemy viz. for preferring their pittiful Pamphlets to the Holy Scriptures and so by shunning one Rock he hath split himself on another I am of the Opinion that when T. Hicks comes to understand this he will say that he is as much beholden to G.W. for making his way so easie by this one Sentence as by any advice twenty of his Friends could give him Now I would not have any Quaker mistake me and say I deny all figures for I own that there are some Metaphors in the Scriptures and that some Parables are therein written which must necessarily be interpreted Metaphorically and Figuratively but this I deny that therefore the whole Scripture is a Figure or all of it to be figuratively interpretted This I only hint on purpose to prevent the Quakers mistake who when they please I find will wilfully mistake others if they think they can make any advantage by it though never so base But this I say 1. That the Quakers have excluded themselves from using of Figures they having so long and so often witnessed that all Figures were ended and they were come to the end of all Figures and were come to Christ the Light which was the substance and the end of all Figures 2. That if notwithstanding the Quakers in contradiction to themselves will take the Liberty to make use of Figures in their words and writings and the Interpretation of them then they cannot without gross injustice and impudent partiality deny to others the same liberty and the use of the same thing they take themselves and so the matter will hold good all along The Apostle says Rom. 14. and 22. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth And thus Courteous Readers you see that G.W. hath
Arguments I heard that day from him and my confessing that St. Paul saith Though I speak with the Tongues of Men and Angels and have not Charity I am become as sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal Reply If there be any contradiction here it must be in G. W's Brain and not in my Words For I do still say That the Gift of Tongues immediately inspired into those of the True Church upon their becoming Christians which was the Gift I spake of p. 7. in express words without acquiring it by Study was a certain Proof of Christianity yea and I do now say so discriminating that I do not know that ever we find in the whole Scripture any others but only Christians that were indued with that Gift by immediate Power and Inspiration of the Holy Spirit And accordingly the Apostle Peter took it for a sufficient and undeniable sign of their Belief and Christianity who had received this Gift upon his Preaching Christ Jesus to them and thereupon commanded them to be Baptized Acts 10.44 c. They which Believed were astonished as many as came with PETER because that on the GENTILES ALSO was poured out the GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST for they heard them SPEAK WITH TONGUES Then Answered Peter CAN ANY MAN FORBID WATER That these should not be Baptized which have received the HOLY GHOST AS WELL AS WE And he commanded them to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord. And do thou G. deny it against this plain Testimony of Scripture or make the Apostle Paul to Contradict the Apostle Peter here if thy Conscience can serve thee Therefore G. thou art so far from proving this a Contradiction that thou hast committed a great mistake in saying That the GIFT of Tongues is not a certain proof of Christianity wherefore consider what thou hast it's possible only rashly and hastily asserted and be not ashamed to confess thy Error But on the other hand though I owned SUCH A GIFT as before mentioned p. 7. of my Epistle would be a good Proof to me of W. P's Christianity Yet I do not nor never did own that Men speaking never so MANY nor so EXCELLENT Tongues by ACQUISITION AND STUDY much less that any of W. P's Plausible Orations or fine Harangues was a certain Proof of Christianity no nor any Proof at all and those were the fine words without Charity I spake of p. 9. and where 's then the Contradiction Surely in G. his own Fancy This being natural mediate and acquired by Study but the other Spiritual and a Gift immediate from God at an Instant And although it is not to be doubted but that the Apostle Paul had learned to speak lâ—ke an Orator and more Tongues than one by Study before his becoming a Christian he being brought up a Scholar yet suppose it be granted that he speaks 1 Cor. 13.1 of the Gift of Tongues he had immediately he doth not say any such thing as that it is no certain proof of Christianity to OTHERS nay so far from it that in Chap. 14. v. 22. he asserts Tongues are for a sign to them that Believe not that is chiefly to them and in the Quakers sence such are we who do not believe them But that Charity which he speaks of is a Proof of his or a mans SINCERITY BEFORE GOD that he did make use and imploy those GIFTS really in LOVE TO GOD AND HIS CHURCH for the Planting and edifying of it and not to any by and base ends which if he should it would profit him nothing v. 3. it would signifie nothing to his own Salvation though possibly it might to others much like to this you have it expressed again by the Apostle in Chap. 9. v. 27. But I keep under my Body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have PREACHED to OTHERS I MY SELF should be a CAST AWAY So that TONGUES IMMEDIATELY inspired by the Holy Spirit are a SIGN and PROOF to others of Christianity wherever that Gift was or is found and CHARITY is a SIGN and PROOF of a man's sincerity before God and of his SINCERE LOVE TO GOD AND HIS BRETHREN in his Exercise of that GIFT OF TONGUES and other miraculous Gâ—fts which God hath given him for the planting and edifying of his Church But what 's all this to W.P. who alas is so far from having THAT CHARITY and SINCERITY in the Vse and Exercise of those spiritual Gifts of Tongues and Miracles for the love and benefit of the Church that HE hath NONE OF THOSE GIFTS TO USE OR EXERCISE AT ALL And where 's now the contradiction therefore I must note this for G. W's second Quibble The Apostles were to stay at Jerusalem till they were endued with power from on high viz. with thaâ— Spirit whereby they were enabled to speak with Tongues being to Preach the Gospel to all Nations and not only to those that understood only the vulgar Tongue of the Jewes But W.P. or several of the Quakers Prophets have been sent to Preach the Gospel as they pretend to Peoples and Countrys that did not understand their Language particularly G. Fox to America where he as I have heard sent for at once an Emperor and two Kings to Preach to the Indians in English which they understood noâ— Thus have these Prophets rendered themselves more Barbarous than those Barbarians to whom they Preached Had not men the Light within them in the Apostles time as much as now If the Light within is now a sufficient evidence of the Truth of the Gospel why not then also why should the Apostles Peter and Paul have need of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost then and the Apostles George and William in these days have no need of them at all 3. He charges this as a self-contradiction For saying thou madest thy self the Author of a Lye and shewedst thy self not only a Fool but unjust and yet that I hint for W.P. to say It is a Lye is neither Answer nor Argument and therefore in Love I should advise him to leave off such Billinsgate Rhetorick Reply Oh excellent Artist He leaves out part of my words and then tells me I have contradicted my self For these words TO EXPRESS IT IN THY OWN LANGUAGE he deceitfully leaves out which I did in my very writing the Epistle think of and put in on purpose to prevent any such mistake for thereby I gave W.P. plainly to understand that it was his Language and none of mine I did express it in his Language and not my own that so he might be the more sensible of it Now George call to mind thy own words p. 68. But if you take this kind of unfair Curtailing which destroys the sence is this your Care and Justice would you be thus served both to wrong me and abuse the World or your Reader And see how out of thine own mouth thou hast Condemned thy self both as a partial and self-contradictory Pen. In his 3d. Sect.
there such an expression in the Scripture as Proper least Proper c. are not these Philosophical Terms SECT III. In Reply to his third Section shewing G. W's and the Quakers Ignorance of the true Spirits Evidence who deny the Gift of Tongues Prophecy Signs c. to be such 1. IN my Epistle to W.P. p. 8. I minded him of the Apostle Paul's words 2 Cor. 12.12 13. Truly the SIGNS of an Apostle were wrought AMONG YOU in all Patience in SIGNS and WONDERS and MIGHTY DEEDS For what is it wherein ye were INFERIOR to other Churches Here was a Church indeed that had the Spirits evidenee and here was an Apostle indeed that had Divine Revelation the Gift of Prophecying Tongues and Interpretation of Scripture such an Apostle was one who indeed was not of Men neither by Man but sent by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead Gal. 1.1 But no such Apostles nor Friends of the Ministry can I find amongst the Quakers who yet pretend to be Apostles not of Men nor by Man but immediately sent by God and pretend to have the same Spirit Calling and Power that the Apostle Paul had And yet alas do not EVIDENCE it any MORE than OTHERS do who pretend to it with as much Confidence as themselves Nay and so far are they from that that I do not see they are able to produce any MORE or give any better Demonstration of it than those who do not pretend at all immediately to it and therefore I told W.P. if he had had the GIFT OF TONGUES given him by the SPIRIT IMMEDIATELY upon his turning QUAKER Or if he could shew but ONE in all his Church that had such a spiritual Gift or Gifts upon his Conversion to their way it would put a clear difference betwixt them and the Baptists Churches and herein would the Quakers plainly then exceed and excel them and that one such Testimony if true in the Quakers Church would more confute the Anabaptists and Convince their Auditors than a hundred such days brawling disputes where the Quakers shew'd no more POWER OF THE SPIRIT than their Adversaries only fenced with words as well as they could as their wits would serve them best to Distinguish Evade or Answer And therefore I told W.P. I found his Church as Poor and Low as the Baptists whom yet they condemned I finding he had the words of Man's Wisdom in making plausible Orations but askt him Where was the Demonstration of the Spirit in Power and Sign 1 Cor. 2.4 5. 2. Now at this I find George is put to a great loss saying p. 14. What if God will not bestow such Gifts and Signs now Being afraid to say God will and yet not daring to say God will not what George art thou in a Maze Is not this Scripture-Phrase Is not this according to Scripture-Language 1 Cor. 4.19 20. I will know not the Speech of them that are puffed up but the Power For the Kingdom of God is not in Word but in Power see also Revel 2.2 And is not this according to your own Language G. Foxes Epistle before thy Book Divin of Christ have you the same Power and Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures And such miraculous Gifts are no more than what we find testifyed to have been and remained in the Christian-Church about two hundred or three hundred years after Christ Irenaeus who lived one hundred and eighty years after Christ affirmeth that in his time the working of Miracles the Raising of the Dead the casting out of Devils healing of the sick by laying on of hands and Prophesying were in being and that some that were so raised from the dead remained among them alive long after Niceph. Eccles. Hist Tom. 1. lib. 4. cap. 13. Tertullian and Cyprian which last lived till above 250 years after Christ do both make mention of the ordinary casting out of Devils and challenged the Heathen to come and see it 3. But says he p. 31. this is very strange But what then George It is not more strange than true And I say Is it not very strange that you will pretend to the Power and the Spirit and talk of being sent immediately by God as Paul was and have a Dâ—vine Commission to Prophesie and yet cannot bring any Evidence to prove it more than Others And instead of Producing one such Apostle Prophet or Minister in thy Church the best thing which yet alas is bad enough thou canst say for thy self Oh! our opposers do argue as just like the Papists and Jesuites as if they had served seven years at Rome Reply Ah Quibbler this will not serve thy turn above all Persons for who Argues more like a Papist or Jesuite than your selves about proving the Scriptures not to be the Rule of your Faith Who uses the Jesuites Arguments to prove good works the meritorious cause of our Justification more than you Was it not one of the most eminent and learnedst Men that ever you had amongst you that positively asserts THE SCRIPTURE TO BE A NOSE OF WAX yea and says it is CAPABLE of being NO OTHER Sam. Fisher Additional Appendix p. 21. And is not this the Jesuites Phrase in terminis And none but Papists except your selves use it Andrad Orth. Explic. lib. 2. p. 104. What had S. Fisher served seven years at Rome Nay I can shew you and others may see if they mind it that almost all the Arguments that Mr. Fisher uses to prove the Scripture is not the Rule of Faith are the very same that the Papists and Jesuites have used these hundred years and so G.F. in the Epistle before thy said Book says where doth the Scripture say that it self is the Word of God Just so do the Papists Argue What now George Is the Argument the better or the worse because the Jesuites have used it Dost thou think in thy Conscience this is a good Answer You can sometimes tell us that the Papists may use good Arguments and so the Jesuites make use of the Scriptures yet never the worse for that nay do but see how thou hast Answered this matter thy self in thy own Book Divin of Christ p. 38. It is but a mean way of Arguing to accuse or miscal any for owning any Truth that any sort if they do err in some things do hold for by that way I may as well be reckoned a Papist a Jew or a Turk c. How now George and yet dost thou use this mean way of Arguing against me For shame do not forget thy self and shuffle backwards and forwards thus but use some Consciencâ— in thy Scribling if thou hast any tenderness and plainness in thee lay thy hand upon thy Mouth 4. But further I 'le tell thee that I have oft used this Argument against the Papists and to chuse would use it before any other and the first and best thing as I verily think that I could use if I was to Dispute with a Iesuite
of Sence except such a wilful scoffing Perverter as W.P. could not but take TRADITA to be there put down for the Readers and especially ye Quakers better Information not for the Lord Christâ—s and so I took it on my first Reading it and could honestly take it no otherwise H.H. fearing as I perceived you might or would Quarrel or discant upon the word TRADITION just before used by him in his Prayer But by this it appears the Quakers are so Prophane and far from owning the Lord JESUS the MAN that indeed dyed at Jerusalem that they wilfully make a meer Scoff at one's serious Worship and Prayer to him Where 's W. Pen's Religion and Conscience now Is it all devoured with Lightness and turned into Scorn Nay Mr. Pen is such a Pragmaticus and a wit that rather than he would lose breaking his Jest on Jeremy Ives he would adventure the bestowing on himself the Title of Mouse-hunter or Mouse-catcher and in time if he continues as he hath begun it is hoped he may as well arrive to the Degree of a Rat-catcher amongst the Quakers P. 4. He says I term my self a scornful Fellow which is a plain and evident falsity for I did not term my self so but these were my words G.W. knows IT SEEMS it is a Scornful Fellow he hath to deal withal otherwise I thought he would not nor could have styl'd my Epistle a very scornful Pamphlet as he did Where 's this Man's Conscience now Or so much as common Honesty That cares so little what he says or writes though never so false Is this and the like the Quakers Religion Is this the Practice of one of the Vs Gods People Is this to pretend Christianity Or to talk for it at such a Rate Then many Civil Heathens may or will go beyond them SECT V. Of the Miraculous Gifts of the Spirit and of Prophecy Sect. 1. IT appears G.W. met with two such stumbling-blocks though of his own framing at the very threshold the Epistle of my Book that he dar'd hardly to enter into the Book it self onely peeps in and presently his Brother Fisher's Ghost presents it self to him and thereupon he Runs away from the rest as if he was scar'd out of his wits Without any of the Quaker's Revelation I could fore-tell my Reader how I did expect they would winch and Kick wynd and twine to Wyer-draw or draw back those two Sentences again but all will not do For as to the First he can poorly and onely give us his bare word without any Proof That those Spiritual Gifts were ONELY PECVLIAR to some in the Apostles days p. 2. I have proved the contrary by Testimonies and Records Cited in my Second Part of Quâ—k Quib. p. 53. And besides if he could do that which I conceive he will never be able to do yet his business would remain still undone For how will he be able to prove Infallibly uncontroulably Sam. Fisher's word and certainly that these Gifts of the SPIRIT viz. the Gift of Infallibility Discerning of Spirits Immediate Revelation and Prophecy or an immediate Gift of Interpretation and fore-telling things to come certainâ—y and expresly and not conjecturally onely were not PECULIAR ALSO without begging the Question to some Christians and Ministers in the Apostles times as well as the Gifts of Healing Tongues c. when besides the Gift of Infallibility is one of the matters in Question For the same Text that says Tongues shall cease and Knowledge vanish first mentions that PROPHECIES shall FAILE 1 Cor. 13.8 and that in the Plural Number Sect. 2. And whereas G. says If he could speak with the Tongues of Men and Angels that were not a sufficient evidence OF IT SELF to convince Vnbelievers I Answer That is more than he knows because he never could make Tryal It might be sufficient to convince Vnbelievers though not to Save himself But if that were any good Argument against the Gift of Tongues NOW then it is also a good Argument against the Gift of Prophecy NOW yea and against FAITH since the Apostles very next words in 1 Cor. 13.2 are of the same strain And though I have the Gift of Prophecy and all Faith and have not Charity I am nothing it profiteth ME nothing whatever it may do to others But above all G.W. shews his Folly when he had said That the Gift of Tongues and working Miracles were PECULIAR to the Apâ—stles times Yet then to talk that he cannot give away the Quakers Cause as to working Miracles in a Spiritual way Oh Senseless Man is this thy Rhetorick or Logick either Were not the Gift of Tongues and all the Miracles that the Apostles the Christians then wrought Miracles in a Spiritual way Surely thou darest not say but that they were And thus you see he is as far off as before he hath done just nothing at all to take away the dint of his own words as a strong Argument against himself But he hath here made it worse in this sheet by positively LIMITING THE HOLY ONE in those visible Gifts of his Spirit saying they were ONELY peculiar to them then Who hath given this Quaker POWER to LIMIT what Gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be PECULIAR to the Primitive Time and what are to CONTINUE and none but such and such as he says Oh Rare is not this abundantly more Arrogant than for John Perrot to Subscribe John onely Or to write Proverbs like Solomon SECT VI. Of the Manifestation of the Spirit Sect. 1. G W. p. 2. Whereas a Manifestation of the Spirit was given to every Man to profit withal Very good this makes as much for the Gift of Tongues and healing the Sick as Prophecy since they were all Manifestations of the Spirit and if the Gift of Tongues were not COMMON to all no more was the Gift of Discerning nor of Prophecy COMMON to all See 1 Cor. 12.29 And therefore that makes as much against the Continuance of BOTH as ONE And so Geo. by his own Hand is but still stâ—iking at and Destroying his own Cause Sect. 2. Besides I could wish for no fuller and fitter Text for my purpose and his confutation than this he hath Cited For if the Manifestation of the Spirit be given to every Man to Profit withal then it is a strong Argument against the Quakers that they have it not or at best have it not any more than others because there appears NO SUCH MANIFESTATION given to them MORE than others have whom yet they Condemn which will be easily further demonstrated if you do but consider this viz. That the Quakers must mean that these words of the Apostle are to be taken either Vniversally and that the manifestation of the Spirit was and is given to every one as well Women as Men to ALL Persons in the World Or Restrictively to the CHURCHES in the Primitive times and particularly that at Corinth to whom the Apostle was writing And Secondly Consider that these Manifestations
of the Spirit so given must be either VISIBLE or INVISIBLE though it is apparent enough by the enumeration of those Manifestations in the subsequent Verses that the Apostle spoke of visible manifestations such as were visibly APPARENT to others and for the Profit of others without as well as within the Church and the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Apostle uses signifies plainly and clearly appearing open bare or easie to be seen as a Face uncovered Sect. 3. But let the Quakers take it which way they will it destroys their Usurped Title and vain Pretences above others whom they Condemn For if they say that the Apostle meant thereby that the manifestation of the Spirit which he speaks of is given to every one in the world Then they at the same time grant it is given to the Church of England to the Baptist Churches and to me also and if they I say that the manifestation of the Spirit is VISIBLE to others then thereby they grant they have it not more than others nay are without it because the Quakers have Censured and Condemned other Churches as being WITHOUT it and yet themselves can produce visibly NO MORE manifestation of the Spirit than those whom they say are without it And if they say the manifestation of the Spirit is INVISIBLE to others then at the same time they grant the Church of England or the Baptist Churches may have it though they may not know it or cannot SEE it for how should they if it be INVISIBLE Sect. 4. But on the other hand if they say These words of the Apostle are to be taken Restrictively that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every Man in the Churches onely as most likely in truth it is as the word IS in the Present Tense and the whole scope of the Chapter intimates the Gifts and manifestations of the Spirit he mentions being then peculiarly in the Church and no where else that we find such as the Gifts of Healing Tongues c. mentioned in the very next Verses as some of these manifestations spoken of in v. 7. Then this of the Church at Corinths having the manifestation of the Spirit is no more to the Quakers than to the POPE OF ROME For it will not follow That because the Church at Corinth had the manifestation of the Spirit that the Quakers Church must NOW have it nor because THEY SAY they have it for at that rate the Baptist Churches and ALL the Churches in England might claim it and who can hinder them And besides G.W. hath barred himself of that and plainly told us in his Glory of Christs Light within p. 33. That which was to one State was not to every particular State and Condition among the Churches neither do we read that the Church at Corinth was to go and make the Epistle to the Church at Rome their Rule Nor that the Churches at Ephesus Philippi or Thessalonica were to go to the Corinthians for Pauls Epistles to them to compare theirs with and to be their Rule but that of the Spirit or Light within to which they were all directed and which was the Rule of the New Creature whereby the things of God were Revealed and made known unto the Saints Now then what does the Apostle Paul's writing to the Church at Corinth that the Manifestation of the Spirit was then given to every Man to profit withal signifie to G.W. or the Quakers here They are not the Church at Corinth nor can they produce visibly such Manifestations of the Spirit as they did Nay G.W. himself gives you to understand such visible manifestations were onely peculiar to the Apostles times Thus then you may easily see how much this silly Quibbler is beside the business and hath confuted himself SECT VII Of the Gift of Discerning of Spirits Sect. 1. G W. p. 3. says He cannot give away the Quakers Cause as to the Gift of Discerning of Spirits for they have sufficient evidence thereof as a Gift given to divers I suppose the two Germans Young men may be some of their most sufficient evidences who pretending to be of great Families and Convinced of the Truth of Quakerism as I have heard came or were Conducted by one S.C. a Quaking Minister into England and were Entertained at London at the common Charge of the Quaking Friends of Devonshire-House for a long time The Quakers paid for their Board and bought them Apparel Glorying in their Converts But in process of Time it seems these Men in the Prosecution of their Debaucheries fell at variance and each of them fearing to be detected by the other charged one another in a Meeting of Quakers with great and notorious Crimes did they not detect one another even of haunting of Bawdy-Houses W Pilfring c. even out of those Houses where they had been entertained Was not here in the mean while an Excellent Gift of Discerning among the Quakers Sect. 2. Another Instance and pregnant proof I have heard of also One W.W. being a Minister among the Quakers for many Years and an Active man in their Cause yea and a Sufferer for the same was not discern'd nor Discovered by the Quakers till being troubled in his own Conscience he Confessed himself to have Lived in uncleanness c. Who is it will not think now that they have a most Excellent Discerning of Spirits And that they are so very wise and have such a Rare Gift they can tell any thing that 's told them and so can others SECT VIII Of Vnbelievers Muggleton c. Sect. 1. G W. p. 3. Hast not thou plainly implyed th◠self to be an Vnbeliever who wants such a Sign to be shewn thee to evidence that WE are Divinely Inspired Observe 1. How sillily does this Mr. Sleights scribble of my implying my self to be an UNBELIEVER of their Divine Inspiration when I have often directly confest it and now do it once more That I do not believe that G.W. nor the Quakers are Divinely inspired so as the true Apostles and Ministers of Christ were and I am well assured I have very good Reason for it viz. Because they cannot Evidence it as the true Apostles did This was one of the first things I writ them that I did not nor could possibly upon any good and certain grounds believe the Quakers Pretences to a Commission from Heaven Immediate Revelations and Inspirations MORE than Muggletons's except they could produce somewhat considerable MORE than Muggleton could and therefore I prayed them to shew me what they had and to tell me but this Why I might and ought undoubtedly believe them and their Commission MORE than Muggleton's or the Baptists Which I am sure is a very Reasonable and modest Request for otherwise I should have no BETTER ground for my FAITH in Believing a Quaker than a Baptist or Muggleton 2. But I do believe and declare to all the World I am a BELIEVER that the Apostles Peter and Paul and
Argument to me more fully proved you to be no Christians than your unchristian Carriage in that Meeting Where was the Christian Moderation the old and pure Christian frame of Spirit in meekness and gentleness What was nay what is possible to be vain-jangling if that was not Is it not strange that you should be no wiser than to give a Challenge or Solemn Offer and give occasion for thousands of People to meet together and that to the hazard of their Limbs and Lives only to be Witnesses of your Folly Immoderation Rancor Malice Obstinacy Confidence Unreasonableness not to say Madness For my own part I came thither thinking to have heard some Sober and Rational Arguings unto Edification and Clearing of the Truth but I profess I have oft heard more Reason and less Railing at Billings-gate Is this think you for your praise or the Commendation of your Way to make your selves thus ridiculous I would fain know of thee if thou art not in some degree sensible of it ashamed and sorry for it Doth thy Conscience tell thee it was like a Christian Meeting or the Dispute carried on thy part in a Christian-like manner when thou wast transported with so much passion and the Discourses so confused and disorderly thou many times speaking when thy Opponents were speaking sometimes thee and George Whitehead and at other times thee and Mr. Keith speaking together and then crying out to your Auditors to Hear Hear when they could neither hear you nor you all understand one the other To what end did you appoint a Meeting if when you câ—me there you resolved not to argue nor answer in plainness except in your own Way and Will any Question that should be asked you concerning the Hope that was in you with meekness and fear according to the Apostles express Injunction If thou wast guided by the Spirit of God indeed as thou pretendest what needest thou to have shuffled and boggled so at one single Question And if thou wast indeed infallible what needest thou to be afraid or evaded giving an answer to poor Men that are fallible And if thou art indeed a sober Christian why didst thou not in plainness and singleness as your old Phrase sometimes was answer directly to the Question which they cryed so often to thee to answer and thou promisedst more than once thou wouldst Dost thou neither regard others Words nor thy Own Sir I do declare to thee That I was not interessed in the Dispute any otherwise than as an Auditor and that I do not know whether I ever saw Thomas Hicks before that day neither did I ever speak to him nor any from him and therefore do conceive my self to be the more impartial having no undue Interest Reason or Occasion to make me partial or byass me more one way than another for favour or respect of Persons oâ—â—arties Yet I must needs in love tell thee that according to the best of my understanding Thou and thy Friends did not there deal fairly candidly or Christianly in several particulars 1. In that when T. Hicks had said that most of the Particulars he would prove thou took'st the words out of his Mouth before he had made an end of his Sentence and cryedst out oh then it seems he owns he cannot prove them all or words to that effect whereas if thou hadst given him leave as he told thee afterwards Most of them he would prove from thy Principles and the rest by Testimonies and so here by thy haste to express it in thy own Language thou madest thy self the Author of a Lye and deal'st not Christianly and therein thou shewedst thy self not only a Fool but Vnjust for thou oughtest to have heard the Matter out before thou hadst passed Sentence and thus all might see how Solomon's Proverb was true of thee He that answereth a Matter Hebr. returneth a word before he heareth it it is folly and shame unto him Prov. 18.13 2. In that thou trifledst away so much precious time and caused your Auditors to lose theirs to the grand disgust of many if not most of them before thou wouldst be brought to agree the Dispute of that Particular which was most important which to many was Argument enough that ye were loath and unwilling to come to it and thou hadst a shift for that too saying Thou wouldst go over the whole Book c. as if thou didst not well know at least guess That it was not likely then thou shouldst come to it at all that Meeting and so hadst rather spin out thy Own and Auditors time about frivolous Things and petty Stories and yet at last didst agree to it What reason is there that all Men must dispute in thy Method or according to thy Will Were not the Terms mutually agreed on before If not it had been sober Wisdom to have done it and in default to have condescended to the Judgment of the Auditors Was it not a shameful thing that all the sence of so many hours Dispute may be put into less than half a sheet of Paper and that in a great measure through your Refractoriness or Impertinencies 3. In that there was three or four of you that spake three of you very much by turns and somtimes more than one of you together at a time and when thou sat down George Whitehead stood up to assist thee and then Keith and so round and round again and yet if Jer. Ives or another did begin to speak ye would cry out Hicks Hicks Hicks it is him we will hear when as if I am not misinformed in the conditions of the Disputation thou or thy Friends agreed Hicks might have two or three Persons of his own chusing and you the like of your Election If so Then wast thou faithful and just to thy Agreement Or if not so wast thou then reasonable in thy self to oppose thy self with three men besides against one Or didst thou intend he might have them with him but thou to command them silence or at best not hear them or answer them take which way thou wilt it was not fair Besides canst thou indeed judg that the Nature of all Men is of a-like strength or that T. Hicks's Nature was so strong as able to hold out speaking and reasoning against three or four If so I think thy Conscience may be as large as a Fryars Sleeve But it seems with you it is no matter what how foul or unreasonable soever so it may but make for the Quakers Victory or Advantage This I think was not fair dealing 4. In that when thy Friends have so often disowned and denyed Distinctions Thou and thy Friends should then answer by Distinction and say Our Friends Words are to be understood with this Distinction of Christ in respect of his Godhead or Christ in his Excellency whereas there 's no such Distinction set down by your Friend or in your Friends Book And indeed if your Friends Words have not deceived me you own
ridiculous words as these I could tell the Quakers that some of them have a Record somewhere else be-besides the Court of Heaven viz. in the Court of Chancery for Swearing or Oaths I told W.P. That if his Church be the True and the Baptists Church false rightly to convince others thereof upon good and infallible grounds he must pretend to and produce some such discriminating Evidence or Sign for Proof thereof which the Baptists nor no false Church could in like manner produce as he doth I pray'd W.P. to shew wherein the POWER of GOD or the SPIRIT DEMONSTRATED it self MORE in the Quakers than the Baptists or a false Church And that he must do say something for his Church if he would say any thing to purpose which they could not do and say for theirs as an Evidence or Demonstration thereof and that this was NO MORE than what the true Primitive Church had and could and did on all necessary occasions visibly produce and Demonstrate Now what does the Quibbler Answer to all this he says nothing but what the Baptists can or do say that they have a Record in Heaven and in many Consciences also and that they doubt not but where the Spirit of God Lives and Rules it will manifest it self for it is self-Evidencing Then by that Rule the Quakers should not have the Spirit of God at best no more than others have because it does not manifest it self in them more than in others 11. P. 33. says G.W. This seems to be a hard task and I believe so indeed and too hard for all the Quakers though I was so reasonable as to demand but one such Testimony or Gift in all their Churches and they never read of any Christian-Church in Holy Scripture that had not some and many such Gifts Yet G. undertakes to say that it is no difficult matter for W.P. and many more to produce or demonstrate some such effects of that living Testimony presence and power of God among us as no false Church CAN PRODUCE although herein neither W.P. nor any of us will ADMIT OF PREJUDICED and ENVIOUS SPIRITS to be our JUDGES or WITNESSES in thâ—se matters Reply Bravely said George if it were as well done but for all thy boasting that not only W.P. but many more among you could yet the poor Man does not dare produce or so much as name one of them is not this excellent What must all Men believe it because thou saiest it Is IPSE DIXIT come to Town and the Quakers bare word all the Evidence they have or can produce Now it would have been a great piece of this Quakers-plainness if he had produced one or two of those effects only which he boasts he 〈◊〉 and no Church which he Condemns for false can produce I charge him to do it if he will not prove himself a MEER PRETENDER and VAIN-BOASTER speaking high swelling words like them in Jude But this Man is very timerous I I perceive he would do it with Caution enough though so silly that he makes himself Ridiculous by it 1. Where did the Apostles or the Churches ever make such a Proviso in their producing the Testimony and Power of God Did they not do it before all and in the presence of Envious and malicious Spirits as well as others and left them to judg as it had operation upon them And 2. May not the Baptists say so and make this Proviso as well as you that they will not admit of prejudiced and envious Spirits to be their Judges or Witnesses in these matters and then no doubt they will be able to produce as many such effects as the Quakers Oh silly and absurd But 3. well G. produce those effects and that Power thou talkest of in W.P. however and I am contented with thee for this time that you shall not admit of Envious or Prejudiced Spirits to Judg of it but produce it that others may behold it though not Judg of it or wilt thou say that there 's not one person in all England except Quakers but what are Envious and Prejudiced Spirits Poor Evasion 12. As for them which thou sayst in whose Consciences there is a Record many of which were gathered out from Baptists and other Churches They say such are but Apostates from their Church and some such you have had in your Church which you call Apostates when they leave you and go to other Churches so that all this is nothing for proof of the thing nay several of your grand Prophets so once esteemed among some of you for true Prophets of the Lord did and have left you Witness CHARLES BAYLY JOHN PARROT c. and the Baptists have gathered amongst them several out of other Churches as well as you and what then The Baptists may tell you that if the Quakers see no such thing amongst them as the Blessed Operation and effect of the Power and Ministry of Christ Jesus That is because the Quakers have not honestly made Tryal bâ—t stood in Prejudice and gainsaying as many did against Christ the Apostles and Primitive Church of old and what can the Quakers say to it ONLY DENY IT and so may the Baptists Besides the Baptist Churches have this to say for themselves which you have not being you have denied and disowned it viz. They own the Holy Scriptures for the Rule of their Faith and Practice and pretend to no such extraordinary immediate Inspirations and Revelations as you do 13. But above all you ought not you cannot in good Conscience complain against others for Questioning whether you are Christians you having first not only Questioned others but pronounced them all both Ministers and People and Professors also unchristian See G.F. Professors Catechism his very first words are come you UNCHRISTIANS let us talk with you c. Therefore look at home and rebuke your selves first for this 14. And whereas G.W. p. 34. says That a foolish and Adulterous Generation seek a Sign 'T is true our Saviour did so upbraid the Jews and might very well they having had Sign upon Sign Miracle upon Miracle wrought by our SAVIOUR amongst them and such mighty Deeds almost innumerable wrought before them and yet to cry out for more when they saw so many from him was foolish but what is this to the Quakers who have not wrought one true Miracle nor produced so much as ONE such Sign notwithstanding all their Pretences among us that ever I heard of must we therefore be a foolish Generation that ask a Sign of them to prove such their pretences No surely it follows not I am certain from that Text and yet notwithstanding that the Jews were such an Adulterous Generation and had had so many Miracles wrought among them yet Jesus Christ said they should have one Sign more and that was doubtless the greatest Miracle and Sign of all By this Text then if the Quakers will stick close to it they may lawfully give this Adulterous Generation one Sign
hardned Judg and let all intelligent Readers Judg. This is then the thing that I did and do still demand of thee Why shouldst thou or thy Friends be believed more than Muggleton or an Impostor that thou speakest immediately from the spirit of God and that thou hast a Commission from Heaven and he not What canst or dost thou produce say or pretend to more than Muggleton does whom yet your selves say is AN Impostor and a Deceiver 6. Instead of that G.W. p. 36. weakly tells me that some of the Baptists have denied the Father and Son to be two distinct Persons and then cites Hicks Dialogue p. 9. What 's this in Answer to my Epistle And yet for ought I understand he hath falsly accused Mr. Hicks therein for on the Contrary he doth expresly own the Father and Son to be two distinct Persons and then G. would basely come off by saying wherein they Imply the Father and Son to be one Person without us whereas I do not find one such word in all T. H.'s Dialogues and I dare say the thought never entred into his heart but what falshood will not this Man use Not regarding either his own Honour or Reputation nor that of his Religion which yet he pretends to whilst he defends it by such base means To accuse a Man positively and then when he comes to prove it he doth but barely say it is implied when indeed it is not implied and I know not why my Testimony should not be as good as G. W's 7. G.W. p. 36. What if Quakers pretend to these viz. that they have received a Commission from Heaven that they had it by Divine Revelation that they are inspired by the Spirit of God that they are infallible Says he the Apostles and true Church did not only pretend to but experience the same does it therefore follow that they must be compared with the Muggletonians and be deemed Impostors Reply That ever any Man in his wits should make himself so Ridiculous in Print as G.W. here does For 1. Because the Apostles and true Church did pretend to these things and did EXPERIENCE the SAME and could visibly demonstrate them and so were no Impostors nor like Muggleton Must thâ—refore the Quakers and Muggleton who pretend to these things but do not experience the same nor can visibly demonstrate them as the true Apostles did be no Impostors on the contrary it directly follows that the Quakers and Muggleton pretending to these things and not experiencing the same nor visibly Demonstrating them as the true Apostles did are Impostors and get off of it if you can 2. Cannot Muggleton also say what if he as led by the Spirit of Truth pretend to these things the Apostles and true Church did not only pretend to but experienced the same does it therefore follow that he must be compared with and deemed an Impostor What Answer wouldst thou make to Muggleton Take the same to thy self and thou wilt be Answered 8. And thus hast thou made thy self Ridiculous and thy deceit and Hypocrisie apparent to others and therefore George since thou hast undertaken for thy Brother Penn to Answer my Epistle I will not let thee go free so no no I cannot be satisfied with thy shuffles and such poor Shifts I intend now not to leave thee till thou hast indeed Answered to the MATTER in Dispute or made thy own Folly and vain-boasting manifest to all Men of sound understanding still asserting That it is a strange piece of Confidence for you to censure and condemn others or to claim Credence from People if you cannot produce something considerable BEYOND such as your selves own to be a GRAND IMPOSTOR and a DECEIVER And I do still demand of you What can or do you produce say and pretend to more than Muggleton does Or why shouldst thou in particular G.W. be believed MORE than Muggleton or an Impostor in thy Pretences of having Received an Immediate Commission and Ministry from Heaven Infallibility and immediate Inspirations from the Spirit of God to go forth as an Apostle or a Prophet And this lies at thy door still notwithstanding all thy pittiful Evasions and deceitful equivocations And this is sufficient for thy fourth Section SECT V. In Reply to his fifth Section about SABELLIUS and the Agreement of the Quakers Doctrine with his touching the three Persons G.W. P. 41. Tells me that because I did not lay down particularly what those old exploded Fancies of Sabellius were I am smiting at them in the dark Reply Is not this indeed Ingenious I writ my Epistle to W.P. who is generally known to be a Scholar and a Man of Learning and could not well be thought so Ignorant or of so little Reading as not to know who Sabellius was and what his Opinions which were exploded therefore it was altogether needless for me to lay down what I concluded he knew as well as my self But now a Man who is unlearned or no good Scholar comes in his Ignorance and undertakes to Scribble me an Answer and for want of so much Light and Learning in himself accuses me of smiting at them in the Dark 2. To Inform this Man and enlighten his dark mind in this particular I understand that Sabellius was one who denied there was a Trinity of Persons he denied there were three persons saying all three were one Epip haerâ—s 62. Aug. lib. haer as the Quakers now do And so confound the Father Son and Holy Ghost and impiously imagined three Names in one thing and in one Person therefore not without Cause we forbid them the Church c. Soc. Schol. lib. 2. These and the like were the Exploded Fancies that were long since revealed by SABELLIUS without rather than by the Light within and such-like are now the Quakers Fancies which they pretend are revealed to them by the Light within notwithstanding all their plausible Quibbles and equivocating pretences sometimes to the contrary as is manifested in this foregoing Discourse 3. G.W. p. 42 43. instead of answering my Epistle tells me that some of the Baptists have denied the Divinity of Christ Reply Quid hoc ad rem I never requested that of him or W.P. I matter no more what some of the Baptists hold than what some of the Quakers do hold But it seems G. found it much easier for him to set down what Doctrines some of the Baptists have held than to prove and make good such Doctrines as himself holds If he hath any thing to say to the Baptists it is likely enough they may be able to Answer for themselves as well as he can for himself if not better because they own the Holy Scriptures to be their Rule and not their own Spirit or Fancy within But if not what 's all this to me I am no Baptists and so I told W.P. before Therefore this is no better than a Quibbling Evasion in lieu of an Answer 4. G. W p. 44. seemeth to like the Close of my
SCRIPTVRES and is not to be Questioned by others though the Holy Scriptures may be Questioned by the Quakers or Papists you will find it in Sam. Fishers Addit Appendix p. 21. an Eminent approved Quaker whence I take it mutatis mutandis viz. Tell us then how may it be known assuredly uncontroulably infallibly that the Scriptures says Fisher but say I that that which the Quakers call the Word Anointing Voyce of the Lord WITHIN THEM is at all of GOD and not a cunning devised FABLE or their own Invention and Phantasie If they tell us by the Testimony of the Spirit WITHIN which say they is onely All-sufficient to that purpose and they have the Witness in themselves the Spirit bearing Witness with their Spirits Then we ask them But by what shall we Try and find assuredly and infallibly that that Testimony and Spirit is of GOD and not a false one that tells us that the Scripture is of God boldly says Fisher but say I that that Light Word anoynting or Voyce WITHIN is of GOD Sect. 4. I request and desire Geo. Whitehead Wâ— Pen either or both or any Quaker in England to give a Visible manifestation or a Direct and demonstrative Answer to this without going round in a Circle or basely begging the Question If not for shame let them be silent and Learn to be humble and not arrogantly Contradict and Condemn OTHERS if they cannot say and evidently produce MORE for themselves in their Pretensions and Motions than OTHERS do or can that make no such pretensions For it is not enough to say that John Witnessed the Anoynting or the Church then enjoyed it or the Apostles had it for that John and the Apostles and Churches then had such an Vnction as impowered them with many and several Excellent SPIRITVAL Gifts as the Gifts of Healing the Gift of Tongues the Gift of Prophecy by Imposition of Hands of the Presbytery c. which they have not now for all their High pretences nor never had that I have heard and besides to say that John and the Saints and Churches of Old witnessed it does no more prove that the Quakers now have it than that the Baptists or some other Churches which they disown now have it This then is so far from a Proof that it is but a silly Quibble Sect. 5. But the Anoynting that the Lord JESVS and the True Apostles had was with â—he Holy Ghost indeed and with Power and not the Word or Name onely of it which is all that yet appears the Quakers have enabling them to go about doing good and HEALING ALL that were oppressed of the Devil and curing their BODILY Distempers Acts 10.38 How God Annoynted JESVS of NAZARETH with the Holy Ghost and with Power who went â—â—out doing good HEALING all that were Oppressed of the Devil for God was with him and WE are Winesses c. But the Quakers and the Christ within them doe onely for ought yet appears to others go about with words and talking but demonstrate no more Power than the Papists when they Convince and bring over some Persons to them by their Words and Doctrine as sometimes the Jesuites and sometimes the Quakers both do according to the Ignorance or weak Brains or the private Ends and Interest that the Persons they meet withal may happen to have Simplicibus facilè Imponitur SECT VI. The Quakers Quibbles about the Spirit Sect. 1. THat no Persons in England have talked more of the Spirit and pretended more to the Spirit nor cryed out the Spirit the Spirit so much as the Quakers did at first I suppose none that knew them will or can deny and that they blamed others for calling it a private Spirit or whining Spirit and for saying that it lead them into private places and to creep into Houses Sect. 2. And yet behold the very same Accusation have some of the Quakers took up now against others of them See P. Livingstone Idem p. 19. Now you that are led by that private Spirit though you pretend it to be Vniversal you draw into secret places for you absent the Meetings of Gods People Mark says he here is a deceitful whining Spirit that would be counted a Sufferer and would be counted Innocent and meek but this is truly seen not to be the Spirit of Sion's Children And what was all this for think you but because one that was of the Quakers writ thus Tell the Daughter of Zion behold thy King cometh unto thee meek and sitting upon an Ass though it be smitten on all hands yet it bears it all and suffers it although it be smitten in the House of its Friends yet grudgeth not nor repineth And this is the Language that P. Livingstone crys out mark here is a deceitful-whining-Spirit Sect. 3. So that it appears they have Learnt of their Adversaries the word Whyning and Whinâ—ing-Spirit and thus now the Quakers cry out as their Adversaries did formerly against them a-private-whyning-Spirit instead of the pure-living-powerful-Spirit of the Lord. Here you may Observe That if others though Quakers that own the same Principle with themselves of the Light within pretend to the Spirit or talk of the Spirit Oh then it is a dark-Spirit a whining-Spirit private-Spirit the Spirit of Antichrist and the Spirit of the Body onely is the Spirit of Christ See more of this in the third and fifth particular before and thus still stat pro ratione voluntas ipse dixit is all and must be sufficient to others or nothing for ought yet appears SECT VII The Quakers Quibbles and Hypocrisie in their Doctrine about Scholar-ship and Languages with reference to their own Practices Sect. 1. ONE while this is the Quakers Doctrine that is when they Cry out against Learning in others because they would have all People come to be so silly and Ignorant as to believe them or not to have Learning enough to Confute them then thus The Word which is the Original which the Apostles Preached amongst the Hebrews and Greeks which was before Tongues were and your Original which will break all your Tongues and Original to pieces Pilate had your Original of Hebrew Greek and Latine who Crucified Christ He that draws back into many Languages as into Hebrew and Greekâ— draws back into the Naturals and so draws into Confusion But the Ministers of God who Preach the Everlasting Gospel which endures for ever draw up into one Language and so the Priests and all that Trade into Natural Languages we VTTERLY deny A Paper sent forth into the World p. 3. and much to this effect we had formerly from them That the Light within is able ALONE to reveal to them the Truth and maintain it against all others and that they receive their Doctrine by Inward Revelations and not by any outward means c. Sect. 2. Another while that is when the Quakers are either to maintain their own Principles or confute others then to go round again It is Lawful and good to
came on them and they spake with Tongues and prophesied and all the Men were about twelve 2 Cor. 12.12 13. Truly the Signs of an Apostle were wrought among you in all patience in Signs and Wonders and mighty Deeds For what is it wherein ye were Inferior to other Churches * Isa 29.11 12. And the Vision of all is become unto you as the words of a Book that is Sealed which Men deliver to one that is Learned saying Read this I pray thee and he saith I cannot for it is Sealed Aâ—â— the Book is delivered to him that is not learned saying Read this I pray thee and he saith I am not learned Mica 3.6 7. Therefore night shall be unto you that ye shall not have a Vision and it shall be dark unto you that ye shall not Divine and the Sun shall go down over the Prophets and the day shall bâ— dark over them Then shall the Seers be ashamed and the Diâ—iners Confounded yea they shall all cover their Lips for there is no answer of God see Psal 34.9 Ezek. 13.6 7. * 1 Cor. 2 4 5. My Speech and my Preaching says the true Apostle was not with inticing Words of Mans Wisdom But in demonstration of the Spirit and of Power c. 2 Tim. 2.24 25 The Servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them Repentance See Gal. 6.1 and Phil. 4.5 See 1 Tim. 1.5 6. 2 Tim. 2.16 17 18. Shun prophane and vain Bablings for they will increase unto more ungodliness and their Word wil eat as doth a Canker of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus who concerning the Truth have Erred saying That the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the Faith of some 1 Pet. 3.15 But sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a Reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear reverence 1 Câ—r 14. â— So likewise you excâ—pt ye utter by the tongue words significant or easâ—e to be undâ—â—stood how shall it be kâ—â—wn whâ—t is 〈◊〉 for ye shall speak into the Air. * And some of the Quakers quibble as much about the word Body as thou dost about the word Christ not being willing to own that Christ hath any other Body now then his Church from Col. 1.24 or sometimes then the Bodies of the Saints from Ephes 5.30 mistaken Titus 3.2 3. To speak evil of no man to be no Brawlers but gentle shewing all meekness unto all men For we our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived c. * Rom. 12.5 John 5.31 and 36. John 10.37 15.24 Acts 2.22 36. Heb. 2.3 4. Prov. 27.5 15.32 G.W. p. 18. * Which is the most true and pure Language to a single Person to write that thou ORDERED me or to say that you Ordered me Are they not both alike as to the impureness of speech Oh ye rare Linguists that write by Inspiration †If you have bad English again I cannot help that you have it as such a School-Master and Dictator as G.W. sent it me I would not take notice of this but that the Quakers pretend to Infallibility and have condemned oâ—hers for bad English or not speaking it Grammatically * It seems G.W. says or to deny it was added Whether it be so or no and What G.W. meant he WAS to deny or would IMPOSE upon him to deny I know not but it is still the same as to the purpose I brought it viz. their IMPOSING upon others as if they had the Power of or would new erect among them A HIGH COMMISSION COVRT for even there their IMPOSITION was the same that the Parties accused had the Liberty to confess or deny the Questions that were put to them * Mr. Penâ— Judas and the Jews is no more than a little above sixteen sheets in Answer to four and a hâ—lf and this you must not doubt but without disgusting their Sober Readers it being a Quakers Method See also hiâ— Spirit of Truth Vindicated it is but seventeen sheets in Answer to six