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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	apostle_n	holy_a	scripture_n	6,970	5	5.7262	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50257	An answer to the switch for the snake A book so called. Discovering the weakness of the Switch, which the leading Quakers (of the second days meeting in London for government) have lately (as I am told,) given into the hands of each Parliament Man. Vice is nourished, and gets life by covering it, saith a heathen author; even so it is with errors in religion. Humbly shewing, that it is impossible, that the pens now in controversie, against us Quakers, should be put a stop to, before there's an order given forth, (from the second days meeting) for the reformation of our numerous preachers in the country. And also a book of retractions of all the errors in our Friends printed books, be published, with an appendix and postscript. By William Mather, a lover of (the well meaning persons, especially among) that people.	Mather, W. (William), fl. 1695.; J. W.	1700 (1700)	Wing M1284; ESTC R221796	17,005	18

a good End Almighty God which shewest to all Men that be in Error the Light of thy Truth to the Intent that they may return into the way of Righteousness c. Lord from whom all good things do come grant us thy humble Servants that by th● holy Inspiration we may think those things that be good c. Almighty God unto whom all Hearts be open all desires known and from whom no Secrets are hid cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the Inspiration of thy holy Spirit c. That it may please thee to bless and keep the Magistrates giving them Grace to execute Justice and to maintain Truth That it may please thee to give to all thy people increase of Grace to hear meekly thy Word and to receive it with pure Affection and to bring sorth the Fruits of the Spirit That it may please thee to bring into the way of Truth all such as have erred and are deceived That it may please thee to defend and provide for the Fatherless Children and Widows and all that be desolate and oppressed That it may please thee to forgive our Enemies Persecutors and Slanderers and to turn their Hearts Grant us O Lord to learn to love our Enemies by the Example of thy Martyr St. Stephen who prayed for his Persecutors c. Almighty God by whose Providence thy Servant John Baptist was wonderfully b●rn and sent to prepare the way of thy Son our Saviour by preaching Repentance make us so to follow his Doctrine and holy Life that we may truly repent according to his preaching and after his Example constantly speak the Truth boldly rebuke VICE and patiently suffer for the Truth c. Since it hath pleased God by his Grace to convince me That Baptism with Water and the Lords Supper are to continue in the Church until Christ's coming again in the same Body in which he ascended to Judge the World by which I was stirred in Spirit to search the holy Scriptures and therein came to understand and believe That the Holy Ghost was if I may so speak scattered or poured upon the Apostles Acts 2. 3. seeming to the Eye like Cloven Tongues or as flames of fire will so seem by the like figure I do believe Water was sprinkled or cast upon those 3000 young and old that were converted by Peter's Sermon and so baptized the same day and not plunged over Head and Ears in Water as some think ver 41. The same may be understood of the Jaylor and his Family who were converted and baptised with Water at mid-night Ch. 16.33 And also since it hath pleased God to further enlighten me thro consenting unto his Commands in H. Scripture I am enabled to make a full discovery how Satan has beguil'd such a number of our young Preachers which was by hearkening to those Ancient Preachers that made them believe there is but one ●ight in all Men. As First They mistaking that Text John 1.9 That was the true Light which enlighteneth every Man that cometh into the World From thence supposing That all Men were enlightned with a Light of Christ Jesus from their Mothers Wombs sufficient to Salvation as particularly G. Fox in p. 20. Gr. Myst saith Where there is Life in an Infant there is Light And in p. 42. disapproves his Adversary for saying That no Man by that Native Light inherent in him had power to believe c. And to the same purpose see p. 15. in W. Pen's Primitive Christianity 2. Thus it appears they own but one Light that we were born with This Light or Understanding tho it be called The Candle of the Lord Prov. 20.27 which reproves for some sins yet is but a dim Light to see spiritual things by but when it shall please God to Lighten this Candle by the Influence of his Divine Grace and H. Scriptures then the Soul is Light in the Lord. 3. So that our young Preachers laying aside the Light of the H. Scriptures and Preaching only this common Light in Mankind must needs Preach false Doctrine and other confused stuff so that it has led too many of them to think the H. Scriptures are no help to make a Minister and has so exalted them that they think they have the same Degree of Immediate Revelation as the Apostles had see p. 213. Gr. Myst But they may wait long enough before they attain to that Degree of God's Spirit the Apostles had For those Discoveries the Apostles had were to confirm a belief in peoples hearts of the miraculous Birth Sufferings c. of our blessed Redeemer And Mortal Man whose heart is deceitful must no more expect that God will so far trust them with such a large measure of heavenly Treasure as he did the Apostles the Prophesie of Joel being fullfilled in them Yet God in mercy now gives to all the sincere believers in his only Son Jesus of Nazareth such a measure of his Divine Grace as will both deliver and preserve them from the evil of the World and bring them to eternal Life and Salvation Titus 2.11 4. We the hearers of such Preachers that have so long preached from their own Spirit without the H. Scriptures over whom Satan can get advantage to Transform Himself as an Angel of Light by which way he gets the Name of an Angel of Light we must needs I say by hearing such Preachers be enticed not to endure sound Doctrine But if I should write of the diverse Confusions this Spirit hath led us to this 40 Years past it would make a large Book and this I know by Experience that where this Spitit Rules they cannot with any Love read any of the Good Doctrines written in the Books of any Minister of the Church of England tho' it be Dr. Goodmans Penitent Pardon'd or Dr. Scots Christian Life Vol. 5th but for this my Book they will warn as many as they can not to read it for fear of Infection O Lord open their Eyes c. for thou knowest I have Love for them For one of them hath given this Good Councel to them all viz. The best way to recover the deceived is to discover the deceiver 5. Now to get clear out of Babylonish Confusion I do advise all amongst them that fear the Lord to whom this may come yea and all Dissenters so called to come and hear sound Doctrine from such as have studied or thorougly meditated in the H. Scriptures for too many dissenters want Christian Love to each other and it is apparent that some of their Preachers strive more to encrease the Number of their Hearers for outward gain than to excel one another in a Christian Life Now I appeal to every honest Impartial Reader whether the Preachers of the Church of England have not more Christian Charity to the Dissenters in General than they have to one another for too many of the Dissenters are for the straightening each others Liberties in many things while the Church of England grants

AN ANSWER TO THE Switch for the Snake A Book so called Discovering the Weakness of the Switch which the Leading Quakers of the Second Days Meeting in LONDON for Government have lately as I am told given into the Hands of each Parliament Man Vice is Nourished and gets Life by Covering it saith a Heathen Author even so it is with Errors in Religion Humbly shewi●g that it is Impossible that the Pens now in ●ontroversie against us Quakers should be put a stop to before there 's an O●der given forth from the second Days Meeting for the Reformation of our Numerous Preachers in the Country And also a Book of Retractions of all the Errors in our Friends Printed Books be Published with an Appendix and Postscript By William Mather a lover of the well meaning Persons especially among that People Prov. XXVII 6. Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend But the Kisses of an Enemy are deceitful Printed in the Year 1700. AN ANSWER TO THE Switch for the Snake c. Note that the Figures on the left Hand Margin Direct to the Book called the SWITCH IS not the Soul without begining C. Fox Great Mistery P. 90. 229. P. 273 comimg from God infinite in it self It is not horrid Blasphemy to say the Soul is Part of God is a Part of God Answer If the Soul is without beginning and is a Part of God then not Created contrary to Gen 1. Are not ye the Ministers in the Presumption and usurpt Authority to Preach or Teach that have not the immediate Revelation as the Apostles had Answer To be sure it is great Presumption in too many Ignorant Preachers in this Age that pretend they have the same immediate Revelation as the Apostles had Yea even the same degree for saith G. Fox in the same Book P. 213. to his opposer Thou canst not know Scripture but by the same degree of the Spirit the Prophets and the Apostles had And saith he They are Conjurers and Diviners and their teaching is from Conjuration which is not spoken from the Mouth of the Lord and that he that hath the same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ is equal with God See P. 7. and 8. in Sauls Errand c. Answer by this Doctrine every Man is equal with God for do not you J. W. and G. W. hold that every Man hath a measure of that Spirit But if all Preachers are Conjurers that Preach not from the Mouth of the Lord then that Name must needs belong to G. Fox in the first place as above is manifest because his Doctrines differ from Scripture Next Joseph Clark mentioned in or about P. 81. in the defence of the Snake a Book so called but I do not reckon him a real Conjurer tho' he is one according to G. Fox's Sence because he was so very much mistaken by his vision that so much strengthened him to bear his Testimony against Tyths for he told me he saw the Priest that sued him and those belonging to him Melt in his sight to nothing adding I care not if the Jaylor or the Bayliffe get my Money but for the Priest he shall never have any thing of mine for John Field one of the second days meeting in LONDON told me he could put me in a way the Priest should never get any of my Goods In Brief a little before the Assizes at Bedford Joseph expecting a Tryal for Tyths John sent him down a Copy of the Bill that the Priest had put in against him with a Letter from John which Joseph got me to Read wherein he named Josephs Counceller to Plead for him and that he had paid him 10 s. and advised Joseph to give him 10 s. more at the Assizes and also Joseph went up to London to take Advice of John about it About two Days before the Assize Joseph came to my House and desired me to make him a Writing to secure his Goods from the Priest if upon Tryal the Priest should cast him My answer was I very well remember viz. What dost thou come to me to secure thy Goods did not John Field promise to do that for thee Well saith he it 's now too late I would have thee do it for me then I told him it could not be done except he did quit himself of the possession of his Goods and Assign his right to some Person or other This he would not believe until he got me to go with him to a Lawyer and there he agreed to bring the Lease of his Farm to the Lawyer which was one day before the Assizes but his Lease he left at home and did ride to one of his Brothers to be an Arbitrator on his side to agree it and then it was given out that Joseph did not agree with the Priest it was his Brother And I being with him after the agreement he said to me he could now pay Tyths as well as other Taxes the Priest who being reputed a very moderate Man and well spoken of by some Quakers sent his Son to School to me some time after this agreement and the Young Man said to me That Joseph was as good a Man as they had in the Town for the Payment of Tyths But since these things Joseph went to a Monthly Meeting to Ampthel to Answer for himself upon suspicion of being a long Practiser of a very foul Sin I am ashamed to name it the divers Witnesses were very free to tell it in private and somewhat became publick viz. To the Elders of that meeting that when he went from home he must have a Man lye in Bed with him and that he used to Kiss and get upon such Men as he lay with and made them Sweat and I heard two Men say that with him they had such a Nights Lodging as they never had in their Lives adding they would never Lye with him more Now Joseph being Examined of some of these Actions could give no better Answer than this as I am told It was only love to the Creature so the Meeting could do no less than bid him give over Preaching in Meetings his Answer was I must obey God rather than Man This Joseph continues to Preach in his own House and People come to hear him every other first Day as I am told Reader bare with me for I desire a Reformation and I am the Larger upon this because the Ruling Elders and Preachers have Written Laws which they call Prescriptions which some held are to keep all out of miscarriages or to that purpose when Alas They have lost their Power if ever they had any to silence the Young Nonsensical Preachers yet such Elders will sometimes in private to others call them half handed Preachers and wish they would be silent Now a little more of the said Joseph once before he was to Dine at my House and had sat down said amongst other words O God thou hast Written thy Law in our Hearts as with the point of a Diadem i. e. a

Kings Crown And when 〈◊〉 begins to Preach he saith this and this springs or arises in my Heart that is what comes next to his Tongues end and because he Thunders out his Words so fast the Ignorant hearers conclude it comes from the Life and Power of God this is darkness it self Thus too many well meaning Souls have been strongly deluded by heaping up unto themselves such Ignorant Preachers having Itching Ears as the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 4.3 that they cannot endure sound Doctrine when they o● some of 〈◊〉 hear G. Keith Preach it as lately near Bedford and to manifest their drinke of 〈◊〉 Doctrine one of them a Woman Preacher stood up reflecting against George amongst other Words as near as I and others present could remember she Preached against the Wisdom of the World and Priests and Professors Knowledge that profits not And that it was not needful that Christ should Live in Heaven or Dye on Earth but that he should Live and Rule in us c. Likewise she that reflected lately said t● one of her Neighbours as I am credibly inform'd that what she spoke in Meetings was only that which did arise from within and that she had not read a Chapter in the Bible this three Years Therefore such Ignorant Preachers have got such a way of tuning out the words that comes next to their Tongues end that so Charmes the fancies of some of the hearers that they conclude the words that so spring out of their Mouths are 〈◊〉 good News from Heaven agreeable to G. Fox who saith viz. The●● 〈◊〉 none 〈…〉 Glory and a Heaven but within them Gre. Mist p. 214. But who so blind as to believe that their singing Preachings come immediately from Heaven or Gods Holy Spirit when they so seldom mind or meditate in the Holy Scriptures which were given forth from Gods Spirit Therefore it is my Faith that if such Preachers as are Ignorant of the F●●●●mental Doctrines of Christianity were silenced and that in Country M●eeting 〈◊〉 Religious Worship a sound preacher being absent One in the Meeting after 〈◊〉 time of silently waiting upon God to grow in Grace did read a Chapter or two in the Bible to Meditate upon or a Sermon and Prayer in the fear of God in the Family Devotions of that honest Man Theophilus Dorrington the People would soon shake off their Ignorance by the help of Grace and Holy Scriptures Object But if some conceited Ignorant Preachers should say to me thus Th●● wouldest bring us back again into Egypt to the Priests we will not so much as look into their Writings their Babylonish Ware for one of our Teachers has told us they are Merchants of Babylon successors of Simon and E●●mas the Sorcerers Acts 8. and 13. And further he Prophesied about 40 Years ag●● that their downf●ll was near for saith he in P. 19. The Wrath of God Almighty is 〈◊〉 to be trod in which you are to be cast for the Lord hath spoken it and he will not repent a trebble Portion of the Plagues of God Almighty are you to have above all others c. R. Crane's strict account of the Merchants of Babylon Printed in 1660. Answer By the false Prophesie of R. C. we may learn that blind Zeal and Malice doth excite some to Curse in the Name of the Lord as G. W. has done G. K. These dreadful Curses were to de●●r us Ignorant Quakers from so much as opening to read a Priests Book fearing ●●●i● Cheats would be discovered But notwithstanding our Teachers fiery Zeal against the Priests as they call them in derision the soundest Doctrine of Christianity had been lost in this Nation th●● too many of them do not Live up to their Doctrin had not some of the best of them explain'd them according to the Holy Scriptures which is so little minded by too many Witness Dr. Fowlers Design of Christianity Dr. Scotts Works but more especially his Fifth and last Vol. of the Christians Life which I recommend to my Reader to buy them if he can spare Money I say the Family Devotions above mentioned may be very usefull to unprejudiced minds to be used in our Religious Meetings in the Country And also in Families every Evening where the Master of the Family has not the Gift of utterance as many have not Heart Prayer is in use at all times which 〈…〉 our own Souls but Prayers read in the Families in Words suitable to the Divine Majesty ought to be in such Words as may excite the Hearers to stand in awe of their Creator by fearing to Sin against so good a God that gives us all good things But the Prayers as we Quakers use to hear it 's said comes immediately from Gods Spirit which is impossible for if they did there would be a begging of God Pardon for their Sins and the Sins of the Members of the Meeting That we should so long be Enemies to Forms of Prayer is to be wondered at when our dear Saviour made one for us When you Pray saith he say Our Father which art in Heaven c. Luke 11.2 and this we never use in our Meetings nor in Families and indeed most of us use no Prayer in their Families that Wrath we must expect without Repentance according to Jere. 10 25. Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen and the Families that call not on thy Name But that the outward Person that suffered Will. Pens 〈◊〉 Apology P. 146. was properly the Son of God we utterly deny Answer If this be true Nathaniel was mistaken who said Thou art the Son of God John 1.49 Also Simon Peter who said Thou art Christ the Son of the l●●ing God Matt. 16.16 as likewise was the voice out of the Cloud which said This i● my Beloved Son Matt. 17.5 Your Imagined God beyond the Stars C. At●inso●● Sword of the Lord draws P. 5. and your Carnal Christ which you would make apppear thro' your Heathenish Philosophy is utterly denyed That Christ is God and Man in one Person is a Lye Answer Did you ever hear that any Minister professing Christianity did go about to make Christ appear thro Heathenish Philosophy and to your denying that Christ is God and Man Read Isa 9.6 Jo. 1.14 and 20.28 Heb. 2.14 〈…〉 8.3 1 Tim. 3.16 Ph. 2.5 6 7. Rom. 9.5 1. Jo. 5.20 with many others that prove he is Doth not the Name of Christ belong to the whole Body and to every Member Isaac Penington to Professors P. 27. Christ is not ashamed to call them Brethren Heb. 12 10. nor is he ashamed to give them the Name Christ together with him Heb. 2.11 Answer I do not yet read in the Scriptures that Jesus called any of his followers Christ Question Ed. Burrows Works P. 149. to a Quaker Is that very Man Jesus with that very Body within you Yea or N●y Answer the very Christ of God is within us we dare not deny him The Sufferings of the

have made drunk by putting your bottle of Poyson to their Noses who have drunk deep and so are become one in Nature with you it had been better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never been born it had been better for you that you had been strangled in your Mothers Wombs and still births had been presented to them than Living Children into their Arms. Oh! What shall I say concerning you Gods everlasting decree is sealed against you burnings burnings burnings with unqu●●●●able fire is your portion from the Lord God of Heaven and Earth Your Organs your Singing-Men and Boys with Surplice Tippits Sc●●●●● Long Garments and Girdles with your invented Prayer called Common with your Preaching and the best of your Sacrifices enters into the ears of the Eternal God Nay you are highly mistaken a pure God must have pure praise God praises God * Mark this well his praise and worship for ever and ever is from thee to thee now if you cannot read this let your Mouths forever be stopped Cease your Invented Instruments for Worship for an Evil Savour doth your Sacrifices send forth even a loathing to the Lord God of Heaven and Earth But the God which you Imagine let him be Worshipped according to your Imaginations and Inventions and think not to mock the Eternal God by your Devices the Jews knew him not who came in the Figure or Flesh Oh! I have seen Eternity I have seen Eternity and a dreadful day is VERY NEAR at hand to be revealed Oh! The overflowing scourge Oh! The Besome of Destruction Oh! The Plagues and Vengeance that is to be poured upon the Wicked in this Nation both Priest and People Howl Howl Hireling Priests of all orders for the Wine-press of the wrath of God Almighty is EVEN NEAR to be trod into which you are to be cast for the Lord God hath spoken it and he will not repent a trebble portion a trebble portion of the Plagues of God Almighty you are to have above all others Thus far R. Crane ☞ Observe Christian Reader what Astonishing things are these which this man pretends came thro' him from God Almighty Oh Blasphemous to father all their Malice upon the Merciful God But we Poor Ignorant Quakers were made so blinde to believe because of their sufferings that such were true Prophets sent of God in this Age pretending they spoke from the mouth of the Lord need not study or meditate what to preach as Paul advised Timothy 1 Tim. 4.15 As if they were Conjurers that took a Text of Sctipture to begin a Sermon See p. 7. in G. Fox Sauls Errant And that they needed neither Scriptures nor Books as a means to help their Preachers and that they may be good Ministers without the help of the Scripture as the above named Joseph Clark pleaded with G. Keith in my house for they had all revealed in them that they were to preach and declare and by the same Spirit Young Boys and Girles Preach now and have a long time from the Imaginations of their Brains or what comes next to the Tongues end for if this Spirit was of God it would allow the Holy Scriptures to be sometimes read in their Religious Meetings because we are certain the Scriptures were given forth by God's Spirit Indeed their first Preachings won many of us to become good moral Heathens expecting Salvation only by obeying the Light within us And John Bunyan art thou finding fault saith G.F. because Men wear no Hatbands and eat and drink Bread and Water cast by their Pride G. Mist p. 211. And since have taken up Pride again when alas Salvation comes by a Saving Faith in Jesus of Nazareth as he died for our sins now at God's Right Hand making Intercession for sinners that all men might have a day to repent in for from him comes all the Grace that all men have to teach them to deny ungodliness Titus 2.11 This Erring Spirit taught us not to make Christ Jesus as he is in Heaven the object of our faith but hath taught us that Jesus of Nazareth appeared in the World for a short time called a Figure by R. C. as above and when he disappeared in the World is no more But know ye Neglecters of Meditating or Reading the Scriptures in your Meetings 1 Tim. 4.15 That all Men shall be Judged at the Last Day by that MAN Christ Jesus Acts 17.31 Object If some Quakers say That I highly commend the Prayers made by some of the Church of England and do not their Books want Retractions in some things as well as our Books Ans It 's true I do commend their Prayers and so doth Fr. Lee one of your Teachers in his Looking-Glass More thereof will follow And what in their Books is needful to be retracted they will not be so hardly brought to do it as you are nor cover them so long as you have done and as the Preaching Elders have done near me who now confess They knew there were Errors in our Friends Books before their Controversie with G. K. The more is their shame to cover Transgressions so long from us Hearers to keep in favour with those that cover Errors by Sophistry in their New Books Dr. Scott that excellent Pen-man did commit an Error in a book written in his younger years called The Christian Life 1st Vol. which I hope will be retracted viz. in p. 282 c. He seems to encourage Christians in their Warfare to Mirth Festivities and Raileries of Fancy c. which Christ condemns Mat. 12.36 But for his 5th Vol. of the Christian Life I know not many better books except the Bible And likewise it 's to be hoped now that God has given more Light the Church of England will by the help of the Inward and Spiritual Grace remove those Offences that have kept out so many Dissenters from coming in into them for if they do not come in as one into the Truth as it is in Jesus O then good God when will the Kingdoms of this World become our Lord Christs Luther and other our first Reformers from Popery had more Light from God than the Papists had or have B. Latimer Martyr had more Light from God a little before he dy'd than he had when he thought he could not be damned if he had been in a Friar's Coul Act. and Mon. p. 1325. So that I trust in God he will be pleased to illuminate many of the Church of England's Ministers that they will see very great need to win all people to come to them which no doubt will soon be accomplished after once their Lives and Conversation agree with their Doctrines For it is a worthy saying of a Son of that Church viz When we have used all the Arguments and the best Vindication of our selves and of our Church it is Holiness of Life is the best and most prevalent Apology Now follows the Ten approved Prayers the above-named Fr. Lee collected out of the Common Prayer I hope for