says we are in pag 3. he says We speak Sense and English have in a great measure reform'd from the Errors of the Primitive Quakers Thus as his Mood Humor and Occasion Changes we are with him either Subtile or Simple speak Sense or Non-sense Blasphemous to the hight or in some measure reform'd But after all the Ipse Dixit of an Enemy is neither good Argument nor Conclusion as will hereafter appear in the examination of the several Heads of Doctrine P. 3. Many of them have really gone off from that hight of Blasphemy and Madness which was professed among them at their first setting up in the Year 1650. and so continued till after the Restauration Anno. 1660. What the Snake doth acknowledge is at present Sober and Christian in us is really no other than what he calls at our first setting up the hight of Blasphemy and Madness for the colourable Pretences of these are only the spurious Brood of his own ill-forming Fancy and as bad joyning Fingers which have been imploy'd in Mangling the Books of our Friends in his phraise not unlike Rats and Moths Ibid. p. 3. Therefore they endeavour all they can to make it appear that their Doctrine was Vniform from the beginning and that there has been no alteration And that endeavour has not been in vain it having been often made so to appear Ibid. p. 4. I would perswade them openly and above-bord to Renounce George Fox and their first Reformers and all their Blasphemous and Heretical Doctrine Before this be done two things are necessary First to examine whether what our Adversary calls Blasphemy and Heresie be so or not and then to know what he would perswade us to for the first hard names are no Proof For in the Way which some called Heresie the Apostle did Worship God and our Saviour himself The Green Tree was call'd a Blasphemer And for the Last it 's not Good or Safe to be at all much less easily perswaded to forsake Truth for Lying Vanities Ibid. p. 5. And I must say it they give the same Proof for their extraordinary Inspirations as the Quakers do that is none at all but their own confident averring of it And I must say that our first Reformers from Popery having urged for their Separation the Authority of the holy Spirit and being asked for Proof of that Authority could give no other but what in the Language of our Adversary is none at all but their own confident averring of it The Apostle Paul when questioned by the Corinthians for a Proof of Christ speaking in him did not evade the question nor direct to an impertinent Solution of it when he advised them Search your selves try your selves know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 This Proof the Quakers also give and that with reason for the publick Spirit of God privately working in the Hearts of Men is only able to give those in whom it does so Work evidences of its proper effects The Apostle is positive to the same purpose 1 Cor. 2.11 The things of God knoweth no Man but by the Spirit of God And all Inspiration of the holy Spirit will I doubt not be owned to be some things of God and of these no Man can make a right Judgment but by the Spirit of God Which who want it is no wonder that by such this be call'd as by the Snake no Proof but a confident averring of it Though I doubt not but the Sober Reader will have another sense of this Matter Ibid. p. 5. Now I would beseech Mr. Penn who has more Wit than all the rest of his Party to let us know what ground he had for leaving the Church of England more than Muggleton What Muggleton's ground was is not now our Business to examine and what W. Penn's was he hath often declared many Years ago which yet if I should here repeat the Snake might possibly mistake in Judging of it as it is possible he may also in the judgment he pretends to have of Wit Nay supposing it true that W. P. hath more Wit than all the rest of the Quakers yet this Snake not having had distinct Knowledge of every Quaker and of every Degree of their Wit was not capable of more herein than to give some Testimony of his Confidence not Judgment Ibid. p. 5. Why should we trust the Light within him or G. Fox rather than the Light within Lodowick Muggleton W. P. and G. F. did never direct or desire Men to trust the Light within them but have constantly directed Men to trust in the Light of Jesus Christ which is given to each Man for himself and is a sufficient Guide to the true Knowledge and Worship of God notwithstanding all that Men may speak against it Ibid. p. 5. Has Lodowick wrought no Miracles to prove his Mission No more hath G. Fox or W. Penn. To which I may add No more hath the Church of England nor the Snake in the Grass unless we account that for one Miracle in the Snake when he at Billingsgate run away from the Messenger Of which more in its place Are they G. F. W. P. very sure that they are in the right So is Muggleton If the Snake be not very sure that he is in the right he hath but an intention to deceive when he calls others into Communion with him Are they Schismaticks So is he And so is the Snake and by the Snake's Doctrine so is the Church of England as I have shewn p. 15 16 17. foregoing Are they above Ordinances If they be I know not but that we the Quakers are not I know For we own and use Preaching and Praying which the Snake owns to be Ordinances Is he against distinct Persons in the Godhead So are they Distinction in the Godhead we own according to Scripture but think the word Person too Gross to express it Is he against all Creeds So are they It it false we own the Matter contain'd in the Creed called the Apostles Does Muggleton deny all Church Authority So do they So does the Snake that does not please him But that we do not the Snake hath disprov'd himself as see Pagâ— 61. Yet does he require the most absolute Submission to what himself Teaches So does thâ— Snake But we do not so but like the Apostles commend our Testimony to the Conscience c. 2 Cor. 4.2 Does he Damn all the World and all since the Apostles So do they So does the Snake counting all others as the Spawn of the Viper Does he make a dead Letter of the Holy Scripture and resolve all into his own private Spirit So do they 'T is false we reject all private Spirits acknowledge the Scriptures to have been writ by Divine Inspiration and to contain a Declaraion of the Will of God and do refer to the publick Spirit of God for the understanding of them Ibid. p. 6. These are Twin
send them forth in the Work of the Ministry their Degrees of Immediate Revelation are much higher than that Degree of Immediate Revelation which I have above spoken of And in these higher Degrees of Revelation God may give One to Prophesy or foretell things to come and send Another with a Message as shall seem good in his Sight and all this by the Immediate Revelation of the same Holy Spirit which reproves the World of Sin tho' in a Higher Degree and by the Higher Degrees of this Immediate Revelation it may please God by his Servants for God hath not in his revealed Will declared that he would not to work Miracles But as his Ministers at this Day have no New Gospel to Preach so it is not necessary that the Work of the Ministry should be commonly attended with such external Credentials if so I may call Miracles Ibid. p. 28. And to this G. F. pretended even to Outward Visions and Revelations as in his Blasphemous Journal particularly upon a High Mountain in Yorkshire where he tells of his receiving Commission to Preach That G. F. had Visions and Revelations some of which might be Outward and did receive a Commission from God to Preach he hath given more â—nd better Proofs than the Snake hath that G. F's Journal is Blasphemous For of this I find no Proof but the Snak's own confident averring of it But among the Proofs of G. F's having received Commission to Preach none of the smallest are the many who instrumentally by him were turned from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan to the Power of God To which Power of God as they did attend and grow up in they were the Living Seals of his Ministry And for the Visions and Revelations which G. F. hath declared he had there are none of them that are repugnant to the Holy Scriptures but are consistent with and agreeable to the special Manifestations of God to his Children mentioned therein which nothing that is Blasphemous can be Nay further God hath promised Joel 2.28 That in the pouring forth of his Spirit He would give Prophecy Dreams and Visions and that it is fulfilled in the Gospel Dispensation the Holy Apostle Peter hath testified Acts 2.16 Ibid. p. 21. Fox does plainly distinguish betwixt the Ordinary Experiences of the Inward Operations of the Spirit of God upon our Hearts and the being sent Immediately from God with such a Message as the Prophets and Apostles had And this plain Distinction of G. F's is warranted from Scripture it being wholly in the degrees of Operation but the Holy Spirit which does so diversly Operate is the same The Faith of the Woman cured of a Bloody Issue Mat. 9.20 was begotten in her by a degree of the Operation of the Holy Spirit and by a much greater Degree of the Operation of the same Holy Ghost Philip was bid Acts 8.29 Go near and joyn thy self to this Chariot And abundance of Instances of these kinds might be produced in Holy Writ which do as plainly distinguish as any of us can betwixt the Ordinary and Extraordinary Inward Operations of the Holy Spirit upon our Hearts yet both truly and properly Immediate Ibid. p. 29. These are his Words And shew plainly what he meant by Immediate Revelation and how it distinguish'd him from the Professors Yes Snake it is very plain what G. F. meant by Immediate Revelation when he asked Four or Five Priests Journal p. 83. Whether any one of them could say he ever had the Word of the Lord to go and speak to such or such a People viz. that this is a Higher Degree of the Inward Operation of the Holy Spirit than that by which it Reproves the World of Sin This Higher Degree of Immediate Revelation none of those Priests could say they had had and therefore might well be deem'd such of whom the Prophet says They run and the Lord never sent them And to G. F's Question foregoing the Priest made no proper answer when he said He could speak his experiences Because every operation of the Holy Spirit does give some experience to the Heart in which it works And if a Man thereby reproved of Sin be obedient to that reproof he shall witness a forsaking that for which he was so reproved And this is a good Degree of Experience But this Experience barely is no call to the Ministry To which those whom Christ doth Choose Prepare Fit Furnish and Qualifie as it is by a higher Degree of the Inward and Immediate Operations of His Holy Spirit so it does distinguish them from those who can only speak of Experiences as is above declared Ibid. p. 29. And he Vouches this by a company of Vile and Sensless Miracles to which he pretends in his Journal How shews the Snake that the Miracles mentioned in G. F's Journal are Vile and Sensless They are not therefore so because an Enemy says it And yet he has given no other reason And now having gain'd what he meant by Revelation and Immediate Revelation I will shew you that he attributes it not only to his own Worthiness but to the Quakers in General They are says he in his Great Mystery p. 242. in the same Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation from Heaven that the Apostles were in There is no dificulty to gain either what G. F. did mean or any of us do mean by Revelation it being in short this 1 Cor. 2.11 The things of God knoweth no Man but by the Spirit of God And whosoever doth know and understand the Gospel of Christ which is Rom. 1.16 The Power of God unto Salvation must receive that knowledge and that understanding by Immediate Revelation from the same Spirit from which the Apostles had theirs The Apostles have declar'd that themselves did receive their Knowledge of the things of God by it and that without this Spirit no Man can know them Yet we do not from hence say nor hath G. F. said that the Gospel of Christ is not to be understood but by the same Degree of Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation which the Apostles were in or that himself or any other Quaker as the Snake does falsly suggest are in that same Degree in which the Apostles were The Apostle Peter was in the same Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation when he gave Testimony to the Divinity of our Saviour Mat. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God in which he was when he said Acts 2.22 23. Ye Men of Israel hear these Words Jesus of Nazareth a Man approved of God among you by Miracles Wonders and Signs which God did by him in the midst of you as ye your selves also know him being delivered by the Fore-knowledge and Counsel of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain c. But I suppose the Snake will hardly affirm he was in the same Degree of Power c. And after all it is false in
the Snake to say that G. F. said this of his own Worthiness as he floutingly stiles him or of the Quakers in General for G. F. does neither mention himself in Particular nor the Quakers in General But after the words before quoted by the Snake adds That understand the Gospel Instead of which words he hath falsly added as above Ibid. p. 29. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 241. Are not ye in the Presumption and Usurpt Authority to Preach or to Teach that have not the Immediate Revelation as the Apostles had Yes Doubtless they do run when they are not sent of God to Preach the Gospel Who before they Teach others the Things of God are not themselves taught them by the holy Spirit Ibid. p. 29. quoted from Great Mystery p. 213. Thou canst not know the Scriptures but by the same Degree of the Spirit that the Prophets and Apostles had The Snake hath here altered the Form of G. F's Words which as they stand are Thou canst not know Scripture c. And it is plain that by the Error of the Press all is left out for it ought to be Thou canst not know all Scripture c. And to shew plainly that G. F. did so write and intend I will produce p. 212. where speaking to the same Adversary upon the same subject he thus saith every Man that hath a Measure of the Spirit of God in the least Measure or Degree it is infallible and so far they may Teach infallibly and know Scriptures but they cannot know all Scriptures but as they attain to the full Measure of the Spirit of the Prophets and Apostles Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 97· They the Quakers says the Snake but says G. Fox who are come to the Lamb They witness Immediate Revelation They are come to that the Apostles was in the Spirit of Christ the Spirit of God They witness Immediate Revelation And 't is very true for who are come to Christ do witness his Spirit and the Apostles were in his Spirit Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 153. But the rest of the World have never heard the voice of God nor the voice of Christ and have not the same Infallible Spirit a◠the Apostles had and no Immediate Revelation nor Inspiration as they had In this one Quotation here is a twofold falshood First Forgery next false Quoting For the Forgery it is this These first words But the rest of the World are not G. Fox's next he has left out a whole Sentence in the middle of the Quotation which is relative to and explanatory of the rest That the falshood and injustice of this Adversary may appear clearly to the impartial Reader I here subjoin the place as it is in the page quoted The Spirit of God in the Apostles being witnessed it opens the Scriptures is the Key lets to see what hath been since the days of the Apostles and rul'd and reign'd and had the Dominion The Wolf in Sheeps Clothing which have deceived the Nations such as have led the World and brought them all upon heaps and have never heard the Voice of God and have published it to the Nation in Print nor the voice of Christ and have not the same Infallible Spirit as the Apostles had and no immediate Revelation nor Inspiration as they had Thus far G. Fox whose words are sound For first it is certain that the Spirit of God does not only open the Scriptures But will also discover the Devourer and Wolf This discovering Knowledge our Saviour hath testified is in his Followers in that A Stranger they will not follow And it is as certain that Men guided by this Devouring Spirit have often brought heaps of Confusion And lastly I take it for granted That such who publish to the Nation that they have never heard the Voice of God nor Christ have not the Holy Spirit nor its immediate teachings and it is no wonder they have it not for God hath said that his Spirit should not always strive with Man and he who resisteth the Day of small things and through the Crowds of Temptations and Vanities will not hearken nor hear the fault is his own Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 321. Revelation is now witnessed in our days as it was in the Apostles but not amongst you who have inwardly ravened from the Spirit of God which have Apostatized from the Apostles And so you be in the Diabolical Devilish that expects not that now which was in the Days of the Apostles This Quotation which the Snake hath jumbled together only with the small distinction of a break Is as it lies in the Book Great Mystery two Answers to things severally asserted by a Priest Josias Dorker at Bransprith Castle Durham The first part of the Quotation to the Break is part of G. Fox's Answer to this following Assertion of the Priest's Immediate Revelation or Inspiration is not to be expected in these days To this false Assertion the words of G. Fox quoted above by the Snake are a proper Answer because as G. Fox in the same Answer shews tho' left out by the Snake according to our Saviour's words None knows the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him which Doctrine whosoever shall deny are most certainly ravened from the Spirit of God and Apostatized from the Apostles But Secondly This Priest Dorker did affirm it to be needless and also Diabolical that is to say Develish to expect any such thing now To this the Latter part of the Snake's Quotation is also part of G. Fox's Answer which Answer is true As for Diabolical and Devilish they are the Priest's own words and were fittly by retorsion given to the Priest And it is a great indication that Men are in that Spirit themselves which is Devilish when they call Good Evil and Evil Good and tell the World that that is needless or not to be expected now which is the Covenant of the New Testament And here Reader is another Mark of that foul Hypocrisie and Envy which is in this our Adversary who pretends to quote the Offices and Services of the Church of England for proof that Inspiration is believed and prayed for and which he would have taken as an Argument that himself does so believe and pray Yet here he is angry with G. Fox for telling the Priests that they were ravened from the Spirit of God even then when they told the People Inspiration was not now to be expected How will the Snake winde this into any agreement Himself says Inspiration is to be expected and prayed for The Priests whom G. Fox answered said It is not to be expected nor prayed for Nay they said more that it is Diabolical to expect it now See Reader the Confusion of these Our Adversaries of former and later times Who no doubt pretended to be true both now and then tho' quite
Spirit because none of them had this Spirit of Discerning To the first That all are excluded c. Every Member of the Church of Christ must necessarily have a measure of the Spirit of Christ else they are none of his Rom. 8.9 And this Spirit of Christ the Holy Ghost as in its fulness it is Infallible so every even the least measure or manifestation of it is Infallible To the second This Infallible Holy Spirit being of the THREE in the Godhead searcheth the Heart and trieth the Reins Jer. 17.10 But tho' this Holy Spirit can discover unto one the Heart and Thoughts of another as of Ananias to Peter Act. 5. Yet as that is not usual so neither is it necessary nor is it that which we pretend to nor hath G. Fox in the fore-quoted places pretended to it But that which G. Fox means and which we pretend to is That such who minister in and by that Holy Spirit which hath an Infallible Discerning of the Hearts and States of all the Persons ministred to This Holy Spirit doth direct the ministry accordingly that it may be suitable to the states of the Auditory Which they who pretend not to be led guided and assisted by that Infallible Holy Spirit in their Ministry cannot pretend to And as to his Objections that the Quakers did not discern G. Keith F. Bugg and other wicked Apostates There was a time when those Men I in Charity think were truly Quakers as they pretended and to have discerned them Apostates before they were such had not been true discerning There was a time when Demas walked with Paul was owned by Paul to be a Fellow-Labourer with him in the Gospel Col. 4.14 Phil. 2.4 There was a time when through the Love of the World he forsook the Apostles 2 Tim. 4.10 so I may say of these and others there was a time when they walked with us and now is the time when through the Love of the World and other things they are departed and fallen from that Unity and Fellowship they once had with us Ibid. p. 37. quoted from Great Mystery p. 105. We says he the Pope and you the Protestants whom he calls Professors are apostatized from the Infallible Spirit that the Apostles was in in which we are come For who witness these conditions that they were in that gave forth the Scriptures they witness Infallibility an Infallible Spirit which is now possessed and witnessed among those called Quakers Glory to the Highest for ever I shall first detect the Snake's base practice of mangling this as other places by setting down G. F's words as they lie in that Book and then shew plainly their Scriptural meaning The first viz. the Quotation And we say the Pope is not Infallible neither though he be your Father the Ancient Yet we say he and you are Apostatized from the Infallible Spirit that the Apostles was in in which we are come with which ye are seen and judged so not to have the Spirit of Christ Jesus not to have the Spirit of the Prophets and Apostles not to be led by the Spirit of Truth into all Truth not to be in the Spirit not to speak as ye are moved of the Holy Ghost But to be such as ravened from the Spirit of God inwardly and have gotten the Sheeps Cloathing ye and the Pope and so have devoured Nations for this many hundred years so have all been like ravening Wolves For who witness these conditions that they were in that gave forth the Scriptures they witness Infallibility an Infallible Spirit which is now possessed and witnessed among those called Quakers Glory to the Highest for ever This the Snake says Ibid. p. 37. Is Dreadfully Astonishing but gives no reason why it is so but that his practice is astonishing there are several reasons to prove it First In so basely picking and mangling Books that they may thereby be suborned to speak what the Writer never intended Next In his wilful perverting the plain and known sense which they carry and which their Writers had And upon Sober Inquiry what in this can be astonishing That the Pope is not Infallible I suppose the Snake will allow And that the Spirit of Truth doth see and judge such who apostatize from it the Scriptures teach And if the Snake doth account it astonishing that the Quakers should possess and witness according to Holy Writ the manifestation of the Holy and Infallible Spirit of Christ he shews his Ignorance therein tho' all who are truly sensible of these manifestations can in deep Humility of Soul give Glory to the Highest Yet to him must be applied that of Hab. 1.5 For it is a Work that God hath wrought in this day whether he will believe it or not Hitherto Reader pray Observe that tho' the Snake as quoted p. 88. foregoing hath said we placed Infallibility in every single Quaker confine it not to Faith but extend it to all Persons and Things in the World by their inward Light Yet the Charge is notoriously false and that the colourable pretence which he had for this his false assertion was owing to his own false quoting curtailing and mangling of our Books of which I have shewn eminent instances since that assertion of his in p. 88. And that our Books in the instances produced speak according to Scripture I shall leave with the Impartial Reader to Judge only adding that the Forms of Speech Try all things Teach all things Know all things and Judge all things which are frequently found in the New Testament cannot without great perversion be applied otherwise than to that Trying Teaching Knowing and Judging which are the proper effects of the Operations of the Holy Spirit in the Hearts of all that are obedient to it And that in order first to their own Salvation and then to the Service of God in his Church In this sense G. F. E. B. and others have used these Forms of Speech in this sense the Woman of Samaria testifies of the Messias our Saviour John 4.25 He will teach us all things In this sense our Saviour promised John 14.26 That the Holy Ghost should teach us all things In this sense John the Beloved Disciple testifies of the Believers 1 John 2.20 Ye know all things And in this sense the Apostle testifies of the Spiritual Man 1 Cor. 2.10 He judgeth all things And in this sense the Beloved Disciple 1 John 4.1 adviseth to try the Spirits whether they be of God Now these forms of Speech in these and many more places all things are truly as E. B. p. 137. foregoing hath said All things that pertain to Salvation Redemption and Eternal Life needful for Man to know all this was discovered revealed and made known to us by the Light which was in us which Christ had Lighted us withal Ibid. p. 37. But I was much more surprized to find the otherwise Ingenious Mr. Penn laugh at his Adversary for not being Infallible It is no surprise to find
the disingenious Snake both to laugh Scornfully Lye and Flatter because he acknowledges not for his Guide the Holy and Infallible Spirit of God But that W. P. laughs not as is falsly said we will now see Ibid. p. 37. W. P. in a sheet of his Entituled A Winding Sheet for Controversie ended catches up Hen. Hedworth for saying he had been mistaken in the good Opinion he had before of Mr. Penn 's Judgment and Conscience How can he chuse says Mr. Penn who denys Infallibility But if mistaken before why not in the Quakers now And so ad infinitum being fallible Judgment and Conscience in respect of Matters Spiritual in Articles of Faith can only be certainly and knowingly judged of by the Spirit of God and what Man soever shall judge of these things without the assistance thereof must of necessity be mistaken for the reason which the Apostle has given 1 Cor. 2.11 For the things of God knoweth no Man but the Spirit of God And if Hen. Hedworth did by Opinion not the assistance of the Spirit of God judge of W. Penn's Judgment and Conscience no marvel if he were mistaken and if by the same medium he would Judge of the Quakers he was equally lyable to be also mistaken in them and so ad infinitum in all his natural Guessings about Spiritual Things and so must this Snake also Ibid. p. 38. Quoted from p. 3. Sect. 2. of W. P's Winding Sheet c. He vindicates what G. F. had asserted of the Quakers Infallibility for having repeated these words of G. F. which were put as an Objection against him How can ye be Ministers of the Spirit and not be infallible And how can they but delude the People who are not infallible He makes this reply I Answer says he G. F's words stand immoveable for ever And he gives this strange reason to support himself and G. F. For says he He that is a Minister of the Spirit is Infallibly so and in that Ministry is Infallible otherwise the Spirit 's Ministry is Fallible I have here been large in transcribing the whole Quotation that the Reader may see whether the Wild Consequences which the Snake does falsly suggest can naturally follow from the Doctrine aforesaid His Consequences are these Ibid. p. 38. That if any Man who is Lighted by the Sun stumble or miss his way the fault is in the Sun which shewed him a false Light what else can be the meaning of that saying If a Minister be not infallible then the Ministry of the Spirit is fallible To make God himself Fallible rather than we should be Infallible O wretched false and perverse consequence of this Snake But truly and easily following is this Consequence If a Man who is Lighted by the Sun stumble or miss his way the fault is not in the Sun that shewed him a true Light but the fault is in his neglecting of it And according to this the meaning of that saying If a Minister of the here the Snake has basely and falsly left out the word Spirit be not infallible then the Spirits Ministry is Fallible The meaning is this God the Holy Spirit is Infallible and those whom he qualifies fits and prepares for his Ministry such are Infallibly assisted to be Ministers of the Spirit But if any who have been so assisted depart from the assistance of the Holy Spirit such in their Ministry are not Infallible tho' the Spirit is Ibid. p. 38. Quoted from Winding Sheet p. 4. Sect. 3. He roundly checks his Opponent H. Hedworth saying I bestowed 32 pages to prove G. F's Spirit to be Infallible for that belongs simply to God alone and then those that are Led by it which was my Question in which sense he is and all such persons are Infallible as he himself confesseth c. Here says the Snake H. Hedworth is made Infallible too But that is false for the words are plain that those that are Led by the Holy Spirit are infallibly Led By this G. F. might be infallibly Led by this any other may be infallibly Led This Hen. Hedworth hath confessed this is what W. P. saith but he could not say H. H. was infallible Because he had quoted him in p. 37. denying of infallibility Ibid. p. 39. Nay the Devil himself is infallible at this rate for he has his Knowledge as well as Being from God Knowledge is Light And if that Knowledge which comes from God be infallible then while the Devil follows that Light or Knowledge he must be infallible And if this be all the Infallibility which the Quakers ascribe to themselves it distinguishes them not from Wicked Men or Devils Profane perversion The Almighty God by his Almighty Fiat did create the several Species of Beings and Creatures and furnished each according to the order in which he placed them To Angels and Men he gives Knowledge and Understanding in their several Degrees by which they might answer the end of their Creation But some Angels and all Men have fallen yet have not thereby lost all that Knowledge which by the Degree of their Beings they had But in their fallen estate employ what Knowledge they have to other purposes than those for which it was given Hence the Devil goes about seeking whom he may Devour 1 Pet. 5.8 And the Devil did follow his Knowledge when in Mat. 4.5 8. he tempted our Saviour And did know that had our Saviour worshipped him he had been conquered Yet the Devil was not herein infallible Nay the Devils believe and tremble from the Knowledge which they have of the Eternal God and their own Eternal Damnation How profane Reader must it be to suppose that this their Knowledge makes them infallible that is guided by the Holy Spirit of God Which none can be unless obedient to it But the Infallibility which does distinguish us from Wicked Men and Devils and which we say is possessed by us Is no other than this That whereas all Men are fallen short of God's Glory and are by Nature Children of Wrath. Man cannot be restored out of this estate but by the benefits of the Propitiatory Sacrifice of Christ outwardly slain by which Sacrifice our High-Priest who was touched with the feeling of our Infirmities hath put Man into a capacity of accepting his Mediation And in order to our reconciliation with God hath given to every one a manifestation of the Infallible Holy Spirit in which he did the Will of the Father To this manifestation such as are obedient are infallibly led in all things that concern Salvation Redemption and Eternal Life which neither Devils nor Wicked Men can be because disobedient to it See Reader how much the Jugler this Snake plays in endeavouring to obtrude under a shew of reason a most dangerous notion and directly contrary to all Revealed Religion which doth agree that the Light and Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son is able as our Saviour saith to lead into all Truth
that he is not Almighty Yet when Man does fall it is no plain Conviction that he could not have stood by an Almighty assistance We have never placed Infallibility in Persons otherwise than by the assistance of the Holy Spirit to which if Men are obedient it will infallibly guide them to Heaven and so safely protect them that as our Saviour saith John 10.29 No Man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand But when Men depart from the Grace of God They may as Samson when he had lost his Strength Judg. 16.20 say I will go out as at other times and shake my self And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him But their weakness will soon discover they are gone from their Guide Thus it was with the People of the Jews and thus with all those Persons whose failings the Holy Spirit has recorded in the Scriptures when they departed from the Lord they left their Strength and fell some very fouly Yet what less than Blasphemy is it to say That the Holy Spirit had they been obedient could not have preserved them as well as there are Instances it did restore several of them And it is no breach of the Oath of God made to Abraham and his Seed nor any argument of the Shortness of his Arm as the Prophet's phrase is That they are become a Desolation because they refused to hear and obey And should it which God forbid come to pass that the Defection of the People called Quakers from the guidings of the Holy Spirit should be as general as is now that of the Jews who sometime were the People of God Yet the Holy Spirit of Christ were not at all the less infallible or sufficient in it self to be the Author of Salvation to all that do obey it His first Story p. 44. is of one Christopher Atkinson who he calls in ridicule p. 43. a Precious Brother in p. 44. a Bright Lamp with other such marks of Scorn insulting over his Miscarriage in the Lust of the Flesh And this Story the Snake makes a twofold use of one to reproach the Memory of the Person who fell and the other to reproach the Principle and Practices of those with whom the fallen Person had walked To both I shall say somewhat To the first I know of no good use which can be made of raking in the Crimes of the Deceased unless for Cautions to the Living But then their Crimes are not to be dressed in the Scornful Garb of a merry Andrew Because tho' that may raise more Vanity yet it can raise no Reformation on such as are guilty or be any means of Preservation to those that are not yet so And therefore we find that the Holy Spirit in recording the failings of Noah Lot Moses David Solomon Peter and others hath done it in Language proper to these purposes And there is not a truer mark of a mean and base as well as an unchristian Spirit in a Man than only for the Glory of Insult and Liberty of Ridiculing to call back to the minds of the Living the Crimes of the Dead To the Second it can be no fault in the Holy Spirit of God that Men are disobedient to it nor is it any argument that the Infallible Spirit of God does not preserve any because I or another may fall but it is certain the Holy Spirit will teach and will preserve all who will keep in Subjection and Obedience to it and they who do so keep have a Godly Jealousie and Care that the Practice of those who make Profession of the Guidings of the Holy Spirit be according to it in all the Fruits of it and accordingly Richard Huberthorn and some others who were then at Norwich did wait for the Counsel of God that in his Wisdom they might search out this evil which C. A. had wrought and by their dealing with him did bring him so to a sense of his Naughtiness that he did confess it and condemn it And further that it might not be supposed that such Naughtiness was tolerated and allowed by a Society professing Christianity it was communicated to the Publick that the guilty Person might bear his own Iniquity and the Holy Truth he had made profession of be cleared The like Laudable Practice tho' call'd by the Snake p. 45. A not regarding the Sacredness of the Seal of Confession was practised by the Prophet Nathan towards King David and the Apostle Paul towards his Brother in the Apostleship and also by others recorded in Holy Writ and yet the Holy Spirit is not at all the less Infallible Ibid. p. 46 47. There was much more tender regard shewed to some Young Women who had given a Confession in Writing to John Bolton of their frailty in the Flesh as is told in the Spirit of the Hat but it was hush'd up because it touched many eminent Ones in the Ministry who from day to day resorted unto them and giving them these appellations Innocent Lasses and Daughters of Sion This Charge and Story upon nameless Persons is Reader another Instance of the Injustice of this Adversary in that he hath taken it out of a Book written against us and Printed Anno 1673. and which was answered in the same Year as the Snake well knows and hath not been since reply'd to and what is an aggravation of the Snake's Injustice herein is that in the Answer to it there is a Certificate under the hands of John Bolton and Sam. Newton testifying to the contrary of this very Charge and of this the Snake could not be ignorant because he makes Quotations from the same Book and in or near the same Page in which this Certificate stands which I shall here set down as answer sufficient to this nameless Charge Whereas the Author of the Spirit of the Hat Insinuates that our Ministry is guilty of Vncleanness Whoredoms and such like beastly Practices under a feigned commendation of us under written as prosecutors of such Persons that they may be brought to Judgment We do declare in the Fear of the Everlasting God that tho' we abhor with our whole Souls such unrighteous Practices and if such things were we should we hope clear our Consciences for God and His Living Truth and People Yet we do declare in the Uprightness of our Hearts that we know of no such nor can acknowledge any such to be either of our Ministry or our Body much less eminent among us as hath been wickedly suggested by the Author of The Spirit of the Hat whom we have found painful and faithful to God his Truth and People Therefore to say we were hindred from bringing them to Judgment whom we never went about to charge neither can we is a wicked envious and false suggestion of the Adversaries of the Truth and this in God's Fear we testify to the World John Bolton Sam. Newton Ibid. p. 47. Instances can likewise be given of some of their She Preachers whom they call
so many Meetings and so great stir among theâ— For G. Keith was not so much as accused for Preaching any thing else but this But now Snake who mumblâ—â—â—â—istles was not he accused of very many Turbulent and Indecent Actions and Expressions as is at large seen in The State of the Case which I have above quoted and which the Snake also quotes with perversion as I have before shewn Snake p. 67. Here is a many forked and involved Infallibility one Meeting Justifying another Condemning G. Keith and all for the very same Doctrine Ibid. p. 68. This will not only overthrow the Infallibility in each particular Person but even of their Churches or Meetings That particular Persons may make Defection from the Guidings of the Spirit of Truth and may Apostatize from that Union and Fellowship which they had once with the Friends of it I have already largly shewn and what particulars may do Assemblies made up of such particulars may also do Floods and Parties as the Snake expresses it may Apostatize as well as particulars nay a whole Community may Apostatize and yet the Infallibility of the Guide of any one particular Person who continues Faithful and Obedient to the Holy Spirit remains firm and sure Thus 1 Cor. 10.4 The Apostle testifies of the Jews They all Drank the same spiritual Drink for they Drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ. Now this Rock could have as Infallibly preserved the whole Tribes of Israel from Egypt thro' the Wilderness to the promised Land had they been Obedient to it as it did Caleb and Joshua who were the only two of all the Thousands that left Egypt and entered in But further that Assemblies or Churches may Apostatize and Backslide the Holy Spirit is sufficient Warrant by the particular reproofs or cautions it gives to the seven Asiatick Churches mentioned Rev. 2.2 and 3. And sure the Snake will not be so hardy as to say that the Holy Spirit was able only to give Reproof and Caution suitable to their wants and defects but not to have preserved them blameless and to have guided them Infallibly in that way he appointed them to go Ibid. p. 68. Besides this first proof in Pensilvania there is yet another more express and positive called The Barbadoes Judgment c. And besides the detecting the Snake's false conclusion in that I have to say to this that according to his usual Injustice he herein makes use of an Adversary's Book Babel's Builders c. without taking notice of the Answer which was published to it Intituled A Babilonish Opposer of Truth reproved c. By S. C. I. P. and R. R. as he also passes over in Silence tho' mentioned in that Adversaries Book a Letter of G. â—'s and others writ to Barbadoes concerning this very thing wherein they are shewn their cause is not right that they had taken which Letter and the matter it relates to is fully spoken to in our Answer above mentioned wherein is also S. E's condemnation of his rashness in those words spoke by him to J. S. mentioned p. 125. foregoing Ibid. p. 69 70. I was told by one present at the Quaker Meeting at Ratcliff on Sunday the 17 th of February 1694 5 That Mr. Penn having Preached and after G. Keith rising up and expounding some Scripture in another manner than Mr. Penn had done Mr. Penn stop'd him and solemnly denounced these words against him In the Name of the Lord I pronounce him an Apostate over the Head of him Vpon which occasion I have these few Questions to ask Q. Whether this was a Sentence from Mr. Penn himself or from their Church Whether by an Ordinary Commission of Succession to Christ and the Apostles Whether by an Extraordinary Commission such as the Prophets and the Apostles had To the first W. Penn being in Unity with the Church declared this of one who had broken Unity by making defection from that term of Union which in time passed he had declared he was by the Light of Christ in him led to profess and believe Secondly All who are kept living by the Spirit of Truth in that bond of Union which that did at first lead into such have ordinary Commission therefrom to testifie against Apostates And this not by such falsly pretended Succession as the Papal Chair or others may pretend to from the Apostles But by succeeding in a measure of that same Light and Holy Spirit which they were in To the Last W. Penn tho' then knowing G. K. to have broken Union as is before expressed he might at that time in the Openings of the Spirit of Truth have a larger and fuller Sight of his Apostacy and so a Warrant to Declare it And for this there needed no new Credentials viz. Miracles it being no more than what hath been confirmed by those the Apostles wrought Ibid. p. 72. But for the present I only apply it to the point of their Church Authority over the Light within particular Persons their original and great pretence The Light within particular Persons is as much our Characteristick now as ever and we have no Church Authority over it or repugnant to it and that in the case of G. K. no such Authority was used Consider the following Lines G. Keith hath often Printed and Declared that he did believe and profess the same Doctrines and Principles of Faith with us and that he was led so to do only by the Light of Jesus Christ shining into his Heart Through and by which Light he did profess to have true union and fellowship with us and accordingly he so was denominated and distinguished Now the Light of Jesus Christ is not contrary to it self and if by the inshinings thereof and his obedience to it it was that G. K. did profess as above Then it naturally follows G. K's innovation to the contrary of what he hath so professed cannot proceed from that Light of Jesus Christ from which the above profession of Unity and Fellowship did Therefore to give Judgment against G. K. is not to give Judgment against the Light of Jesus Christ but agreeable to it even in G. Keith against himself The like is to be said of J. Story c. and others who have innovated and made defection as these did whose Works being bad the issue is the same with what Gamaliel shews Acts 5.28 They are come to naught And therefore after all the Boast which the Snake makes about Separation and Faction We may concerning all of them now declining and towards their end hope and have ground to believe that as many as are yet in a Spirit of Separation in whom are any true desires towards God for his guidance in the Truth such he will restore to the Fold they have strayed from And he will scatter them whose end is not his Honour agreeable to what the Psalmist said concerning the Wicked Psal. 37.36 He is gone I sought him but he could not be
Works of the Devil let the Snake's Charity be as it will to excuse them Ibid. 96. But if hard words are a Natural presage and shew an inward Disposition to come to blows Then none can shew a greater inward disposition to come to Blows Imprisonments Premunires and the whole Train of Persecution than this Snake has done Ibid. p. 96. For it is a very convenient Principle to be protected by other Mens Swords without running any of the hazard our selves to enjoy the Benefits of Peace equally with others and to be freed if not from the Charge at least from the Slavery and Dangers of War Why should the Snake envy this to us the Priesthood have the same Ibid. p. 97 98. The Snake gives from an Adversaries Book according to his usual injustice A Story and two or three Quotations without so much as mentioning any Answer that was given to it It is too tedious to follow him always thus through the Laborinth of his Lies and Injustice And to repeat several Answers to the same thing as they are repeated in this Libel Wherefore for what relates to Government in the Church as owned and practised by us I refer to p. 135 c. where it is particularly treated of as shall also be in their proper Sections these with other his Objections concerning Tythes and Fightings and doubt not therein to prove him no less injurious than hitherto he doth appear to be till which I dismiss these particular things and proceed Ibid. p. 98. Enthusiasts have no Principles They have no Rule but their own Fancy which is Strongest in Mad-men and this they mistake for Inspiration c. How shall we then be assured that the Inspiration and Enthusiasm which the Snake says the Church of England allows is not Fancy c. This is contradictory to what he hath said as quoted p. 10. foregoing Ibid. 99. No Quaker can deny but that the Principles of Quakers is all Enthusiasm Enthusiasm when meaning a good Inspiration we acknowledge and own it and have very good Authority for it for the things of God knows no man but by the Spirit of God as saith the Apostle And this is the same Infallible Spirit which the Holy Men of Old had by which first they were inform'd of the Will of God and then thereby enabled to do it Ibid. p. 101. They know very well that the giving of vile and contemptible Names to any Writing can be for no other end but to render the Contents of such Writing contemptible Did the Prophet Isaiah then render the Contents of the Ceremonial Law contemptible when as I have shewn p. 154. he compared the Jews Sacrifices to slaying a Man and cutting off a Dogs Neck and their burning of Incense to Blessing an Idol Ibid. p. 102. As to themselves they scorn the Titles of Elders Popes or Bishops or that their Meetings should be called by such contemptible Names as Courts Sessions or Synods The Reason why in the Yearly Meeting Epistle Slight and Contemptible Names and Expressions concerning either Mens or Womens Meetings or the Testimonies given forth by the Spirit and Power of God through faithful Friends or such whom the Lord hath made Elders in the service of the Church are blamed is because they do strike at the Spirit and Power of God by which those things were appointed and are designed by them that use them to bring those Things Persons and Services into Contempt But no Expressions have been used by us concerning the Doctrines or Holy Instructions contained in Holy Scriptures to that end or with that intent But whatever has been said of the Scriptures that is by our Adversaries thought mean has been only intended to reprove and bring back to the Spiritual use of 'em those that have almost deify'd the Letter Ibid. p. 104. But in all their Preachings and Writings before 1660. where-ever they had occasion to name the Holy Scriptures they seldom or never gave them that Epithet of Holy or Sacred Both before and since the Year 1660. Our Friends have frequently given as Distinctive Epithets denoting the true and just Value and Esteem due to the Scriptures as the Snake can do And if in his or other our Adversaries occasions to name them it is Emphasis sufficient to say as he and they most frequently have done The Scriptures why is it not so in us Do our Adversaries do greater Honour to them when they falsly say we undervalue the Seriptures than we do when we say we do Highly Value The Scriptures Hath not the word The as great an Emphasis from our Mouths or Pens as from theirs I think it has But if the word The hath either no Emphasis or not sufficient then the Snake as well as all former Adversaries doth seldom either give them any or sufficient Emphasis Because they have most frequently only said the Scriptures But further Our Friends have frequently said before 1660. The Scriptures of Truth The Holy Scriptures c. of which for I spare not time to turn over Books for this purpose there occurs at present R. Farnsworth and T. Speed without trouble of Seeking who have so expressed them So that this false Insinuation of the Snakes is refuted Ibid. p. 104. And other Quakers did justifie this Beast and said That he might as well come into the Church with that Filth in his Hands as the Minister with a Bible If S. Eccles had as Isaiah a Command from the Lord to Go Naked c. and the Lord hath no where bound himself by promise that he would give no such Command to any of his Servants in the Gospel Dispensation he had in that his obedience his reward But for what the Snake hath last alledged I demand his proof and then that may be considered if he can shew any P. 105. Vpon the 10th of August 1681. at the Quaker Meeting-House in Grace-Church-street one who had a greater reverence than the rest for the Holy Scriptures brought a Bible with him and before the Meeting was gathered or their Preachers come he being in the Gallery read part of a Chapter which so much mov'd their Indignation that one of the Chief of them snatch'd the Bible out of his hand and thrust him all along the Gallery down several steps Rich Smith was present and did attest it The Person Richard Smith said to be the Attestator as above the Reader will I think with me conclude to be one of our Friends or who does at least frequent our Meetings Now I know but one of that Name and I have enquired of him and he declares as follows Whereas Richard Smith is said to have attested the Story above and it seeming to me that the Relator The Snake in the Grass does thereby intend the said Richard Smith to be a Quaker I do Declare First That I know no Person a Quaker named Richard Smith in London or the Suburbs but my self Secondly That I did never in my whole Life see any such
and Answers which are in p. 8 9. of W. Smith's Primmer and which are as follows Child But do they Ministers not all preach Christ in words Father Yes the false Ministers can speak of the Name of Christ as the true do but they want his Power Child But how may I then know which is true and which is false by their words seeing words may be the same Father Why they that are false preach Christ without and bid People believe in him as he is in Heaven above but they that are true Ministers they Preach Christ within and direct People to wait to feel him in themselves and so to believe in him as he makes himself manifest in them and this is true Doctrine that brings People to mind that principle of God in their own Consciences which comes down from Heaven and goes thither again and such as are in the earthly wisdom they do not know Heaven above Child This is a great Difference in their Doctrine for one to preach Christ without and another preacheth him within Father Yes it doth make a great Difference and hath no more fellowship together than the East hath with the West Thus W. S. And this is so far from preventing the least tincture of Christianity that it is a sound initiating Lesson for Children it being no other than a plain and short Paraphrase of divers Texts of Scripture and particularly of 2 Cor. 5.16 17. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the Flesh Yea tho' we have known Christ after the Flesh yet henceforth know we him so no more Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new Creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new Col. 1.27 That God would make known what is the riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of Glory In which places according to the whole tenour of the Gospel-dispensation the Apostle labours to bring People to give up to the workings of the Spirit of Christ in them Yet does not hereby slight or undervalue much less deny Christ in his appearance in the Flesh nor the Office of his Mediatorship in Heaven by whom it is that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to Men. And agreeable to this was the Labour and End of W. S. in that Primmer of his But further if we make but a small amendment of the word only to the second Answer what will become of the Snake's Cavil and then read it thus They that are false preach Christ without and bid People believe in him only as he is in Heaven above c. It will be past his Cavil and he ought not for such an Elipsis to have forfeited all his Pretended Charity nor falsly to have declared it an admirable Cue to prevent the least tincture of Christianity I expect that this amendment may be opposed by him and that he may urge that our Writings are by no means to be added to But if it be so urged I would then answer The Church hath given abundant encouragement to supply Eliptick Defects by her Example and Practice in the Holy Scriptures in which there are a thousand I believe Instances of a word or words added with purpose I would in Charity think of more fully expressing the Mind of the Holy Ghost And what is so familiarly done with Holy Writ surely we may do with our Friends Books Ibid. p. 145. The Snake makes a curtail'd quotation from p. 17. of E. B's Preface to G. F's Great Mystery thus We differ in Doctrines and Principles and the one thou must justifie and the other thou must condemn as being the one clean contrary to the other in our Principles E. B. in this place was speaking of those Doctrines and Principles of the Priests which were opposed in that Book some of which I have mentioned p. 155. but not indefinitely of all the Principles they did or might hold and that there was reason to oppose them I question not but the impartial Reader will agree not simply for that they are clean contrary to us but for that they are so to true Christian Doctrine And of these and such as these E. B. speaks thus p. 17. ut supra And besides their Petitioning which the Priests and others did the Magistrates against us and Preaching and Praying against us and all the evil and wickedness in Work Word and desire brought forth against us from time to time Yet here sober Reader thou hast a Catalogue and whole number of Books printed and written against us and abundance of their Doctrines uttered against us and in opposition to us gathered up in this Volume in a sum with our Answers to them And if thy Mind and Heart be single thou mayst hereby understand in measure the difference in Doctrine between them and us and compare each of them with the Scriptures and see whether their Doctrines and Principles laid down as the subject of their Books or our Doctrines and Principles laid down in answer to theirs be according to and and agree with the Scriptures And if thou be impartial in this business and single in this Search and Judgment I doubt not but thou wilt in a great measure satisfie thy self and be resolved concerning their Priests and Professors in England and us who are called Quakers And when thou hast thus done own and deny whether them or us for thou mayst fully perceive we differ in Doctrines c. Now Sober Reader what just exception can there be to the tryal of Doctrines and Principles where the Holy Scripture is assigned for the Touchstone and such persuasion as the Lord shall give is to be Leader But this is a Tryal the Snake dreads because it wholly destroys Implicit Faith and blind Obedience Ibid. p. 146. And therefore this difference of Doctrine betwixt the Quakers and us which they say is as wide as from East to West must be more than concerning the Light within c. Yes so it is it is concerning the Separation and Incommunication of the Deity mentioned p. 189 foregoing It is concerning the Holy Scriptures alone being the Object of Faith It is concerning the Letter of the Scripture being the Sword of the Spirit It is concerning the Letter of the Scripture being God It is concerning the Scriptures being the Power of God and the Iudge by which all Men shall be judged And in fine it is concerning many other things mentioned in that Book Great Mystery several of which I have refer'd to in their several pages as I have met with them Ibid. p. 146. The Quakers do positively determine their Light within to be not a Secondary Agent or sent from any other but that it is it self the Principal The Quakers do indeed determine according to the Testimonies of our Saviour and his Holy Apostles Mat. 10.20 John 14.17 20. and 15.4 Rom. 8.9 10 11. 1 Cor. 3.16 and 6.19 Gal. 4.15 Col. 1.27 1 John 4.4 That the
say they do appoint Institutions tho' the Matter of One viz. Water and the Manner of Both as now used is not therein exprest why has not another as much liberty If what he contends for be not the Text as it is not but an exposition of it what medium will he use to assure me his exposition is right since all Outward Means lye under the same Objection which his own particular Exposition does and they are not a few For I may object to his understanding to the Interest he is in and to the accidental means by which he came so to conclude And thus Men may grope in the Dark concerning the Mysteries of Religion and the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven while they have only Outward and Corporal Means for which the Snake does so much contend for their Guide But if Men would once come to implore the Assistances and wait for the Guidance of the Holy Spirit That as it illuminated the Holy Men of Old to deliver in Writing a Declaration of the Deep Things of God's Kingdom so it would illuminate their Minds to see and know the Meaning of the Holy Ghost in that Declaration By other means than this there can be no certainty herein But this means the Snake depends not on and would represent us as Criminal because we do Wherefore we justly refuse his Expositions for being Inventions which whether set up new or of old standing makes little difference And while the Snake is contending for Inventions set up he does abrogate if not to use be so as the Snake will have it be an Outward Command of Christ delivered in at least as plain if not plainer terms than either of the foregoing for here is both Matter and Manner recorded I instance in the Command of Christ to his Disciples to wash one anothers Feet John 13.14 15. If I then your Lord and Master have washed your Feet ye also ought to wash one another's Feet For I have given you an Example that ye should do as I have done to you Yet here neither the Example nor the declared Intent of it is interpreted to mean an Outward Institution But it is an Allegory and the Command fulfilled while the Sign is disused if we walk humbly before God and serve one another with Love We say so too yet if practical Obedience is here the intent of an Outward Command Why might not Spiritual Baptism and Communion be the intent of Outward Commands Had there been any such which those before mentioned are not As before I have shewn Ibid. p. 170. Vpon this poor pretence that Baptism is not the putting away the filth of the Flesh but the Answer of a good Conscience c. 1 Pet. 3.21 Which Text they so understand as that the Outward Baptism is thereby disanulled because the Inward Baptism is preferred before it and not reckoned perfect without it This which the Snake calls a poor pretence is but poorly assaulted by him and does remain to be a clear and very plain account of that Baptism which Saves In the Description whereof the Apostle is very particular First Negatively shewing what is not then Affirmatively defining what it is viz. The like Figure or Anti-type as it may be truly rendered whereunto even Baptism doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the Flesh but the answer of a good Conscience towards God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And according to this account of that Baptism which Saves it cannot be the Baptism with Water because that is putting away the filth of the Flesh but it is the Answer of a good Conscience towards God Now outward Water cannot give this answer for as the Apostle saith 1 John 5 6. It is the Spirit that beareth witness because the Spirit is Truth And nothing but this Spirit which is Truth can wash and purify the Soul from its Corruptions and Lusts and having so purified it can give to it the justifying Answer of a good Conscience towards God and therefore with great reason it is to be preferred to John's Baptism with Water which cannot add to the Perfection of Christ's Baptism with Fire and with the Holy Ghost Ibid. p. 170. And so it was in the Institution of Circumcision under the Law The Outward Circumcision of the Flesh was not the chief thing meant by it but the Inward Circumcision of the Heart as the Apostle speaks Rom. 2.28 29. Will it follow hence that there were no Outward and Litteral Jews Or that there was not an Outward and Litteral Circumcision under the Law But though the Outward Circision was not the Circumcision i. e. not that alone unless the Inward did accompany it yet the Outward Circumcision was commanded and that under pain of Death Thus both Baptism and the Lord's Supper c. As the Circumcision under the Law was Outward so it was the Sign of an Outward Covenant Gen. 17.7 8. And I will establish my Covenant between Me and Thee and thy Seed after thee in their Generations for an Everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy Seed after thee And I will give unto thee and to thy Seed after thee the Land wherein thou art a Stranger all the Land of Canaan for an Everlasting posession and I will be their God The Apostle who was a Minister of the Spirit and of the New Covenant does in this Epistle to the Romans shew the Jew that his Outward Dependance was not Good for he tells him Rom. 2.17 21. Behold thou art called a Jew and restest in the Law and makest thy boast of God Thou therefore which teachest another teachest thou not thy self Thus the Apostle having here reproved that Spirit in the Jew which our Saviour had before reproved in them when they told him We are Abraham 's Seed c. and the dependencies which they had because there was in their Flesh the Sign of that Covenant which God made with Abraham The Apostle brings the matter nearer from the Type to the thing typified from the Outward Jew and Circumcision to the Inward Jew and Circumcision vers 28 29. For he is not a Jew who is one Outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is Outward in the Flesh But he is a Jew which is one Inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of Men but of God The Apostle is here speaking what the Spiritual Jew is not what the Legal Jew was for of him the Apostle had spoken before and in the like manner it may be spoken of them who have dependence upon the Outward and Decreasing Baptism of John and the Outward and Temporary Commemoration of Christ's Death by Bread and Wine and wait not to know the purifying and strengthning of their Hearts and Spirits by the Holy Spirit of God Thus the Apostle shews the necessary Duty of Christians in the Gospel Dispensation which is to witness the Inward Circumcision
Quaker-Spirit No it can't because it is not only Cloudy but it is Dark and False to say that words are Furious Venemous or Nonsensical and not give any Proof that they are so It is no help to the Snake to say as he does There needs no Argument to Discern betwixt Perfume and Stench Because that if the Nose can Discern as his Philosophy expresses it without Argument yet the Mind is not established but by Arguments drawn from true Judgment and Reason and none such nay none at all does the Snake offer The Snake for Conclusion to this Section has brought in two texts from the Psalms which he does improperly apply to the Quakers as he has before falsly charged them with Venom Fury Spite Envy and Nonsense And till he can prove that the words spoken by our Friends which whether these quoted were so or not remains to be proved being only taken from Adversaries were in their Original from Fury Spite and Envy and in their delivery Nonsense The Texts of Scripture are but abused by him as a Text in the same Book Psal. 91.11 was by the Devil when he repeated it to our Saviour Luke 4.10 and it will be answer sufficient if after the Example of our Lord we answer in the words of Scripture Psal. 101.7 There shall no deceitful Person dwell within my House he that telleth Lyes shall not remain in my sight SECT XVI Of Fighting and Loyalty I Have hitherto shewn the falsity of the Snake's Charges and his perversions of our Words Doctrines and Principles and how Unduly and Unrighteously he would endeavour to inferr from them Meanings and Consequences which neither are nor ever were ours but which we Abominate as destructive of and contrary to those Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Religion which the Spirit of Truth teacheth and leads into and which we do sincerely Believe And what is thus already in the foregoing Sections made appear will be further manifested in this and the following Sections for that in these as in those he hath not shewn what we are but what he would have us appear to be under the disguise which himself has put upon us In the pulling off which disguise there is at least this accidental Help and Advantage that the disguise in which he has represented us is exceedingly unlike our true Features I call it an accidental Advantage because if his Malice could have been satisfied in accusing us with only an abundance of improbable things they might have found some unthinking People who might have been misled into a too easy belief of them But as that could not be satisfied but by charging us with a number of Absurd and Impossible things So all that shall consider the ground and nature of our Principles and the nature of his Charge will with little difficulty be satisfied of their Contrariety and Inconsistency And tho' from this Consideration the sober Reader might and would have ground sufficient to determine the Question in this particular Yet for the detecting his particular Charges Perversions and Abuses I shall as in the former follow him through them And for his more full and plain Confutation herein I will briefly hint our Principles as Influencing Men with respect to Fighting and Loyalty The first of which the Snake most falsly does Charge us to approve and use and that in the last we are short and defective And first as to Fighting We say the end of the coming of our Lord Jesus as is prophesied of him Dan. 9.24 was to Finish the Transgression and to make an end of Sin And in the Room thereof to establish Truth and Righteousness in the Earth And as many as do witness the Power of his Coming by the Operation of his Holy Spirit in them do know that the work thereof is to take away and cleanse from all the Fleshly Lusts that War against the Soul 1 Pet. 2.11 which the Apostle makes to be the ground of Outward Wars and Contentions James 4.1 and as the Holy Spirit in all those in whom it does effectually work does destroy and purge away the very root from whence unjust Wars do proceed so it prevents in them the occasion of all outward Wars And this our Saviour did Teach in that Sermon of his upon the Mount Matth. 5.21 22. Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time Thou shalt not kill c. But I say unto you whosoever is angry with his Brother c. vers 38 39. Ye have heard it said an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth But I say unto you that ye resist not Evil but whosoever shall Smite on thy right Cheek turn to him the other Vers. 43 44. Ye have heard it hath been said thou shalt love thine Neighbour and hate thine Enemy But I say unto you Love your Enemies c. And if Anger Resistance and Hate be taken away What then can remain to occasion Wars Surely nothing From a sight of this Gospel Dispensation it was that the Prophet in the Holy Vision did foretel the peaceable practice of those who should come under the peaceable Government of Jesus Christ They shall beat their Swords into Plow-shares and their Spears into Pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation neither shall they learn War any more Isa. 2.4 And they who thus are redeemed out of the Grounds and Occasions of Wars by the workings of the Holy Spirit in them Such if they continue obedient cannot any more take the Sword into their hands Hitherto with respect to those who are in and under the Administration of the Gospel of Peace concerning whom we have from the first since we were a People declared that God hath taken the Sword out of their hands But tho' God hath thus disarm'd his peculiar People of the outward Sword that he might bring them to have a full and entire Dependance upon him for their safety Yet he hath never disarm'd himself of the outward Sword and as he is as well Soveraign of the World as of the Church and ought to have the command of all Mankind so he may put the Sword into the hands of those who are not yet brought under the Administration which I have above spoken of and he can make them Instrumental in his hand to Chastize his and his Peoples Enemies Thus Cyrus who many years before he was born was by name foretold of by the Prophet Isa. 44.28.45.1 is there called in the Word of the Lord Cyrus is my Shepherd he is the Lord 's Anointed These Titles were given with respect to the Services which God had fore-appointed he should do viz. be instrumental in the delivery of Jacob his Servant his Elect. In like manner and to the like purposes the Prophet Jeremiah in the Word of the Lord does in three places call Nebuchadnezzar the Lord's Servant but neither of these were of the peculiar People of God but it pleased him to appoint the Sword into their
of God in the Consciences of them that without prejudice and with an equal mind do read them But if he denies the Thesis viz. That God can speak and make known his Mind now to Men Immediately by the same Spirit in and by which he spake to the Holy Prophets and Apostles Let him shew when and where God hath imposed that Silence upon himself and bound himself to speak no more in that Immediate manner by his Spirit to Men. Ibid. p. 246. And from the same Mouth of the Lord Tho. Ellwood denounces that they who pay Tythes c. How knows the Snake that Thomas Ellwood did not say he delivered it from the Mouth of the Lord Yet what he there delivered is true But if T. E. did not deliver it from the Mouth of the Lord but laid it down as a plain proposition deduced from Scripture and this abdicated Snake positively says he did From whose Mouth did the Priest denounce that Lye Unless from the Mouth of him who is the Father of them which is the more likely in that he wrongs T. E. in the Quotation also which he gives thus T. E. denounces That they who pay Tythes thereby deny Christ to be come in the Flesh which is a Mark of Anti-christ But T. Ellwood's words are They who pay Tythes do therein uphold a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ and thereby deny Christ to be come in the Flesh which is a Mark of Anti-christ 1 John 4.3 The Snake by leaving out those words do therein uphold a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ hath conceal'd from his Reader that part of T. E's proposition on which the remaining parts depended which he hath also done in p. 254. and repeated the same again with some addition in p. 273. to make the more noise for the proposition consists of three parts 1. That they who pay Tythes do therein uphold a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ. 2. That by upholding a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ they deny Christ to be come in the Flesh. 3. That to deny Christ to be come in the Flesh is a mark of Anti-christ for proof of which Tho. Ellwood quoted 1 John 4.3 Now if the Snake can without nibling and taking T. E's words by piecemeal disprove them or the Authority on which they are built it may answer his purpose otherwise the Conclusion is Firm. Ibid. G. Fox in his decretal Epistle bearing date the 3 d. Month 1677. commands Severely that the Friends Testimony against Tythes be kept up with Vigor And yet none of these words Command Severely nor Vigor are in that Epistle which this Scoffing Snake calls Decretal The Quotation he gives out of that Epistle begins thus For any to cry against the Priests in words and yet to give them means and put into their Mouths he has left out here that they may not prepare War against you as not willing to publish that their Unchristian Practice is a Contradiction And is it not so Then he goes on And therefore take heed for if the Lord God do bless you with outward Creatures and you do bestow them upon Baal 's Priests the Lord may justly require the Outward Things from you again Here the Snake stops and covers with a what follows in the Epistle thus Who i. e. the Lord saith that his Christian Ministers should freely give as they have freely received of Jesus Christ. This the Priests don't love the People should hear of no by no means giving Freely is what they care not for And if for a Reason they offer and say they have not freely received though it be Truth yet it will be of no great Advantage But it seems by the Snake's quarrelling with this Quotation that he would have God's Creatures bestowed upon Baal 's Priests for which I should want a reason had I not this viz. That he himself might hope to get a share of them But we have not yet done with G. F's Epistle The Snake goes on with the Quotation thus So all the Preachers for Tythes and Mony and the Takers and Payers of Tythe must be testified against in the Lord's Power and Spirit Here he leaves off again dashing out several lines which mention the Spoil that had been made by the Tythe-mongers upon such as refused to pay them and the Judgments that have come upon those Persecuting Spoilers And therefore said G. F. in the next words In the Power of the Lord maintain the War against the Beast that is that Persecuting Spirit in the Priests and do not put into his Mouth c. To pervert this passage the Snake has printed it Beasts in the Plural that he might make way for a false and wicked Comment of his own that is says he as well Payers as Receivers of Tythes and that adds he is the whole Kingdom King and Parliament Whereas by those words and do not put into his Mouth c. which the Snake has left out it is very plain that G. F's words in that place related to those that exacted not to those that pay'd Tythes But as he hath perverted this Quotation to render the Quakers Obnoxious to the Government by insinuating as if they set up an Outward Authority against it So he craftily but falsly says G. F. concludes his Epistle abovesaid with these words Keep your Authority and Dominion Whereas that is not the Conclusion but after those words Keep your Authority and Dominion it follows in the Power and Spirit and Name of Jesus Which shews the War before mentioned was a Spiritual Warfare to be maintained by a Suffering Testimony and this also shews the Malice and Falshood of this Adversary Ibid. p. 247. There they wou'd perswade us that all they have said against the Payment of Tythes was only meant by them against the Payment of them to the Popish Clergy But by no means against the Right of the Church of England to their Tythes as settled upon them by the Civil Government This is false and the words he quotes from that Paper Signed on the Behalf of Friends and their Yearly Meeting do not say or imply it There is not in them any acknowledgment of any Right the Church of England hath to Tythes He goes on and quotes from that Paper We are not convinced that it can be against the Fundamental Laws of the Land either to deny Tythes What when the Law enjoyns them The Law and that made in the same Reign and not much after that which was the first express Statute-Law for Tythes enjoyn'd owning of the 6 Articles viz. Transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Altar Auricular Confession c. Was that a Fundamental Law of the Land The Martyrs that then chose rather to suffer Death in Flames of Fire than keep it did not think so Again are not all Acts of Parliament though made in Popish Times Fundamental Laws of this Realm Tho' such as were made about Religion for if they had either the Popish Religion must have yet
Enthusiasts both born in the Year 1650. for then it was Muggleton says he got his Inspiration If Muggleton did come forth in the Spirit of Deceit in the same Year that G. F. came forth in the Spirit and Power of the Lord What can be inferr'd from thence Theudas and Judas of Galilee came forth with their Impostors not much differing in time from our Saviour's coming in the Flesh Yet to correct the Snake's Lying Chronology the Reader may please to know that G. F. did come forth in the Power and Spirit of the Lord some Years before the Date the Snake assigns Ibid. p. 6. It will be proper in this place once for all to obviate a Prejudice which some may take at a little Railery I am forc'd to now and then in answer to such Sensless Arguments and Pretences as deserve no otherwise to be Confuted The Sober and Judicious Reader will no doubt but be Prejudic'd against such prophane Railery and manifest Contradictions as frequently appear of which these Lines are one Instance In pag. 34. foregoing We are the most subtle in Distinction of any Hereticks and it is not usual for such who Distinguish Subtilly to Argue Senslesly But Contradictions of this sort are frequent with our Adversary who throughout his whole Book as the Sober Reader may hereafter Observe doth frequently Contradict himself that he may Bely Us Mistake our Principles that he might have the Glory of a Triumph and Pervert and false Quote our Books that he might have the Reputation of Great Discoveries Of all which having gone through his Introduction remains next in order to be spoken SECT I. Our Principle of the Light of Christ in Men shewn to be Scriptural and our Books herein agreeable thereto THE Light preached and testified to by us ever since we were a People is no other than Jesus Christ the Son of the Father's Love who in due time was born of the Virgin Mary dwelt on the Earth and was in all things like unto Us Sin only excepted Who was Crucify'd under Pontius Pilate died was buried and rose again the third Day and ascended into Heaven This Jesus Christ while he dwelt on Earth preached himself the Light and Way to the Father and speaking of himself to his Disciples John 14.17 said He Dwelleth with you and shall be in you And of this Jesus Christ John Testifies He was the Word in the Beginning with God and that this Word was God and that in him is Life and that Life the Light of Men and that this Light Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World John 1.1 4 9. This is that Glorious Truth testified unto by us which is not Notion except to those only who have barely an Historical Knowledge hereof For to those that do reverently attend its discoveries it is no more Notion but a Home-felt Truth With this Testimony it was that it pleased God to send forth his Servant George Fox who tho' despised mean and unlearned in the accounts of Men was of God made an Apostle in this Age and hath been instrumental in his hand for the directing of Thousands to the Light of Christ in Men. Upon which Light as Men come to attend it will fully teach them their Duty to God and enable them to perform it it will discover to them a System of Principles truly Orthodox with more certainty than Council or Synod can not taught by it for he is indeed a Wonderful Counsellor And this not in Notion not meerly Historical No! But in Practice according to their Obedience to it It will first fully and truly beyond any Casuist shew unto Man what is his Sin and if Man dispise not this Discovery but close with it it will beget in him a loathing of his Sin and then procede to work in him a repentance from Dead Works which if unfeigned it will go on to sanctify him and when Man by this Light Spirit or Grace is sanctified it will then witness to his Spirit that he is justified So will Man truly come to be redeemed This in short is the substance of what hath been by us declared concerning this Divine Light Christ in Men and which is not more than is witnessed of it in the Holy Scriptures in the words whereof our Friends have frequently given their belief in this as in other Articles and that with good reason for the Spirit of God in his Church in this Age can well agree with the Language of the same Spirit in and to the Churches in the former Ages And here I may fitly observe that too nice expressing and minute particularizing of Articles of Faith has been frequently one ground of Heresie and Schism and occasioned great disturbance in the World and indeed it 's no wonder that when Men forsake that teaching Grace which brings Salvation they should set up that Earthly Wisdom which in matters of Faith breeds confusion Ibid. p. 7 8. And this Notion of the Light within as a Ray only or Illumination from the Holy Spirit the Ingenious Mr. Penn has let us see in some of his late Books to draw us insensibly off the Scent of the Quaker Notion of the Light within This Adversary that he may scratch more undiscernedly he Hypocritically flatters W. Penn of which as we pass shall meet with divers instances But it is false that W. Penn hath in any of his Books explained our Belief of the Light within in terms contrary to what G. Fox or other our Ancient Friends have done He being a Scholar might use other terms but not contrary he might vary from the express words of G. Fox or others but not from their sense Of this Holy Writ affords instances The Holy Apostle Paul's rethorical forms of Speech might be more agreeable to the Rules of Art but not of the Holy Spirit than those of the rest of the Holy Apostles Yet his Learning and their Illiterature were both of excellent use the minds of the Persons being under subjection to the Spirit of God This was their great Rule so that though according to the Humane helps they had had they might use various yet not contrary terms in the same Article Ibid. p. 8. And that is to make this their Light within not only an Inspiration or Illumination sent from God but to be it self the Essential God and Christ. What Christ hath promised and by the Holy Spirit hath dictated concerning God and Christ's Dwelling in Men as in these places refer'd to among many others it may be seen is so experienced a Truth as well as good an Authority for such like Scriptural expressions that it will stand the Shock of any capricious Gramarian who would pretend to speak more properly and distinguish more nicely than it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost to do John 14.17 20. Rom. 8.10 1 Cor. 10.4 2 Cor. 15.4.10.6 7.14.25.13.7 Gal. 2.20 Heb. 2.11 Col. 1.27.4.19.2.6 Ibid. 8. And from hence O Blasphemy to repeat it they
to withstand this his Day of Visitation in the reproofs and discoveries of this Light it must of necessity once come to pass as to the Jews that it will be hid from their eyes and in this final impenitency they will according to Isa. 5.20 call good evil and evil good and of such the Apostle testifies Ephes. 4.18 They are strangers from the life of God through the Ignorance that is in them because of the hardness of their hearts And that 2 Thess. 2.11 They are given over to strong Delusion to believe a lye because they received not the Love of the Truth that they should be saved But they were not given over to strong Delusion till they had refused the Truth and they could not refuse the Love of it unknowingly To the Second Quaere Whether a Man may sin while he follows the Light It may be safely answer'd no! Because it is affirmed by the Apostle Ephes. 5.9 The fruit of the Spirit or Light is in all goodness righteousness and truth And the Christians were advised to walk in the Light that they might become Children of it And if they are Children of it they must of necessity bring forth the fruits of it for that it is sufficient to make Men able so to do these Scriptures among many others testifie Luke 9.21 22. Phil. 4.14 2 Cor. 12.9 And as what is said herein is agreeable to the Gospel so it is not contrary to the Law Because as the Apostle testifies Acts 17.30 In the times of Ignorance God winked But now he willeth all men every where to repent And Heb. 7.19 Tho' under the Law which made nothing perfect there were expiatory Sacrifices for the Sins of Ignorance yet now there needeth not for as much as by the Gospel the bringing in of a better hope made perfect For the several Texts urged by our Adversary as Luke 23.24 where Christ speaking of those who crucified him saith They know not what they do It is no wonder they should be so stupidly blind when we consider the Testimony of Stephen concerning them Acts 7.51 Ye always resisted the Holy Ghost And in John 16.2 where Christ foretels his Disciples the time shall come that whosoever killeth you shall think they do God service But the Snake has left out the reason of that Ignorance which in the next verse as our Saviour says is Because they have not known my Father nor me The like curtailing of the Text the Snake hath practised with that of 2 Thess. 2.11 where he only quotes the words They should believe a lye but left out the reason of it which the Apostle says was because they received not the love of the Truth The Snake's Perversion of that Text Mat. 6.13 is very remarkable where he quotes That the Light which is in some Men is Darkness When our Saviour said no such thing But is here shewing of us How that by Sin and Evil Man becomes Darkned and that a continuance herein leads into great Darkness and thus words it If thine Eye be evil thy whole body shall be full of Darkness wherefore if the Light that is in thee be Darkness how great is that Darkness The Eye is the Organ for Light That being blinded the whole Body is in Darkness so in the Mind with this addition of unhappiness that in this Blindness they think they see and therefore call good evil and evil good But our Saviour hath no where taught That tho' Men should fervently humbly and sincerely pray for the Gifts of his Grace Light or Spirit that it will still be so much a Guess so much in uncertainty as to be possible for these so sincerely seeking To take the Devil for God and his wicked Spirit and his bad Acts for the Holy Spirit and Innocent Life of Jesus Christ. No! It is a most abhorred imputation upon the Doctrine of our Saviour either to suppose it contradictory to it self or that he who according to Mat. 28.18 Has all power in Heaven and Earth given to him should yet be so short in his Power or in his Good Will that he hath not afforded to Man a most certain and infallible Guide to that Glory to which he calls him But further If herein Man can without a Crime be ignorant or disobedient The whole tenour of the Gospel is overthrown the New Covenant Joel 2.29 is of no force and we may with the Apostle in another case conclude 1 Cor. 15.14 Preaching is vain and Faith is vain For if the Light of Jesus Christ is not an Infallible Guide to Salvation Men are in utmost uncertainty of what concerns them most nearly viz. the Salvation of their Souls and are herein more at a Guess than they would care to be in the state of their Healths or the titles of their Estates But now if for Guide and Certainty for it is necessary Men should herein be certain he will turn us to the Holy Scriptures Traditions Councils Fathers Ordinances We shall find all of them declared even by Men of that Church this Snake says he is of such as are not void of uncertainty for that through ignorance iniquity and false pretences all these have been abused So that it remains of absolute necessity for all that would have an Infallible Guide to Salvation to attend the guidings of the Spirit of God which only can infallibly witness to their Spirits Rom. 8.16 thâ—â— they are the Children of God Ibid. p. 11. It would make one merry were therâ— not too much of tragedy in the miserable and distrâ—â—ctive error to see what pains G. Fox takes to strugglâ— from under this Objection If G. Fox's pains could make this Man merry the Priest's pains ought to make him laugh out because they were the greater of the two foâ— G. Fox hath answer'd 26 words of the Priests bâ— 25 of his own As for the Tragedy Misery anâ— Destruction which the Snake supposes in what hâ— calls our error there is nothing in it The Destructiâ—on c. will be eminently so to them that sell pretended Spiritual Ware and among them it will make havock for when Men come to feed upon that substantial Food John 6.35 48. The Bread of Life They will no longer give their Mony for that which is not Bread nor their labour for that which profitteth not Ibid. p. 11. He G. Fox repeats the Professor's objection against him in these words The Apostle Paul thought to do many things against the Church and thought he ought to do so and the Light within did not inform his Conscience To which G. Fox replies in these words did not Christ say that it was hard for him Paul to kick against that that prickt him and was not that within him that prickt him The Snake crys out against this Answer Ibid. p. 11. saying it is manifest perverting of Scripture when indeed the Answer is sound and true as appears by the verse immediately following Acts 9.6 And he trembling and astonished
any Creature but it 's manifest in his sight and he is in the Saints and they eat his Flesh and sit with him in heavenly places This Reader is so plain Scripture that it would raise an inquiry how envy it self cloaked with pretences to Christianity should carp at it The Snake's next Quotation p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 88. Christ is the Elect. The Reader may easily suppose G. Fox said more but the Snake thinking from these to draw some unsound sense left the rest behind him In which he being abundantly mistaken I shall not trouble the Reader with a larger Quotation but only observe that the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah 42.1 saith of Christ Behold my Servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my Soul delighteth And the Holy Apostle speaking of Christ saith 1 Pet. 2.6 Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture behold I lay in Zion a Chief Corner Stone Elect and Precious The Snake's next Quotation in p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 310. That they who are of the Faith are the Flesh of Christ the Flesh of him who suffered Here he has false quoted G. Fox's words which are these No Man knows that is savingly the seed Christ that was offered the Sacrifice of the whole World but as he knows it within through the Faith and who are of the Faith they are of Abraham They are of the Flesh of Christ the Flesh of him that suffered The Apostle says as much and says true Eph. 5.30 I have now done with all the Snake's Quotations in his second Section in which Reader I doubt not but thou wilt observe the great injustice of the Snake in several kinds as first in false quoting G. Fox's words which is a practice so base that it is impossible it can consist with a fair pretence of being herein concerned in Love to the Souls of those he would pretend to preserve or reduce No it is a practice directly opposite to all pretences of Humane Justice and it cannot be less but rather more to pretend to do it for God's sake Next his Injustice is not less in perverting the sense and meaning of the places which he truly quotes by cavilling at and giving expositions quite contrary to the plain sense of the Writer For it is very plain that the whole scope of all the Passages hitherto quoted are such as have relation to the Spiritual Vnion and Oneness of Christ with his People Which both Christ himself and his Holy Apostles have very frequently held forth to us by Similies which fall under the notice of sense that thereby mankind might more readily come to apprehend them Thus Christ said I am the Vine I am the Door and except ye eat my Flesh and drink my Blood c. And the Apostle we are of his Flesh and of his Bone with abundance more such like expressions which if in a litteral sense were to be expounded Such exposition would be plain perversion and against it our Saviour hath given a Caution The words that I speak they are Spirit and they are life John 6.63 Snake p. 15. I will tell you before I go Mr. Penn's excuse for G. Fox in all these particulars He lays it upon George 's extream Ignorance For Proof of this the Snake quotes W. Penn's invalidity of J. Faldo's Vindication p. 353. where W. Penn's words are only these He G. F. observes no nicety of expression in his Writings and it is therefore disingenuously done of any to make this ill use of his plain and vulgar phrases See Reader how apt this Man is to tell lies for W. Penn lays it not on nor does not say it was his extream Innorance But W. Penn lays the fault upon J. Faldo's extream disingenuity as I now do upon the Snake's Snake p. 15. An indifferent Man would rather have said Ne Sutor ultra crepidam That this Fox should rather have kept to his original Trade Here Reader see this Man's contempt by a Profane Jest upon the meanness of G. Fox's Calling What would he have said to Amos the Herdsman Peter James and John Fishermen and the rest of those Holy Men whose mechanick Occupations were no hinderance to the High Offices in the Church to which God called them It is not unlikely that from men Spirited as this Snake their Entertainment was Ne Sutor c. But this need not trouble us since we find that G. Fox where he speaks of the Soul as in the places before severally quoted doth speak so distinctly of it as that he neither declares it to be God or Christ nor doth he confound the Being of Man with the Infinite Being of his Creator as is falsly charged by this Adversary G. Fox hath frequently said to this purpose and it is very true that the Spirit of Man is illuminated with a divine Light from God through the mediation of Jesus Christ But he hath never said that the Spirit of Man was God No he could not so say but by wilful perversion this Adversary as some former ones perverts as well as mis-quotes him and will not have him to mean as his words plainly speak For when he speaks of the Soul of Man both with respect to its original Life as breathed from God and degenerated through disobedience and also with respect to his spiritual Restoration by the Power and Spirit of his Creator and hath thereupon shewn how that the Soul through disobedience to the Power that Created it became estranged and at enmity to it and that this enmity and wall of Separation could not be broken down and the Soul brought into the Love and Favour of God but by Christ who in Holy Writ is declared the Bishop and Shepherd Our Adversaries have then often perverted his words and would have them to mean which they cannot That the Infinite Essence and Being with other the like terms of the Life of God or Christ were the Soul of Man But these perversions are our Adversaries and as of G. Fox So of all owned by us it never was believed by us that the Soul of Man was the same Person and Substance with God as is most falsly charged by this Snake I come now to the Snake's third Section Of the Quakers aspiring c. which he says p. 17. is in effect proved already but yet he bestows nine pages upon it of which great part is taken up in Quotations which I shall consider in their order The first in p. 17. is from Great Mystery p. 282. For Christ says he makes no distinction in his words but saith Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is And as he is so are we and that which is perfect as he is perfect is in equality the same In this Quotation that the Snake might bring the parts of it together as near as well he could he hath made a break for another Text which G. Fox used viz. And be ye merciful as he is And after all his carping it is the Doctrine preached
p. 23. Fox having produced so particular a Charge of Gross and Abominable Blasphemies against himself and Partners did it on purpose that he might the more exactly and in terms most express and plain Renounce and Disown them The end for which G. Fox did in that Book entituled Saul's Errand c. set down the Petition of some Priests and others of the County of Lancanster to the Council of State together with the Crimes mentioned in their Schedule was indeed that he might fully answer them in shewing the Quakers Belief in opposition to those false Charges And this is done in that Book in terms so express and plain as leaves no room for doubt unless to such whom nothing will satisfie For to each particular Objection he gives a distinct Answer and that in Scriptures quoted for that purpose But this same Adversary seems to be dissatisfied with such Answer as no doubt he would have been with that of our Saviour to the Captious Jews Mark 11.33 and 12.17 and with many others of the like kind which he may be pleased to say are not in terms sufficiently express and plain Ibid. p. 24. Nay he down-right owns and justifies the greatest part of them as their preternatural Convulsions and Quakings Foamings and Swellings of their Bellies which seiz'd them at their Meetings even Little Children who could not counterfeit It is an unaccountable degree of Impudence for a man with so much assurance as this Snake does to say G. Fox owns and justifies Preternatural Convulsions Foamings and Swellings of Bellies and that of Little Children When G. Fox has not in that Book one such word That I may not herein impose upon the Reader as the Snake has done I will here give intire G. Fox's Answer to that Objection and then the Reader may find whether I or the Snake be the Lyar the page the Snake quotes is p. 5. of Saul's Errand which is thus Answ. The Meetings of the People of God were ever strange to the World for it was as though some strange thing had happened to the Saints as we read in the Scripture Psal. 71.7 1 Pet. 4.12 Which shews they are in the same Generation wondring and stranging at the Work of the Lord despising and casting Scandals Slanders and false Reports upon them And where the Works of God are now Acts 13.41 they think them strange things now as was then who are alive in the Flesh. It would be a strange thing now to see one fall down as Paul fell down and trembled and as Daniel fell down and trembled Dan. 10.9 And to see one as Habakkuk his Belly to tremble and his Lips to quiver Hab. 3.16 And as David to lye roaring all the Day long who cryed till his sight was grown dim and his Flesh fail'd of fatness and till he could number his Bones And to see one as Isaiah to rent his Garment and his Mantle and to pluck his Hair off his Head and off his Beard and sit down astonished And would it not be strange to see such an Assembly as came to Isaiah Isa. 66.5 Which had all trembling Hearts Hear the Word of the Lord all ye that tremble at his Word work out your Salvation with fear and trembling Before their faces the people shall be much pained all faces shall gather blackness Joel 2.6 The Prophets and Ministers of God have all one Spirit according to measure and did encourage those that did tremble Wherein it shews that you have not the same Spirit but seek to persecute and fix Scandals and accuse them falsly Here Reader thou mayst see the injustice and falshood of this Adversary in so boldly asserting what there is not a word of tho' he says p. 24. The Matter of Fact Fox owns p. 5. Thou hast here G. Fox's answer from p. 5. Pray see if it be as the Snake says it is The Snake has one Hiss more In this Section with which he concludes it and that is at James Milner of whom I have reserved to speak in answer to the Snake's 21st Section As I have already hinted p. 66. Wherefore I now come to the Snake's 4th Section of the Quakers Pretence to a sinless Perfection SECT III. We do own and believe that it is our Duty to press on to Perfection which by the assistance of the Spirit of God we believe it possible to attain unto REader I have already shewn thee in Sect. 1. p. 43. what we mean and understand by the Light within viz. Jesus Christ as testified of in Holy Writ where the Apostle testifies 2 Cor. 5.19 That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and we say that as Man through obedience to the Holy Spirit comes to witness a being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ he will more and more witness a growing into that Holy Oneness that Spiritual Union and Communion which our Saviour hath prayed his Disciples might witness as is already shewn Sect. 2. p. 64. tho' misinterpreted by our Adversaries to be an aspiring to Equality c. with God And all who in their several degrees of growth in Grace do witness the going on of this Work of Reconciliation must witness a going on to Perfection And I cannot see any absurdity in this Scriptural Doctrine For if I through the Power of Christ have witnessed a Being by him set free from one vile Affection or one inordinate Lust. Have I not good reason to hope that he that hath began this good work is able to finish it and so of the rest of Humane Infirmities which cannot be overcome but by the assistance of a Divine Power which being altogether Perfect in it self will lead on to Perfection all who are obedient to it Yet this Plain and Scriptural Doctrine professed by us from the first hath met with great opposition and perversion as now by this Snake Snake p. 25. After having shewed the Quakers claim to an Equality with God to be part of him of one Soul Being Person and Essence with him It may seem a saying less and going backward to say that they pretend to a sinless Perfection How idle and false is it in the Snake to say we pretend to be one Person with God when we reject the word Person as too gross to be applied to God or Christ or the Holy Spirit But after having shewn the falsity of that Charge as is plentifully done in the foregoing Section I shall go forward to shew also as is above hinted that the Sinless Perfection we contend for is only in the Holy Spirit and no further ours than we come into obedience to it and through obedience to it 't is possible 2 Pet. 1.4 To be partakers of the Divine Nature But because our Modern Quakers are abated somewhat from the Loud Blasphemies to which they at first pretended c. Here Reader Is an Instance of the Hypocrisie and Confusion of this Man He had charged us Sect. 1 2 3. that at our first setting up
we were to the Height Blasphemous and Mad. For the proof of this G. Fox's Great Mystery is quoted oftner than any other Book But the Modern Quakers are abated c. and for proof of this G. Fox's Great Mystery is quoted oftner than any other Book So that the same Book shall answer contrary purposes and it is only owing to his Viperine Love or else from that Book he might have attempted to prove us any thing but what we are But his Malice is seen and dispised Ibid. p. 26. I have before quoted Mr. Penn upbraiding the Church of England as opposers of perfection and rediculing us for confessing our selves Sinners and imploring God's mercy And I have in answer to it p. 41. shewn that W. Penn neither upbraids nor ridicules the Church of England for confessing of sin and imploring God's mercy But he speaks against sinning and confessing confessing and sinning and so to go on from seven to seventy this He and this all good Men must speak against because it is against the Law and Will of God Ibid. p. 26. Now hear G. Fox 's Great Mystery p. 101. It is the Doctrine of Devils that preacheth that Men shall have sin and be in a Warfare so long as they be on the earth What can it be other than that Because we know not only from what was promised but by the fruits of true Faith that it giveth victory over the World And it 's impossible for any Men to be Victors over Sin while they are in bondage to it Ibid. p. 26. A quotation from Great Mystery p. 111. They that pretend coming to God and Christ out of Perfection they be in Error And it is doubtless true for there is no coming to God through Christ whilst in sin and according to this God by his Prophet calls to the House of Israel to put away their sins Then come let 's reason together But he would not reason with them while they were led captive with the Love of their Iniquities Ibid. p. 26. From Great Mystery p. 231. All who come to Christ they come to perfection 'T is very true for out of Christ I am sure there is none Ibid. Great Mystery p. 231. They attain to perfection in the Life of God There is no other way to attain it than through that Life which is the Light of Men. Ibid. Great Mystery p. 271. For who are sanctified have perfect Unity perfect Knowledge perfect Holiness Who are sanctified are in Christ in the Apostle's phrase have put on Christ and who have him have perfect Unity Knowledge and Holiness Ibid. Great Mystery p. 281. The Life of the Saints is Christ not sinful at all The Evangelist hath testified of the Life of Christ that it is the Light of Men And the Apostle says when Christ who is our Life c. Col. 3.4 And this Life Christ is not sinful at all And I do hope that the Snake will not be so impudently Blasphemous as to say of this Spiritual Appearance and Life of Christ in Man as the Jews said of him while he dwelt on the Earth John 9.24 As for this Man we know that he is a Sinner Snake p. 26. William Shewen a great Quaker Preacher in his Treatise concerning Thoughts and Imaginations Printed 1685. p. 25. represents a Quaker as Meeker than Moses Stronger than Samson c. The Snake does here grosly pervert W. Shewen's words which by the comparison he uses are only to shew How that a Christian by following of Christ the Light the Saviour of the World and Captain of Salvation may be brought to the Stature of a perfect Man in Christ. And least the Comparison should stumble or offend any he adds Least thou should stumble at these sayings consider that John was the greatest Prophet born of a Woman yet the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he Matt. 11.11 Ibid. p. 26. Their great Scribe T. Elwood in his answer to G. Keith 's Narrative 1696. p. 202. takes upon him to justifie G. Whitehead for denying that there is continual need of Repentance upon this ground that the Quakers are free from all Sin and therefore have not continual need of Repentance It is false he did not justifie G. W. upon this ground Tho. Ellwood's words are these G. W's meaning only was that there is no continual need of Repentance from a necessity of continual sinning for where true Repentance is wrought and the Fruits of it brought forth it is attended with a real forsaking of Sin and Transgression and this is unto Salvation never to be repented of Ibid. p. 26 27. Edw. Borrough's the mighty Pillar of the Quakers next to the Old Fox determines positively p. 32. of his Works Printed 1672. That God doth not accept of any where there is any failing or who do not fulfil the Law and doth not answer every demand of Justice I suppose a main reason why the Snake is offended with E. B's so saying is because himself has so many failings does not fulfil hardly any part of the Law and answers few or no Demands of Justice But be that as it will E. B. for his so saying hath produced good Authorities viz. 1 John 3.8 1 Pet. 2.9 which if the Snake can refute let him Ibid. p. 27. I could heap up many more Quotations to the same purpose but these will suffice till answered That 's now done and thy deceit and falshood in perverting and mangling our Books is herein in some measure detected and laid open and therefore shall proceed to his 4th Section SECT IV. Concerning our Belief of Immediate Revelation BY what I have already said in the foregoing Sections concerning the beginning and progress of the Work of God in Man how that it is wrought by the Operations of the Holy Spirit It may be well seen what Immediate Revelation it is of which we speak and what we mean by it viz. the Influences and Operations of the Holy Spirit which the Snake dare not deny but owns that in some sense they may be called Revelations and immediate too p. 27 28. which according to the Apostle's Doctrine Col. 1.27 Is Christ in you the Hope of Glory And we do say that the first appearances of Christ immediately by his Spirit in Men is as himself hath said John 16.8 to reprove the World of Sin c. This as it is truly and properly Immediate Revelation So in this degree it is universally given to Men during the day of their visitation in order that they might know the Masters Will. Snake p. 28. But the Holy Prophets and Apostles had Revelations of a much higher Degree than this viz. To foretell things to come to work Miracles to go with particular Messages from God 'T is very true their Degrees of Revelation were much higher but differ'd not in Nature and so it is at this Day For such whom Christ doth now Prepare Fit Furnish and Qualify with and by his Holy Spirit and
contrary now to what they were then But if the Doctrine be true now how comes G. Fox to be blame-worthy for asserting it then and telling them then that such who denyed it were ravened from the Spirit of God And after all the Daubing Hypocrisie of this Snake let him shew if he can that such who deny this Doctrine which is essential to Salvation do not thereby shew themselves ravened c. Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from p. 30. of G. Fox's Answer to the Westmoreland Petition If ever you own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles you will own our Writings which are given forth by the same Spirit and Power The Liberty which this Adversary takes to himself is very great sometimes supplying to our words what he is pleased to think they want as at other times to bite and curtail them And to shew thee Reader what Supplements he gives to our words take the place as it is in G. Fox's Answer c. If ever you own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles you will own them which are given forth by the same Spirit and Power And it is very true for whosoever shall write from the movings of the Spirit and grace of God upon his heart tho' in the least manifestation thereof them Writings so written cannot fail of being acknowledged in their Degree By all who through the Spirit of God are led to own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles And the Reason is plain because every Member partakes of the same Spirit by which the whole Body and Church of Christ is kept living And it is impossible for the Holy Spirit in one Member to contradict the same Spirit in the rest of the Body Thus Reader thou may plainly see that that Sinless Perfection maintained in our Books which the Snake carps at misrepresents and wilfully lyes against is no other than the Perfection of the Holy Spirit and which is no further Ours than we walk in obedience to that Spirit by Obedience to which the Apostle hath testified 2 Pet. 1.4 That by escaping the Corruption that is in the World through Lust we may be made partakers of the Divine Nature It were a foul and false imputation upon this Doctrine of the Apostles to suggest that he hereby advised the true Believers to pretend to any such equality of Perfection as that of God who in his Wisdom and Power c. is Infinite God hath promised to his People I will dwell in them and walk in them 2 Cor. 6.16 And all who do witness this Holy In-dwelling of God must of necessity say and confess that he is able to give a perfect Deliverance and Freedom from Sin But have not nor cannot say That they are God or they are Christ because of the In-dwelling of the Holy Spirit never did any of us so say as falsly suggested by the Snake which in reply to the foregoing quotations doth I think evidently appear Wherefore I now proceed to his 6th Section of the Quakers Infallibility SECT V. Shewing that Infallibility is by us placed in the Holy Spirit and only is ours as guided by that THis Section therefore is like opening the Jugler's Box and you may expect to see Rarities The Snake is the Jugler and this Section or rather his whole Book the Box. The Rarities which the Reader may expect to see will no doubt be agreeable to such a Jugling Undertaker Before I come to open his Box this Section I will shew thee Reader his Jugling Artifice on the Lid of it Ibid. p. 31. This Section may seem needless as being included in the former That it is included in the former is true for who claims to be equal of the same Being and Substance with God Such doubtless claim to be infallible as he And then why this needless Section Why the Jugler doubting to put the matter of Charge upon that Issue multiply'd this Section tho' needless and drew it to a length near twice that of all his foregoing Sections that he might indeed Jugler like blind the Readers observation in the length of it And with respect to us the Jugler might hope it should by its length be admitted as Billa Vera rather than any should examine its Contents and detect its Lyes But to begin with the Snake's first head of Distinction Ibid. p. 31. 1. This their Infallibility was palm'd upon them by the Church of Rome That the Snake may not palm this Story upon the World without proof I do on the behalf of the People called Quakers deny the Assertion and put our Adversary upon the Proof of it which if he cannot do he is hereby registred for a Lyar. Ibid. p. 31. Of which They were so greedy that they swallow'd it down by wholesale and would have none of those Cautions with which the Church of Rome used to defend themselves As we did not receive from the Church of Rome or any other Society of Men our True Principle of the Infallibility of the Spirit or Grace of God so neither did or do we want any of those Cautions which the Romanists may have and use in their claim of Infallibility That this may appear more plain to the Sober Reader I will shew the vast difference between us and them herein The Papists how much soever they differ among themselves in placing of Infallibility in their Church as whether in the Pope and in him Simply or in him in Cathedra or with his Conclave or him in General Counsel or in such Counsel without him or in the Church diffusive yet they do all agree herein that this Infallibility is possessed by Original Grant made by Jesus Christ to one or other or all of them in the Person of the Holy Apostle Peter and doth descend by Ordination in a continual Succession not alienable This I doubt not will be allow'd to be the declar'd sentiments of some of that People in this point and which do abundantly differ from what hath been always professed by us herein which in Brief is to the following purpose viz. First We have constantly said that the Holy Spirit of God is Infallible and that through the Mediation and Intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ a Manifestation of this Infallible Holy Spirit is given to every Man to profit with Secondly We have constantly said that whoever is obedient to the Convictions and Leadings of this Infallible Holy Spirit as they are tendred to their Souls during the day of their Visitation shall thereby be Infallibly lead into all Truth necessary to Salvation both in Principle and in Practice for it doth not only Teach sound Doctrines but also teacheth to deny all ungodliness and hath no fellowship with the Vnfruitful Works of Darkness Thirdly We have constantly said that of such as through their working together with the Grace of God are thereby become Strong in the Lord Of these I say As Christ doth now Prepare Fit Furnish and Qualify with and by his Holy Spirit those whom
And that to this Holy Spirit Wicked Men and Devils are disobedient yet still have such degrees of Knowledge which are the proper Distinction of their Being Ibid. p. 39. Sometimes it makes them as Infallible as the Apostles nay as Christ himself But at other times when they are pressed they bring down this Infallibility to mean nothing in the World that does distinguish them from other Men. It is utterly false no Quaker hath said he was as Infallible as the Apostles or Christ himself I demand an Instance But without pressing we have often said that a Manifestation of the Light and Infallible Spirit or Grace is 1 Cor. 12.7 given to every Man to profit withal without distinction That which makes the Distinction is Obedience to it By this it was Paul could say 1 Cor. 15.10 By the Grace of God I am what I am and by the same Grace we say we are what we are Ibid. p. 40. But this will no more prove it to be Infallible or sufficient of it self to bring us to Heaven than it will follow that Man cannot die because God breathed into him the Breath of Life or that he is omnipotent because his strength comes from God That the Holy Spirit is Infallible and sufficient for the purposes for which God hath given to Men manifestations of it is very certain from the testimony of God himself 2 Cor. 12.9 My Grace is sufficient for thee But it follows not from this that Man cannot Die or that he is omnipotent because his Life and Strength came from God God hath been pleased to give to Men such Natural Powers as are agreeable to the Nature of their Humane Being And these Natural Powers being employed according to that Great Law of Order in which we stand in the Creation we may act in them our appointed time But the Principles of our Humane Being being finite their power to act is the same and must come to an end With Spirits It is otherwise They are more simple and uncompounded Beings therefore of eternal Duration And the God of the Spirits of all Flesh in Infinite Compassion when Man had forfeited his Title to Happiness to us that this Eternal Duration might be in happiness gave the Son of his Love that we who were afar off might be reconciled to himself which cannot be but as the Spirit of Man which hath rebelled and been in Disobedience comes by the Operation of the Spirit of God upon it to be restored into obedience to its Guidings Which if he will be in the day of his Visitation That Grace and Truth which comes by Jesus Christ will sufficiently and infallibly lead him into Reconciliation with God from whom through disobedience he was fallen And this is not as the Snake says p. 41. Derogatory to the Satisfaction paid by Christ for our Sins But on the contrary places the true value upon it It being that by which we are put into a capacity of being reconciled and not by any power of our own And when the Apostle bids Phil. 2.12 To work out our own Salvation We never understood it otherwise than by the assistance of that Grace which comes by Jesus Christ to Men during the day of their visitation Ibid. p. 41. That does not make the Light within the efficient cause of our Salvation or give it any Title to Infallibility more than vers 13. of the 4th Chap. in the same Epistle can entitle us to Omnipotence because St. Paul says there I can do all things That Christ in his Spiritual Appearance the Light within is the Efficient cause of our Salvation I need not give a greater proof than this same 13th vers which the Snake has quoted For there the Apostle Phil. 4.13 says I can do all things through Christ which strengthneth me that is all things relating to his Ministry as an Apostle or his Duty as a Christian. I come now to the Snake's 4th Head of Distinction which is little more than Profane and Scornful Banter after the first Paragraph p. 41. But if any could pretend to Infallibilty They will be found to have the best title to whom the Quakers would most unwillingly grant it For it is written Prov. 16.10 A Divine Sentence is in the Lip of the King and his Mouth transgresseth not in Judgment Why then does the Snake deny that best Title and not obey that Divine Sentence which confirmed the present Government Why would he flee the Judgment of a Mouth which transgresseth not in Judgment By fleeing and denying he loudly proclaims his unwillingness to grant it But as for us we do not unwillingly but readily grant That God is ready to supply Kings with Wisdom and Justice suitable to their High Station for the good of themselves and those they govern if they in humility will receive it But as with God there is no respect of persons so we do as readily grant That God by his Spirit does as infallibly teach the Governed in their private capacities all that is necessary to their Salvation if they will but attend and learn Ibid. p. 42. Do you think that the Quakers infallibility is limited to speaking only They can make an Infallible Judgment of Men's Hearts and tell who are Saints and who are Devils by very winks and glances At the first glance and so throughout this appears to be a very Lye for no Quaker hath so said But we do say that such who be in the Power and Life of Truth can discern between Saints and Devils for all true Spiritual Discerning is in the Holy Spirit Not but that there often are exteriour marks of inward wickedness Hence Gen. 4.5 When Cain was very wroth his Countenance fell Hence David saith Psal. 10.4 The wicked through the pride of his Countenance will not seek after God And the Prophet Isaiah chap. 3.9 The shew of their Countenance doth witness against them and in the 16th vers the Lord numbers up among the exterior marks of inward wickedness wanton Eyes mincing and tinkling with their Feet Yet these exterior infallible marks as they have been declared by God himself is in the language of this Profane Adversary p. 43. Dwindled down to a meer Gypsie a paultry Fortune-teller to nothing but a little skill in Physiognomy Reader Is it possible for one who so profanely ridicules both the Inward Discerning and the Outward Marks of Secret Iniquity to advance the great end of good Life and Conversation No such ridiculing is in direct opposition to them and is distructive to Exemplary Modesty how great soever his pretence may be of love to Souls I come now to his Fifth Head of Distinction of divers Stories of particular Failings which he brings in opposition to that Infallibility I have so largely spoken of which Plea the Snake says p. 48. leads us naturally into this sort of Redargution Though here as before he is altogether out For tho' to give a Man a Fall is it 's true a plain Conviction
the Sealing his own Testament with his Blood For if he had then all who are not in Communion with the Jews at this Day are Schismaticks and which is worse the Snake says it is from the Devil Ibid. p. 59. And the Apostles after our Saviour frequented the Jewish Temple Luke 24.53 And observed their hours of Publick Worship Acts 3.1 This Adversary would here falsly and Hypocritically insinuate as if the Apostles hereby joined in Communion with the Jews which was against the whole Scope of their Commission The Business of the Apostles in the Temple and wheresoever else their Lots were was to preach up Faith and Salvation through Repentance in and by that Jesus whom the Jews had Crucified For this purpose they went to the Jewish Temple and no wonder they went at the hour of Prayer because then they might find the People together That this was the Reason why they went at the hour of Prayer is fully seen by the Sermon of Peter Acts 3.12 to the end of the Chapter Ibid. p. 60. But the Quaker-notion of the Light within and their pretence to Infallibility as consequential to it does totally root up and destroy all Church Covernment and Order For if the Light within be God it must be self-sufficient and not to need the Rules and Directions of any other The Apostles it 's allowed were infallibly assisted by the Holy Ghost God in them yet this was so far from rooting up and destroying all Church Government that they by the Directions of the Holy Spirit did give Rules and Directions for Discipline in the Churches where they laboured to bring the People to be partakers with them of the same Promise which was Christ in them the hope of Glory Ibid. p. 60. Vpon this Ground the Quakers broke off from the Church and refused to be under the Government of any outward Authority 'T is false the Quakers broke not off upon this Ground but rather to carry on that Reformation which the Church of England began here when she broke off from Rome Neither did the Quakers ever refuse to be under the Government of any outward Authority for we always for Conscience sake have been Obedient to Authority by actively doing what in Conscience we could or by passively suffering for what in Conscience we could not do Let the Snake say so much for himself if he can and prove it Ibid. p. 60. And thus they stood several years in the Infancy of their State till they began to grow numerous and rich 'T is false we never were even when first a People without Government and Discipline such as might answer the good end of the Gospel of Christ. But that there may be occasion as the Community enlarges to add some points of Discipline for the same good end for which the first were appointed Holy Writ does sufficiently justifie The Disciples while in their Infancy had Acts 2.44 and 4.32 All things common afterwards particular Churches made Contributions for the Poor c. When they grew more numerous the Question of the Circumcision began to trouble the Churches in Syria Antioch and Cilecia concerning which the Apostles sent a Determination by Paul and Barnabas Acts 15.25 And in after times as the Churches and their Necessities did increase the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 8.4 and 10.25 27. did yet enlarge the Borders of that Discipline which was before setled And to other Churches according to their Necessities such was their prescribed Discipline Thus at first while the Professors of Christianity were few there necessities were so too but as their Numbers increased so did their Necessities and the Apostles and Overseers of the Church did provide accordingly that they might in all things adorn the Doctrine of Christ Tit. 2.10 who is a God of Order And as the fullest state of their Discipline was no contradiction to their few first Precepts so neither was a contradiction to the infallible Spirit of God Tit. 11.12 to the Guidings whereof the end of their Preaching was to bring People I come now to his Tenth and Last Head of Distinction Concerning that Church Government which is among the Quakers Ibid. p. 61. The Quakers pretence to Infallibility has been disproved First In particular Instances of several of their Prophets Secondly In whole Floods and Parties for F. Bugg and many others have come openly off from their Communion c. The particular Instances which the Snake hath brought have been above sufficiently disproved being either falsly or insufficiently by him pretended But had they been all such as the Snake hath pretended yet then they couâ—â— not have answered his purpose to overthrow the Infallibility of the Spirit of God as is also largely before declared Secondly That whole Floods and Parties have left us F. Bugg is with the Snake an Instance and indeed a particular single weak one But had the Floods and Parties been much greater than ever yet any were that did Apostatize and backslide from us They may indeed be Instances of such Backsliders as those mentioned 2 Pet. 2.22 but no Argument that the Holy Spirit of God is not Infallible for as by the power of that in times past these backsliders were in some degree washed so had they continued under its Guidings it would have made them altogether clean Whereas by deserting it they are returned to wallow in the Mire again This Through Disobedience hapned to many in the Primitive times Nay so general was the Defection and Backsliding of that People that the Holy Spirit expresseth it by the Church going into the Wilderness For Darkness and Apostacy did overspread all Lands Ibid. p. 62. Now if their above-told pretences to Infallibility do hold then it will follow that these their former Opinions which the Separatists now condemn were true Then and false Now. Nay that they are both true and false even now because some Quakers do hold them to be true A fine Conclusion and spakes thus much If the Declared Claim of the Church of England to Loyalty do hold then it will follow that that Declared Claim which the Snake and other such Separates now condemn was true then and false now Nay that it is both true and false even now because that Church doth still declare that Claim Thus Reader thou seest the folly of this Snake's reasoning and it cannot be otherwise when Men shall attempt to prove by the precarious and evil practice of Particulars the Unsoundness of Principles Good Principles do always abide the same whatsoever the Practice of their Professors may be Thus the Grace and Spirit of God continues Infallible let whosoever will backslide from it and Loyalty continues to be Loyalty still if the Snake never practice it Ibid. p. 62 63. But if Keith and Bugg were true Quakers then true Quakers are not Infallible And then G. Fox c. who said they were Infallible were led by the Spirit of Delusion and not the Spirit of Truth Keith and Bugg with whosoever else
as it is not contrary to the Scriptures So it does not cut them off from being useful as before declared viz. for Doctrine Reproof Correction c. For tho' the Holy Spirit is as infallible now as ever and it is the same Holy Spirit manifested in the Hearts of Men at this day by which the Holy Men did write the Scriptures yet the manifestations thereof to them being in greater degree we justly give them the priority this with respect to the Writings of any faithful Servant of Christ at this day But with respect to the Holy Spirit that being as I have just now said as infallible now as ever it must of necessity also follow that whosoever through obedience follows the guidings of it must have as sure because the same rule as the Prophets and Apostles had And this is no more contradictory than the Parable of the Talents Matt. 25. In which our Saviour shews the different proportions of Trust of the same Treasure And the one Talent had it been imployed in the same way which the five were it would as certainly have gained Profit Thus they who through obedience improve their Talent and are in the Apostles Phrase 2 Cor. 6.1 Workers together with Christ they shall witness a growth in his Grace and who do so grow have the same sure rule of the Holy Spirit to read and understand the Scriptures by even the same sure rule which the Prophets and Apostles had when they writ them Hence it is that he that hath and obeys the least measure of this sure Rule the Holy Spirit in himself will easily and readily acknowledge and consent to the further Degrees of the revealed Will of the Holy Spirit recorded in the Scriptures of Truth Ibid. p. 85 86. But because the Scriptures are often brought in crontradiction to the Quaker-Light therefore they have made it their business to depreciate and undervalue them nay sometimes to run them down as hurtful and pernicious That Light of Jesus Christ which we profess cannot be in contradiction to the Holy Scripture and therefore when so brought it hath been by such who as our Saviour saith Matt. 22.29 Do err not knowing the Scriptures nor the Power of God Nor did we ever depreciate undervalue or run them down The Charge is false as will more manifestly appear by the instances he brings Ibid. p. 86. To make them false in many things that we may believe them or trust to them in nothing To make their Authority Doubtful by disputing their Pen-Men and raising all the evil Suggestions that can be against them The Quakers Refuge Printed 1673. p. 17. States this as truly owned by the Quakers The Book Quakers Refuge does not State this as owned by us that the Scriptures are false in any thing Nor does it raise evil Suggestions nor dispute the Pen-Men of them That there have been very many Questions raised concerning them and the Pen-Men of some Books or Epistles the many Treatises on them Subjects are sufficient Evidence But it not being profitable here to remember them I pass them by in Silence Now several of these Questions the Author of The Quakers Refuge numbers up and concludes p. 17. It is not the Subject of my Argument at this time But that which he therein declares to be the Subject of his Argument is The Authority of the Holy Spirit in Judging or Discerning the Mind of God in the Holy Scriptures This he saith Is as truly stated as owned by us and he declares it to be the concern therein under most Serious Consideration This Reader is the true import of the Author's words which the Snake hath as Injuriously perverted as before I have detected him p. 144 145. perverting W. P's words and the Advantage he will get is much the same because I must hereupon shew thee Reader that what seems to be the occasion of the Snake's Cavil and Perversion is because we assert the Authority of the Holy Spirit in Judging or Discerning the Mind of God in the Holy Scriptures Which Truth as it obtains upon the minds of Men will rather incline them to wait for the sensible experience thereof in themselves than to depend implicitly upon the guest Opinions of any who deny the possibility of such certain guide at this day Ibid. p. 87. Whitehead says that there were some Priests in the North in and before the Year 1653. when those Books which Bugg quoted were Printed who were thus Ignorant And that this was the reason for those expressions in the Quaker Books First this had been no reason for these Barbarous Expressions if it had been so But Secondly I will joyn Issue with G. W. upon it that there never were such Priests in the North or any where else that were so Ignorant No George This is an Arrant Lye without all doubt did any Man ever think or say that the very material Paper and Ink and Letters wou'd endure for ever That there were in the North c. Priests Scandalously Ignorant herein I will presently shew and if they were reproved herein in such manner as they might account contemptuous The Expressions are not therefore Barbarous because so called by the Snake as I may also shew from Authority of Holy Writ and the Practice of them esteem'd by the Snake the Fathers as that expressions which seem contemptuous are not therefore so being in their end directed to rectify the evil Practices of Men related by John Daille To the First viz. the Authority of the Holy Scriptures we know that the Sacrifices Oblations and Offerings mentioned in the Levetical Law had a Divine Sanction and the promise annexed Lev. 18.5 Ye shall therefore keep my Statutes and Judgments which if a Man do he shall live in them I am the Lord. These tho' they had the Promise of this Life yet the Jews thro' their Disobedience made these their Sacrifices not delightful to the Lord their Oblations were Vain and their Incense an Abomination and New Moons and appointed Feasts his Soul hated Isa. 1.11 13 14. And by their continuance in Disobedience while in performance of the Letter of the Ceremonial Law the same Prophet 66.3 tells them from the Lord He that killeth an Ox is as if he slew a Man he that Sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dogs neck and he that burneth Incense as if he blessed an Idol These in the Judgment of our Adversary must be very Barbarous Expressions of these Ordinances and which there was no reason for tho' the People were departed from that true use to which they were at first appointed Tho' this be an abundant Testimony that through Mens misuse of things appointed by God to a determinate purpose he hath been pleased to shew and declare his dis-esteem of them Yet I shall not to confirm this Testimony for it needs it not but for the Readers Satisfaction also shew the Practice of the Fathers herein as testified by John Daille in his Right use
Numerical Body that was the Natural for so the Natural and Spiritual Body are the same But suppose J. Faldo's relative It to hold I do utterly deny that this Text is concern'd in the Resurrection of Man's Carnal Body at all I will recite it with the 5 following verses as they are in our English Translation Here W. P. at length gives the 44 45 46 47 48 49. Verses which I omit for brevity and then continues I say this doth not concern the Resurrection of Carnal Bodies but the two States of Men under the first and second Adam Men are sown into the World Natural and so they are the Sons of the first Adam but they are raised Spiritually through him who is the Resurrection and the Life and so they are the Sons of the second Adam the Lord from Heaven a quickning Spirit The very words of the Apostle undeniably prove this to be the Scope How else could the first Adam's being made a living Soul and the second Adam a quickning Spirit be a pertinent Instance to prove Natural and Spiritual Bodies Upon which follows that the Natural was first that is the first Adam and then that which is Spiritual which is the second Adam the quickning Spirit the Lord from Heaven who came to raise up the Sons of the first Adam from their Dead to his Living from their Natural to his Spiritual Estate But perhaps it will be objected that the 47. v. The first Man is of the Earth Earthly And part of the 49. v. We shall also bear the Image of the Heavenly Seem to imply a Bodily Resurrection but let the whole verses be considered and we shall find no such thing The first Man is of the Earth Earthly the second Man is the Lord from Heaven Who sees not that this is rather spoken of earthly Mindedness than of the earthly Body of Adam It was mentioned to shew the great Disparity p. 371. that is between the Nature and Qualification of the first and second Adam The following verses puts this Interpretation out of doubt As is the Earthly such are they that are Earthly and as is the Heavenly such are they also that are Heavenly For those words We shall also bear the Image of the Heavenly I cannot see how they should relate to the Resurrection of the Carnal Bodies of Men for the Image of the Heavenly is a renewed State to God through the Operation of the Spirit and Power of Christ The first part of the verse clears it And as we have born the Image of the Earthly we shall or rather let us bear the Image of the Heavenly as Ambrose and Theophylact read it and 6. or 7. Copies besides have it which is as much as to say As we having born the Image of the God of this World by becoming his Children so may we bear the Image of the true and living God by being redeemed from a vain Conversation having our Consciences sprinkled from dead works and being born again of the Incorruptible Seed by the Word of God which lives and abides for ever Thus far W. Penn both with respect to the Resurrection of Carnal Bodies and in his Defence of his Interpretation of the 1 Cor. 15. to all which he adds from p. 374. to 380. some Testimonies from H. Moore T. Collier Farellus H. Hammond and Jerome were not all these Members of the Catholick Church against the Gross conceit of his Opponents of a Carnal Resurrection To which I may subjoyn that what efforts so ever our Enemies shall make against us concerning the Identity or Numericalness of Bodies in the Resurrection with those of Flesh and Bone which we lay in the Grave We shall content our selves with answering them not in the modes of Philosophy but in the Language of Holy Writ and esteem it our Duty as well as Wisdom in a Question so Mysterious not to be wise above what is Written And when our Adversaries can produce any farther declaration herein which they shall prove to be of equal Authority with what is so already declared we will not be backward in our hearty acknowledgement of it Snake p. 162. When I urged to a Quaker-Preacher towards a proof of the Resurrection of Bodies That Text Matth. 27.52 53. He made Answer that that was not meant of the Litteral or Earthly Jerusalem that any Dead Body arose there But of the Spiritual Jerusalem which John saw coming down from Heaven And others told me they heard the same exposition in a Quaker Sermon at one of their Meetings That any Quaker-Preacher so acknowledged by us did so tell the Snake I find cause not to believe on his bare word knowing his readiness both to pervert words rightly spoken and to tell false Stories of things that never were as is before shewn And what others told him we are little concern'd for but if it may be worth his while to produce better proofs and be more clear in his Charge he will not want an Answer Ibid. p. 162. Here we have Spiritual Graves Spiritual Dead Bodies Spiritual Jerusalems Spiritual Resurrection and Spiritual Christ whenever any Text pinches them Pray what Text pincht the Prophet when speaking from the Lord Ezek. 37.13 14. Ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your Graves O my People and brought you up out of your Graves and put my Spirit within you c. Did any Text pinch our Saviour When he bid his Disciple Matth. 8.22 Follow me and let the Dead Bury their Dead Or the Apostle Eph. 2.5 6. Even when we were Dead in Sins hath quickned us together with Christ by Grace ye are saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus Nor was John the Divine more pincht when in the Apocalyps he saith 3.12 The Name of the City of my God which is New Jerusalem which cometh down out of Heaven from my God Thus would I be large herein I am not pinch'd for Examples which do abundantly shew that Sin and Iniquity hath been term'd a Grave and they who are securely a sleep herein have been accounted Dead and when they have witnessed the Power of God to break that false security they have seen that Grave and Death they were in and many in this State have cried to God that he would make them partakers of his Resurrection from their Sin and Death which came by it God in Mercy and great Compassion hath heard and answered and hath raised and is raising many who through the Spiritual Power of Christ in them are measurably made to sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus This without being pinch'd we freely own before God and Men and do as freely own that there are in Scripture spoken of Outward Graves and Dead Bodies an Outward Jerusalem and a Resurrection of Bodies to General Judgment and that Christ hath a Body glorified in Heaven yet is Spiritually in his People Ibid. p. 163. These
now in order Snake p. 165. That is say they with Hymeneus and Philetus till his coming Spiritually in our Hearts I have in p. 255. foregoing briefly observed already concerning these Men part of whose error was and which is only taken notice of by the Snake their saying the Resurrection was past already That they do not seem by the Character the Apostle gives of them of being profane and vain Babblers such who had put away a good Conscience and shipwrack'd Faith I say they do not seem hereby to be such who did contend for the Spiritual Coming of Christ in their Hearts Profaneness is Immorality and what has that to do with the Coming of Christ in the Heart It is in direct opposition to it And the Apostle could not have made their Character as above had they so contended for Christ because it was what the Apostle declares himself did follow after Phil. 3.10 11 12. That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his Sufferings being made conformable unto his Death If by any means I might attain unto the Resurrection of the Dead Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Reader Think'st thou that Hymeneus and Philetus those profane and vain Babblers who shipwreckt Faith and a good Conscience in themselves and did overthrow the Faith of some did do all these things and expound that saying of theirs That the Resurrection was past already in such manner as the Snake says Spiritually in our Hearts No it could not be they were gone from the Spirit of Christ in them when they went into profane Babbling and what degrees soever they might have known while in obedience of the Power of Christ's Resurrection Yet that they quite lost when they shipwreckt Faith and a good Conscience So that the Snake's explanation is not only arbitrary but contradictory to the Apostles character of them He goes on with great assurance and pretence of familiarity with the Holy Apostles and of the purest Primitive Christians and Blessed Martyrs and affirms of them all in his frothy manner Ibid. p. 165. None of them dream'd of the time being thus expired For the observance of what he calls the Sacraments but that they did think them obligatory to the end of the World the litteral Resurrection at the last day It can be no small acquaintance which this Snake pretends to have had with this variety of Persons who dare so boldly affirm of them all while sleeping that they did never dream of their Expiration and while waking that they all did think these Ordinances always were to continue I suppose the observing Reader will with me be apt to question how he came by this great Intimacy and desire him to give some proof of the truth of what he hath so affirm'd But if we should suppose that he could prove which he never can that none of them did so dream that would not be ground sufficient to us to prove that the time of their continuance is not expired For the Question being concerning Ordinances said to be appointed by Christ we are not to look to Dreams but to consider the Appointment of Christ for from thence can only be truly learn'd both the things appointed and the time for which they were appointed And here of a sudden the Snake hath much abated of his pretence to know what was not Dream'd by the Holy Apostles purest Primitive Christians and Blessed Martyrs and comes to lay his pretence upon the Commission given by our Saviour to his Disciples mentioned Mat. 28.19 20. And this Commission he gives by piece-meal so as that it might if possible be so large as to take in the Addition which he makes to it For first He would have it to be a Commission for Water-Baptism next He would have it to express the Continuance of the Water-Baptism to the end of the World And having in disjoynted sort thus given it he draws this Pithy Conclusion p. 166. For if this be the time during which Christ promised to assist his Commission it must doubtless infer the like continuance of the things required in the said Commission We say so too But the Question is concerning something said to be required in the Commission which the Commission does not express therefore we say not contained in it And that this has been our frequent Objection to our Opposers in this particular the Snake could not but know and therefore if he would have established his addition Water to the Text he ought to have refuted our objections to the addition and then to have given his better reasons for it but none of this is done But he goes on begging the Question and taking that for granted which we deny viz. That when our Saviour saith Mat. 28.19 Go ye therefore and teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost He doth herein Command them Disciples to Baptize with Water If the Snake had given us some reason why we ought to take this his Addition of that wherein the Text is silent that reason might have been considered And it will be yet of greater force if he can prove from Scripture that our Saviour is here giving to his Disciples Commission concerning John's Baptism with Water and not his own which is with the Holy Spirit But of this the Snake says p. 167. The Holy Ghost is his Christ's Gift only It is true that the Holy Ghost is originally Christ's Gift yet it is as true that Men prepared fitted and quallified by the operation of his Grace have Instrumentally as Ministerial Ofcers given the Gifts of the Holy Spirit Thus the Apostle Rom. 1.11 For I long to see you that I may impart unto you some Spiritual Gift And the same Apostle tells the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4.15 For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel And he declares that his Commission was Acts 26.18 To open their Eyes and to turn them from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan to the Power of God Now strictly speaking it is only Christ by the Gift of the Holy Ghost who does these great Works of which the Apostle speaks The Apostle herein was Instrumentally made the Minister of those things wherein God did appear unto him And at this day those who are of God made Ministers of those things wherein he does appear by his Spirit unto them such he fits furnishes and quallifies Instrumentally to be able to impart Spiritual Gifts and to beget People to God by turning them from Darkness to Light and from Satan's Power to the Power of God Thus Spiritual Baptism and Teaching mentioned in the Commission of Christ continues to be assisted by Christ and will be so to the end of the World Now this teaching with respect to the sound of words may be said to be
outward But the end of that teaching was to the Soul the inward Man and against Spiritual Wickedness in high places Eph. 6.12 And this outward Teaching in its end and in its continuance is that it may bring People in their several Generations to witness the Spiritual Baptism of Christ with the Holy Ghost whereby they may be brought to witness that they are begotten to God Ibid. p. 168. This outward Baptism with Water was an Ordinance instituted as a means of Grace whereby the Inward Baptism with the Holy Ghost was conveyed This is saying but not proving We deny that Baptism with Water was Instituted as a means of Grace for then had the far greater number of those who were converted to Christianity by the Ministry of Paul wanted the means of Grace Because they were very few as himself testifies that he did Baptize with Water And to them whom he did so Baptize is was not the means of Grace Because if it had been so it must have perpetually attended his Ministry in that Grace and Truth which comes by Jesus or otherwise the Apostle Paul was not compleatly as the rest of the Apostles a Minister of the Spirit which I think this Snake will hardly venture to affirm But himself declares it did not perpetually attend his Ministry 1 Cor. 1.17 For Christ sent me not to Baptize but to Preach the Gospel Ibid. p. 168. Vpon all which accounts it was necessary even where the inward Baptism with the Holy Ghost was already attained as St. Peter said Acts 10.47 If where the inward Baptism with the Holy Ghost be attained the Outward Baptism with Water be still necessary because the Holy Apostle Peter commanded Acts 10.48 Cornelius and his Family to be Baptized Then why is not Circumcision also necessary because the same Apostle did compel the Gentiles in general to be Circumcised and concerning which at that time when Cornelius was Baptized it was not determined whether they should be Circumcised This sufficiently shews that the Apostles words in this place cannot be understood to Intend or Command Outward Baptism with Water to be a standing and perpetual Ordinance in the Church Ibid. p. 169. It is very Observable that among those things wherein St. Paul was instructed thus immediately from Christ he tells us 1 Cor. 11.23 That one was the Institution of the Lord's Supper Vpon which he lays so great stress that he charges grievous Diseases sent among the Corinthians and Death it self vers 30. upon their Neglect and Abuse of this Holy Mystery It is very observable that this Snake by begging every matter in question takes them for granted which we deny And then in usual assurance runs on in his Doughty Manner without so much as offering at any Authority to prove what he says or disprove what we have often said upon this Subject Thus he will have the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.23 delivering to that People the Institution of the Lord's Supper Yet has not proved from the words that they are any Institution at all The words of the Apostle are these vers 23. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took Bread These words of the Apostle are plainly a Narration of somewhat done by our Saviour but contain not any Institution or Command as the observing Reader may find And had the Apostle herein intended to deliver an Institution or Command of something that was to be perpetually obligatory in the Church and not to deliver singly an account of matter of Fact he had no doubt deliver'd it in words whose import could not be questioned But he saith not For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you That as the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was deliver'd took Bread So c. The Apostle saith not thus but the contrary and when he repeats the imperative words of Christ to his Disciples on this Head he seemeth of set purpose so to have placed them that they do not import any Command For he saith vers 25. This do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me vers 26. For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come These I say do not import any Command or Institution which because the Snake will have that they do let him shew wherein If he thinks the words as often to have some imperative force let him see if he can prove that that imperative Force is more than if one should say to him As often as thou goes to Westminster call upon John Thompson late one of the King's Messengers I easily think the Snake will conclude the imperarative Force of these words none at all and will go as occasion calls to Westminster and not think himself obliged to make that Visit. But the Snake goes on with wonderful assurance and will have the Apostle lay so great stress upon this Institution That he charges grievous Diseases sent among the Corinthians and Death it self vers 30. upon their Neglect and Abuse of this Holy Mystery But from the place it self it does not appear that the Apostle lays any such stress upon it For first as I have already shewn the Apostle makes a narration of Fact Tells what our Lord did do that Night in which he was betrayed but gives no Command does not declare it to be instituted makes no Mystery of it as the Snake would suggest Secondly The Apostle redargueth the Corinthians evil practices of Drunkenness and Unseasonable Eating even then when they were pretending to have in remembrance the Death of Christ. And queries of them vers 22. What! have ye not houses to eat and drink in or dispise ye the Church of God and shame them that have not What shall I say unto you Shall I praise you in this I praise you not Thirdly The Apostle does in the 30th verse shew them some of the Consequences which had attended their Irreverent Greedy and Drunken practices and tells them For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep And a very natural Consequence it is and nothing strange that Intemperance should bring Weakness and Sickness and finally Death But the Snake would put the Apostles words upon the Tenters and stretch them to signifie grievous Diseases All Weakness and Sickness may in some sense be said to be grievous But when we say Grievous Diseases are sent among a People it does at least imply something more than the common Infirmities which usually our Nature is subject to by way of Eminence as a Judgment This the Snake seems to suggest but offers not to prove neither can he or that those Corinthians were more Weak and Sickly c. than what might be the natural effect of the Intemperance above spoken of Ibid. p. 169. How then would he have censured the Preaching down this and the other
of the Heart and Spirit this work the Law could not perform because as the Apostle says Heb. 7.19 The Law made nothing perfect Nor can Outward Water or Outward Bread and Wine That can only be done by the Inward Operation of the Spirit of God upon the Heart and Spirit This is that which is as useful and indispensable to Christians as the Outward Law was to the Outward Jew To which Outward Law Christ who was greater than Moses having put an end He hath established not another Outward Covenant but the Inward Dispensation of Grace and Truth which comes by Him Ibid. p. 171. Only let me tell the Quakers That their Objections which are answerd in that Treatise a piece writ by the Snake particularly upon this Subject are mostly the same which the Socinians have set up And let me tell the Snake that if the Socinians Arguments herein were sound and according to Scripture it can be no Objection to ours if they were not only mostly but altogether the same And it does not follow that they who err in some things are therefore right in nothing But if what the Snake tells us of our Arguments being mostly the same herein with those of the Socinians It will I hope be of as good purpose for me to tell the Snake that his Objections which are answered in this Treatise are mostly the same which the Romanists did make to the Reformation And then his Witty Remark may be of use to himself To see out of whose Quiver those Arrows came which he hath shot against us Ibid. p. 171. Thus the Socinians having thrown off or slighted the Sacraments have lost the true Faith in the Divinity of Iesus and have rejected him from being the Christ or Word of God which they say only dwelt in him or inspired him but was not Personally united to him Thus say the Quakers What the Socinians have thrown off and lost is not now my business to enquire But that the Quakers have not Thrown off or Lost the True Faith in Christ either as He is the Divine Word or as he was truly Man and dwelt on Earth I have already abundantly shewn in the Section foregoing wherein is particularly treated of and owned the Divinity and Incarnation of Jesus Christ. SECT XIII That Popish Emissaries did not first set up Quakerism in England as is said by the Snake THE Snake that he might be compleat in all the parts of his false and abusive Attempts against us having before by many ill practices in vain endeavoured to make us Heretical in points of Faith would here shew that our Original and Rise was from Popish Emissaries But in this I hope to shew his falsity and abuse as I have already done in those In order to which I desire my Reader to observe that the Snake's first Argument is drawn from the time of our Appearance which he makes to be about 1650. and 1654. And of these dates of time he says P. 187. Then it was that Rome was reaping a plentiful Harvest which they had long been sowing by setting up in that Universal Toleration Multitudes of Various Sects on purpose to Divide and so Confound their only Substantial Adversary the Church of England And here let it be observed that he imposes upon his Reader and would have it taken for granted upon his bare Word that about them Years there was a Vniversal Toleration and that during that time of Toleration there were by Romish Emissaries set up Multitudes of Various Sects Neither of which is true in Fact but contrary to the Faith of the History of them times and also to the Experience of many who are yet living who were eye witnesses of the Transactions of them and some who were Sufferers in them But first to the Toleration which the Snake calls Vniversal I doubt not but upon second thoughts the Snake will allow that at that time the Church of England was in Exile so that it was not Vniversal And as to the Quakers then Beginning they were not included in the Vniversal Toleration As our Testimonies easy to be produced of Imprisonments Blows Fines c. which our then few Friends suffered and underwent can testify These Instances I give to which others it's like may add more to shew that there was no such thing as a Vniversal Toleration Now to his Multitudes of various Sects which he says were then set up It is only a Romantick Story of his own Brain which has no truth in it For should it be supposed that there were in them Years People gathered into Religious Societies under Twelve distinct Denominations tho' I know not of one quarter that number What Multitudes can Twelve be called It may be he may say that Multitudes is an Hyperbole And indeed so it is for it so far beyond Truth that the Expression has nothing of Truth in it And now having briefly hinted at his falsity both with respect to his Toleration and Multitudes I shall proceed to shew That had there then been that Vniversal Toleration and such Multitudes of various Sects as the Snake hath falsly alledged Yet it doth not follow that these Multitudes or various Sects were set up by Rome Because there were various Dissents from the Church of England even from the first Reformation And it was objected to Her by the Author of an Apology for the English Seminaries Printed 1581. That there was Contention and Dissention among themselves This was not in 1650. but in 1581. at such time that if there was not Vnviersal Toleration yet the Church at least was Tolerated and who sowed the Dissentions then And if the Snake will not be angry with me as he is with Josiah Cole p. 189. for Reprinting something of a Papist's which he calls a Sensless and Bitter Libel though it is his practice often to repeat part of our Adversaries Bitter and Sensless Libels against us for which it may be he would have us thank him I will briefly quote that Apology Printed 1581. p. 60. His words are these We charge them with rebelling against Christ's Church Laws and Ordinances with disobedience to their Lawful Pastors with contempt of Holy Councils Fathers and Doctors with falsifying corrupting denying divers Books and Places of Holy Scripture With Contention and Dissention among themselves Disturbances of Kingdoms and Countries desire of Liberty and Novelty in-constant and daily change of their Opinions Presumptuous Arrogance and Vaunting of their Knowledge above all Antiquity with Singularity Sacriledge Apostacy c. Thus he And now what Reader but would take this to be the Snake's Declamation against the Quakers were it not for its Title and Date of Print And that we know it to have been a Papist's Declamation against the Church of England So like the Snake it is that to use his words we see out of whose quiver his Arrows came But as we have now to this Snake's so the Church of England did to this and such like Charges of
agreement or likeness to Her in our Sense and Declaration thereof as I have already largely shewn Sect. 5. foregoing to which it is unnecessary to add more for the conviction of him whose Character is in nothing so eminent as in a Dogmatical Falshood of which a Notorious Instance now next follows Ibid. p. 189. The Snake doth implicitly charge Josiah Cole with Reprinting and Publishing with great Approbation a most violent Invective of the Church of Rome against the Protestants and chiefly against the Church of England in a piece of his Entituled The Whore Vnvailed Now Reader for thy more particular Information and the discovery of the Hypocrisie and Falshood of the Snake herein I shall acquaint thee That there was a Book Writ and Subscribed A. S. a Roman Catholick against the Church of England and other Potestants among which by the way the Quakers were included which he Entituled The Reconciler of Religions or a Decider of all Controversies in Matters of Faith In which Book there was divers Reflections upon our Principles as well as upon others who he pretended to Reconcile Josiah Cole writ an Answer to it which he Entituled The Whore Vnvailed or The Mystery of the Deceit of the Church of Rome Revealed By this Title it should not seem to be Repinted by J. C. with Great Approbation nor indeed was it For Josiah Cole as he quotes several parts of it he subjoins his own Answer detecting the Deceit of its Author A. S. very particularly And there being in this Book of A. S's a part which he made his 14th Chapter that did more particularly reflect upon and relate to those who in the Title of his Chapter he calls Protestant or Sectarian Ministers charging them not to be true Preachers or sent by God Josiah Cole with intent that the Persons charged might answer that which related to themselves does put it at the end of his Book and declares concerning it in his Title Page I thought meet to publish this herewith that the Sectarians or Episcoparians may answer for themselves This Reader is the Reality of that Business of which the Snake with so great Confidence and Falshood grounds that manifest Slander of his in saying The Quakers have more barefac'd than any openly sided with the Papists against the Protestants And I defy the Snake to produce any one piece written about that time which J. C's was that does more particularly detect and lay open the Deceit and Falshood of the Romanists than that of J. C's does So little reason had this Snake falsly as he does to bring in J. C. saying this Charge viz. the 14th Chapter against their Bibles and Ministers whose Cause says he I am not engaged in When J. C. hath no where said that he was not engaged in the Cause of the Bible But said he was not engaged in the Cause of them who A. S. had called Sectarian Ministers This briefly is the true state of that Matter on which the Snake makes near two pages of most false and scandalous Insinuations and Charges Ibid. p. 190. They have exceeded them in every thing and improv'd the Errors which they had learn'd from them Here the Snake will have the Quakers exceed the Romanists and that they have improv'd their Error even in a Question which himself determines p. 32. that our simplicity has depriv'd us of every one of these helps which the Romanists have But we having been from p. 32 to p. 190. under the Snakes hand it is no wonder if his Viparous Fancy having formed a Monster at first that he should think the proportions encreas'd Ibid. p. 190. G. W. asserts that the Righteousness which God affects in us is not Finite but Infinite Voice of Wisdom p. 36. And the reason which the Snake has left out is this For Christ is God's Righteousness and Christ is formed in us Gal. 4.19 and so that Righteousness which God works in us by his Spirit it 's of the same kind and nature with that which worketh it for the Saints are made partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Ibid. p. 191. But if you will ask how could Infinite Righteousness fall G. Fox will answer you who wrote That he was beyond the state of the first Adam that Fell in the state of the second Adam that never Fell. But where G. Fox hath so writ the Snake tells not yet if he hath so writ what is it more than the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.22 45. hath said concerning our Death by Sin through the first Adam and our Regeneration through obedience to the Quickning Spirit the second Adam the Lord from Heaven And they who through the Operation of his Quickning Spirit have witnessed a being regenerated and born again may truly say that they are beyond the state of the first Adam that Fell. Ibid. p. 191. And in a Printed General Epistle of his to the Quakers which I have now here before me he says Who hath any thing against my way who never fell nor changed And he concludes This is the word of the Lord God to you all and spread this abroad The truth of the words is not less General than the Epistle for it is a General and a Standing Truth that the second Adam that never Fell Jesus Christ the Just Man's Path is the Everlasting Way to the Father which did never Fall nor never Change Therefore G. Fox might well ask who hath any thing against this Way And the Word and Command of the Lord through all Generations by his Servants hath been to call People to walk in this Way But that I may not forget I would now ask for that Answer which the Snake hath just now said G. Fox will give to the Question How could Infinite Righteousness Fall The Snake was willing to start some strange thing but not being then furnish'd with a seemingly probable Lie or forgetting to add such an one he hath omitted to say any thing which he calls G. F's Answer to that Question But the Snake is not more forgetful in this than he was in adapting the Matter treated of in this Section to the Title of it The Title he gives it is That Popish Emissaries set up Quakerism in England And to prove his Title he brings in G. F. saying That he was beyond the State of the first Adam that fell in the state of the second Adam that never fell That is He was born again by the Operation of the Quickning Spirit of Christ Jesus our Lord. See Reader How far this proves that Popish Emissaries set up Quakerism in England If this Argument be insufficient he hath others of like sort of which one is That G. Fox hath said of Jesus Christ his Way Who hath any thing against my Way who never fell nor changed A fine Argument that Popish Emissaries set up Quakerism in England He hath also given a Quotation from G. W's Voice of Wisdom p. 36. That the Righteousness which God effects in us is
was not to whom the Quakers did prefer themselves but whom they did Damn The Snake is not herein shorter in his Proof than he is false in his Charge when he says They have equalled Themselves to Adam in his Innocency as is above shewn The Snake hath indeed as is observed p. 290. foregoing said that G. F. Wrote but where he hath not told us That he was beyond the State of the First Adam that Fell But if G. F. hath so Writ it follows not that he hath equalled himself to Adam in his Innocency Cannot the Snake see a Difference between the State of Adam in the Fall and before the Fall Beyond the State of Adam in the Fall it is the Duty of all Men to come else they cannot witness the being born again by the Power of the Quickning Spirit the second Adam the Lord from Heaven This I say is our Duty and Interest and they who measurably do witness this Regeneration do not therefore Equal Themselves to Adam in his Innocency nor prefer themselves to all Others since the Fall Ibid. p. 192. Thus while they themselves pretend to Infallibility of Discerning and Infinity in Righteousness as shewn before they Arraign the Apostles of Gross Error and Delusion even where they speak from the Mouth of the Lord and in his Name That Infallibility Discerning and Righteousness which we own and contend for is that which is of the Operation of the Spirit of God and which he gives as pleaseth him to all those who through Obedience follow on to know his Will And which may be a strange thing to the Snake they are necessary to Man's Salvation For First Our Saviour speaking of his Faithful Followers John 10.4 5. They know his Voice and a stranger they will not follow But they could not thus chuse to follow Christ and not the Devil if there were not an Infallible Evidence in the Voice of Christ to testify that it is his Voice but such Evidence there is and they who persevere to be Workers together with the Grace of God shall by the Infallible Evidence of the Holy Spirit have a true Discerning between the Voice of Christ and the Voice of the Evil One And as they shun the one and follow the other they will come to witness a being clothed in their Measure with the Righteousness of Christ which is Infinite The Snake is not more false in his Charge concerning Infallibility Discerning and Infinite Righteousness as is above declared than he is grosly abusive and false in saying we Arraign the Apostles c. as will be seen by examining the Instance which he brings It is this P. 192 193. When St. Paul said 1 Thes. 4.17 We which are alive shall be caught up in the Clouds c. tho he said vers 15. This we say unto you by the Word of the Lord Yet T. Elwood in his Answer to G. K 's Narrative c. p. 162. supposes that St. Paul expected to be caught up in the Clouds himself and that the day of Judgment would come in his time while he was Alive And that the same was the meaning of St. Peter when he said The End of all Things is at Hand 1 Pet. 4.7 This Reader is the Snake's Instance that the Quakers do Arraign the Apostles of Gross Ignorance But that there is nothing more in the Charge but this Adversary's Gross Lye what follows will shew G. K. had in a piece of his Entiuled Gross Error and also in the Narrative of 1696. said in opposition to G. W. The Apostles using the word We there We that remain is an Enallage Personae putting We for They like that of James Therewith Bless we God and therewith Curse we Men James 3.9 To which Tho. Elwood replies Though he G. K. delivers it Possitively and like a Dictator yet I see not why he must needs be believed Why might not the Apostle speak in the first Person We As supposing that great and extraordinary Appearance and Coming of Christ the certain time of which no Man knew Matth. 24.26 was so near at Hand that it might probably fall out in his Life time For as the Apostles accounted the Times they liv'd in the Last Days or Last Times and ordinarily called them so Heb. 1.2 and 9.26 1 Pet. 1.20 1 John 2.18 so they thought the End of the World was not far off What else made Paul when he had told the Corinthians that the things he had related were written for our Admonition add Vpon whom the Ends of the World are come 1 Cor. 10.11 Why else did Peter say The End of all Things is at Hand 1 Pet. 4.7 Thus Thomas Elwood whose Querying the Snake calls Arraigning tho' by a very Gross abuse in that the words have no such thing in them For T. E. does here Query Why might not the Apostle speak in the first Person c. What else made Paul when he had the Corinthians c. Why else did Peter say c. It would have been more to the purpose if the Snake had answered the Questions and shewn why the Apostle might not speak in the first Person c. why and what else than the conjecture offered by T. E. did occasion the Apostles so to express themselves as is above quoted But this he drops and stands at a distance from the Questions and for answer flings Gross Lyes Ibid. p. 193. And at a Meeting or Council of their Ministers about the Year 1678. which will be told hereafter Hereafter when the Snake shall tell the Story at Large I shall then particularly reply to it and for the present shall here only reply to his False and Scandalous Insinuations hereon where he says They the Quakers prov'd themselves greater than Abraham because Abraham was before John and that the least in the Kingdom i. e. the least of the Quakers was greater than John Here the Snake by an i. e. does in most abusive manner insinuate his Base and Viper-like Exposition of the Text Matth. 11.11 to be our sense of the place which it neither is nor ever was And I do Charge him with Forgery herein and notorious Falshood unless he be able to prove that the Quakers have said they were greater than Abraham or that the least of the Quakers were greatter than John Which they I am well satisfy'd have never said Ibid. p. 193. Now they having treated the Prophets and Apostles at this rate we cannot expect that they should pay any great respect to the Ancient and Holy Fathers of the Church no they run them down by wholesale Having hitherto detected the falsity of the Snake's Insinuations and Charges in that no such treatment is given the Prophets and Apostles as is by him suggested I shall shew he is not less false when he pretends to give an account of the respect pay'd to them he calls Ancient and Holy Fathers From T. Ellwood's Answer to G. K's Narrative afore-mentioned G. K. had in that Narrative
Answer to that Common Objection against the Quakers that they Damn all but themselves The words are these This then is the sum of our Answer in this respect We are not against the Life and Power of Godliness where-ever it hath appeared or yet appears under the Vail of any form whatsoever Nay all persons who singly wait upon the Lord in the simplicity and sincerity of their Hearts whether under any form or out of forms that matters little to us are very dear unto us in the Lord. But we are against all Forms Images Imitations and Appearances which betray the simplicity and sincerity of the Heart keep the Life in bondage and endanger the loss of the Soul And too many such now there are which hold the Immortal Seed of Life in Captivity under Death over which we cannot but mourn and wait for the breaking of the Chains and its rising out of all its Graves into its own pure Life Power and Fulness of Liberty in the Lord. This Testimony which has been published now near 40 years and others of like tendency which I could produce but that I would be as brief as may be shews that from the first we have not Damn'd all the Christian World as is falsly said by this Adversary SECT XV. The Holy Spirit Professed by the Quakers proved to be neither Venemous or Nasty as charged by the Snake but prov'd to be his own True Character HAving thus shewn the falsity of the Snake's Charge of our Damning all the Christian World and on the contrary prov'd that Love and Charity which we have from the first had and shewn to all the sincere hearted under any Form So herein I hope to make appear that the respect wherewith we have treated Men hath been according to it and that if Words and Language may be allowed to discover the Furious Spiteful and Envious Ebullitions of a distorted Soul that then the Snake hath discovered so much Ibid. p. 198. Kind and Sweet Expressions are natural to Love and Good Nature as Furious Spiteful Envious and other Grating and Violent Passions do naturally vent themselves in the like wicked and hateful Ebullitions of a Distorted Soul Love and Good Nature have no doubt expressions suitable to their Quality and Occasion which in their utterance are always Kind but may sometimes not be otherwise Sweet than as Reproof and Rebuke may be said to be when properly and seasonably given And on the contrary Fury Spight and Envy have ever Expressions suitable to their Wicked and Hateful Nature and are level'd against Men in order to their Hurt and Destruction and have falshood for their original but are not always tho' often in violent manner for they are sometimes cover'd with Hypocrisie Instances of both Violent and Hypocritical I shall anon shew in the Snake after that I have told my Reader that as Words and Language are the Servants of the Mind so they are to be varied as the occasions thereof require Hence Kind and Sweet Expressions are properly to be given to Men and Actions that are Good and Honest And it is as proper by a Sharp and Kind Severity to express the Just Indignation of the Mind against the Evil Actions of Wicked Men. A multitude of Examples in both kinds we have in Holy Writ where the Dejected the Disconsolate the Mourner and the Penitent are comforted by the Kind and Sweet Expressions of the Holy Spirit speaking through the Holy Prophets and Apostles as does also our Lord himself It being the way of the Holy Spirit by Love unfeigned to seek and to save Mankind But on the contrary to the Hypocritical the Wicked and Impenitent it hath been the way of the Holy Spirit by sharp and severe expressions even such sometimes as in ordinary discourse might not be seemly or convenient to reprove them How severely doth God both in the Law and in the Prophets threaten the punishment of Idolaters even in terms which the Rabinnical Scholiasts have thought fit to alter in obedience to that foolish rule in their Talmud that all words which in the Law are writ obscenely must be chang'd to more civil words Milton's Apology Printed 1642 p. 25. Much so foolishly wise wou'd this Snake appear in refusing to allow what God at times as occasion did require hath thought fit to speak thro' his Servants Thus the Holy Prophet Elijah hath pronounced from the Lord concerning Jezabel the Daughter of Eth-baal King of Zidon as mentioned 2 Kings 9.37 And the Carcass of Jezabel shall be as Dung upon the Ground Thus also the Lord by his Prophet Jeremiah threatneth the Inhabitants of Jerusalem Jer. 8.2 That they should be as Dung upon the Earth And the Prophet Malachi 2.3 Behold I will cast Dung upon your Faces even the Dung of your Solemn Feasts and you shall be like unto it And the Prophet Isaiah rebuking the Wickedness of the Priests and Prophets telleth them all Tables are full of Vomit and Filthiness so that there is no place clean Isai. 28.8 The Prophet Habakkuk when he objected to the People their Secret Nakedness he tells them The Cup of the Lords right hand shall be turned unto thee and shameful Spuing shall be upon thy Glory These with abundance more Instances there are in the Holy Scriptures which are sufficient to shew that Love and Good Nature for such is the Holy Spirit doth not always use such as in the account of this Snake are to be called Kind and Sweet Expressions No for tho' the Spirit of God is Purity and Meekness it self yet in the reproving the Iniquities of Men it hath often used severe expressions Thus John the Baptist calls the Hypocritical Jews a Generation of Vipers Our Saviour calls Herod a Fox and told the Wicked Jews they were of their Father the Devil The Proto Martyr Stephen detects their Hypocrisie as Paul does the injustice of the High-Priest The Snake will surely not be so Blasphemous as to say these were in them the marks of Fury Spight or Envy c. Nor will it be answer sufficient for him to say of all these and others of like sort recorded in Holy Writ that he believes them to be the immediate Dictates of the Spirit of God But that all such Speeches since that time are the effects of Fury Spight and Envy and that they are the wicked and hateful Eubullitions of a Distorted Soul unless he can shew that God hath promised that he will no more through his Servants in like manner rebuke the iniquities of Men. This as denied by the Snake puts him upon a worse Dilemma for all those in him which are not Kind and Sweet Expressions And some such I think he has They must of necessity be Furious Spightful and Envious and the wicked and hateful Ebullitions of his Distorted Soul of which I will give some Instances when I have first shewn that if it be denied that the Instances above are Authorities for us to build on Yet that
be known which is also a very great Truth that we have towards all Governours utterly denied all Fase Dealing and have dealt faithfully and plainly with every one without favour or partiality reproving and blaming every one for their Faults shewing every one their Dangers and warning every one by the Fall of others that went before them to beware of shun and turn from those Evils which brought ruine upon the former But they never joined with fell in with acted with sought or accepted Places of Profit or Trust from any of them which the Fawning Priests and some Professors did and therefore as with very great Truth and Boldness they might and did say all that the Snake has quoted above So with like Truth and Boldness they say more which the Snake has cut out least while he remember'd their Faithfulness his relucting Mind should object his own past Treachery The words as they stand in the place he quotes from are these Treason Treachery and False Dealing we do utterly deny False Dealing Surmising or Plotting against any Creature upon the Face of the Earth and speak the Truth in plainness and singleness of Heart If the Snake could for himself in truth say so much it would be a brave Testimony I come now to a Book of George Bishops Entituled The Warnings of the Lord to the Men of this Generation Printed 1660. Under the Title of which Book because of Directions to two Places at which it was then sold the Snake says they did industriously spread their Treasons But I would know of him why a Warning to Peace Love and Vnity and Caution against Persecution and such this Book is may not at least be disposed of at as many publick Places as his Defamatory Libels or as his Seditious ones was at private Places But now from the Manner of its Disposal we come to the Matter of the Book The Snake begins with p. 27. of this Book and quotes thus p. 228. Beware of falling under this Spirit or of thinking the Breach between you can be healed for I declare it to you from the Lord That it is irreconcileable it cannot it will not be healed Thus far the Snake quotes and by a dash strikes out about three following Lines which are these Yea the day will come and now is wherein it will be said we would have healed Babylon but she would not be healed let us depart every one to his own place And now upon a Consideration of these Lines what more can be the meaning than that that separation and distance which was between the Spirits and Interest of the Conquerors and Conquered was irreconcileable And the Breach of their Contention was such as could not be healed with the peaceable and quiet possession of those who were then uppermost viz. in the Year 1659. which some might then either foolishly hope or wish But now the Snake after his Dash at which he left out the Lines above-mention'd continues his Quotation thus Therefore in the Power and Dread of the Almighty stand and bear over it viz. that Spirit of Persecution which would vainly hope a Reconciliation Crush it to pieces for that Spirit of which G. Bishop is here speaking had persecuted and afflicted and in many ways made Men to suffer for their Tender Consciences Stamp it to Powder i. e that Spirit of Persecution But the Forgery of the Snake is remarkable here for that after the words last above-quoted he puts an c. and then goes on as if what followed in his Quotation did follow in the same order in the Book from which he quotes it but it is far otherwise for the Lines which he here makes to follow do in that Book precede the beginning of his Quotation eleven or twelve Lines and by the like packing and transposing of Lines which this Snake uses a Man may make the Decalogue or the Lords-Prayer speak to answer any purposes which the wicked Projector shall design Ibid. p. 229. Yet in their Declaration to Him the King after his Return p. 7. they Gravely tell Him We are a People that follow after those things that make for Peace and Vnity and which the Snake has left out it is our Desire that others Feet may walk in the same and here the Snake goes on do deny and bear our Testimony against all Strife and Wars and Contentions c. that is says the Snake when they were beaten and cou'd fight no longer First It is notoriously false that the Quakers did Fight or bear Arms in the Year 1659. or any other Year to the opposing of the Restauration Nor indeed was the Restauration brought to pass by Fighting but there was more immediately the Hand of God in it in that without outward Strength the Powers which then were crumbled and broke to pieces as they were often by our Friends foretold they should having in their several Days and Times of Trial been found to encrease that Yoak which was the Original Pretence of their First Opposition to the King And that it was always our Principle to follow after those things that make for Peace and Unity and have desired that others might walk in the same and did bear our Testimony against all Strife and War and Contention c. George Bishop does in this Book of his the Warnings of the Lord testifie where in p. 10. speaking to O. Cromwell and shewing him in what and how far he had regard to him He saith in behalf of Liberty of Conscience which Oliver had before declared to be a Natural Right yet was herein so far darkned as not to establish this Right which once was in his power to have done and therefore G. B. enumerates some of the Sufferings of our Friends to him herein and at the same time tells him what was the nature of that Dispensation which the Quakers were come to which he tells him in these words We who through the unspeakable love of the Father are come to Witness the end of the Wars the Son of God made manifest in the Flesh whose is the Kingdom and the Glory and the Dominion for ever even his Immortal Seed raised and raising up in us by which we are brought to testifie against the World and all the Deceivers therein and against the Fashions and Customs and Works and Deeds thereof that they are Evil as by his Light we have been shewn and by his Blood redeemed therefrom in our own particulars c. And in p. 14. G. B. enumerating some Instances of those whom the Spirit of Persecution had overthrown and the pretences on which they went as Haman to Ahasuerus the Informers against Daniel and the Three Children and the Pretences of the Elders Chief Priests and Scribes against our Saviour as also their pretences against the Apostles under which they would cloak their wickedness hath these words This is what that Spirit viz. of Persecution suggested throughout all Ages on Record in the Scriptures of Truth and with this
if he did not reckon them any part of her ten pound Estate he might if he had sold them somewhat encreased that Ibid. p. 277. Nihil Dicit is Confessing of Judgment c. Supposing Nihil Dicit to be Confessing of Judgment yet that is not our Case we have been far from saying nothing for we have replyed I think to all that Bugg hath writ against us at least while he pretended to bring a Stock of new Charges and so Contentious a Man deserves not to be hearkned to or answered only for his noise sake But now to Nihil Dicit which the Snake says is Confessing of Judgment Sure he unluckily forgot the Suspicions he lay under to which he never yet dare appear to make answer so that Nihil Dicit is Confessing of Judgment Ibid. If they could prove Tythes to be Abrogated by Christ then indeed Bugg 's Impeachment would appear to be Malicious Very well I am contented to put it to that Issue because they have not only been proved heretofore to be abrogated by Christ in the Writings of several of our Friends but herein also as I take it it is fully proved that Christ by coming in the Flesh and offering up himself hath abrogated Tythes And that confirmed by Scripture Reason and Authorities Ibid. It is no Objection that Quakerism has not been voted in St. Stephen 's Chappel as bad things have c. What he means by Quakerism being voted in St. Stephen 's Chappel may seem doubtful yet that the Parliament have given us a Christian Liberty we are truly thankful tho I question not but this Malicious Abdicated Priest is sorry for it But why Snake that scurvy and saucy flurt upon the House of Commons as bad things have Can't the Parliament escape the Lash of this Lurking Snake who by the base treatment he has given to the Reformation in England from Popery and also to the present Government seems to intimate both these to be some of the bad things he flurtingly means to have been voted in St. Stephen 's Chappel This brings me to the end of this Section of Tythes SECT XVIII Shewing that the Pretensions of the Present Quakers as of the Former to the Spirit of Prophecy Infallibility c. is according to and agreeable with the Scriptures of Truth THe Snake that he may encrease the Bulk tho' not the Weight of his Charge does in a Multiform manner repeat the same thing We have before had one Section and that not a very short one Concerning the Quakers Infallibility and another Section Concerning the Quakers Pretence to Immediate Revelation And in both these are included this Section Entituled The Pretensions of the Quakers to the Spirit of Prophecy Infallibility c. In almost every particular Instance which he has here mentioned so that to be distinct and particular in this to all the Parts of it were but to say the same thing over again which would be equally unnecessary both for my self and Reader But if in my way through it I meet with any thing new and not answered before I shall not willingly escape it or pass it over The three first pages and it hath but seven are near all taken up in quibling and foolish unprov'd Reflections not worth a Confutation when they are not dress'd in a false shew of Reasons Garb and then only for this Cause that by Derecting an Enemies false Reasoning he may not be able to deceive or impose upon his Readers which this Snake doth frequently endeavour both by false Relations of fact by false Quotations from our Books by gross known Perversions of our Words and giving meanings to them which were never ours and also by boldly affirming of things utterly false As where he says p. 280. Our present Obstinate Quakers refuse to be brought to disown their own False Prophets We have not refused to Disown and Testifie against any who have spoken falsly in the Name of the Lord No but have according to the Examples of like kind recorded in Holy Writ denied them of which I have already in the Section concerning Infallibility given some instances Ibid. But do still fearlesly go on and pretend themselves to the same Extraordinary Commission of Immediate Divine Revelation That Divine and Immedate Revelation to which we do pretend is no other than that which is declared and held forth in the Scriptures of Truth as I have already shewn Section IV. and which the Snake does acknowledge p. 27 28. In some sense they may be called Revelations and Immediate too And as to Extraordinary Commissions or the Special Manifestations of God to his Children in the Higher Degrees of Immediate Revelation those which we own are not repugnant to the Scriptures but are consistent and agreeable therewith as I have there more largely shewn to which I shall only add that God hath not in the Scriptures of Truth declared or bound himself that he would not any more manifest himself to Men in such special Manifestations or extraordinary Commissions which it is recorded he did give to his Ministers in the breaking forth of the Gospel Dispensation Nay on the contrary the Apostle Peter shewing the People what was the Dispensation of God to Men in the Gospel-day Acts 2.17 18. he saith having reference to the Prophecy of Joel 2.28 And it shall come to pass in the last days saith God I will pour out of my Spirit upon all Flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall Prophesie and your Young Men shall see Visions and your Old Men shall dream Dreams And on my Servants and on my Handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit and they shall Prophesie Are not Etraordinary Commissions herein promised I think there be so that there is not any uncertainty or doubt to know whether such Commissions may be or not Which though the Snake wou'd suggest yet he dare not undertake to prove And therefore chuses to oppose the Spirit of Prophecy in the Servants of God at this day by saying they affix God's Seal Thus saith the Lord to whatever their Rage their Malice or Folly shall suggest This is to affirm but not to prove and unless it be proved it deserves not be believed Ibid. This is nothing short of Blasphemy Rank Wild Blasphemy To affix Thus saith the Lord to Rage Malice or Folly it is indeed as the Snake says nothing short of Rank Blasphemy But that the Quakers do affix Thus saith the Lord to Rage Malice or Folly is nothing short of Rank Lying in the Snake to affirm unless he can prove it It is no Objection to give particular Instances of some that have been called Quakers and have spoken falsly in the Name of the Lord and thence conclude and say therefore none of the Quakers speak truly in the Name of the Lord. For by such undue Inference all the True Prophesies in the Old and New Testament are at once denied and refused as not from the Lord because some
false Prophets did also speak in his Name and say Thus saith the Lord when he sent them not Ibid. p. 281. This is the Prince of the Spirits of Delusion and this Prince they worship for God who mistake his Inspirations for God's Very well I say so too but that the Quakers are they who mistake his Inspirations for God's is Gratis Dictum 't is saying but not proving as more particularly will appear upon the several Instances which the Snake brings The first Instance in this Section is what he calls a Prophetical verse of George Whitehead's with which he says G.W. pursued George Keith after he was denied by us He gives it in these words Thus saith the Lord Because thou hast poured out great Contempt and Reproach upon my Servants and People I will assuredly pour out and bring great Contempt and Confusion upon thee Of this the Snake says p. 282. Copies were given out amongst the Friends that they might admire these Prophetical Gifts and if any thing unfortunate should in all George Keith 's Life-time befall him that it might certainly be esteemed as the Consequence of this Curse What Proof is this that what he calls G. W's Prophetical Verse did proceed from Rage Malice or Folly Or that G. Whitehead hath therein mistaken the Inspirations of the Prince of the Spirits of Delusion for God's See Reader how forward the Snake is to give hard words and how backward to prove them That G. Keith hath with great Contempt and Reproach treated the Quakers is very certain and not only so but hath Contemptuously and Reproachfully spoken many things of that way of Truth which they profess and which himself did also for many years profess with them which practices as it is an apparent mark of Confusion in him so it nâ—â—essarily draws after it Contempt upon the Actor from all Observing Men. So that the Prophetick Verse as the Snake calls it of G. W.'s carries with it many evidences of Truth which plainly shew he did not therein mistake the Inspirations of the Prince of the Spirits of Delusion for God's And which is further seen in that there is no proof given by the Snake that it did proceed from Rage Malice or Folly in G. W. as is falsly and maliciously suggested by the Adversary And as there can nothing more unhappy fall out to G. K. in all his Life-time than to continue and go on from one degree of Confusion to another so that Confusion is not the Consequence of what the Snake calls George Whitehead's Prophetick Verse But that Verse was the Consequence of Confusion began in G. K. Ibid. Mr. Penn did own before the Yearly Meeting That the Glorious Power of God which he felt did so transport him that he was carried beyond himself and knew not whether he was Sitting Standing or Kneeling when he pronounced that Sentence of Apostacy concerning G. K. This was like St. Paul's whether in the Body or out of the Body he could not tell Well! Suppose it is like it I would ask the Snake whether he dare affirm that at this day it is altogether impossible for the Spirit of God to influence any to that degree of Extasie or Rapture If he will deny that or which will answer the end of our Present Inquiry if he will allow that but deny this to be so it will then be necessary for the Snake to produce the marks by which he proves it to be what in p. 283. he hath so confidently said it is viz. the Violent Transports of Passion But if the Force of this Mad Spirit of Malice had not govern'd the Snake he might have seen that while he does acknowledge what he there says W. P. does speak of himself to be like the Apostle This was like says he St. Paul whether in the Body c. and calls W. Penn's words The force of this Mad Spirit of Enthusiasm He does then Intimate that the Apostles words proceeded from the like force And how far this may expose Religion and the whole Scriptures to Loose and Atheistical Wits may concern some to see who are more truly concern'd for the honour of both than he who while he is inquiring How great is the force of this mad Spirit of Enthusiasm Observes not how great is the force of the mad Spirit of Atheism in himself But further I do own with the Snake that this Extasie or Rapture of W. P's is like that of Paul Whether in Body or out of Body he knew not That is they are a-like in Kind but not Degree W. Penn's as the Snake says did relate to the Posture of the Body but the Apostle's was much higher even so as to forget the Body Ibid. p. 283. And he is thus far towards it that he must either make out his own Inspirations to be from God in as High a Degree as those which were given to the Prophets and Apostles or otherwise that he has no Authority to inscribe the name of God upon them as they did The Snake does here as before allow the Inspiration to be the same but falsly supposes W. Penn under a necessity to make it out to be in as High a Degree which he is not because the Operation of it on W. Penn the Snake says was not in so High a Degree as on the Apostle And while the Snake does falsly suppose that the Inspirations from God at this day must be made out to be in as High a Degree as those which were given to the Prophets and Apostles Or else his name is not to be inscrib'd on them Besides that the Snake does hereby overthrow what in Pref. p. 31. he calls The greatest Flights and Extasies of Devotion and which he there advises to let Rise as High as they can the Higher the better He does also overthrow all that Enthusiasm which he says the Church of England owns for these he hath acknowledged to be Revelations and in some sense immediate too Yet here he says they are not so to be inscrib'd unless they are in as High a Degree as those given to the Prophets and Apostles Which I think he will hardly presume to affirm But altho' this Adversary is thus Contradictory to himself by denying and affirming the same thing yet Truth remains unmoveable and the Inspirations of the Holy Spirit at this day in what Degree soever they are given are truly the same in kind with those given to the Holy Prophets and Apostles In that now as then God by the divers Gifts of his Spirit doth fit furnish and qualifie his Children and Servants to the several Duties and Services in his Church to which he calleth them Ibid. He must likewise justifie all the False Lying Prophesies before told or otherwise he must unherd W. P. is not obliged to defend False Lying Prophesies but deny them nor doth he Herd as the Snake scornfully speaks with any such Ibid. p. 284. Gives two Quotations one for G. F's Answer to The Westmerland
he sheweth that the Devil on a time Assaulted him not in visible Form but by dreadful Suggestions in his Conscience as it were thus calling him to remembrance These many Years thou hast said Mass thou hast shew'd up Bread and Wine to be Worshipped as God yet now thou knowest it was a Creature and not God thereof follow'd Idolatry and thou wert the Cause thereof All these things he saw to be true by the Testimony and Light of his own Conscience and therefore confess'd he had offended and yielded himself unto God The Devil's purpose was to lead him to Despair but God mercifully deliver'd him If he think it so heinous a Matter for a Godly Man to be vex'd by the Devil perhaps he will also find some fault with Christ who was carried by the Devil into the Mount or with St. Paul that had the Angel of Satan to buffet him Thus the Bishop who seems to have had another Sense of this Matter than this our Adversary I shall only add to this before I come to his particular Instances to my Reader That if any Person Professing Unity with us in whom was began the work of Reformation hath not abode Faithful but run into the Temptations of the Enemy and hath had freakish Actions and Gestures and loose and wild Imaginations and have Falsly and Blasphemously Ascrib'd them to be the Operations of the Spirit of God We are not accountable for them as the Apostle was not for those in his time who were given up to strong Delusion because they receiv'd not the Truth in the Love of it All that we find the Apostle did to them that we have done to such that is testifie against them and their ways For we do not own such Inspirations as have not for their Origen the Holy Spirit and are warranted by the Scriptures of Truth I come now to the Snake's Instances His first is thus p. 288. John Gilpin of Kendal in Westmerland has given us a strange and wonderful account of his own Possession by the Devil while he was a Quaker in a Book which he Entituled The Quakers shaken Printed 1653. In Answer to this there was Published in that same Year 1653 a Book Entituled The Standard of the Lord c. to which Book E. Burroughs writ the Epistle to the Reader In which speaking of this same John Gilpin p. 2. he saith By hearing of the Truth declared through the Witness in his own Conscience he was Convinced of the Everlasting Truth c. This was very well but it seems he continued not under that Convincement for he ran out into Airy Imaginations and Imitations as E. B. saith who speaking further of him says I was mov'd to go to see him and his Will was at liberty got above the Judgment though the Judgment was upon the head of the Beast in him and a true Power working but his Will not being kept in Subjection it led him into Impatiency and into Rebelling against the Lord who was made manifest to destroy the unruly Will and wandring Mind And then I did declare against him and shewed him the deceit where it lodged in him Thus E. B. who it hereby appears did shew the Man his state and did also deny him and his doings But the Matter issu'd thus This Gilpin continu'd to go on in that same Rebellion of which E. B. speaks so that he quite run from under the Judgment and Gilpin in this his worst Estate endeavoured with the help of the then Priest of Kendal in a Book Publish'd under Gilpin's Name to charge the Wicked and Blasphemous Actions and Sayings which he had been guilty of upon that Principle of the Light of Christ in Men which the Quakers Profest though Gilpin being Charg'd with it did deny it in these Words I have neither written nor spoken any thing against the Quakers So that by this it should seem the Book was writ by the Priest and Gilpin's Name put for a Cover And if it had not been so but that Gilpin did really write it there was a fair opportunity given them to have prov'd it because the Words above-mentioned spoke by Gilpin were Publish'd in the Answer before-mention'd Entituled The Standard of the Lord c. which came forth in the same Year which that Book Subscrib'd by Gilpin did Ibid. Attested by the then Mayor of Kendal the Minister of Kendal and several other Persons It was not strange that the Mayor of Kendal should be procur'd to Subscribe what the Priest had so eminent a Hand in though he owns it no further than a Fellow Subscriber But as this was an early Instance viz. 1653. wherein the Priest did lead the Civil Magistrate into such a Mistake which a prudent Inquiry wou'd have prevented so we have often since found they have endeavoured to Ride the Civil Power blindly into Mistakes and Prejudices against us and where such have been able to Hood-wink a Magistrate we have seldom found so little disadvantage from it as is the setting his Name to Partial and Untrue Relations of Fact In fine the Case is thus Gilpin as before related was once under a Convincement of Truth but he abode not under the Judgment of God manifested in him for Sin but started aside as a broken Bow He got into Wild Blasphemous and Airy Whimsies and Notions In all this he was presently denied and testified against For Edw. Burroughs did while this Gilpin was under these Extravagancies deny him and we were sufficiently discharg'd of him And what may further shew the Degeneracy of the Man was the Dissoluteness of his After-time for some Actions of which a Warrant was it seems Issuâ—d out for his Apprehension but he like this Snake ran away from it as is express'd in the Book aforesaid which was writ in Answer to him The Snake's next Story is of one James Milner mention'd p. 66. fore-going This Man and some others did as the former start aside from under the Judgment but the Event was not the same as is seen in G. F's Journal p. 103. where speaking of this Man and his Condition he saith James Milner and some of his Company had true Openings at the first but getting up into Pride and Exaltation of Spirit they run out from Truth I was sent for to them and was mov'd of the Lord to go and shew them their Goings forth And they came to see their Folly and Condemn'd it and came into the way of Truth again That he did see and condemn his Folly was very well and it was yet better for him that he return'd into the way of Truth Ibid. p. 289. But then as an Excuse for his false Prophesies and his Blasphemies in calling himself Christ c. he G. F. makes this Comical Apology In some things his mind runn'd out and that he Condemns and yet these wicked Men will go tell the Nation of it Great Mystery Page 298. It is not very Comical but very Provoking to find one who
of God the Unity of the Church and the Good of Souls But to his Flouting Question What will become of the First Quaker Infallibility I Answer Nothing but well because as I have largely shewn in the Section particularly treating of Infallibility neither the First Quakers nor the Present have ever placed Infallibility in any Man or Men but only in the Spirit of God And the Manifestations of this being given by the Mediation of Jesus Christ to lead Men to Heaven it is absolutely necessary that it be able on it's part Infallibly to answer the End for which it is given Well but if it be asked How comes the Voice of the Lord not to be distinctly discerned Since the Spirit of God is Infallible in its Manifestations to Men Why the Answer is ready because when the Mind is Hurried and Tossed and in the deep Exercise and Affliction because of its condition it cannot yet come to have so clear a discovery and so distinct discerning of the Voice and Will of God as afterwards in its further Growths in his Grace and Truth And the different attainments of such who are turned into the Way of the Lord the Apostle hath exprest by going on from one Degree of Grace unto Another Ibid. p. 297. It seems these Hurryings and Tossings did not come from the Holy Spirit of God The Effects of the Work of the Power and Spirit of God binding the Strong Man and purging out the Old Leaven does much agree with that which is described by the Prophet 1 Kings 19.11 12. and hath sometimes been as with a Great and Strong Wind sometimes as with an Earthquake sometimes as with a Fire before the Still Small Voice hath been heard And the Rage of the Enemy as P. L. saith is not small against the Soul which is redeeming from under his Captivity but endeavours to raise Hurryings and Tossings whereby the mind might be so darkn'd as not distinctly to discern the Voice of the Lord. Now again for Stories And there the Snake bestows 3 Pages about a Story bearing date the 19th of the 8th Month 1654. related by one whom he is contented pro hac vice to call a Minister because his Narration is against the Quakers But when that is over then with all the rest of the Dissenters he is with the Snake but as the Spawn of the Viper But to take him in his Character of Minister He was a Seventh-Day Baptist named Tho. Tillam sometime Resident in the County of Durham where he was Pastor to a People but they because of his Wickedness and Filthiness did cast him out and deny him This same Minister such a one in many respects as the Snake came up to London and wanting Induction to some place he apply'd himself to the then Commissioners for approving and giving Induction such as they then used to Ministers this T. Tillam from them gets a Place in Essex about Colchester and here it is that he spreads this Report This Report one Gyles Firmin another such Minister takes up and puts at the end of a Book of his which he writ against the Quakers and printed 1656. To this Edw. Burroughs did writ an Answer printed the same Year wherein he does positively deny both this Story of Tillam's and that other of Firmin's which the Snake mentions and says it is a Lye Then it was Incumbent upon the Snake's two Ministers Tillam and Firmin to have brought out their Testimonials of the Truth of what they had said but no such thing came nay indeed one of them could not stay for that purpose for he Scandalously run away from his Charge here in Essex to which he had been Inducted as before he was thrown out of his Charge in Durham because of his Scandalous Carriage in it As Witnesses yet living do testifie Snake p. 304. Since the Publishing the 1st Edition of this Book there has been published an astonishing account of some Quaker Witches who prosecuted one Henry Winder and his Wife for their Lives accusing them of Murder from the Mouth of the Lord. And since the Publication of the Snake an Answer hath been published thereto entituled An Old Apostate Exposed manifesting the great Wickedness and Uncleanness of the said H. W. to his lasting Shame and Confusion of Face and had he not been under strange Delusions and hardness of Heart he could hardly have been drawn by his abettors to have given such occasion to make his abominable Actions publick But so great is the Malice of the Snake and such like envious Men that even their own Shame will not deter them from venting their Malice but let them reap the Fruit of their doings and let 's hear the Snake further Ibid. One of them being examined how this Revelation came to her said she could not tell but she was sure it began in her Feet See what Idle and Ridiculous Stories this Snake licks up surely if Satan's Delusions had not began in his Malicious Heart he had never been brought so to vent it with his Pen. Ibid. But the Snake goes on to give an account of matters notoriously infamous of which the said H. W. was by these two Women accused Wherein whether the Women were altogether Wrong and how far the said Winder was Guilty God knows However for some satisfaction to the Moderate Reader hear the said Winder and his Wife what they said then viz. about 1674. under their hands as it is related by T. Cam in the aforesaid Answer p. 6. We acknowledge and confess that we have sinned and transgressed against the Lord God and against his People who have born grievous Burthens for us we must needs confess before you But this know dear Friends that the Enemy wrought in a Mystery in us to the persuading of us that we might do such things and yet live Then through the weakness of the Flesh Sin took occasion and overcame us then Sin being finished it brought forth Death to the Innocent Life which we once lived in Here it 's plain from H. W's own Confession he had been about some foul piece of Work then though now a fit Tool for the Snake's turn However let 's a little further view the account of H. W's matter as we have it in the Old Apostate Exposed page 9 10. I shall now add what is so notoriously known in the Neighbourhood that though the said H. W. be greatly hardned yet I presume he cannot have a Face to deny relating to their great Uncleanness for which they were denyed of us c. So that it seems before H. W. was fit for this Snake's Communion he was fit to be expell'd ours But since the Snake has him let 's shew him further what he has got Old Apostate Exposed p. 10. The said H. W. had her that is now his Wife so great with Child in his first Wife's days that there was but about Six Weeks betwixt the Death of his first Wife and the Birth of that Child However
Spirit through the Flaming Sword into the Paradise of God c. And I do Testifie there is no other way to come into it than by obeying the Teachings of Jesus Christ and this Obedience is so far from raising any mad Joy as the Snake does Blasphemously call it that it is Impossible for a Man to have more evident Demonstration of any thing in the World than he may have of his future Happiness if he grows up in Obedience and Faithfulness to Jesus Christ the way that leads to it Ibid. He tells as a wonderful opening to repeat his Cant which the Lord gave to him thus p. 5. About the beginning of the Year 1646 as I was going to Coventry and entring towards the Gate a Consideration arose in me how it was said That all Christians were Believers both Protestants and Papists And the Lord open'd to me that if all were Believers then were all born of God Here was a mighty Discovery And after all the Snake's Prophane Banter of Wonderful Opening and Mighty Discovery It is a great Truth and it was a wonderful Opening in John the Apostle where he testifies 1 John 5.4 Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World and this is the Victory that overcometh the World even your Faith This Divine Truth when it was again opened to G. F. by the Openings of the same Holy Spirit did well deserve to be mentioned by him to shew the Unity and Harmony that there is in its Discoveries the same may be said with respect to that other Opening from the Lord mentioned by the Snake p. 334. which G. Fox mentions p. 5. of his Journal That being bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not enough to fit and qualifie Men to be Ministers of Christ. Which is agreable to what the Apostle testifies Gal. 1.11 12. But I certifie you Brethren that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after man for I neither received it of man neither was I taught it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. What the Apostle does here certifie the Primitive Christians concerning his Commission it pleased God to open to G. Fox was the way and means by which all that were truly his Ministers came to be such And tho' the Snake would suggest and insinuate as if the contrary was never the belief of any one Man in the World It is false nor can those who receive their Ordination from Men either after the mode of the Church of England or otherwise say they neither received it of Man nor were taught it but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Ibid. p. 335. He tells p. 6. at another time it was opened in me That God who made the World did not dwell in Temples made with Hands And this at the first seem'd a Strange Word because both Priests and People use to call their Temples or Churches Dreadful Places and Holy Ground Thus G. Fox upon which the Snake adds a Prophane Lie It seems Fox did not know before but that God dwelt in a Church as a Man does in a House so as to be lock'd up and to be no where else when he was there No Snake there seems no such thing of G. F. but if the People who continue to call them Dreadful Places and Holy Ground do know no better their Superstitious Ignorance if it be as described by the Snake will much of it be laid to the Priests Charge who have so blindly led the People But if none of all this Gross Blindness there is yet a Reprovable Misapprehension not grounded upon any Example or Authority from the Gospel-Day so far as it 's recorded in the New Testament That is calling their Churches Dreadful Places and Holy Ground from a supposition that after their Consecration there is a kind of Inhabitation or more Immediate and Powerful Presence of God in them by vertue of it This Reprovable Misapprehension as Peoples Minds did continue under it so they were therein liable to let it increase to a Superstitious Reverence And God in the Calling Forth of his Servant did in this as in other things open his Understanding and let him see according to the Testimony of the Proto-Martyr Acts 7.48 The Most High dwelleth not in Temples made with hands And he there further shews that Consecrations of Houses are vain Nor indeed is there from the Authority of the New Testament any Holiness to be attributed to Place The Doctrine there deliver'd is 1 Cor. 3.16 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and agreeable to this is 1 Cor. 6.19 2 Cor. 6.16 Ibid. And such are all his Discoveries all his New Light even this Fundamental Distinguishing Principle of the Quakers of the Light within The Discoveries before-mentioned I have shewn to be agreeable to the Scripture and the Snake hath been so far from offering to prove them otherwise that he would have it supposed they are the Concessions of every Man in his Right Wits Where is then the Objection Why they are Truths of Common Notice or in the Snake's Prophane Railery they are Notable Discoveries the Commonest Notions in the World which G. F. has here taken for Supernatural Revelations and because the Snake supposes them to have been the Common Knowledge of Mankind therefore he Concludes they were no Openings from the Spirit of Truth in G. Fox But this is a false Conclusion because he may find in Holy Writ that the Supernatural Revelations Discoveries and Openings which it hath pleased God to give to particular Persons have frequently been such Truths Thus the Apostle Paul had a Supernatural Revelation in answer to his Petition My Grace is sufficient for thee 2 Cor. 12.9 And I would know of the Snake who then there was that had received the Christian Faith that did not believe as much And had the Corinthians been as Blasphemously Prophane as this our Adversary they might have queried in his words p. 335. Why so sottishly Ignorant as to take the Commonest Notions in the World for such Wonders such Supernatural Revelations But how common or mean soever this Snake may judge many of those Truths to be which the Holy Spirit hath and doth at this day reveal and discover upon the Spirits of those who are obedient to it in the Openings which it gives of the Scriptures I must needs say that were it possible for a Man Distinctly to remember and repeat the whole Old and New Testament so that all the Truths therein contained were of easie and common notice to him yet the advantage he would thence reap would be nothing in comparison to the advantage he may reap from having but some of the Truths therein recorded opened upon his Spirit by the Holy Spirit which did at first Dictate them And the Reason is because men cannot be made Holy by Imitation but only by Regeneration which as it is the work of the Holy Spirit so that work is began in what the Scripture calls the Day of Small Things The first
it not been thrown in my way by his first crying out Thief Thief The Snake hath in this Section made very many scornful and false Comparisons according to his title between G. Fox Muggleton and Oliver's Porter which is but a repetition of somewhat of the same kind in the beginning of his Libel and which I have replied to from p. 33 to 36. it being there somewhat Argumentative and the Enlargement which he here makes together with the Addition of Oliver's Porter in the Comparison has so much of Scandal to all the Pretences of Religion that his Impudence deserves no other Answer than Silence nor himself any other treatment than as a Person very Contemptible even as the Scandal of Religion and the bane of Society In that against the Experience of many Thousands of our Friends against the knowledge of very many Persons of all Ranks amongst whom are some of Chief Note and Dignity who are not of Us before whom and with whom G. Fox for Forty or more Years even to his Death had occasion to converse Towards all which Persons his Sobriety of Life Peaceable Behaviour Exemplary Conversation in Godliness and Humility was evident Demonstration that he acted both as became a Man and a Christian Should yet after his Death be by this Incendiary listed with a Known Mad-Man and Profest Libertine I come now to Consider of a Letter which the Snake gives at the end of his Libel which he says is Spelt and Pointed according to the Original and of which he gives some bits before in p. 115. And here I have to say that what he calls John Audland's Letter I have many Reasons to believe is none of his For First Some former Adversaries have as the Snake p. 115. pretended to give some Pieces of it but have contradicted one another as to the Matter of it by which contradiction in terms it is fully shewn that they could not all be right as they have pretended they were Secondly As to the Spelling and Pointing of it it is so far from being agreeable to John Audland in other of his Writings that it hath many plain marks of being Spurious because he was Correct in both and did understand Orthography better than is shewn in this pretended Letter Thirdly This Pretended Letter from J. Audland to G. Fox was not so well contriv'd but that the Forgers who have heretofore given it with a date have made it bear date from Bristol Anno 1665. This was a very unlucky oversight which as it cannot be now mended so it absolutely overthrows the pretence of its being his because John Audland was buried in Westmerland the 24th of the 1st Month March 1663. being the last day of that Year So that it appears he was dead about two years before the Date of the Pretended Letter But Lastly John Audland has in a Collection of Books and Epistles writ some by himself and some by him and John Camm and of which we have undoubted Proof that they are genuine giving very many Testimonies of his Clear and Christian Principle Holy Reverence and Honour to Jesus Christ according to Holy Writ which do effectually shew that it was far from him to attribute Divine Honours to G. Fox or any Man Some of which Testimonies I shall here subjoin from that Collection c. Collection c. p. 180. I must walk according to the Commands of Christ and his Apostles Ibid. p. 188. Walking in the Spirit which mortifies the Deeds of the Flesh being subject to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ here is rest to the Soul Ibid. p. 190. We see the way of Life to all that believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus Ibid. p. 202. The Jews had a Law by which they judged the Holy One that he ought to die Ibid. p. 222. We find acceptance with God through Jesus Christ. Ibid. p. 287. They the Holy Prophets Prophesied of Christ who was born not by the Will of Man supposed to be the Son of Joseph which was the Son of God These with very many more Plain and Voluntary Confessions of J. A. to the very Christ of God in that Collection of Books c. do fully shew that he was very far from owning any such Blasphemy or Idolatry as the Snake does suggest Besides what I have now here said both in opposition to the Pretended Letter and also by Quotation from that Book of John Audlands hath been before spoken to by G.W. in his Just Inquiry printed 1693. which the Snake ought to have invalidated if he could before he repeated these Objections of other Adversaries What I have herein said hath been with purpose to remove that False and Envious Covering which the Snake in his several Charges hath endeavoured to cover Us with Reader As thou shalt have read it with an Impartial Mind thou wilt then be able to make a true Judgment how far my End is Answer'd As for what follows it is G. W's own Defence in Answer to the Snake's particular Objections to him in what he calls Remarks upon G. W 's Creed and a Supplement upon Occasion of G. W's Answer to the Snake in the Grass lately Published A Supplement upon occasion of what the Snake calls Remarks upon G. W 's Creed and in Reply to the Supplement in the Snake upon occasion of G. W's Antidote c. in Answer to the First Edition of The Snake in the Grass By George Whitehead SECT XXII A Reply to what the Author stiles Some Remarks upon George Whitehead's Creed Relating to some of the Particulars beforegoing taken out of the Antidote c. THe nameless Author of the Snake in the Grass having vented his and others Venome and great Spite against the People called Quakers in General and divers Particulars by Name Now to compleat his Design of great Envy he must put forth his Sting and have a fling and fit of Hissing like an angry Snake or as one that Whispers out of the Dust Isa. 29.4 against the said G. W. I being the Person aim'd at may now briefly answer for Truth and for my self as concerned 2. The word Creed he imposes upon me 'T was no formal Creed or Summary of our Faith though real Truths by way of Positions in the affirmative as a Christian Testimony in direct Opposition to F. B's great Abuse false Charge and Perversions which with a negative Testimony against him therein are both adapted to answer his own Terms Words and Phrases that our Testimony and Positions might be the more apparent against his Abuse and Perversions for I know no Adversary that I find fault with but I can freely and in good Conscience assert my own Sense in the Matters in Controversie as well as oppose his tho' it be not in the manner of a formal Creed yet true in it self for we should have numerous Creeds if all Positions we write in Opposition to Opposers must be esteemed Creeds or Summaries and Confessions of our Faith nevertheless we believe
the Reproaches Detractions Contempt and Scorn cast upon my self by the Author are of less value or weight as to me seeing the Rancour Envy and Foulness of the Spirit from whence they proceed And I always thought my self more obliged in Truth 's Vindication than my own Personal Reputation having long been arm'd with so much of Christian Faith Patience and Good-will to my Enemies as Patiently to endure Persecutions by Reproach and cruel Mocking as well as I have endured by Imprisonments and other Hardships And now I do not believe the Author of the Snake says true That he is very well pleas'd with the said Answer I am persuaded the contrary That he is very much vex'd by having his Falshoods in many things so much detected as they are in the Answer or Antidote His following Reason for his being so very well pleas'd with the said Answer is as notoriously false as the rest of his Lies viz. Because it confirms all the Matters of Fact to every purpose and intent for which they were produced To evince the Falshood whereof I refer the Ingenuous Reader to the said Antidote for his Impartial Perusal I doubt not but this Man's Purpose and Intent in producing the Matters of Fact alledged against us was chiefly that they should be given Credit to and that the People called Quakers their Ministers especially might lie under all his gross and foul Imputations and Defamations of being Diabolically Inspired and Possess'd Deluded Bewitched Blasphemers Rebels Traytors c. How monstrous and improbable then is it that I by opposing these Matters of Fact charg'd should write to confirm them against our selves And his following Words are most notoriously false viz. That he i. e. G. W. had not detected One False Quotation of all that I have brought out of their Books With what Conscience could this Person so confidently thus Assert That G. W. has not detected One False Quotation c. Either he has read my said Answer or he has not If he has read it he must be a shameful Man herein if he has not he must be guilty of great Folly and Injustice And farther to Detect his notorious and foul Falshood in this I 'll produce a few Instances of his many more false Quotations detected in my Answer Antidote p. 15.16 That one of the Orders given forth by their Yearly Meeting 1693. Commands that None shall carry Guns in their Ships This is prov'd a false Quotation in my Answer quoted 2. Antidote p. 17. That in the Answer to F. Bugg 's Impeachment they i. e. the Quakers would persuade us That All they have said against the Payment of Tythes was Only meant by them to the Popish Clergy but by no means against the Right of the Church of England to their Tythes This is plainly detected as a False Quotation as in my Answer 't is declared This is Partially and Wrongfully Stated Our Answer to F. Bugg plainly shews our Conscientious Dissatisfaction with Tythes in general and the forcing thereof now in this Gospel-Day by any Clergy whatsoever as not consistent with the Practice of Christ's Ministers or Testimony of divers Martyrs c. See Antidote p. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. 3. Antidote p. 25 26. That G. Fox Professed and Avowed that he was equal with God that he Profess'd himself to be the Eternal Judge of the World Which is also a False Charge and Quotation against G. F. who being charg'd by his Persecutors with Professing himself to be equal with God Positively denies the Charge as not so spoken as that G. F. was equal with God but that the Father and the Son are one and that Christ and the Holy Spirit are equal with God Saul's Errand p. 5 6. Vid. Just Enquiry p. 12. 4. Antidote p. 35 36. Abusing the Scriptures by the contemptible Names of beastly Ware c. Which is false both in Charge and Quotation and over and over detected in Answer to his Author F. Bugg 5. Antidote p. 43. That G. Whitehead in his Serious Apology p. 49. prefers not only their Writings but their ex tempore Preachments and even All whatsoever they speak upon any account to the Holy Scriptures themselves This also is notoriously false both in Charge and Quotation as is manifest in my Answer Antidote p. 43. viz. He very perversly wrongs G. Whitehead in all these Expressions for there 's not a Word of Preferring our Writings to the Holy Scriptures much less of all whatsoever we speak thereto but a preferring the Holy Spirit and its Immediate Teaching In Man to the Letter of the Scripture and Preaching in the true Sense of the Spirit with Divine Power and Authority according as Christ did to the bare reading the Letter as the Pharisees did I may further add without offence or under-valuing the Holy Scripture or Godly Doctrine therein contain'd that I verily believe St. Paul and other Apostles Preaching in the Demonstration of the Holy Spirit and Power of Christ was of far greater Efficacy Power and Authority for the Converting People to Christ than the Priests reading their Writings or making a Trade of them as they do in these Days 6. Antidote p. 59 60. That they i. e. the Quakers give to themselves and to one another the most peculiar Titles of Christ as that of the Branch and the Star and the Son of God which he says are Attributed to G. Fox and which he takes to himself Quoting New Rome Arraign'd p. 33 34. And the Quakers Vnmask'd and New Rome unmask'd Referring the Reader to those Books of Fran. Bugg's which he has Quoted upon the Margent as he saith Here this Credulous Adversary has accepted and promoted Bugg's False Quotation and Charge against us though over and over detected as his Notorious Refuted Lies which this Adversary is as 't is told him in the Antidote so shamefully credulous of and that we positively deny giving those peculiar Titles of Christ to our selves or to one another as he falsly Prates and Bugg has been over and over Charg'd therewith and cannot Prove them i. e. that we give those said Titles either to G. F. or to one another and that G. Fox is not so much as mentioned in that Epistle of E. Burroughs out of which those Titles the Branch the Star and the Sun of Righteousness are taken which are peculiar and intended to Christ and no other Serious Reader these few Instances of our Adversaries false Quotation besides many more which are clearly Detected in my said Antidote in Answer to him I hope are sufficient to evince his Falshood in Asserting That Geo. Whitehead has not detected One false Quotation that he has brought out of our Books When the contrary is evident that he has both made and accepted many false even grosly false Quotations pretended out of our Books c. And if to detect such was the only proper Answer that could have been given as he says then he had that proper Answer at least in
Spirit of God is measurably given or manifested to Men in order for the purifying their Consciences from Dead Works to serve the Living God And if the Snake can from Scripture prove these with all the other Texts speaking of the Spirit of God in Man are to be understood of some Secondary Agent or that the Holy Spirit is such then his term may be allowed till then we rather choose to keep to the Language of Holy Writ and must own that the Holy Spirit of God measurably manifested to Men is to every particular Man in himself the only true Foundation and Principle of Religion And such who have not this Foundation for their Religion can do no more with respect to the things of God than as the Apostle says make a fair shew in the Flesh. This is also plainly the sense of W. S's Catechism p. 57. Ibid. p. 147. Yet to make it exceeding plain that the Quakers do not believe that Christ has any other Body or other Humanity than that Spiritual or Allegorical Body or what ever they mean by it which they say he has within them In E. B 's works p. 149. This Question is asked in these plain and peremptory terms Is that very Man with that very Body within you yea or nay And the Answer is as plain The very Christ of God is within us we dare not deny him And E. B. adds which the Snake has cut off as hath been before shewn We are Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bone as the Ephesians were Eph. 5.13 Now I will grant the Snake that this Answer is not only plain but also true and dare him to deny it if he can we having for Authority herein not only Eph. 5.30 but a Cloud of Scripture Testimonies But it is exceeding plain that the Snake tells a Lye when he says that E. B. does in this Answer say that the Manhood of Christ which Suffered and Dyed upon the Cross was Buried did gloriously Arise and Ascend into Heaven where he hath now a bodily existence is in that bodily existence within us No E. B. says Christ was in us as he was in the Ephesians that is Spiritually unless the Snake will have it to be exceeding plain that the Holy Apostle does there mean by Body Flesh and Bone that which he took of the Virgin And if he will so have it it will be exceeding plain that he perverteth the Text as much as he does E. B's words But further Reader as exceeding plain as the Snake does falsly say it is that we deny the bodily existence of Christ without us in Heaven He confesses his Ignorance of our Belief not knowing what to determine herein whether it be other Humanity than that Spiritual or Allegorical Body or what ever they mean by it Yet for all this his Cloudiness and Ignorance herein he does exceeding plainly and in most peremptory terms bely and abuse us for we do and always have acknowledged and believed the bodily existence of Christ without us as he ascended into Heaven yet do also say he is Spiritually within us Of which is further spoken p. 213. foregoing Ibid. p. 147. They have of late brought G. F 's Blasphemous Journal into the Publick Meeting-House at the Savoy c. That G. F's Journal is Blasphemous remains to be proved unless we will take for proof the Snake's having as he says p. 16. Boldly and Impudently as well as falsly averred it for better or truer he has not to give That it was so lately brought to the Savoy Meeting-House there is a very good reason which is that it was but lately Printed Ibid. p. 148. This is an Honour they never yet vouchsaf'd to the Holy Scriptures which are not to be seen in their Meetings This is a notorious Lye for it is no greater Honour than is frequently vouchsaf'd to use his terms to the Holy Scripture Ibid. p. 148. And it was a bold effort in G. K. to bring a Bible into his Meeting at Turners-Hall and reckoned by his opposites as a sign of his turning back again to the Priests way of Worship How bold G. K's effort was in so doing I shall leave the Snake and him to agree but what was and is to us a sign of his Backsliding is his having very much turned his back upon that Profession of the Light of Jesus Christ which he hath heretofore professed Ibid. p. 148. In their Publick Schools particularly that great one at Wansworth near London Portions of this G. Fox 's Journal are enjoyned to the Scholars to be read every day but never a Chapter out of the Bible that is Beastly ware with them Dust and Death and Serpents Meat The Publick ought to take some care of this in pity to their poor Souls This I cautioned before in Satan Disrob'd but repeat it here because it is material It is indeed Reader very material that a Man should with so hardened a forehead tell Lyes and repeat them and that with design as himself declares to make the Publick the Executioner to his wicked designs and be himself thus the Trumpeter to Disturbance I say this is very material but that nothing material or true is in what he hath said as above I shall Reader prove I hope to thy Satisfaction And first Generally for our Publick Schools which the Snake upon his own Authority without Proof hath so charged I do as generally charge him with a Lye in that his Assertion and my single denial is at least of equal Authority with his single charge if he will name particulars I shall also as in this his particular Instance disprove it by Certificates under the hands of Persons who are not Quakers and who being near Neighbours and in the School often do full well know the practice of it The first Certificate and which next follows is from a French Protestant who Teacheth the French Language in that School Be it known unto all People to whom these lines may come that for more than four Years I have been conversant in the School of Richard Scoryer at Wansworth in the County of Surry My Station in his said School is Teaching the French Language And I solemnly testify that in the aforesaid School the Scriptures are frequently read by his Scholars and I never did perceive the least appearance of slight or disesteem shewed either by the said R. S. or any belonging to his School unto the Holy Scriptures In Testimony to the Truth hereof I have subscribed my name this 22 d day of August 1698. James Barhays The following is a Certificate from several reputable Men Inhabitants of that Town not Quakers who have knowledge of the Laudable Practice of that School herein We whose names are hereunto subscribed Inhabitants of the Parish of Wansworth in the County of Surry do hereby Certify that there is not in the said Parish any Publick School commonly called or known by the Name of the Quakers School except that