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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	faith_n	grace_n	8,077	5	5.8830	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

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

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

People of God Quakers in this Age is greater sufferings and more unjust than in the Days of Christ or the Apostles F. B. 273. what was done to Christ or the Apostles was chiefly done by a Law and in great part by the due executing of a Law Answer Surely this must be a great mistake in Ed. Burrows for 〈◊〉 Quak●● 〈◊〉 I can hear of had his Hands and Feet N●●●● to a Tree o● a Cross and there hang till Death as the hard Hearted Romans did by the Jews procurement of ha●der Hearts Crucify our ever Blessed Saviour and also we read that three of his followers suffered so as Phillip Andrew and Simon and that John was thrown into a T●n of Scalding Oil and by the Power of Jesus Christ took no hurt and likewise Mark the Evangelist it 's said had a Rope tyed about his Neck and was drawn through the Streets of Alexandria until his Flesh was re●● in 〈◊〉 They that are false Preach Christ without William Smiths Primer P. 8. and bid People believe in him as he is in Heaven above But if we make but a small amendment say you in P. 220 of the word only and then read it thus They that are false Preach Christ without and bid People believe in him only as he is in Heaven very good Then George Whitehead now that you have found out the way of amendments thou mayest do well to follow on to the end that none may Write more against it As First begin in P. 65. in thy Truth defending the Quakers and there use the word only as That Faith in Christ without Men is contrary to the Apostles Doctrine And so it greatly behoves th●● to do ●●●ing thou hast given such a large Testimony to Christ without us in P. 544 in the Switch contrary to what thou hast formerly Printed and yet in all thy large Confession thou dost not own him now to be in Heaven without us in the true nature of Man and in the true and re●● Body wherein he suffered that he will come again in that Body without us to Judge the Quick and the Dead at the last Day And if thou wilt by the help of Divine Grace make a Book of Retractions of all things that 's contrary to the Doctrines of Christ Jesus in Holy Scripture in thi●● and other Friends Books and get the Members of the second Days Meeting in London to sign it it will as I may say take the Weapons out of the Hands of all those tha● say The Quakers hold damnable Errors I am not without hope but that thou mayest be an Instrument in this good work which if thou lives to see it accomplished thou wilt leave a 〈…〉 behind thee for thou m●●t needs acknowledge thou art subject to 〈…〉 w●ll as Samuel Eliab and Elijah who you say in P. 497. were viz. Good Men 〈◊〉 s●nne true Prophets also have been mistaken in some things and have had their weakness and failings Sam. 16.16 1 Kings 18.18 Rom. 11.3 4. And further in P. 229. That we have always readily offered and submitted our words and writings to the Testimony of Holy Scripture c. If this you really intend then do you choose three or four of the learned'st Quakers to meet with such a number of the soberest Ministers of the Church of England seeing you acknowledge their Creed is Orthodox to help to make a Book of Retractions But if you still hold that none can rightly judge of Doctrines whether they are according to Scripture or no without the same degree of Gods Spirit as the Prophets and the Apostles had the Controversie will not end except you will acknowledge you have it in that degree The good Physitian saith one will try the Apothecaries Drugs ere he make use of them for his Patients Body And shall we not try the ingredients of that Religion by the Holy Scriptures which is accounted the Physick of our Souls If the Gold be pure why fears it the Touchstone Therefore be not backward to come to the Test and for your Assistance take those above and if you see some failings in them judge not that they are not accepted of God for small failings not be so uncharitable as E. B. seems to be in P. 32. of his works and P. 73. in the Switch viz. That God doth not accept of any where there is any failing c. I have more Charity for our Antient friend Isaac Pennington above mentioned that he was accepted of God tho' he had failings for after he had Writ Queries that strengthened some Men in the keeping on their Hats in Prayer time retracted it saying viz. God knows saith he I did not willingly mistake Nay truly the Power was upon me when I wrote those Queries but I did not understand the signification thereof Jud. and the Jews P. 69. Therefore we have no need to boast that we have a Spirit given us beyond all our forefathers Gre. Mist P. 89. In Brief a Man that does but once tell you G. W. c. of your mistakes that they might be amended had need have the same Armour of Grace in his Heart as little David had when he encountered Great Goliah yea as bold as Davids Worthies were who ventured their Lives to fetch Water from the Philistians Camp to be sure you will scoff at him at a high rate Wound or Kill him as you account that Crisp Bug Keith c. are Dead to the Life of Truth for opposing your Errors Wounded them it 's true you have for which God will Judge you for every one of them at first only desired that you might bring your deeds to the Light viz. to be tryed by Scriptures but instead of Answering their Christian desires for your good you fall upon them and wound them and made them grieve By this it further appears you are no followers of the good Samaritan he did heal where he had not wounded you wound and seek to make the wound bigger the Blessed Jesus you take not for an example he went about doing good to his very Enemies being Reviled Reviled not again 1 Pet. 2.23 Oh! How did his Lamb like Nature Weep when he turned his Face towards hard hearted Jerusalem and thought of the miseries that were coming upon those his fierce Enemies But you seek not to bind up the Wounds you have made in your Brethren seek not to win them in a Spirit of meekness but like rough Esau contend with them fiercely and rejoice if any ill befalls them doing what in you lies to starve them by hindering their Trading Your own Consciences will tell you if not feared this is truth You are not come into the Patience of a Christian as David was in when Shimei curst him bitterly Oh! how patiently David bore it being sensible there was some Cause in himself that God did permit Shimei to curse him so often before his mighty Warriours Consider this you fierce dispisers of all those who desire

your Reformation in Doctrine and Practice You know where this cursed thing is that causeth all this disturbance you still hide it but out it must come and be beaten to powder What! do you think people are blind Do not you say They all have Light from the same Fountain of Light with you Did not God give them this Light to know Truth from Error by Your making New Creeds or Articles of Faith according as your Opposers desire you will not do they cannot believe you are sincere until you retract those Errors in your Books printed before your late Creeds And if some of the Authors are dead what then you that have recommended their Works by Epistles to them must retract them It 's no shame to do it it hath been often done for good men after death by the Survivers in Christianity It 's a Princely thing saith a Worthy Author to acknowledge an Error and to forsake it And this I have been a Quaker above 40 years I took it well when any one saw a fault in me and told me of it Is it not a fault in the Members of Two Meetings in Wickham in Buckinghamshire not to love one another and is it not a great Fault that the Preachers in both Meetings in pretending they both preach from the utterance of God●s Spirit yet preach contrary to one another To conclude As to this my Loving Testimony to the Truth I am sure that thou George Whitehead will not hate and scoff me as thou hast done thy Opposer in the Switch if God's Grace is thy Guide Oh! therefore George Arise in the Authority of the Divine Grace that thy Name may be had in worthy Remembrance when thy Body is in a Grave And like good Josiah labour to get every thing removed out of our Spiritual Israel so called that in any thing is contrary to Christ's inward and Spiritual Grace and his Divine Precepts in holy Scripture that Jeremiah's Prophesie may be fulfilled in us viz. All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the Seed which the Lord hath blessed Isa 61. ●9 Men seeing our Innocent Patient Meek Quiet Humble Blameless and Inoffensive Lives and Conversation to the Glory of God for ever This in Truth is the real desire of my heart for the People called Quakers in general God knows I lye not because so many of them are come so far out of the Wilderness of this wicked World's Vanities even to the very borders of Canaan a resting place in God's Grace It pi●ies my Soul that any such Innocent Souls should fall short of that rest by hearkening to the Preachings of the Lifeless Preachers above-mentioned who are Taught to preach neither by Grace nor Holy Scriptures but what comes next into their Imaginations which is a Rock that many Souls have been split upon Bedford Nov. 25. 1699. I am a Lover of the Souls of all Men W. M. An Appendix BY way of Appeal to the most serious amongst the People called Quakers that by Grace and Holy Scriptures they may consider in the fear of the Lord Whether some of our confident Teachers were not the cause of the many Imprisonments c. we endured I cannot number mine in the time of K. C. II. who in the first year of that Kings Reign viz. 1660 the suffering Clergy of the Church of England being just coming out of the suffering they endured in Olivers time c. that one of our Teachers should Salute them in the following manner in his Book called A strict account of Babylons Merchants c. By Richard Crane Printed for Thomas Simons at the Bull and Mouth c. Go to saith R. Crane ye Merchants of Babylon who are now in this day bringing forth and exposing to sale your old Cankered Rusty and Moth-eaten Ware Rage not neither be angry if you be brought to your Rule which you say is the Scripture And tho' you gather some heat from the Sun K. C. II. that is newly arisen and from it receive some small Vigor and like the Insects and the Reptilia of the Earth who creep out of their holes at the Suns warmth by which they are vivified yet know such are not Permanent but the withdrawing of the Suns heat from them soon return to their holes and some Perish you may take this as a Figure For there is a cup prepared for you being mixed with Plagues Woes Miseries Sorrows Torments and Eternal Burnings which you shall not pass for you are found from the Lord God worthy and a trebble portion is to be given unto you Being Ignorant of the Soul or what it is your Cure is you know not what or to what and so truly Physitians worth nothing Your Medicine which you pretend to cure Souls with I would ask whether it be a Simple or a Compound being made up of so many Fragments of divers sorts therefore a Compound As the first Ingredient in your Composition so much cryed up is your Prayer called Common * Which W. Tomlingson the same year 1660. in his word of Information compares to the Whore● cup mentioned in the Revelations R. Farnsworth 2 years after that in his Plea to the Bishops Labours to prove out of the Common Prayer that the Quakers agree with it in Principle Doctrine and Practice Also Fra. Lea in his Looking Glass for Episcopal People 1674. writes ten approved Prayers out of the Common Prayer Book to shew how the Quakers agree with it so deserve Liberty of Conscience that all may come out of Error the Quakers have long prayed for saith he Even so do now the opposers of the Quakers Error and that J. ●ield above named will prove they are all of one mind and heart as be used to say they were then let him Reconcile his Brother Preachers sayings above and indeed so it is I hardly know any thing more Common except Cursing and Swearing In some things you parallel Simon and Elimas the Sorcerer Act. 13.8 23 you are even discovered and known to be as you are viz. Antichrists Deceivers Sorcerers and Ravening Wolves Flames Flames Flames of Fire is prepared by the Lord to consume you as dry stubble In the Light of the Eternal God I have beheld you and all your Actions and take them altogether and Rake the Pit of confusion and bind up your self in a bundle If I should parallel you with Salvage Beasts I could not truely do it I think be they never so fierce but Men of Prey such as you are is quite out of kind and not to be parallel'd by any thing that draweth breath Oh! Full of all Subtilly Children generated of the seed of deceit brought forth out of the Womb of Wickedness and nourished up at the Breasts of Witchcraft The true Light certainly did not move this Man to Rage at this rate and rocked in the Cradle of Idleness Wo is me for the day which I see is coming upon you from the Lord and all them that you

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