Book another Monstrous Possession of one James Milner who said that he was Christ and that he must suffer as Christ did and in a jugling manner with a Knife and a Bason pretended that his Blood was shed and that he gave up the Ghost as Christ did He prophesy'd Twelve strange Prophesies and liv'd to see them all prove False George Fox answers Gilpin in a very pleasant sort of manner He owns that the Lord did open True Prophesies Great Mystery Printed 1659. p. 298. and mighty things to him James Milner But then as an Excuse for his false Prophesies and his Blasphemies in calling himself Christ c. he makes this Comical Apology In some things his Mind runned out and that he condemns and yet these wicked men will go tell the Nation of it This was a very sad case that he could not call himself Christ and give forth false Prophesies but these wicked Men must tell the Nation of it It was nothing but his Mind Runned out He only Blasphem'd and sought to delude the Nation and yet they must not be told of it For notwithstanding of all this he is a good enough Prophet for Fox Fox thinks that the Lord did open true Prophesies and and mighty things to him True and False Prophet in one Or else there never was one among the Quakers I will trouble the Reader but with one Instance more John Toldervy has printed a very punctual Narrative of his own Conversion to Quakerism and of the most astonishing Possession of the Devil in which he was held after his said Conversion even to the Apparitions of Evil Spirits Dancing and Singing about him and directing him what he shou'd do and encouraging him in the Principles of Quakerism chiefly to adhere strongly to his own Light within which he was to make a superiour Guide to Scripture it being the same Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures and consequently that he himself was as Infallible as any of the Prophets or Apostles as having the same Spirit which they had And thus being brought to believe every strong Imagination which came into his Head to be the immediate Dictate of the Holy Ghost And these Unclean Spirits having the power to make Impressions upon his Imagination he became intirely subject to their Will and was carried into strange Excesses even to attempt Miracles That as Fire proceeded from the Lord See John Toldervy 's Book call'd The Foot out of the Snare Printed 1656. p. 30. upon the Altar in the sight of Moses Aaron and the Children of Israel so from the Lord in me says he so he call'd his Light within thinking it to be very God and Christ and that he thereby was Christ the true and real Christ of whom that Man Christ Jesus was but a Type or Figure which is the Quaker Doctrine as is shewn Sect. 17. and 18. shou'd there proceed that Vertue which shou'd infuse a heat into these Coles and Sticks which he had gather'd together for that purpose by which a Fire shou'd be kindled now being confident he goes on I shou'd effect the Work yea had I been Master of the whole World I shou'd have ventured all with a value of no worth upon the performance of this Deed having laid all things in their order as directed by that Spirit which moved me to the Work Page 31. I was moved to blow with my Mouth Expecting still that from my Life The Lord there shou'd Heat proceed with my Breath to the lighting of the Fire But in the end not being able to effect the thing I was extreamly troubled that I The Christ of God should fail in the performance of the first Miracle since so many Miracles were wrought by him that was a Figure of me It is dreadful to repeat such Horrid Blasphemy After this he was tempted to mimick over in himself our Saviour's Agony Crucifixion his Death Burial and Resurrection thrusting a Needle through his Thumbs Page 37. for the piercing of Christ's Body falling down and covering himself with Shavings of white Paper for a Winding-Sheet c. There are multitudes of prodigious Instances in the said Narrative of the incredible power of Enthusiastick Delusion to which I refer the Reader He pretended to be directed by Flies in most of his This minded me of the Etymology of Beelzebub Extasies which signifies The God of Flies But to go on James Naylor wrote an answer to Toldervy call'd Foot yet in the Snare c. printed in the same Year 1656. To which Toldervy reply'd the same Year and call'd his Replication The Snare broken c. And in the same Year again in two Sheets call'd The Naked Truth c. he made a sort of a half Vindication and half Recantation not of the Matters of Fact of his foresaid Delusions for these were undeniable but to free the Quakers from the Imputation and Scandal of them and to clear himself to have been and still to continue a true Quaker which makes the Cause much worse on their side James Naylor in his answer to Toldervy makes him to be both a true Prophet and a False like Fox 's Apology beforetold for Milner and where Toldervy tells of his being moved to say Thee and Thou Foot yet in the Snare p. 16. not to pull off his Hat to pull off the Points at his Knees and his Buttons that were unnecessary and not to direct his Mind in Drinking to any and the like Essential points these things Naylor says were dictated to Toldervy by the Spirit of God But as to his being led with Flies to Crucifie himself and to burn his Legs and prick Needles in his Thumbs and the like these Naylor says were the Devils Work And yet they were the same Spirits which bid Toldervy do both the one and the other and so both Good and Evil Spirits by Naylor 's Account But after Naylor had thus endeavour'd to Vindicate the Quaker-Spirit and to shew that Toldervy had it not like him Naylor in perfection even that same Year viz. 24. October 1656. all the Good or Evil Spirits entered into Naylor himself and he set up to be Christ and was Hosanna'd into Bristol Quakers leading his Horse strowing Branches and their Cloths in the way and singing Hosannah to him and Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Israel These Quakers said upon their Examinations That he James Naylor was the Christ that his Name was changed from James to Jesus that he was the only begotten Son of God the only Saviour See Ra. Farmer 's Narrative of this Triumph of James Naylor Entituled Satan Enthroned c. Printed 1657. p. 18 c. and that they knew no other Saviour but him And James Naylor upon his Examination wou'd not disown any thing of this But Justify'd and own'd it in Terms Equivalent p. 14. But this was Threatning to the Great For who pretended to be the Christ himself Naylor was but For 's Disciple And now was setting
only as an Extraordinary Inspiration for some time but as an Holy Duty And if it be such it must bind for ever Sam. Fisher in his Rusticus ad Academicos Exercit. 2. p. 18. says As for that Holy Duty it self of Quaking which as Blind a Guide and Brute a Beast as Thou thus he treats Dr. Owen in the Quaker Courtly Dialect art in speaking evil of c. Now if it be an Holy Duty then are the Present Quakers fallen from their Duty and from their Holiness If it is an Effect of the Extraordinary Inspiration of God then have not the Present Quakers such a Degree of the Spirit as the First Quakers had which I suppose they will not be willing to own For then there will be Degrees in their Infallibility And if it be once coming Down Stairs But if as in truth it is that their Quaking and Shaking proceeded from a strong Possession of the Spirit of Enthusiasm it will follow that all was a Delusion then and must be so still while our Modern Quakers take upon them to Justifie those who went before them and their Doctrines And by G. Fox's Sentence above-told all Was and Is Conjuration and their Quaking was the Possession of the Devil and the Quakers now are Inspir'd by Him and are False Prophets Diviners and Conjurers And this as G. Fox teaches must certainly be so if they have spoken any thing not only Against the Word of God but if All that they have said was not spoken from the Mouth of the Lord. Even to make it Heathenism and Idolatry to have the Image or likeness of any Ceature in Heaven or in Earth painted upon a Sign See a Treatise of G. Fox's which was surnam'd Iconoclastes And an Order of his Printed at the end of Tyrany and Hypocrisie 1673. But only a Bed-Staff Fire-Shovel Saw Fork or the like of Man's making And where he Preaches against Skimming-Dish-Hats Unnecessary Buttons on Coats or Cloaks Slit-Peaks behind on the Skirts of Womens Wast-coasts Short Black Aprons needless flying Scarfs Vizard-Masks Bare-Necks c. All which he Dictates as from Immediate Inspiration 5. But because these poor misled Quakers and other Enthusiasts among us are made to believe that the Church of England does wholly throw off all Inspiration of the Holy Spirit and rests only on their outward Forms I will here briefly set down the Doctrine of the Church of England in this Point and shew what sort of Inspiration She allows and what it is which She rejects 1st She constantly Teaches That all the Saving Graces are wrought in our Hearts by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost Insomuch that of our selves we are not able so much as to think a good Thought And that this Inspiration is as necessary to our Fructifying or bringing forth Good Works as the Influence of the Sun is to the Earths bringing forth of her Fruits That whatever may bear the appearance of Good Works in us and is not wrought by this Inspiration is not Good nor Acceptable to God As it is express'd in our 13th Article Works done before the Grace of Christ and the Inspiration of His Spirit are not pleasant to God Yea rather for that they are not done as God hath Willed and Commanded them to be done we doubt not but they have the Nature of Sin What fuller can be said for the necessity of this Inspiration And if the Quakers will have this call'd The Light within we will not Dispute with them about a Word it is the Thing and Meaning that we Contend for This is the constant Tenor of all our Prayers Almighty God 2d Sunday after Lent who seest that we have no Power of our selves to help our selves keep us c. And because we can do no good thing without Thee Who seest that we put not our Trust in any thing that we do We humbly beseech Thee 1st Sunday after Trinity that as by thy special Grace preventing us Sexagesima Thou dost put into our Minds good Desires Easter-Day so by Thy continual Help we may bring the same to good Effect That 5th Sunday after Easter by Thy Holy Inspiration we may think those things that be Good Grant us by Thy Spirit to have a Right Judgment in all things Whit-Sunday c. And in The Ordering of Deacons this is the first Question Demanded by the Bishop from those who are to be Ordainâ—d Do you trust that you are Inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon you this Office Do you think that you are truly called according to the Will of our Lord Jesus Christ c. The same is Demanded in the Ordination of Priests and Bishops And the words of Consecration of a Bishop are Receive the Holy Ghost for the Office and Work of a Bishop in the Church of God And the Hymn Veni Creator Spiritus is Sung Come Holy Ghost our Souls Inspire And lighten with Coelestial Fire c. And according to this we Pray that God wou'd Cleanse the Thoughts of our Hearts by the Inspiration of His Holy Spirit First Collect in the Communion Service That He would Prevent and Further us Last Collects in all our Works And that of His only Gift it cometh 13th Sunday after Trinity that we do unto Him True and Laudable Service Nay not only our Works 3d. Sunday after Trinity or Prayers but that our very Desire to Pray is his Gift We Pray for Pensons to be Baptized that God wou'd Wash them and Sanctifie them with the Holy Ghost Baptism And our Catechism teaches 1st Collect. that we are not able of our selves to walk in the Commandments of God Catechism and to serve Him without His special Grace And lastly for I must Transcribe our whole Liturgy to name every place where the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost is Witnessed and Prayed for thus the Bishop Prays for Persons to be Confirmed Strengthen them we beseech Thee O Lord with the Holy Ghost the Comforter and daily increase in them Thy manifold Gifts of Grace Confirmation the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding the Spirit of Council and Ghostly Strength the Spirit of Knowledge and true Godliness and fill them O Lord with the Spirit of Thy Holy Fear now and for ever Here is an Enumeration of the Principal Gifts of Grace for which we Pray And in the Exhortations before the Communion it is earnestly Inculcated upon us that if we be not thus Spiritually prepared all the Outward Ordinance will avail us nothing For otherwise as it is there worded the Receiving of the Holy Communion doth nothing else but encrease your Damnation And there is not one Book of Devotion us'd among us that does not tell us the same That the Inward is the Soul of Religion without which the Outward part is but a Dead Carcase and stinks before God And that the Inward Purity of the Heart cannot be wrought but by
Burrough in his Word of Advice to the Soldiers p. 2. Oh! says be with a Gusto give the Priests Blood to drink for they are worthy But this with other sweet bits is left out in the new Edition of his Works wherein there is yet enough behind to shew the largeness of his Bowels and to what narrow Limits he wou'd confine that Inundation of Blood which the Good Old Cause had brought upon these Nations and which he Justifies and that from the Mouth of the Lord. In his Warning to the English Army 1659. he assures them p. 540. of his Works in these words Your Victory hath been of the Lord. But then he wou'd have them go on and carry Blood and Slaughter into other Countries What are these few Poor Islands says he p. 537 538. that you have run through And then he advises them to fall upon 〈◊〉 and Spain and Avenge says he p. 537. the Blood of the Guiltlâ—ss through all the Dominions of the Pope p. 538. that your Sword and the Sword of the Lord may neither leave Root nor Branch of Idolatry that your Sword be lifted up against them p. 540. Set up your Standard at the Gites of Rome And Prophesying of the time when Vengeance shou'd be taken of Rome The time is come says he p. 537. their Church cannot stand Long. p. 535 536. and as sure as the Lord lives so shall it come to pass But this is long since pass'd and their Church stands still And which is much a greater wonder this Burrough is counted still a true Prophet among the Quakers in whom the fullness of Grace and Virtue châ—elâ— â—us was said of him in his Life â—rote 1663. p. 24. by a Club of the Principal Quakers G. Fox â—os Coal G. Whitehead c. who thus Blasphem'd in Praise of a Wretch that durst Pawn the very Being of God That as sure as the Lord lives so it must come to pass as he said And since it is not so come to pass are â—â—tiâ—ll the rest of these Quakers as Mad and Blasphemous as he who will still believe that he was sent from God or spoke His Words And that all these Lyes and Preaching up of Blood their Blasphemies and Treasons are of Equal Authority with the Holy Scriptures yea of Greater as I will shew you presently from George Whitehead And if this be true we must believe the 〈◊〉 Contradictions of the Quakers before the Scriptures As that notwithstanding all these loud Proclamations of Blood and War which we have beâ—â—d from them and that if their Advice were follow'd all whole Christendom wou'd be turned into an Aceldamâ— the Protestants falling upon all Popish Countries and the Papists upon them I say that notwithstanding of all this if the Quakers Writings are given forth by the Spirit of God as they boldly pretend we must believe their Declaration given to King Charles II. upon the 21st of January 1660. subscrib'd by G. Fox and Eleven more in the behalf of the whole Body of the Quakers wherein p. 4. They Declare positively against the lawfulness of Fighting upon any account And this say they is both our Principle and Practice and hath been from the beginning so that if we suffer as suspected to take up Arms or make War against any it is without any Ground from us for it neither is nor ever was in our Hearts since we owned the Truth of God neither shall we ever do it because it is contrary to the Spirit of Christ his Doctrine and the Practice of his Apostles And in The Quakers Plea Printed 1661. p. 5. They say Such of us whose Principles were once so that is for Fighting are changed even from that Principle and Practice of going to Wars and Fighting and Now are all of that Mind and Heart That in the Administration of the Gospel 〈◊〉 on all Occasions whatsoever unlawful to go to War and Fight with any Man with Carnal Weapons contrary to the Doctrine of Christ This was in the Year 1661. to fix this Opinion of them the Quakers in the King and Government But when by this Deep Deceit and Hypocrisie they did prevail and it had for Twelve Years after the Restauration been generally receiv'd that this was in good earnest the Principle of the Quakers as it continues with most to this day and I doubt not but many of the simple well-meaning Quakers themselves are Imposed upon in this to think that the Quaker Principle is against all War and Fighting upon any Occasion whatsoever as in their Plea above Quoted Yet I say when the World and many of themselves had been thus Deluded by their Leaders they in the Year 1672. to secure to themselves their Old Principle of Fighting whenever The Good Old Cause shou'd stand in need of it did Reprint what I have above Quoted of Edward Burrough for carrying Blood and War into all the Popish Countries and much more to the same purpose in the New Edition of his Works To which there are high Testimonies affix'd of George Fox George VVhitehead Josiah Coal Francis Howgil and Ellis Hookes Now if this Doctrine of Fighting or making VVar upon any Occasion whatsoever was contrary to the Spirit of Christ and His Doctrine in the Year 1â—60 that part of the Year I mean after the Restauration how came the Saints above-nam'd to Publish the contrary Doctrine of Edw. Burrough with such mighty Pomp in the Year 1672 And we must believe Both to be Infallible as the Holy Scriptures themselves being Both given forth by the same Spirit But these Editors of Burrough's Works are yet more Chargeable with whatever is in the New Edition because they took more upon them than barely as Editors that is to Correct and Amend and to Expunge what they thought fit as his Declaring VVar against the King and the Church before-told which tho' Dictated as he said by the Eternal Spirit yet they made bold to set these things aside lest they shou'd offend the Powers then in being but they thought that carrying the VVar into Italy and Spain wou'd be less taken notice of and wou'd continue their Claim to the Privilege of Fighting when they shou'd have occasion for it Why otherwise were not these Expung'd as well as the Traiterous Passages against the King and the Government If it was through the Inadvertence of their Infallibility let them now Disclaim it and confess Burrough to have been in an Error as to that Principle of Fighting No they will not and therefore it is their own They will not They have not done it for since the New Edition of Burrough's Works 1672. when a fair occasion seem'd to offer towards the Re-asserting of the Good Old Cause in Monmouth's Rebellion 1681. Several of the Quakers in the VVest where he Landed took Arms and Fought in his Quarrel and tho' some of them were taken Prisoners yet we heard nothing of their Repentance or that they were oblig'd by the rest to sign any Instruments
sent to stand a Witness against all Violence My VVeapons are not Carnal but Spiritual and My Kingdom is not of this world therefore with the Carnal weapon I do not fight He said The Quakers Unmask'd Printed 1691. p. 26 27. That he was beyond the state of the first Adam that fell that his Marriage was above the state of the first Adam in his Innocency in the state of the second Adam that never fell And that he never fell nor changed I am saith G. Fox the Door that ever was the same Christ yesterday to day and for ever And in the Title page Written from the Mouth of the Lord from one who is naked New Rome Arraign'd p. 33. and stands before the Lord Cloathed with Righteousness whose Name is not known in the world risen up out of the North which was Prophesy'd of but now is fulfill'd My Name is cover'd from the world and the world knows not me nor my Name G. F. G. Fox came out of the North of England where they thus break forth Ibid. p. 34. O thou North of England Who art counted as Desolate and Barren and reckon'd the least of the Nations yet out of Thee did the BRANCH spring and the STAR arise which gives Light to all the Regions round about in Thee the Star of Righteousness appear'd c. Jos Coal in his Letter to G. Fox thus Adores him Ibid. p. 33. Dear G. Fox who art the Father of many Nations whose Life hath reached through us thy Children whose Habitation is in the Power of the Highest in which thou Rulest and Governs in Righteousness and Thy Kingdom is Established in Peace and the Increase thereof is without End And all this W. Penn does Justifie and Excuse Judas and the Jews c. p. 44. John Audland another Quaker-Preacher offers his Sacrifice and Worship in the following words of his Letter to G. Fox from the West of England New RomeVnmask'd p. 43. 44. from whence to p. 50. you will find many more of the like Idolatrous Letters and Blasphemies Dear and Precious One in whom my Life is bound up and my strength in thee stands By thy Breathings I am Nourished by thee is my Strength renewed Blessed art thou for ever more and Blessed are all that Enjoy thee Life and Strength comes from thee Holy One Daily do I find thy Presence with me which doth exceedingly preserve me for I cannot Reign but in thy Presence and Power Pray for me that I may stand in Thy Dread for evermore I am thine Begotten and Nourished by thee and in thy Power am I Preserved Glory unto Thee Holy One for ever I mention this Letter more particularly because I have seen the Original in John Audland's own Hand and compar'd it with other of his Letters and as well by the Character as by some unusual spelling of some words it is as Demonstrable to be John Audland's own Hand-writing as can be given except seeing of him write it But because some of the Modern Quakers wou'd fain deny it tho' they cannot this Letter was sent by some Quakers to Chippenbam in Wilt shire where John Audland us'd to Preach and there were many who were well acquainted with his Hand and it was return'd from thence with the Attestation of many Quakers that it was certainly his own Hand-writing And for farther Confirmation it was sent likewise to Kendal in Westmorland where John Audland was born and dy'd and it was certify'd from thence likewise by the Quakers who knew him that it was unquestionably John Audland's own Hand-writing Many more Instances of this Nature are to be shewn but I hasten and refer you to the Books Quoted upon the Margent And their Pride will yet farther appear in the following Sections But before I take leave of this Head of their VVrath and Pride let me observe that the Bitterest and most Venomous Appellations above Quoted Devil-Driven Dungy-Gods Judas's Old Canker'd Apostates c are bestow'd upon the Separate Quakers for making a Schism in their Church Never Reflecting how themselves have made a Schism from the Church of England I began this Section with a Quotation out of G. Fox against Railing and I will end it with one out of W. Penn's Address to Protestants Printed 1679. p. 242. Men that are Angry for God Passionate for Christ that Call Names for Religion may tell us they are Christians if they will but no Body wou'd know them to be such by their Fruits to be sure they are no Christians of Christ's making Now I would earnestly desire Mr. Penn to read over again once more the Names he and others have call'd Men for Religion some of which are above Quoted and then to tell me whether by his present Sentiments as here express'd they were at that time Christians of Christ's or of whose making And to strengthen the Modern Mr. Penn I add two Texts 1 Cor. 6.10 That Revilers shall not Inherit the Kingdom of God And James 1.26 If any Man among you seem to be Religious and bridleth not his Tongue This Man's Religion is vain And we must bridle our Tongue not only from Railing against our Brethren but much more from such Luciferian Pride as to assume the Name and Titles of God to our selves and to aspire even to an Equality with the Almighty with which we now go on SECT VI Of the Quakers aspiring to an Equality with God THis in effect is prov'd already But more expresly and in very terms G. Fox's Adversary Gr. Myst p. 282. yields to him tho' very unreasonably that we may be Perfect as God in Quality but not in Equality Against this G. Fox Disputes and endeavours to prove that they the Quakers are Perfect as God not only in Quality but in Equality for Christ says he makes no Distinction in his words but saith Be ye Perfect even as your Heavenly Father is And as he is so are we and that which is Perfect as he is Perfect is in Equality with the same And in his Saul's Errand New Rome Unmask'd p. 42. c. p. 8. he saith He that hath the same Spirit that raised up Jesus from the Dead is Equal with God He Acuses Christopher Wade Great Mystery p. 248. because he deny'd Equality with the Father and says All that have the Son and the Holy Ghost have that which is Equal in Power and Glory with the Father and this all the Quakers say they have This appears further in the next Section SECT VII Of the Quakers making their Soul of the same Person and Substance with God THou say'st says G. Fox to his Opponent Great Myst. p. 247. Christ doth not Dwell in them Personally Doth not Christ dwell in his Saints as he is in the Person of the Father the Substance Hence he makes the Soul without Beginning or Ending and Infinite in it self His Opponent had granted him in these words p. 90. There is a kind of Infiniteness in the Soul but it
Heart his last state became worse than the first Thus p. 5. He tells as a wonderful opening to repeat his Cant which The Lord gave to him and sets it down as a most Extraordinary Discovery no less than Miraculous in Magnificent manner Thus About the beginning of the year 1646. sayâ— he as I was going to Coventry and entering towards the Gate a Consideration arose in me how iâ— was said That All Christians are 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 〈◊〉 mighty Discovery At nother time he goes on as I was walking in a Field on a First-day Morning The Lord Opened to me That being Bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not â—nough to Fit and Qualifie Men to be Ministers of Christ And I stranged at it because it was the Common Belief of People But I saw it clearly as The Lord opened it â—o me and was satisfy'd and admir'd the Goodness of the Lord who had opened this thing unto me that Morning Now this extraordinary Opening which this Cunning Fox so stranged at because as he thought it was the Common Belief of People was never the Belief of any one Man in the World that was not in a Fit of Distraction as great as Pâ—â—sess'd him or his Neighbour Muggleton For did ever any Man in his righâ— Wits say That being Bred at Oxford or Cambridge was enough to make a Man fit to be a Minister oâ— Christ Then cou'd no Bishop refuse to Ordain any Man that waâ— Bred at Oxford or Cambridge 〈◊〉 is true That Learning is a Great and without Miraculous Endowments such as were given to the Prophets and Apostles a Necessarâ— Qualification to fit a Man to be a Minister of Christ so as to be able 〈◊〉 Discharge his Office with Profit anâ— Advantage to his Flock And suâ—â— Learning is generally to be had 〈◊〉 Universities and Schools and this Cobler and his Brother Botcheâ— had been Bred at Cambridge or Oxford in all Probability the Nation had â—een freed from both these Mad-Men They had not been so Mad so sottishly â—gnorant as to take the Commonest Notions in the World for such Wonders such Supernatural Reveâ—tions and to have Magnify'd themâ—â—lves above all Man-kind for what all Man-kind knew better than they did Fox had never Recorded it as such wonderful opening what he tells 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6. At another time says he it â—as opened in me That God â—ho made the World did not â—well in Temples made with â—ands And this at the first says he seem'd a strange Word Mighty strange Fox it seems â—â—d not know before but that God 〈◊〉 welt in a Church as a Man does a House so as to be lock'd up and to be no where else when He waâ— There This is a worthy Man to makâ— a Prophet of And these are Notable Discoveries that he has made And such are all his Discoveries all his New Light Even this Fundamental Distinguishing Priâ—ciple of the Quakers of Thâ— Light within that is as all the Sâ—â—ber of them do Now pretend to eâ—plain it and say that Fox himsâ—â—â— meant no more by it than that we not only to look to Christ withoâ—â—â— us and by a meer Historiâ—â— Faith to Believe that He Diâ— Rose c. for us But that we 〈◊〉 receive the Influence of His Hâ—â— Spirit within us in our Heaâ— and that this is it which does Enligh and Sanctifie us c. And this no Sober Christian ever yet did deny So that if this be all they mean by it Fox brought no New Principle into the World no more than all the Christian World knew and believed Only be was Ignorant of that And his own Gross Ignorance is all that he has Discover'd to us But he being thus prepared came at last to be fully Possess'd with the Spirit of Enthusiasm and whatever roving Imagination which is strongest in Mad-Men took place in his Head He did Dictate it forth as the Immediate Command of God And perhaps for who knows the Length which Enthusiastick Madness may run Might come at last to believe himself When the Lord says he p. 24. sent me forth into the World He for-bad me To put off my Hat to any And I was required to Thee and Thou all Men and Women Such Hideous Stuff is all the rest of that Journal And perhaps when Muggleton is dead some of his Disciples may after this Example give us a Legend of his Mission Life and Miracles Which will be nothing behind this of his Colleague Fox For he began in Black Despair as the other and both carry'd it on with the most Ignorant and Wild Enthusiasm that it may be was ever heard of There was a third Prophet of the same Grass who might have gain'd as many Proselites and been as Famous in his Generation as either of these but that he was hindered from Traveling by the Temptation of a very Convenient and Proper Lodging provided for him in Moor-fields His Education and Accomplishments were equal to the others but he came to greater Preferment He was by Profession a Porter to which he was advanced in Oliver's Court. Where having learned to Cant in the then Mode he Commenc'd an Enthusiast Preacher and as Fox never Recover'd to the day of his Death He cou'd quote Scripture as Fast and to as little Purpose as either Fox or Muggleton Nor did he want his Disciples I was one day making a Visit to him with the rest of his Collegiates and upon a Grass-Plat before his Window which was the End-Room of the Buildings next the Postern I saw some Women very busie with their Bibles turning to the Quotations as he Preach'd to them out of the Window and they did Sigh and Groan and shew'd as strong motions of Devotion as cou'd be seen at any Quakeâ— Meeting I thought indeed they had belong'd to the Family and told the Keeper that he ought not to dispose oâ— these so near one another but shou'd separate that Preacher and his Congregation because they fed one anothers Madness But he told me thâ—â— he had Charge of none but the Preacher and that there often came Persons to hear him Preach and wou'd sâ— many hours under his Window witâ— great signs of Devotion This gave me the Curiosity to speâ—â— to one of these Women a Grave Sâ—â—ber-like Matron and I ask'd heâ— what she cou'd Profit by hearing that Mad-Man She with a Compos'd Countenance and as Pitying my Ignorance Reply'd That Festus thought Paul was Mad. Which made me Reflect that there were several sorts of Madness and what ill luck some Mad Folks had to be Clos'd up whilst others went about the streets This and not Prisons had been the proper Lodgment for Fox and Muggleton who boasts too of his Sufferings as well as Oliver's Porter But if there cou'd be any Diversion in Madness it wou'd make one Merry to behold the Civil War as there was constantly
betwixt Oliver's Porter and the other less Mad-Men who call'd him Mad and he call'd them Wicked and Prophane and Pronounc'd Curses against them In the Name of the Lord for Despising his Gifts and Mission so do the Quakers and Muggletonians Curse one another bitterly and call one another Serpents and Sorcerers I have heard a Quaker say that Muggleton deserv'd all that he met with that is New-Gate Pillory and his Books Burn'd because said the Quaker he was a Deceiver of the People And Muggleton says the same of them and that Fox met better Treatment than he deserv'd And the Authority of the one is as good as the other And there we leave them But this I must say that Muggleton sticks truer even to Fox's Principle of Enthusiasm than either Fox himself or his Followers For Fox 's Chief and only Principle was at first to Direct Men to the Inward Anointing and that They needed no Man to teach them See his Journal p. 5 31 and 57. but as the Anointing teacheth them Therefore that they shou'd come off from all Mens Teaching unto God's Teaching For that God was come to Teach His People Himself But Fox wou'd not trust to this for he went about Teaching outwardly and has Erected an Outward Church-Discipline and Authority to over-rule that Anointing if it prove Refractory And though they have rejected the Sacraments as Outward things yet they keep up an Outward Ministery and Preaching which are more Inconsistent with their Principle of Reducing all to the Inward and waiting for the Lord in silence within c. But Muggleton has no Outward either Sacraments or Teaching nor any Outward Worship or Assemblies for any thing Relating to Religious Matters But leaves every Man Free to follow his own Impulse and to an Vniversal Liberty of Conscience If any Embrace his Principles Welcome If not let them go This is true Liberty of Conscience And sticking to the Inward Principle With which the Quaker Preaching and Church-Discipline is altogether Inconsistent even as at first Taught by themselves However Muggleton and Fox must be allow'd to be Brethren tho' not in equal Perfection because they both set up to Destroy the Outward or whole Body of Religion and Reduce it all to a Skeleton or a Ghost upon Pretence of giving Preference to the Spirit or Inward part of Religion which none denies as if one should Destroy the Cask to Preserve the Wine upon Pretence that the Cask is no part of the Wine But these two Mad-Men Fox and Muggleton being totally Ignorant of this thought themselves Spiritual by running down all Outward Forms And both their Inspirations came from the same Author The Father of Lyes who in that Hurricane of Schism and Rebellion got an Act of Parliament for Toleration and Liberty of Conscience to sow his Tares at Noon-Day with Doors open c. and he made full use of his Liberty He enter'd into the Herd of our Swine the Beasts of the People and drove them over Precipices of Enthusiasm to Perish in the Ocean of Heresie and Error Amongst these Jannes and Jambres Fox and Muggleton were Chiefs of greatest Note But Fox has got more Followers and of late some tho' very Few of more Sense and Learning Whose Labours have rendered their Cause much more Deform'd like a Monkey Dress'd in Mans Clothes and set on Horse-back or as a Jewel hung in a Swines Snout The Jargon was something agreeable to the Enthusiasm of Mechanicks both alike Intelligible But to see it Dress'd up in the Guise of Learning and set off in Mr. Penn's Elegant Stile 'T is such a Sight And it has undone them by Discovering them For being now made to speak Sence they are capable of being answer'd by Reason 8. But Nothing so Diverting as to see them sick of their Prophecies and spue them up again when they happen to interfere with their Interest How they endeavour since 1660 to stifle and conceal the Flattering Prophecies they gave to Oliver and the Cursed ones against the King and Cavaliers But in the Re-printing the Works of their Prophets since 1660 they leave out these Now unsavory Passages Their Infallibility needs an Index Expurgatorius as well as that of Rome through which we suppose George Fox's Works are to pass which are design'd as a Second Volume to his Journal Of this Cleanly Art they have given us a fair Specimen in the Re-printing of the Works of Edward Burrough one of their main Pillars or Posts wherein they leave out at p. 100. the following Prophecies which he directs thus To all you who are and have been always Enemies to the very appearance of Righteousness who are called Dilinquents and Cavaliers And he holds forth to them as follows Thus saith the Lord my Controversie is against you And you are become Cursed in all your Hatchings and Endeavours i. e. to Restore the King and from time to time my Hand hath been against you in Battel Your Kings and Princes and Nobles have been cut off in Wrath You are given to be a Curse and a Desolation and a Prey in Houses and Lands and Persons to them whom I I have raised up against you i. e. Oliver Cromwel and then he goes on to Prophesie for the Future in these words And you and your Kings and Lordly Power by which you have thought to Exercise Lordship over my Heritage shall be Enslaved by the Devil in the Pit of Darkness in Everlasting Bondage where He shall Reign your Lord and King for Evermore These are the Mildest words they can bestow Pillars of Fire and Smoak like the very opening of the Infernal Pit In all whose Caverns there lodges not a more Furious and Cursed Spirit than that which Inspires these Prophets of the Quakers whose Breath is Fire and Brimstone That Book of Burrough's out of which I have Quoted what is above bears this Title A Trumpet of the Lord or Fearful Voices of Terrible Thunders uttered from the Throne Declared and Written by a Son of Thunder c. 1656. How does it make ones Hair stand on end And how ought it to raise the Indignation of every Christian to see such a Blasphemous Wretch Pretend that all these his Hellish Thunderings were Uttered from the Throne of God! To see him begin in such a Stile as this By Order and Authority says he given unto me by the Spirit of the Living God King of Kings and Lord of Lords the 31. day of the 10th Month in the Year of the World's Account 1655. about the 4th Hour in the Morning when my Meditations was of my God upon my Bed in Kilkenny City in the Nation he wou'd not say Kingdom that was too Monarchical at that time of day of Ireland at that time The Word of the Lord came unto me saying Write my Controversie with All the Inhabitants of the Earth unto All sorts of People as I will shew thee by this same Authority and Commission Declared this I send unto
of Condemnation against themselves for this or any way Censur'd for it by their Yearly Meetings or any other Authority of theirs And if it be true which Edward Burrough says p. 462. of his Works That they the Quakers are of one Mind and one Soul which I do not believe I have a better Opinion of many of them but we have here their Infallibility Pawn'd for it I say if this were true then this wou'd be a Demonstration what all the rest of the Quakers wou'd have done if Monmouth had proceeded to their Parts and what they are still ready to do when a like Opportunity shall Summon them to Arms. But as I said I do not believe that they are all of one Mind in this matter but then those that are not of this Mind must I think past all Excuse Renounce the Infallibility or the Truth of Edw. Burrough and of G. Fox G. VVhitehead and the other Quakers who have Publish'd these Works of Edward Burrough with such high Applause and Commendation in which he disdains to limit the Bloody Sword within these Few Poor Islands but wou'd have had Oliver his Joshua carry it through all Christendom G. Fox Advises further to fall upon 〈◊〉 Turk and all the rest of the World Oh Oliver sayâ— he in his Letter to him Dated the 11th Month See Quakers Vnmask'd p. 4 5 6. 1659 c. Thou should'st not have stood Trifling about small things Do not stand cumbering thy self about Dirty Priests and then hâ— tells him that if he had follow'd his Counsel The Hollanders says hâ— to him had been thy Subjects How How George Our Deaâ— Friends the Dutch Must they tâ— Pot too When the Quaker Sword is drawn it spares none Protestants Papists Turks it is all one Germany Fox goes on had giveâ— up to thy Will and the Spaniaâ—â— had quiver'd like a Dry Leaf The King of France shou'd have Bowed under thee his Neck The Pope shou'd have withered as in Winter The Turk in all his Fatness shouâ—d have Smoak'd Thou should'st have Crumbled Nations to Dust Therefore says he Let thy Soldiers go forth with a free and willing Heart that thou may'st Rock Nations as a Cradle For a Mighty Work hath the Lord to do in other Nations and their Quakings and Shakings are but entering So this is the Word of the Lord God to thee as a Charge to thee from the Lord God c. Here is Destruction Proclaim'd to the Ends of the Earth and that from the Mouth of the Lord O Blasphemous Cursed Wretch that durst thus set The Dreadful Name of The most High God to thy Diabolical Inspirations for Blood and Slaughter through the whole Earth And yet to see these Men wipe their Mouths and say that they are the Meek of the Earth They never were for Fighting No not they They now deny the use of the Carnal Sword as Anti Christian Poor Lambs And yet I believe in my Heart that many of them now are Deceived and think that the Quaker Principle is really against Fighting because they have heard so much of it since 1660. and that most of the Quakers of this Generation do not know for it is Studiously conceal'd from them by those of the Old Stamp what Bloody Devils G. Fox Edw. Burrough G. Bishop and the rest of the Primitive Quakers were Do they know that after Oliver â—s Death G. Fox pursu'd his Son Richard with the same Cry for Blood General Vniversal Blood Fox wou'd have sent him an Able Hand to have set up his Standard at Rome and then says he in his Letter to him you shouâ—d have sent for the Turks Idol and pluckt up Idolatry and to have made Inquisition for Blood c. Now if using the Carnal Sword upon any account be contrary to the Doctrine of Christ as the Quakers since 1660. have Preached and if they do believe themselves they must Hunt this Bloody Fox out of their Herd and for ever hereafter Disown his Spirit and his Writings And I do earnestly invite Mr. Penn to follow this Chase it is most incumbent upon him of any other because I think my self oblig'd to tell it him he is suspected by some of his fellow Quakers as favouring this Principle of using the Carnal Sword And to convince him that I do not speak without Book I have now before me a Letter from Philadelphia the Metropolis of Pensilvania Dated the 21st of the 4th Month 1695. wherein are these words I have seen a Copy of the King 's late Grant of the Government wherein they give the Reasons of their taking it away and of Will Penn's humble Submission and Requesting the Government to be Granted to him again which was therefore done on his giving them certain Assurance that he wou'd Secure and Defend the Place and wou'd send 80 Soldiers to Albany when callâ—d for or find Money to Pay them This causeth a great stir among the People who are not very ready to comply therewith c. I will make no Comments but leave it to Mr. Penn himself to Own or Deny the Matter of Fact And whether he will stand by G. Fox as to his Principle of Fighting or not And if any have been heretofore Deceived by G. Fox that they wou'd now Repent and Return But I must tell them that they must first Cease to be Quakers For they who pretend to Infallibility can never Repent or Acknowledge a Fault Therefore the Quakers do not ask Pardon for Sin because they says they have no Sin If any one can give Evidence that ever he heard at â—y Quaker Meeting Remission of Sins Pray'd for he is desirâ—d for the Vindication of the Truth to Declare it God has Promisâ—d to Give to those who Ask but those who will not Ask have no Title to any Promise in the Gospel Their Condition is the most Desperate of any of Mankind The Lord help them and hear our Prayers for them since they will not Pray for themselves Had ever the Devil any Poor Creatures at such a Lock before To bar up their way by a Proud and Blind Conceit of Perfection from seeking or so much as Wishing to Return from their Sins And the same Principle must keep them from making any Restitution to Man Because a Wrong to Man is a Sin against God and therefore if they cannot Sin against God they cannot do any Wrong to Man and on the contrary if it can be prov'd thâ—â—t they have done any Wrong to Man it follows certainly that they can Sin against God Therefore they must put it to that Issue whether any Quaker ever Wrong'd any other Man and to let their Infallibility stand and fall with this They must do this they cannot refuse it as being a necessary Consequence of their Principles And yet they will not do it they cannot do it Because there are many and undeniable Instances which can be produc'd to the contrary and if the Friends desire any for fat is faction
cannot be Infiniteness in it self Against this G. Fox Disputes and no Kind of Infiniteness will serve his turn but Infiniteness in himself which is the Infiniteness of God alone for He only has Infinity in Himself as not being given by any other Is not the Soul says he without Beginning Hath this a Beginning â—r Ending and is it not Infinite in it self and more than all the world P. 29. Now consider what 〈◊〉 â—â—â—dition these call'd Ministers are in They say that which is a Spiritual Substance is not Infinite in it self but a Creature Here he will not let the Soul be a Creature His proof is in the next words That which came out from the Creator and is in the Hand of the Creator which brings it up and to the Creator again That is Infinite in it self I do not medle with his Philosophy which is wretched I only shew you his Opinion that the Soul is not a Creature but Infinite and that in it self Which is making of it God in the strictest terms Will you have any more of it He makes the Soul to become one Soul with God Christ says he p. 19. brings the Soul up into God from whence it came whereby they come to be one Soul And p. 229. who are come up into the Bishop Christ they are one Soul It is horrid Blasphemy said Alexander Ross to say The Soul is a part of God It is not horrid Blasphemy reply'd G. Fox p. 273. to say the Soul is a part of God for it came out of Him and that which came out of Him is of Him Fox does not say that the Soul came from God that is that God Created it But that it came of God as a Part of God of his Substance Person and Essence And p. 100. is not this of God's Being Says he And he Disputes against this Position That there is not an Essential In-dwelling of the Divine Nature in God's People and That God dwells not in the Saints by a Personal Union Or that Christ's Person is not in Man which is as much as to say replies G. Fox p. 248. as if we were not of his Flesh and Bones and had not his Substance Here the Light within is not only an Illumination or Inspiration from Christ but the very Person of Christ his Substance his Flesh and Bones And he says p. 207. That Christ is not distinct from his Saints That Christ is the Elect. p. 88. That the Light within is Christ p. 310. That they who are of the Faith are the Flesh of Christ the Flesh of Him who Suffered But this will come under a following Head Sect. 17. therefore for the present we dismiss it Only I will tell you before I go Mr. Penn's Excuse for G. Fox in all these particulars He lays it upon George's extreme Ignorance The Invalidity of John Faldo 's Vindication c. 1673. p. 353. That when he said the Soul was Equal with God by Equality he meant only Unity And that when he call'd the Soul Infinite he did not mean Infinite but something that is not Finite or which comes to an End And that when he said the Soul was without Beginning and a Part of God he did not mean the Soul but the Breath of God c. He says that George observ'd no nicety of Expression and finds great fault with those who make ill use of his Plain and Vulgar Phrases An Indifferent Man wou'd rather have said Ne sutor ultra Crepidam That this Fox shou'd rather have kept to his Original Trade than to set up for Interpreting the Scripture before he had learned to speak Sense or write English A defect in which is a strange excuse for Infallibility But it is just with God thus to detect such Wicked and Blasphemous Pretences to all who are not resolv'd to shut their Eyes For will any one believe that that Spirit which cou'd dictate an Infallible Knowledge of the Scripture and of all Persons and Things as G. F. c. pretended cou'd not have enabl'd these Men to speak common sense or to understand plain English words But the truth is all this was a Bewildring of G. F's poor understanding and not to be charg'd only as Mr. Penn's over Charity does upon his Plain and Vulgar Phrases For in both the above Instances of the Soul 's Infinity and Equality with God the Distinctions were plainly given to G. F. what sort of Infinity and Equality was allow'd to the Soul and he expresly Disputes against such Distinctions and rejects any Limited Sense of the Souls Infinity and Equality with God But will have it Infinite in it self and no Lesser kind of Infiniteness which was allow'd him And to be Equal to God not only in Quality but in Equality which was a great deal too much to be Granted But that it self wou'd not satisfie G. F. And this must proceed past help of Mr. Penn and all the World either from a most Impious Blasphemy or such an immoderate degree of Dullness and lack of Understanding as cou'd not befall any thing in Human shape much less any one who pretended to Inspiration and proudly to Decry and Damn all the World since the Apostles SECT VIII Of the Quakers pretence to a sinless Perfection THis is dispatch'd already Sect. 6. where we see them claim a Perfection even Equal to God But because I suppose there are some of them who are not willing now to go that Blasphemous length I will set down some of their more Moderate Pretences to Perfection that is to a sinless State even in this Life I have before Quoted Mr. Penn upbraiding the Church of England as Opposers of Perfection and Ridiculing us for confessing our selves sinners and imploring God's Mercy Now hear G. Fox 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 Earth They that pretend coming to God and Christ out of Perfection they be in the Error p. 111. All who come to Christ they come to Perfection p. 231. They attain to Perfection in the Life of God p. 271. For who are Sanctified have Perfect Unity Perfect Knowledge Perfect Holiness p. 281. The Life of the Saints is Christ not sinful at all This will appear further in what follows which might be put all under one Head but for Method's sake and Plainness I distinguish them SECT IX Concerning the Quakers pretence to Immediate Revelation Equal to what was given to the Pen-Men of the Holy Scriptures GEorge Fox says p. 242. That they are in the same Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation from Heaven that the Apostles were in Are not ye says he to the Professors p. 241. in the Presumption and Usurp Authority to Preach or to Teach that have not the Immediate Revelation as the Apostles had p. 213. Thou canst not know the Scriptures but by the same Degree of the Spirit the Prophets and Apostles had They
own Will And therefore we are left to suppose if we please that it was obtain'd by their Prayers His words are these VVhen it was intended by them Christopher Atkinson and the Maid to have been hid they were forced from the witness of God in them to Declare it and own their Condemnation And here was a greater Miracle than if they had found it out of themselves if they could prevail with God to force the very Guilty Parties to confess it against their own Wills And therefore no thanks to them And therefore these Quaker Confessors were not bound to Conceal the Confession which C. A. made to them in Prison nor to seek to Restore him but rather to Drive him farther into Despair by quite throwing him off and disowning him There was much more tender Regard shew'd to some Young Women who had given a Confession in VVriting to John Bolton of their Frailty in the Flesh as is told in the Spirit of the Hat Printed 1673. p. 43. but it was hush'd up because as the Quaker Author Declares it touched many Eminent ones in the Ministery who from day to day resorted unto them and giving them these Appellations Innocent Lasses and Daughters of Sion Instances can likewise be given of some of their She-Preachers whom they call Traveling Friends that went abroad to propagate the Faith and to settle the Churches who got something in their Journey which made them Propagate and Travail even according to the Letter It is not good Manners to name Names upon such an Occasion Yet if the Friends will plead Ignorance something may be done for their Satisfaction But let the shame lie at their own Door It is but ask and have But we may make a little more bold with the Mens Infallibility And I will not go to Mean ones The great James Naylor was brought upon his Knees before their Church where George Fox Presided to acknowledge his Failings And I saw in George Fox's own Hand this Sentence against James Naylor viz. Friends shall not be judged for judging of him J. N. This was preserv'd by one present among many others when he wrote it This James Naylor suffer'd himself to be Hosanna'd into Bristol as Christ was into Jerusalem And I have told you before of G. Fox's ascribing not only the Names and Titles of Christ but his Power and Virtue to himself and others of their Preachers Invoking and Worshiping him as God in the Stile and Attributes of God These are much more dreadful Failings than those before spoke of of the Flesh than those of W. W. of Hallelujah Fish the Saints know whom I mean and several others whom I cou'd name And I had not mention'd one single Person if it had not been against Pretenders to Infallibility which Plea leads us Naturally and Necessarily into this sort of Redargution as giving a Man a Fall is the shortest and plainest Conviction that he is not Almighty And I am very sure that all the knowing among the Quakers will believe that it was meerly the necessity of the Argument which forc'd me to expose the Failings of any for that if it had proceeded from any Inveteracy or Malice Catalogues might have Been produc'd instead of single Instances here set down and those at great Distance But I hope what has been said will be sufficient and then it has reach'd my Purpose to cure Men of this most mistaken pretence to Infallibility grounded upon the Infallibility of the Spirit of God as if nothing cou'd proceed from Infallibility but what was Infallible or from Omnipotence but what was it self Omnipotent But tho' God Omnipotent and Infallible did Create all things that are yet there is VVeakness Error and Sin in the World Of all which there is not any Instance so great as of those who deny this who are not sensible of their own VVeakness and Fallibility but pretend to Perfection and that even Infallible But let such consider that it is a just Judgment from God to give up those to follow their own Imaginations who of their own Heads durst presume to leave those Guides the Bishops of the Church under whose Government God had plac'd them and to rend the Body of Christ by a causeless and Desperate Schism So that even their Error may in this Sense come from God that is as a Judgment upon them And for this cause says St. Paul 2 Thess 2.11 God shall send them strong Delusion that they should believe a Lye And if the Prophet be deceived Ezek. 14.9 I the Lord have deceived that Prophet And it was the Lord who put a Lying Spirit into the Mouths of Ahab's Prophets 1 Kings 22.23 Now whether it be such a Spirit or not which is in the Mouths of the Quaker Prophets we have a plain Rule whereby to know Deut. 18 20 21 22. The Prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my Name which I have not Commanded him to speak even that Prophet shall die And if thou say in thine Heart how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken VVhen a Prophet speaketh in the Name of the Lord if the thing follow not nor come to pass that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken but the Prophet hath spoken it Presumptuously thou shall not be afraid of him Here is a plain Touch-stone which cannot be mistaken And the case of the Quakers is so hard that if we can prove but one False Prophet among them the Infallibility of all and every one of them must be a Deceit because as above-quoted out of Ed. Barrough the Infallibility is asserted to belong to every one of them in particular And I need not Travel far to find Instances undeniable upon this Head But I will be as merciful in Exposing them as I can Therefore without telling Names the Friends do know that there is a Quaker Glover in Cheapside London who had his Till Robb'd and that a Quaker Prophet came to him and told him he was sent from God to Reveal to him in the Name of the Lord that his Maid Servant who was likewise a Quaker was the Person who had Robb'd him The Maid being thus Charged stood resolutely in asserting of her Innocency But the Prophet endeavour'd to bear her down by his Prophetick Authority and bid her not deny it for she was seen do it Who saw me said the Maid The Prophet reply'd with a Monstrous assurance The Lord saw thee This prevail'd so far with the Glover that he had his Maid before a Magistrate who was persuaded the more to terrifie her to send her to Newgate where she was threatned with the Irons or put in them But nothing cou'd extort any Confession from her and having no Evidence against her at length she was dismiss'd from the Prison but her Master the Glover believing the Prophet turn'd her out of Doors Had that poor Maid been either Threatened or Flattered into any Confession here had been a Prophet as great as
exclaim'd against any Church assuming Authority over any Man 's Private Spirit or his Light within as Anti-Christian and Diabolical and gave this as the Reason of their Separation from the Church of England And yet now Condemn the Pretence of the Light within others who Separate from them Nay more they flie to the Brachium Seculare when it is on their side for G. Keith and other of their Separatists were try'd before Samuel Jennings and other Quaker Justices of Peace at their Sessions in Philadelphia c. and some of them were Imprison'd for Printing and Publishing Defences for themselves without Licence tho' it be their daily Practice in London most if not all their Books Here being Printed without Licence they Issu'd Warrants one is inserted in the above-nam'd Narrative New Englands Spirit of Persecution c. p. 4. against the Printer and Publishers of a Vindication of Georgâ— Keith and his Separatists Entituled An Appeal from the Twenty Eighâ— Judges to the Spirit of Truth c. The 28. Judges were 28. oâ— their Ministers who had pass'd Sentence against G. Keith at Philadelphia the 20th of the 4th Month 1692. As a person without the feaâ— of God before his Eyes c. Anâ— they Published a Paper of this Judgment against him In Answer to which came out the abovesaid Appeal for which the Printer William Bradford was Apprehended and put in Prison and his Letters seiz'd whereby he was disabled to support his Family and at last forc'd to quit that Countrey and fled to New-York and one John Mackcomb a Taylor was prosecuted for Dispersing one of them his Name is inserted in the abovesaid Warrant And Sam. Jennings was one of the Five Justices who Sign'd the Warrant But the Pretence in the said Warrant was for Reflecting upon Their Majesties Justices of the Peace in the said Appeal for some of these 28 Ministers who judg'd George Keith were likewise Justices of Peace as the abovesaid Samuel Jennings c. Yet how severely do they inveigh against Ministers in our Church being Justices of Peace But this double Capacity of Justices and Ministers serves them in stead in other matters as in the Case of the Sloop above-mention'd But I must not omit to acquaint the Reader that the ground of this Prosecution against G. Keith was his Preaching Christ without or a Personal Christ in Heaven besides the Light within which he said was only the Spiritual presence of Christ by his Light and Life in all his Children Upon this G. Keith was accus'd for Preaching Two Christs i. e. a Christ without besides the Christ within And so Denying the sufficiency of the Light within which Light the other Quakers say is sufficient without the Man Christ Jesus This Sam. Jennings after their manner of mumbling Thistles will not Confess but dare not Deny If they took no Offence at Preaching a Christ without and thought this not derogatory to the sufficiency of their Light within Why was G. Keith accused for this and nothing else What need was there for the Ministers of the Quakers as Thomas Fitzwater and Will. Stockdale to appear as Witnesses against G. Keith for Preaching that Doctrine and no other even as his Adversary Sam. Jennings himself gives the Account Why was this the business of so many Meetings and of so great stir among them and at last of an open Separation if the Quakers do in good earnest believe in a Christ without them or in a Personal Christ who suffer'd and dy'd for us and now Reigns in Heaven in the same Body For G. Keith is not so much as Accus'd for Preaching any thing else but this And I think this as good as a Demonstration That however they endeavour to mince the matter they do not Really believe in any other Saviour than their own Light within which they call Christ and so endeavour to amuse us But Reader take notice that as it is told in G. Keith's Apology above-said call'd New England's Spirit of Persecution c. p. 2. and own'd likewise by Sam. Jennings a Meeting consisting of at least sixty Monthly Meeting Members gave Judgment in Vindication of G. Keith against his Accusers T. Fitzwater and W Stockdale the substance of which was That they shou'd forbear Preaching and Praying in Meetings till they had Condemned their Ignorance and Unbelief c. But at the next Quarterly Meeting a Party withstood the said Judgment and said That the Persons being Ministers none but them of the Ministery were fit to Judge Which many says the Account thought relishâ—d too much of Popery But as above-told after this an Assembly of Twenty Eight of their Ministers met together at Philadelphia and Publish'd a Paper of Judgment against G. Keith the 20th of the 4th Month 1692. in answer to which he Publish'd An Appeal from these 28 Judges to the Spirit of Truth c. In Reply to which these Ministers being likewise Justices of Peace Issu'd their Warrants against the Printers Publishers c. as above is told Here is a many-forked and involved Infallibility one Meeting Justifying another Condemning G. Keith and all for the very same Doctrine There were in America sixteen Meetings against G. Keith and as many for him This will not only overthrow the Infallibility in each particular Person among them but even of their Churches or Meetings However their Churches or Meetings assuming an Authority over the Light within particular Persons totally destroys their Original pretence of Infallibility in particular Persons Secondly And besides this first Proof in Pensylvania there is another yet more Express and Positive call'd The Barbadoes Judgment The Dispute was this very Point whether they were to adhere to the Spirit or Light in each particular Person or to the Judgment of their Church or Meetings And it was Resolv'd as follows At a Quarterly Meeting at Ralph Fretwell 's House in Barbadoes the 23d day of the Tenth Month 1680. I desire to give up my whole Concern if requir'd both Spiritual and Temporal unto the judgment of the Spirit of God in the Men and Womens Meetings As believing it to be more according to the Universal Wisdom of God than any particular Measure in my self or any particulars with which the Men and Womens Meetings have not Unity This Judgment was subscrib'd by 39 Men and 43 Women in all 82. And the Party that sent the above-said Judgment writes thus This Paper hath been Promoted in sundry Meetings since and subscrib'd some few have Refused in Abhorrence whereof other Persuasions have Posted it This you have in Babel's Builders before Quoted p. 4. There are further Testimonies to this in some of the Quakers Principles c. before Quoted p. 14 15. where the words of some of them are set down as followeth 'T is true Friends in the beginning were turned to the Light in their own Consciences as their Proper Guide but when it pleas'd the Lord to gather so great a Number into the Knowledge and Belief
because if what the Scripture Commands be anew required by their Spirit they are bound to obey it because required by their Spirit But if the Scripture Command the thing they are by their Principles not bound to obey it unless it be requir'd by their Spirit Anew Which is most effectually overthrowing the Scriptures and resolving all into their Private Spirit or Light within This will yet further appear in the Sections which follow But let me first give an Authority for the last thing that I have said and it is such a one as does astonish me because first it is from the ingenious Mr. Penn secondly it is where he accuses others of Mis-representing the Quaker Principles and rescuing them from such Mis-representations Reason against Railing 1673. p. 150. Article 21. he sets them down in their most Moderate and he says True sense And he averrs That what was a Commandment to any Servants of God in old time that is in the Scriptures That such are not Commandments to us unless required by the same Spirit Anew And he instances in those Elementary Types Shadows and Figures appointed as he says for a season and to pass off These are the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords's Supper which he calls Elementary Types and Figures But that they were appointed only for a season and to pass off that is not to be prov'd from Scripture which enjoins them till Christ's coming again 1 Cor. 11.26 always even unto the end of the VVorld Matt. 28 19 20. But all this signifies nothing These Commandments are not required by the Quaker Spirit Anew And so they pass off This we are sure is not Aggravated upon them Indeed Mr. Penn does in the same place find fault with those who would improve this Principle of theirs to justifie Immoralists and things inconsistent with Government As if says he that Eternal Holy Omnipresent Light with which we are enlightned did not continually declare and require Just and Righteous things at our Hands This with submission instead of an Excuse is a full Confession oâ— the whole Charge unless Mr. Penn can make it appear that the Quakers and every one of them in Particular have this Light more than other Men Or if they have it that they must necessarily be guided by it Because otherwise they may commit Theft Sacrilege and all Immoralities under this Umbrage And no Command of Scripture can Restrain or Convince them by this Latitude here granted because if they shou'd Enthusiastically Believe or Hypocritically Pretend that such Command of Scripture was not required by their Spirit Anew it is ipso facto superseded by this Principle Thus it being Objected to G. Fox that one of his Quakers had Pretended an Immediate Call from Heaven to commit Theft or Robbery Great Myst p. 77. and Sacrilege in taking out of the Church an Hour-Glass G. F. does vindicate it in these words And as for any being moved of the Lord to take away your Hour-Glass from you by the Eternal Power it is owned And if another shou'd pretend an Immediate Call to take away the Communion-Plate for that is us'd to Superstitious uses where is the end of these loose Principles Mr. Penn can tell whether he did not solicite G. W. to return a Letter Some of the Quaker Principles p. 8. which another Quaker had stoln and given to him and whether G. W. did not make this Answer That unless the Lord requir'd him he wou'd not return it again See more of this in Tyranny and Hypocr c. p. 37. But as for things Inconsistent with Government which Mr. Penn supposes their Light can never dictate I refer him to the first Section and to some of the Quakers Principles Sect. 10. to 18. These concern the Government of the State But as for Church Government I think Mr. Penn will not say but their Principles are wholly Inconsistent Have they not broke off from the Church-Government established in England and in all the Christian World And â—o they not pretend that their Light guides them in it Have they not by the same Light Rebell'd from Episcopacy which they cannot deny was in the times of the Apostles and through all Ages of Christianity to this day If they think this a Light sin let them read the 16th of Numb and see if the sin of Korah was small Or if it was for any thing else but Church-Government And St. Jude tells us ver 11. of those under the Gospel who perish in the gain-saying of Rorah But if disobedience to Church-Government be no such great matter why do the Quaker-Church treat their Separatists with such violent fury and strain their Invention to find Names bad enough for them Devil-driving Dungy Gods c. as if already smoaking in Hell Why do they charge them so desperately with the heinousness of Schism It is true indeed that the Church cannot subsist more than any other Society without Government But it is as true that the Quaker Pretence to the Private Light in Particular Persons as a Principle over-ruling Scripture and all outward Ordinances is Inconsistent with Government either in Church or State or any security from all the Dismal and Enthusiastical Murthers Rapines and Outrage of the Zealots among the Jews who went upon the same Principle yet shew'd no evil signs of it nor I do Charitably believe had at first any Evil Designs nor knew more than Hazael 2 Kings 8.13 whither these Principles would at last hurry them But if Hard Words are a Natural Presage and shew and Inward Disposition to come to Blows no People have shewn more Virilence in the First nor do I believe that they are Infallibly securâ—d from the Latter But no Tempting occasion has yet offer'd it self to them 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 It is good to sleep in a whole Skin But yet if they had a Government of their own they wou'd not part no not with a Sloop And I do not think any sort of People wou'd less encourage under their own Government their now Pretended Principle of Enthusiasm or the Private Spirit We see how violently they now oppose it in their Separatists They call any Opposition to the Orders of their Church no less than Rebellion and that against God Himself Thus Solomon Eccles told John Story in his Letter above-Quoted That his opposing the Divine Right of the Womens Preachings and Womens Meetings set up by G. Fox was Rebellion against the Living God More Instances of this see in some of the Quakers Principles Sect. 13. And they make Orders in direct opposition to the Laws and make it Rebellion against God to obey the Laws T. C's Animadversions upon G. W's Innocency Triumphant p. 16. and 30. as in the