that transforming cunning and alluring Spirit of Envy and Discord For Anguis later in herba Moreover Reader I would by way of Caution premonish and intreat thee not to entertain harsh thoughts of me when thou reads some Expressions that may seem somewhat hard and thereby judge I want Charity I can uprightly say in the singleness of my heart and do in the presence of the allseeing great God ingenously profess That what I here wrote in this following Testimony proceeds not from any kind of pieque prejudice or envy to the persons of any of these contrary party being both altogether a stranger to this Francis Bugg having no occasion to entertain any such thing nor no temptation as upon an outward account to lead me thereunto and also being of another Nation and truly it was contrary to my disposition having no delight or satisfaction for my life is not in these Controversies and Contentions to have meddled at all with them to appear thus in publick but F. B's Book coming to my hand beyond either what I was in the least expecting or desirous of and after my perusal of the same I found a Holy Zeal and Indignation arise in me against that most malicious mocking Spirit of the Author and I could not but shew an Absolute Antipathy and utter Abhorrency of that base scurrilous abusive Spirit that hath prevailed upon such as are Adherents to this proud conceited man to vent forth so many lying Insinuations uncivil and unchristian Reflections abominable Forgeries and Defamations as well against the whole Body of Friends in this and other Nations as against divers particular honest Friends viz. G. F. G. W. R. R. I. F c. And I can say Blessed be the Lord as for my self so for many of his Servants that what we have given forth as the sentence and judgment of Truth against this disorderly loose libertine Spirit and such as walk therein is in measure from the same Good-will Meekness and tender regard to the Eternal Well-being of the Souls of our envious Detractors as appeared in our blessed Head the Lord Jesus in whom there was no Spleen Bitterness or Envy against the Persons of those Hypocrites the Scribes and Pharises in his time notwithstanding he denounced such and such dreadful Woes unto them And Reader there are divers other passages I could have taken notice of which I have omitted being somewhat straitned at present with the conveniency of leasure and engaged in another service more delightsome to me as concerning the lamentable Apostacy and Backslidings of these Separates vho are but wheeling round about again into their old Center so that indeed I may say the Scale is turned and the Scene is changed with them and those things which formerly they testified against they are found in the practice of building again the things which they once destroyed thereby making themselves Transgressors as divers instances could be produced but these two or three may serve as a sufficient proof at present First I know divers of them have fallen back from the pure Scriptural language of Thou to one which Friends of Truth in our day have been led into by the Spirit of the Lord and in obedience thereunto continue in the same into the corrupt Babylonish Speech as You to one person c. Secondly They have degenerated from their Testimony and fallen in again with the World in their Observation of the heathenish Names of the Months as this F. B. particularly says page 206. Being in London in the Month of February And Lastly Their woful Apostatizing from their antient Testimony as to paying of Tythes and going to the Priests to be married See T. C's 2d Part Bab. builders p. 5. and 4 Part p 9. where he saith expresly It is his Principle to do so and so both as well practised as professed to be T. C's Principle justifying the same And Reader for thy further satisfaction I refer thee to read that Book called The Accuser of the Brethren cast out c. and Tho. Elwoods Antidote against the Infection of W. Rs. Book lately printed of special service wherein his and the rest of his Brethren in Mischief their Confusions and Contradictions are plainly discovered and the charge of Apostacy and Innovation is justly retorted upon them Finally Reader I leave thee to the serious perusal of this insuing Treatise and desire that it may be in the holy Fear of Almighty God and with a calm moderate and impartial mind and so recommend thee to the word of his saving Grace which alone can open to thee both the Mystery of Godliness and also of Iniquity that thou may duly attend and obey what it teacheth and so thereby thou may attain to the one and escape the other is the end of this labour of Love through him who is a real Well-wisher of all the Sons and Daughters of men R. S. London the 12th of the 5 Mo. 1682. THE INTRODUCTION THat Exercise which through Divine Assistance I am now about in undertaking to discover the Hellish Enmity and most malicious bitter venemous Spirit of Deceit and Discord that hath possessed and prevailed upon too too many of those with heavy sadness of Heart and great grief of Soul do I express it whose minds are Adulterated from the Experimental living Sense of the Holy-Divine Gift of God As it is truly in the Cross to my own will or natural Inclination who would have more gladly been contented to be silent in such a work so was it very contrary to my expectations when it pleased the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth first to draw me forth into the Service and Labour of his blessed Truth of ever being concerned with such hard and grievous Exercises amongst false Brethren occasioned by the subtle Stratagems of the old Troubler of Israel in his wicked Agents what by their unchristian and inhumane Reflectionâ— whereby I might be liable to the Censure of the Civil Powers Obs. I was more than once reproached by them as a Jesuit of which many Witnesses I could produce and what by their disdainful uncivil behavour other ways that for my part they have fully evidenced to me though outwardly Strangers to most of them to be in the first place persons altogether void of the living Vertue Power and Efficacy of the Truth and true Religion and so far from being Christians in Nature and Possession however under the bare Name and empty Profession thereof The second place destitute of that common Discretion Prudence and Civility as amongst Men and so far from the Reason or Rational Principle in Man whereby that saying is verified Man that is in honour and understandeth not is like the Beasts that perish Psal 40 20. But what shall I say hath not this been always the lot and the very portion of the Righteous in all Generations under e-every Dispensation As there was a Cain against an Abel an Ishmael against an Isaac a Esau against Iacob and
such who singly wait and are freely given up in an entire Resignation to obey what God opens and commands they will not want clearness nor freedom in their minds to follow that which is praise worthy comely and commendable in the sight of the Lord and all sober People and then they will see as many have come so to understand who were once blinded and hardned also for a time by the alluring snares and cunning stratagems of the enemy and confess that those wholsom Counsels and weighty Admonitions from the Spirit of the Lord through his Servants are not Prescriptions and Institutions of Men or Innovations Canons c. as F. Bugg basely insinuates pag. 175. but that which is very profitable yea and necessary to prevent Loosness Libertinism Confusion Prophanity and all manner of Debauchery which this selfish disorderly seperate Spirit opens a door unto and to keep down that ranting rambling wild and wanton mind that 's got up in many and matters not nor will not bow to the good Discipline and heavenly Government in the Church of Christ And to show thee Reader a little more of this vain Mans Impertinencies he queries in an Ishmaelitish Spirit pag. 78. Then I still further query of you Directory-makers Dictator-like indeed in an Imperious manner What 's the reason and what doth it mean that neither Matthew Mark Luke nor John nor any one Chapter of any of those Books are recorded in our Great Book of Records first and before the Epistle of G. F. as that which is more powerful more binding and of much more Authority What thinks thou Reader is not here a mighty fault committed surely worthy of condign punishment had he power to inflict it upon us but I doubt much if he or others of his confused fraternity would eâ—cape this imputation notwithstanding of aâ—l their wisdom had they distinct Quarterly Meeting Books to insert in the beginning of their great Books of Records either the Books or any one Chap. may be hardly so much as a single verse of Matthew Mark Luke or John One may surely suppose this vain idle man either misses of his prudentials or else seems not to be in good earnest and serious in what he scribles here and there Thus Reader I have followed the Wisemans advice and in the middle way have kept neither altogether on the one hand disregarded these needless sensless Queries and not to take no notice at all of them nor to be too much concerned with them on the other hand as to spend more time and truly I think much more I have taken than the Author or they either deserve and am almost wearied now in canvassing him and tracing through his dirty puddles and therefore it is said Answer not a fool according to his folly lest thou also be like unto him Here must be a holy slighting of the vain pratings and idle stories of ridiculous Fools but then says the same Wiseman Answer a Fool according to his folly and he gives the reason As the phrase is Plus rogat asinus quam probat Pâ—ilosophus lest he be wise in his own conceit Oh would to God that the many seasonable Answers had but this good effect upon those Fools our present Antagonists and this peevish angry man F. B. amongst the rest that he and they might seem no longer wise in their own conceits and imaginations as this might tend to their unspeakable mercy and lasting welfare so alas this is their great misery that comonly befalls these opposing wilful stubborn persons that instead of being bettered by due correction they as ill-natured Boys the more they are beat the more cross they are they grow more obstinate or like to those the Apostle mentions Such as they are even evil men and seducers wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived yea and whose latter end is worse than the beginning so that for my part I have but little hopes of these self-conceited imperious proud ones who in their own foolish fancies imagine themselves to be such and such as it s said Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a fool than him CHAP. VII IN his IV. Chapter pag. 87. in which he transcribes the Testmonies of R. H. F. H. with G. F's Old Doctrine and New Practice c. as he calls it Reader I desire thee to take notice that it hath been the constant work of our Opposers to pervert and bring in one page or sentence of Friends Testimonies which as distinct by it self without coherence and relation either to what precedes or what follows may both seem to answer their crafty designs and their malicious ends and also clash against the rest of the matter not cited Mysteries I do certainly know that they are not only misunderstood and perverted with respect to what the Authors really meaned and intended but also mis-applied by our Opposers in this present matter For I have observed F. H's Testimony out of his Works in p. 614 616 c. directly speaking against the Church of Rome and this F. B. brings in against Friends of Truth And as concerning the false suggestiion of this wicked lying perverse man that G. F's new practice were contradictions to his Old Doctrine and seems to repeat W. R's false abusive Charge of G. F's being an Apostate and Innovator For I do firmly believe that faithful ancient Labourer of the Gospel G. F. his testimony and practice now is not contrary to what he first preached and the same almighty power and holy divine presence that attended his Ministry in the beginning continues with him now in his services and exercises and I do know that his life is hid with Christ in God and let the Devil rage and roar and his cursed instruments on every hand stamp and stare yea let the wicked bend their bow and shoot their arrows of deceit and malice the great God the Lord Jehovah he will certainly surround us with his heavenly power and over-shadow us with his divine wing and protect us under his safe pavilion whereby as we continue faithful to him according to that good understanding he hath bestowed upon us and so retain our innocency and uprightness before him we shall be defended and all our enemies confounded For blessed be his holy name that G. F. and many thousands with him know Christ Jesus by his eternal spirit to rule in us to be our Guide our Head our Law-giver and who is made unto us of God Sanctification Righteousness Wisdom and Redemption And as for thy bringing in the Professors pag. 99. saying so and so according to thy foolish invented stories and base lies I know the sober sort of you and the very civil people of the world will readily acknowledg and have done when they have been witnesses to our orderly Christian way in the beginning proceeding and accomplishing of our Marriages that they have been really satisfied therewith and that it was but
a Judas amongst Christs Disciples from the beginning of the Creation since the Lord gather'd a People to himself to this our Day or Age thus to be attended with various deep Exercises by Oppositions Violence and Persocutions from the World on the one hand and by Distraction Discord and Separation on the other hand of those who have appeared as amongst us but were not of us and therefore that they might be made manifest what Bottom and Evil Spirit they were of notwithstanding they lurked under and were cover'd for a time with a Profession of the Way and Holy Truth of God they have gone away from us as the Apostle writ concerning the Antichrists They went out from us but they were not of us and the Reason he gives is clear For says he if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us But they went out to what end That they might be made manifest that they were not all of us 1 John 2.19 We may observe the Church of Christ in his time was then sadly troubled with these Antichrists such as rose up in Appearance for Christ against Christ in opposing the Blessed Divine Manifestations of his Spirit through the Members of his Church And I remember he makes particular mention of one Diotrephes who it seems as many like unto him in our day following his very foot-steps Ioved to have the preheminence and who prated against them with malicious Words and good Paul was he not very sensible in fore-seeing that this would attend the Churches and therefore forewarned them thereof in his farewel to the Elders of Ephesus Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the Flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers for I know this that after my departing shall grievous Wolves under the form or appearance its like of Lambs not sparing the Flock also of your own selves shall Men arise speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them Acts 20.25 26 c. And in his Salutation to the Romans Chap. 16. v. 17. saith Now I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which you have learned and avoid them So that we may clearly perceive it is no new or strange thing that hath happened to be our sad Exercise as indeed I do look upon it to be the most grievous of all the Exercises that could have befallen us I mean as with respect of the Body of Friends And now amongst many of the chief Agents of Cruelty Slander and Envy whom the Devil that great Enemy to the Peace of Christs Church hath made use of and this pernicious work of opposition to and seperation from the good Order and wholesome Discipline thereof I find lately one called Francis Bugg in Aragon a proud self-conceited person and yet as confused and malicious as any which I hope anon to Evince by some brief Animadversions on the Second Part of his Book called De Christiana Libertate the first part only relating to Liberty of Conscience none of his Work but by a nameless Author So far now as I feel my self concern'd for the Truths sake and the vindication thereof to give forth my Testimony as well against the great weakness as the gross wickedness of this Hellish dark piece of deceitful work of Envy and Folly and to detect his groundless Suggestings unchristian Reflections and uncivil Informations not at all designing thereby to undertake the Answering of every particular passage that hath relatition to particular persons ingaged in the differences betwixt our Friends and the separate party for that would be a work both more tedious and also would require more pains then at present I can take to undertake the same which I leave to them as they find themselves concerned in Truth to take notice of my present work then only is to make some shor Observations of that which in General I am concerned with and lies most obvious in my view Righteous Judgment placed upon the Heads of our Malicious Opposers CHAP. I. HAving perused the Second Part of Francis Bugg's Book he miscalls De Christiana Libertate I do not so much as find any one page or passage to have the least resemblance of I doubt very much whether he knows what the true Chrsstian liberty means or Relation to Christian Liberty in a true and proper sense I mean what he has wrote himself and not what is Transcribed from other Authors abstracting which there will be but a small parcel of his remaining Besides thou may take notice of the Pride and Self-conceitedness of this vain Man who gives his Book a Latin Title which signifies no more in Latin then in English and has no more Emphasis nor Authority in it therefore only useful for Vain Ostentation especially considering that the Book it self is no ways correspondent to the Title In his Epistle page 4. He alledges two principal Reasons why we look upon him and his Adherents to be no Quakers or consequently as he says no Christians First He says Our Non-submission and Non-conformity to the New Order of the Women He begins thus in his flouting Airy mind And Secondly That their way of compelling and Antichristian way of proceeding to bring to and force Vniformity is by us slighted and contemn'd Answer But we know right well there is a Third and a more weighty Reason than either of these and that is We have a certain inward sense and sure discerning from the Infallible Spirit of Truth which I know they will not regard or admit of that the wrong wicked perverse Spirit hath entered into them and thereby are Adulterated in these minds from the blessed pure Spirit of Christ Iesus and departed from the Truth in the inward parts whereby they are degenerated and were so in their Spirits before ever they durst publickly appear in this treacherous work of Separation and before it waâ— so notorious as it is now And so they having Apostatized from the Truth and the living Vertue and sensible Operation and Experience of the Life thereof firsâ— in their own particulars thus They and not We have rendred themselves nâ—â— Quakers or no Christians For we never concluded any person to be truly a Christian simply because of his outward Conformity to the Profession of Truth and because of his Submission to the Holy and Decent Order of Christs Church in respect there is nothing visible can rightly constitute and properly denominate any Man or Woman True Christians in the sight of God who regards more the inward bent frame and disposition of the Minds of People than their outward appearance however glorious it may be and therefore it is of absolute necessity that their hearts and spirits be uprightly stated in his sight if ever they attain to the Nature of true Christianity Now though it be confest that many outwardly may appear in the view of others for a time seemingly strict and serious in their Conversations
so that nothing can be justly charged against them that is apparently Wicked and Gross yet in the mean time their Hearts not right nor â—ound before the Lord something that is â—bominable offensive and grievous to his Holy â—pirit Thus hath it been with many of the seperate party is secretly lodg'd â—nd privately enterâ—ain'd as their beloved Delila which at â—ast may be breaks forth into some Extravagancy or other I say one as a Hypocrite may be thus dressed up with a specious shew and fair cover appear so and so Yea and for their interest sake Conform to that which is good and praise-worthy and which in its self is commendable and laudible but in the bottom rotten and deceitful yet though these do so it will not follow in good reason that those who are truly and inwardly sanctified cleansed and purified in their Conscience from dead works and whose Hearts are Sincere Honest and Upright should not so and so appear as to the outward in an holy harmless Life and innocent Conversation and also in a Conformity and Submission to that which is Orderly and Decent and to be subject to follow that which is convenient needful and profitable amongst a People no more then that 's true though as the common Proverb is It is not all Gold that glisters And as we say All are not in the Possession of what they are in the Profession of Yet is there no true Gold that glisters And surely those who do possess of the living Vertue of Truth and are faithful to the Lord they are ingaged publickly to appear in Profession of and Confession to the same In the beginning of the Preface page 7 F. B. says The main thing intended by this Discourse is to shew the Mischief of Impositions on tender Consciences in matters Spiritual c. Thus he insinuates as a false charge upon the whole Body of our Friends to be guilty of which indeed is their main principal Basis or ground from whence doth proceed all their fierce violent Clashings bitter and malicious Invectives base and unchristian Reflections viz. Their Imaginary formed and groundless supposition and envious suspicion That we endeavoured to compel and force tender Consciences in matters Spiritual to be conform'd and in subjection to that contrary to the perswasion of their minds and Light of Christ in their Consciences this is easily disprov'd and has been fully confuted by many living Testimonies that we have given forth on this account both by word and writing and for a further confirmation thereof thus do I affirm on the behalf of all my dear Friends who are thus abused by these foul perverse and scoffing Spirits That the Almighty God the searcher of Hearts and tryer of Reins he knows we never endeavoured nor designed to compel any to subject in a Conformity to that which we know was both just and reasonable who were not fully satisfied in their own Consciences and not freedom and clearness in their minds thereto For they who received Truth in the love thereof and continue in subjection to it the power and force of it will inable and make them willing to obey the voice of God immediately in their own Hearts and in the Mouths of his Servants which Voice of God calls unto Holiness without which none shall see him and there being an aptness or proneness in many after they are reached to by the Lord to neglect that Duty he requires of them therefore in his tender Love hath he given Gifts for the work of the Ministry for the perfecting of the Saints for the Edifying of the Body till we all come in the Vnity of the Faith into a perfect Man unto the measure of his Stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4.8 c. And well said the Apostle Peter Yea I think it meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up or to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance that we may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the Holy Prophets and of the Commandement of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own Lusts 2 Pet. 1.15.3.1 2. c. Which also was practised by the Apostles in Exhortation Admonition Counsel Reproof and Condemnation as the Spirit of Truth Directed them and according to the several states of People to whom they Ministered by Word or Epistle And Reader it is well known that any who were really scrupulous from a true tenderness of their Spirits careful or fearful to do any thing but what they found to be their Duty and in the Light of Christ Jesus did see they were called to be obedient to the same over these we have been very tender and have encouraged and counselled them Singlely to wait upon the Lord for a sight and sense from him by the in shinings of his pure Light of that which they ought to do and if we could inform their understandings and in the good hand of the Lord be instrumental to clear their Judgments by opening to them the profit and great advantage reaped by those who have found it their place to be in Unity with their Brethren in a Christian Condescention to those things that are decent orderly and profitable in the Church of Christ that we have endeavoured to do and blessed be the Lord our labour of Love and pains therein hath proved successful and many have been helped thereby to see through the Mysterious wiles and subtle workings of the Enemy both immediately and instrumentally So thou mayst be assured we never pleaded for a conformity or submission of any to the Christian Order and wholesome Discipline amongst us but as they came to be Convinced in their own Consciences and well perswaded in themselves from a clear and sensible Conviction That it was their bounden duty so to do And therefore I say and thou mayst see that this Authors false Charge with all the rest of his confederacy in all their lying Clamours proceed from a base perverse Spirit that does surmise to People that we were bringing in an implicit Faith and blind Obedience by forcing a Conformity before Conviction which is opposed by us with our utmost endeavours and is of the Devil the Father of lyes who is the original Author of all this mischievous dark work of Separation c. and makes use of those his wicked Agents to defend the same under the specious pretence of Liberty of Conscience Liberty of Conscience and influences them to defame the Lords faithful and innocent Servants by malicious abusive Reflections and false Insinuations to amuse People as if the end of all their labours and travels in the Service of Truth for the preservation of Gods Heritage were to bring them into a Vniformity of such and such Canons Decrees and Orders that tended to an Apostacy Imposition and what â—ot Now I hope Reader thou wilt plainly see that the
erecting Womens Meetings distinct from the Men to be constantly set up once a month about the 10th houre of the day This he brings in pag. 101 102. as in the name of the Professors but I look upon it rather as his than theirs and therefore shall apply my self particularly to him in what follows upon this Subject Tell me now F. Bugg honestly if there be the least dram of Ingenuity yet remaining with thee hast not thou in thy time performed divers lawful and may be with respect to thy particular satisfaction very necessary Duties and that upon a Religious account too and such as thou couldst not well omit without offending the Lord or breaking thy peace with him and yet if thou wert to be questioned by the professors for that hath been always then great plea against us to produce expresly Scripture Chap. and verse to prove the Lawfulness thereof if thou hast not I am sure I have and many have found it as a pleasure upon our Spirits being commanded of the Lord to go about such and such a service I could name many particulare for which we could not give express Scripture to prove the lawfulness of the same Pray what Chap. and verse from any of ther Four Evangelists can I give to any of the professours that would ask the same of me Suppose I were commanded of the Lord to go to such or such a Steeple-house in City or Countrey or it were weighty upon my Sprit to visit any one particular Meeting or County in this Nation this I hope thou wilt not deny but it s in the first place lawful for me so to do and in the second place necessary also with respect to the Command of God which I am bound to observe as duly as if it were set down in Scripture expresly R. S. I command thee to go to such a place at such a day in such an hour c. And next F. B. where will thou find expresly Chap. and Verse in the Scriptures that thou should meet in such a place on the First day or Week day at such an hour either for Mens Meetings to take care of the Poor c. or other Solemn Meetings on the Account of Gods Worship And further to come closer to the Matter if Professors should Query of thee Come F. B. give us Chap. and Verse expresly to prove thy Practice of keeping on thy Hat or disprove our taking it off to persons as a Vain Vnchristian Practice and as to many other things I might mention Moreover as concerning Womens Meetings something further As the Christian Women in the Primitive Gospel-times had their Services in the Church as the Spirit of Truth then led and guided them which was and is unlimited and what does thou know Fr. but the Lord Jesus did then encourage them in the same So the Christian Women in this our Gospel day having received a measure of the same Spirit and as they walk in the Leadings and Guidings thereof which I believe certainly many do know and see their Services appointed them of God and by him are enabled to perform their Duty Observe The Apostle speaks of the Elder Women as Mothers and the Aged were to Teach the Young Women to be sober c. Tit. 2.3 4. Josephus in his Antiquites p. 706. speaks of a peculiar place destinated for Women for Religion sake where as they exercised their Devotion so no doubt but they performed their Services for the Edification one of another and doing good to such as they were related to and concerned with And p. 60. he saith The Women also strove with Emulation to exceed each other in the Work and Service to the Honour of God In the Third Volumn of the Book of Martyrs p. 24. Ann. 1563. And in Queen Elizabeths Reign It s said as followeth An outrage done to poor Women who met together to comfort one another viz. There was an Honest Woman of the â—ity of Bois whose Name was Nichale the wise of one John Lemancheâ— a Maker of Sun-Dials in whose House certain Neighbours meeting together to Comfort and Edifie one another and to pray one with and for another to the number of Nine or there-abouts with their Daughters these Murderers hearing of it ran violently in among them thinking to have found a Minister Preaching to them but when they saw how they were mistaken they dragged them out by the Hair of the Head into the midst of the Street where leading them with abundance of Stripes they cast them into the River in which Calamity God endued them with such strength and skill being unbound that endeavouring to swim at length they arrived at an Isle they being seized upon by some Ferry Men they were stript naked and then thrown again into the River and thinking yet to save themselves they were in the end knocked down by the seditious in the Suburbs of Vienna Now by this Spirit of Truth the Christian Women are directed and lâ—d to meet together to discharge theâ—r Duty aforesaid in their taking care of the Poor Fatherless other good Christian profitable Services as the same directs them and the Lord both attends them by his Counsel and Wisdom and also countenances them with his Living Divine Refreshing Presence in their Meetings and by him are the Faithful Women justified whoever may condemn them And we do very well know that as his living eternal power hath set up and established our publick solemn Assemblies and our Mens Meetings so I do confidently affirm from senblesi well grounded experience as I have been many times an eye-witness the same hath established Womens Meetings and I am fully satisfied without the least hesitation or scruple in my mind that now which hath and doth give authority to the former to render them lawful attends the latter to authorise and render them both lawful and laudable Therefore I may safely say that Spirit which opposes abuses and despises the Women in their respective Christian services and would not allow them the liberty which they have in Christ their Head and Husband is the Dark wicked Spirit of Imposition c. which condemns that which God justifies and approves of and so an abomination before him and I am truly sensible that those joyned thereunto I mean thee F. and such like to thee who through that rancour and radicated Malice have hardned your selves I am afraid to destruction and not all who through ignorance or simplicity are betrayed by your crafty designs and subtle insinuations to favour your work such as stand in opposition to and separation from the Womens Meetings that though they seem first and mostly to envy against Womens Meetings and as I remember follows or imitates the old Serpent who first set upon the Woman by his Temptations with a Design to gain ground upon the Man afterwards yet the same wicked ranting loose libertine Spirit that cries out so vehemently away with our Womens Meetings as thou in thy scoffing
flesh through much wantonness While they promise them liberty they themselves are servants of corruption For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they had known it to turn from the holy Commandment delivered unto them but 't is happened according to the true Proverb the Dog hath turned to his own vomit again and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2. Every one of these passages are so Correspondent with and agreeable to the practices and wayes of this dividing opposite party who have seperated themselves from our blessed unity First as with respect to the good Spirit of God in their own particulars and next which of necessity and so naturally follows as to fellowship concord and Communion with his People and methinks one neer parallel and a more close comparison could not be drawn as to every circumstance betwixt those in the Apostles time and those in ours it is so apparent that people of small understanding may readily observe the same And it s my firm Faith and certain perswasion that as on the one hand they are daily discovering their own shame by their uncivil defamations abominable lyes and malicious suggestions so on the otherhand shall their folly thereby be the more laid open For as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses So do these also resist the Truth but saith he they shall n = * Obs In Gods appointed time all the resiâ—â—ers and Rebellers are stopped in their envy and malice against his People proceed no further why so the reason is clear as followes for their folly shall be made manyfest to whom not only to a few or a little remnant who from that inward sense and true discerning the Lord hath indewed them with do see and have seen when first they began their wicked work of separation and before it was so notorious as it is now but unto all men as theirs was Now to return unto that which was most weighty in my view having made some little digression seeing it hath thus sadly befallen such who have not kept their habitation in the Truth by reason of their woful departure from that due constant subjection of their Spirits thereunto having also the advantage of observing the Rock they have split upon and as this F. B. saies in his word of advice to the Pennsylvanians in his last Chap. such a slender pitiful dry one as it is and indeed I think better could not be well expected from him for as I remember the substance of what he saies that's worth observing much like to the dead professors strain keep the Scripture in esteem amongst you c. But never so much as a syllable of the antient Principle of Truth viz. To mind the light of Christ you may perceive what hath been one Impediment to the increase of love and Charity which Blessed be the Lord God of Eternal Glory plentifully abounds amongst Friends in Scotland Ireland other places where this opposite dividing party hath not gain'd any Interest among them and so in most Counties of this Nation of England where it hath not prevailed there is great amity blessed unity sweet concord Peace Heavenly harmony daily increases amongst them O Blessings and glory and Honour unto the Lord our God for ever for the same Therefore my tender Counsel and brotherly advice in the love of our Lord Jesus unto you all is be very Careful that at all times above all things whatsoever and on all occasions you may be found in that holy Reverend subjection of your Spirits to the blessed Divine power of the living God that hath reached unto you and by which you are Called to be his holy pure People and then in this holy frame I do right well know shall you be kept neer unto and in unity with himself and in concord and fellowship one with another in the unity of his Spirit and in the bond of peace bundled up in the bundle of everlasting Life and so thereby shall you be preserved from that rending tearing and devouring Spirit and the same God of blessings who as he hath graciously attended you here in your various exercises will also favourably accompany and be present with you his faithful honest right-hearted ones in all your several services for the advancement of his glorious work even the Salvation of Souls the promotion of the pure name and the exaltation of the glorious fame of holy Jesus amongst the Heathen and all the World over And our Confidence is that notwithstanding of the great fury and wrath of the Devil the implacable malice and envy of his cursed agents against the Lord his faithful Children yet I am fully perswaded Truth innocency shall over all prevail as John saw and said behold a white horse and he that sate on him had a bow and a Crown was given unto him and he went Conquering and to Conquer So I recommend you all to the saving Word of Gods Grace that by it you may be guided and under the safe conduct thereof preserved to the End of all those various Changes Tryals and troubles here that you may finish your time and testimony and lay down your heads in peace and in the close of all return to your God and my God the Father of Spirits from whence we came with all the Heavenly Host Laud and Extol his holy worthy Name with everlasting Songs of pure thanksgivings and living praises and so receive the product of all your labours and excercises in the Lord even the immortal Crown of eternal Glory and perpetual Renown is the sincere supplication of my Soul for you all as for my self and who earnestly prayes for the establishment preservation of all the Lords people upon the everlasting Rock that unchangeable Foundation against which the Gates of Hell cannot prevail The Conclusion AND now Francis Bugg I think I have done with thy book and spent more time then I Judge it either deserved or I designed in answer thereunto and indeed never expected to have been concerned with thee or any upon this Account in publick especially I being altogether a Stranger to unacquainted with thee and therefore assure thy self what I have written or may yet say unto thee and others of thy Adherents is not from any Rancour Heat or Prejudice but really from that good-will true tender love and earnest desire which the Lord hath begot in my soul for the eternal welfare and happiness of all the Sons and Daughters of Men but more singularly for the restoration of such whom God in any measure hath visited with his Glorious Blessed Day and reached unto by his everlasting pure power and thereby has tendered their Spirits and broken their Hearts and given unto them a feeling and sence of that Precious divine life the constant enjoyment of which is above and beyond all what this fading transitory World can afford But what shall I say unto
very main thing intended by this angry Author as the principal foundation of his work is notorious false and abominable seeing it is so without all doubt then thou mayst safely conclude all the rest of his work I mean his ensuing Treatise is a piece of perfect Forgery absolute designed Lyes and Slanders so much of it as insinuates and has a tendency to introduce a false report and beget a wrong belief concerning us whose Innocency is well known both in the sight of God and sober-minded people that it was never our business directly or indirectly to drive any to a forced subjection contrary to their perswasion inclination of their own minds And for my part I do ingeniously declare that I could never perceive any such thing less or more amongst Friends where ever I have been in any of our Meetings neither truly do I yet see and I hope never shall I desire never to see it whilst I live that by all the vain Scribling Prating and Tattling of their Idle Ridiculous Stories either by Words or Books of our Opposers that they have produced any convincing solid proof rational or clear demonstration to any judicious understanding Persons that the Body of Friends are so and so Apostatized and do so and so drive impose force and compel any to a Conformity to the wholesome Christian proceedings in their Men and Womens Meetings or that G. F. that faithful Servant of the Lord is become an Apostate or Innovator as W. R. c. most maliciously suggests As for this of F. B's I have considered it and I find much weakness attended with a great deal both of extream Wickedness and also of foolish Drollery Malice and Envy and I doubt not but the impartial and such as are not prepossessed with prejudice will easily discern and readily observe the same by what follows For in Page 8. he brings in an impertinent parallel saying And now I will shew you a Parallel betwixt the Treatment which the Protestants met withal from the hands of the Papists for their pains and betwixt the Treatment W. R. T. C. and others have met withal from the hands of G. F. and those of party with him for their pains and so sets down at large in page 11 12 13. the manner of the Papists Cursing Thomas Bennet for publishing and manifesting their Error Ans Is not here the height of Malice and extream wickedness first to insinuate most falsly our being like to the Papists for which F. B. thou deserves a dreadful reward and shall unavoidably meet with it from the hand of the just God of Heaven and Earth if thou speedily repent not And Secondly To compare what several of us have given forth from the Spirit of the Lord in a true living Zeal and from a holy Constraint and Detestation against that rending tearing and dividing Spirit that is cursed of God for ever which weighty Testimonies through his People shall stand over thy head and all those joyned with thee in that mischievous work of Separation from the Lord and Opposition to his Work and that which would divide and scatter his Heritage I say to bring in Parallel betwixt what the Lord gives forth in the Authority of his Eternal power through his Children either singly as with respect of themselves or joyntly as a Body of People gathered together by his power to give forth a true Sentence and Judgment upon that which is wrong with what the Pope or Papists have done in their dark and blind minds by their Bulls and Curses Oh! what a wicked and abominable thing is this And as if this was not sufficient to shew thy Rage thou also basely insinuates page 15. As if we were not a suffering People our selves and had but once the Law to assist us in our Church Censures c. We would expose People to Fire and Faggot Curse and Excommunicate them and deprive them of their Priviledges and Advantages Temporal as well as Spiritual as ever the Papists did And that Reader this is the true English and natural Consequence of this Mans unsuitable Parallel and not by bare Inferences there-from he expresses the same more fully in plain legible Characters falsly saying page 200. A Man may transgress the Scriptures days without number but yet never be Excommunicated by G. F. and his Party this is largly inserted but not at all proved in his Book but I. B. never sold but one Book namely that of W. R. his publishing that ever I heard of but I ask how many did I. B. vend and dispose of them into the Country and I doubt he sold many more then one which I believe himself will not deny And so you see he is dismembred no Spiritual Followship no spiritual Communion they can have with him that 's true nor with thee either or any such Rambling Ranting Loose Libertine Spirits like W. R. and thy self yet here no Curse though no Concord no deprivation of Temporal Priviledges though an Exclusion of Spiritual Communion Nay says F. B. they do not only testifie against that Bad Spirit as they account it but him also viz. the Man also Oh that we could but say Take him Iaylor and that effectually and further as a compleat Draught of thy Divellish Malice in page 203. where thou says Had I all the Books of Controversie by me I presume it were a thing too hard for me to undertake so that I must take a step into the Papists Road of Cruclty and Severity c. Oh! the most Envious Cruel Hard-hearted Man full of Malice and Mischief what shall I say unto thee Certainly the Lord God will call thee to an account for this perverse deceitful devillish piece of Treachery Lies and implacable Enmity and remember I tell thee in the fear of the great God if thou do not deeply lament for unfeignedly and speedily repent of it most dreadful shall thy Portion be and most terrible shall the Judgment and Indignation be which thou must feel from the hand of the Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth Being much astonished to see the great boldness and strange Impudence of this unruly Person and other Rambling Disorderly Opposite Spirits that dare give forth in Print and publickly also report such manifest Forgeries Notorious and Apparent Calumnies against the Faithful Innocent people of the Lord and in the serious consideration of all their ungodly Railing Expressions with many scurrilous Mockings abusive and scoffing Reflections May not I say and many also with me as they of old expressed their Admiration of that unusual passage mentioned in Judges 19. And it was so that all that saw it said There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the Children of Israel came up out of the Land of Egypt unto this day Consider of it take Advice and speak your minds Was there ever such Wickedness and Folly done Was there ever such Madness and Envy seen in any People since the time the Lord appeared unto
us and brought us from under the Egyptian Bondage and Darkness and since the day that the Lord Visited us by his mighty Hand and out-stretched Arm and gathered us to be a People to himself as in these now who under the Profession of the same Truth have it seems even made a Covenant with Hell Death and the Devil and proclaimed a Confederacy together to War against the Lord and his People by their open Opposition to and disdainful slighting of the comely and commendable Practices in the Church of Christ especially considering which greatly aggravates their guilt the singular advantages they have had above many people what understanding I believe divers of them came unto concerning the work of Truth their great knowledg they had attained of the Principles of the true Religion and some of them its like once enjoyed experimental nearness to the Lord and Fellowship with him and his People and yet for such to become as Absolute Stour Resolute Enemies to oppose both as everany yea by many degrees are farworse and as it were in the superlative endeavours to exceed their former Predecessors I mean the old dry Apostates was there ever such a deed done or seen And that notwithstanding the Lord hath been so graciously pleased both signally to appear by his Heavenly and Divine power as well for the preservation as the vindication of his chosen faithful ones who have stood in his Counsel and in the uprightness of their Hearts could appeal their Innocency to him and also hath evidently manifested and apparently discovered his Wrath and fierce Indignation against his and their Enemies on every hand in so much that those who in their time rose up with a high lofty and imperious Mind proud and exalted Spirit abusing and villisying the Innocent Servants of the Lord amongst whom our ancient faithful Friend G. F. has not been one of the least concern'd both then and at this present juncture of Controversie I say where are these now with all their confused stuff of Janglings and Contentions What came all their Noises and Bustlings to We clearly see the Devil and all his cursed Agents could not produce what they designed thereby and why The Lord Iehova the mighty God of Heaven and Earth appeared as a terrible Enemy against them Now 〈◊〉 it â—o 〈◊〉 Admiration to me to see thee treading on in the very Foot-stepts of those old Back-sliders from the Holy Commandment of Life delivered to them who from the same perverse Spirit to the same end and much after the same method Opposed the Truth and abused Friends thereof as thou dost but thou and W. R. c. go some steps beyond them and did not they as well as thou F. B. print divers Scandalous Pamphlets amongst which there was one called Liberty of Conscience asserted against Imposition if I be not much mistaken wherein they endeavoured to misrepresent Friends to the World as Apostates and Innovators and such as were setting up a Romish Hierarchy and bringing in Arbitrary Jurisdiction over tender Consciences so that now its clear as the Sun shines their false charge thou and thy Adherents have revived their way you have followed their Cause you have undertaken evidently demonstrates you to be in the same work of wickedness and one with these in the very root of bitterness How comes it Francis that thou art so benumbed stupified hardned and beâ—oâ—â—ed yea and befooled by the Devil But alass What shall I say He eveâ— the God of this Woâ—d hath lulled thee into a deep Lethargy or sleep and so blinded thy Eyes again if ever they were once opened that thou and such as thou art cannot see nor apprehend what you are running and hurrying head-long into till the Flames of Eternal Judgment and the fury of that fiery Indignation make you sensible what your wicked devillish Work has been But O! the earnest Prayer of my Soul is to the God of infinite Mercy and unspeakable Compassions That you may prevent such an awakning and that you in time now may be roused up and allarm'd by his Righteous Judgments in your Hearts by lying under the same and by bowing to the Indignation of the Almighty you may obtain mercy from him to your poor Immortal souls before the day of mercy be quite shut against you that though you then may cry yet you will not be heard CHAP. II. IN p. 21. I find F. B. say But if G. F. and his party shall stifly stand to it that the womens meetings it of Divine Institution c. and then brings in an impertinent needless Query Whether Christ was deficient either in his Delivering to that honoured Auditory or in his Memory Answ I say he was in neither but according to the Capacities of the People amongst whom he conversed it was that he spoke delivered and opened things to them And F. B. scoffingly interrogates And who did he constitute in his room to supply that defect whether a visible head namely G. F. c. We do know very well whom he did appoint in his room when he was to be removed bodily he encouraged his Disciples with a sweet promise I will not leave you comfortless but the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name Obs The true force of the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Advocate one called to sent for invited to come upon what occasions or for what end soever see 1 John he shall teach you and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you and although he gave forth and spoke much unto them yet they were not able to bear all things therefore he says I have yet many things to say unto you but you cannot bear them now howbeit when the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all Truth for he will not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come he shall receive of mins and shall shew it unto you From which we may observe that there is large room left for the Spirit of Truth who should receive of Christ's and shew unto his followers to instruct and lead to never contrary but agreeable with the Scriptures of Truth that which is needful proper and profitable in the Church for the preservation of the Members thereof in the comely commendable gospel of Order that thereby the lovely sweet Unity Concord and Heavenly Harmony may be retained amongst them to their mutual joy comfort and edification and to the praise of his glory who hath called us to be his peculiar people zealous of good works and hath preserved us against the malice violence and rage of the Devil and all his Instruments under every appearance or transformation Now whereas this angry peevish Man makes such a noise against and bustlings about the Lawfulness of Womens Meetings because he cannot find Chapter and verse expresly set down in the Scripture for
Airy Mind abuses them comparing them to the Papists great Idol viz. the Roob of Grace to Graceless as well as Lifeless Image see p. 8. and 47. will not only descry Womens Preaching as some of them have done already but also at last would overturn our Mens Meetings and so would bring all things topsiturvey These are indeed the Babel Builders upside down into a meer Chaos Disorder and Confusion again and here would be which the Devil would be at and mainly seeks an open door for Libertinism Ranterism Atheism Profanity and all maner of Debauchery But God Almighty will overthrow all these devilish Designs and hellish Imaginations and Truth and Righteousness hath he decreed to establish in the Earth everlastingly magnified be his holy Name for ever for he is worthy over all to be feared served and obeyed by all the Sons and Daughters of Men. CHAP. III. NOw I come to the first Chapter of F. Bugg's Book p. 24. in the which he pretends to treat of Principles of Truth received and believed in the beginning c. wherein there is but little of weight to be noticed being but a slender imperfect Relation thereof and that too with a crafty subttle Design to strike against Friends of Truth maliciously thereby insinuating to the World How it was so and so with them in the beginning and now otherwise This living Testimony I have to bear to the contrary that blessed be the name of the Lord the same foundation principle and corner stone that was laid in the beginning for the building of Gods Spiritual House is as precious to us now as ever and is of as great esteem and we do preach the same and no other even the saving sufficient Divine Light of Christ Iesus and the Spiritual appearance thereof and it is our work and labour to direct and turn the minds of people to be inward and retired thereunto as unto the more sure word of Prophecy and that there is sufficiency in it being obeyed to lead to salvation and as we are come to the experience of the holy Unction and feel and taste of the sweetness excellency and vertue thereof in our own particulars so we declare thereof unto others that they might be stirred up to wait upon the Lord with us in his heavenly Gift and have the same sense and experience in themselves and so see and taste for themselves and blessed be God our love one to another doth abound and our zeal for his â—oly name doth encrease and a heavenly harmony of life sounds in our Assemblies as in the beginning in which stands our Unity Fellowship and there are many who are living witnesses by how much the more we are spiritually minded and seriously exercised in the inward Testimony or Law of the Spirit of Life and the more we take delight to meditate therein Night and Day by so much the more the Lord is pleased to maifest his Love unto us and to reveal his pure Power amongst us and is our Hedge and Wall to this Day and gives us favour in the sight of the People glorified be his pure name for ever And we do testifie in a holy fresh zeal against all such Formalities Will worships Church-Authorities Ceremonies Orders Institutions as are neither useful decent nor comely in the sight of God and our Testimony lives remains as in the beginning everlasting praise to the Almighty against all that Trash and Trumpery of the Whore of Babylon brought in and set up in the dark Night of Apostacy and we do testifie That Christ his Kingdom is to be known within not in any Observation or Profession that is Visible without the possession and inward enjoyment of him and he even the second Adam the Lord from Heaven is head of and Lawgiver to our Church on whose shoulders the Government and Authority thereof is laid And we know that though in the World there are Faiths many and Lords many yet unto us there is but one Faith and one Lord Jesus Christ who is the Author of that Faith And we have an honourable esteem of the Scriptures of Truth and they are very good and useful in their place and they are by us believed and a great comfort and blessing to us but still the spirit of God is the first Principle the Pale and only Head of the true Church and Sanctified people of God and is likewise the Rule of our Life and Practice and always hath the preheminence in our Testimony as ever from the beginning this we have declared and do declare on all occasions to all People Professor and Prophane c. and such as are faithful to the Lord will not question the truth of this as it is at present witnessed Everlasting praises to the Lord over all And these need not go for proof thereof as thou saist pag. 28. to such and such Testimonies of those good faithful Servants of the Lord who did bear a Noble Testimony against all Apostates and Back-sliders as the Reader may see in a Book of our worthy Friend Isaac Penington whom F.B. mentions concerning Church Government For we have a certain evidence and many clear tokens of the powerful divine and refreshing presence of the Almighty God attending us in our holy Services and Christian Practises both in our Men and Womens Meetings which shall stand and in Glory remain when thou and all such clashing jarring jangling and perverse prating spirits shall vanish and be no more seen in this World And indeed I know for certain and many times it hath livingly and with unspeakable comfort opened in mé when I have had occasion to be under any sad Exercise by any of this Opposite Party that their wild and hasty furious Contentions and malicious Endeavours against the Gospel Order in the Church of Christ is but another smoak though one of the blackest and thickest that is come up or may be may hereaftercome up from the Bottomless Pit And the breath of the Lord God Almighty is scattering of it and will blow it quite away so that it as we have seen other smoaks shall utterly disappear And the wise prudent Reader may observe that many of the Epistles of Advice and Counsels to Friends from their Meetings nothing now more than in the beginning implies any imposition or force thereunto and they are so worded as that Christian liberty is preserved and the people not imposed upon beyond their freedom and that it is so I shall prove in the next Chapter And so we plainly see that the Devil and his Agents have but befooled themselves by falsely insinuating to any as this F.B. doth in page 31. That we exercise Dominion Gentile-like and with Lording over Gods Heritage for the same Christian Confession discension and true moderation appears amongst us as in the beginning CHAP. IV. IN page 32. F. B. says I am now to manifest the alteration and the cause of Divisions amongst us about Matters of Faith and the
been betrayed by their reasonings and consultings with that deceitful cursed Spirit of Separation and the Lord has blessed our endeavours therein and our earnest Cry to him That none may be lost but the Son of Perdition such who are simply and ignorantly betrayed I hope may be restored into Unity with God and his People as many are who have true honesty or rather an honest right ground remaining in them But for those who have sinned wilfully as the Author to the Hebrews writes after they have received the knowledg of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries and so goes on and gives the reasons and concludes with a severe sentence It 's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God who is a consuming Fire Heb. 10.26 27. For such who speaks lies in hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with a hot Iron whose hearts are quite hardned and become twice dead plucked up by the roots whose day of visitation is expired by their reiterated abominable provocations and rebellion I fear such are hardned to destruction and judicially sealed up to damnation And Thirdly There is a notorious Lie For when any difference arises amongst us there is a free Conference and sober Debating thereof admited to reconcile and resolve the same so that he lies in saying That both by our practice and advice it 's stiffly denied In pag. 101. Come give us Chapter and verse for your Womens Meeting distinct from the Men to be constantly set up unless a litle n = * When that comes we have seen by many observable Instances how these Separates have crept into holes of the Earth to save themselves from Persecution much like to the Flies when it 's warm Weather they vex both Men and Beasts but hardly to be seen when Winter comes cold weather intervene Monthly about the 10th hour to get a litle stock we suppose thou meanest speaking to G. F. a lttle money for certain select uses it being a more private way than the Bason and Platter c. We say to thee F. Bugg and all Professors by way of retortion Come give us expresly Chapter and verse for Mens meeting together to take care of the poor Widows and Fatherless at such a place in such a Month and of such an hour of the day as thou puttest us upon proof concerning Womens Meetings in pag. 101. Couldst thou bring Chap. and verse in express terms for the proof of the former which thou allowest of to be Lawful as with respect to place Month and hour of the Day Query And ought not then the Men to meet together to discharge the foresaid Christian Duties unless thou canst bring expresly Chap. and verse to prove their practice therein as with respect to place month and hour If thou say Nay Then has not this a tendency to overthrow Mens Meetings as well as the Womens Meetings Though we know in the holy Scriptures of truth there is plentiful encouragment for both Men and Women to serve God and each other in love and faithfulness and though divers Circumstances relative to Men and Womens Meetings as day hour month and place cannot be proved from express words of Scripture yet the Meeting of Men and Women and their appointing in the wisdom of God day hour month and place is not contrary to the Scriptures For now any rational person may conceive that it were grosly absurd and irrational to affirm that every good act or thing done which cannot be proved by express plain Scripture words without any sound inference and true consequence is therefore contrary to Scriptures Consider this seriously and in the coolness and calmness of thy mind and I hope thou willt not be so stout in opposing Womens Meetings as thou hast been and likewise I desire thee and the rest of thy brethren in mischief to consider what the wise man expresses in Ecclesiasticus A Back-biting Tongue hath cast out vertuous women and deprived them of their labours who so hearkneth unto it shall never find rest and never dwell quietly Eccl. 28.15 16. And to compleat thy Draught of Mockery maliciously and unseemly abusing that worthy ancient Labourer of the Gospel G. F. by thy proposing a Battledore and in thy flouting airy mind sets within it the form of Spectacles in pag. 163. thereby to beget a light wanton mind in the People and so makes but thy self a Mocking stock or the foolish like to thy self to deride thee and the sober to distaste and disdain thy scurrilous base unworthy doings May not I now say unto thee for these and many more of thy unchristian defamations malicious suggestions and inhuhumane reflections as Paul said to Elimas Art not like to him in his wicked work Hast not thou by this Devilish piece of treachery withstood the Lord and his Servants and thereby endeavoured to turn away many from the faith of Gods elect Thou enemy of all righteousness thou Child of the Devil O full of all subtilty wilt thou not cease to pervert the right wayes of the Lord And now behold the hand of the Lord is against thee and if thou humble not thy self speedily under the same most lamentable shall thy state be when thou must bid an everlasting Adieu to all thy comforts pleasures and riches thou enjoyest in this life God grant thou mayest find a place for repentance CHAP. VI. IN pag. 63. F. B. inserts an Order recorded in the Quarterly Meeting Book in the Isle of Ely which I leave to those particularly concerned to take notice of but supposing that they had done amiss which I do not grant pray tell me what reason or justice is it as amongst men that a whole Nation or Body of People should be charged so and so with the fault of a particular County or any one Quarterly Meeting Most part of this Chapter relates to particular Persons to answer if they find it worthy the pains But he makes such a bustle and noise about J. A's Marriage its meet something should be particularly hinted at as concerning the same Our Friends for Conscience sake could not own nor countenance J. A's Marriage which he would impose on us to own without the Womans appearing whom he intended to take And is this W. R's and F. B's Conscience that we must own J. A's Marraige to a Woman that comes not with him to the Mens Meeting to declare her mind for we know our Womens Meetings they are against and disregard And we must declare its a matter of Conscience to us in the Case of J. A. or any other for him to come to our Meeting and tell us that he intends to take his House-keeper to be his Wife and we desire him to bring her to our Mens Meeting to hear what she says to it And he says He is not free to bring her to declare that she intends to take him to be
her Husband that we may hear both parties And if he make a matter of Conscience of this to let the Meeting hear what she saith but we must take his word without hearing the Woman what she says and if he be ashamed of her to appear before the Meetings together is not this wilfulness We have no Unity with such If a Man should come to one of our Meetings and say I would take such a mans daughter to Wife you will impose upon us that we must have Unity with it and he will not bring the Woman with him nor Relations that we may have satisfaction from their mouths or by a Certificate and hear what they say to it such Marriages we can have no Unity with And if W. R. F. B. and T. C. that was married with a Priest can nurse up such we say we have no Fellowship nor Unity with them as be not decent civil modest and of good report for we would have the satisfaction of the Man and Woman and their Relations also that all things may be done decently and in good Order that no Man or Woman or Relations may be wronged for our God is a God of Order and not of Confusion Now Reader thou may'st easily discern whether we or they be the Imposers and Innovators F. B. and W. R's new Order Traditions Prescriptions Impositions and Innovations is that J. A. or another Man must tell his intention of Marriage without the Woman being there to know her mind and this is their new Way new Order and new Method And this was J. H's way at the Peel and the Woman M. P. was not there who when she heard of it she utterly denied him And another in Kent did so foolishly declare he pretended to take a Woman not present there which grieved her sore when she heard of it And so by this new Order Prescription and Innovation which F. B. and W. R. would impose on us to have Unity with Women may be greatly wronged and their Relations abused by every bad loose Man and make people believe that their consent is to it when it is not and so be scandalized and offended therefore to prevent which we do judg that in the Wisdom of God the Man and Woman ought both to come together when they lay their intentions of Marriage before a Meeting and their Relations to be satisfied and if they live far off beyond Sea or in another County then to have a Certificate from them that they are satisfied And this I understand hath been our Friends practice before thee F. B. came amongst us and will remain I doubt not when thou art gone Other particulars I would mention whereby it may be justly repelled upon W. R. F. B. c. that they are the Innovators and Imposers but what I have set down already may serve as a sufficient proof at present In pag. 74. there are some Queries strange sort of ones as I have read viz. Whether Christ Jesus the true God and eternal life in whom the fulness of the God-head dwelt bodâ—ly be the Head of the true Church Or whether George Fox who is but a Man unto whom the Spirit is given but by measure be head thereof His second Query is an Answer to the first and the third to the second c. I wonder much F. B. has shewn so much discretion and civility as to confess but I believe he cannot otherways do that we acknowledg Christ Jesus to be both the Head Ruler and Lawgiver of the true Church But then in his Fifth Query he seems to boast greatly and brag at a high rate as if forsooth poor Man he had gained all how wise is a fool in his own vain conceit what his empty noddle or brain doth apprehend that he judges none can disprove If you say that Christ nor his Apostles left neither command example nor president for Womens Meetings c. then I query further of you the said Imposers where had you your power or from whence had you your Authority to institute such a way of Government in the Church by Women or other ways containing such Rites and Ceremonies and in whose name do you compel to an Vniformity and Conformity thereto What I have formerly said in Chap. 4 may be enough to answer the foresaid Query but in short I say again from the Lord God of Heaven and Earth his People have received power and therewith are they endued to perform those Holy Christian Practices in their Men and Womens Meetings and thereby are they invested with Authority and Dominion to stand up as Noble Witnesses for the Standard of Righteousness against all opposition and by how much the more we are saithful and singly resigned in a holy Zeal and due diligence to attend and wait upon the Lord in our Meetings to perform that which tends to his Glory and the good of one another c. by so much the more doth he countenance us with his divine comfortable presence and therefore we are not careful nor need we be troubled what unruly disorderly loose ranting Spirits such as are given to a Fleshly liberty and wanton mind say to the contrary question or condemn us therefore And I may say as an encouragement to you that are faithful to the Lord in your services both in your Men and Womens Meetings as the holy Apostle said in his day to the Philippians Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue and if there be any praise think on these things and not onely so but those things says he which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do and the God of peace shall be with you Phil. 4.8 9. And Francis that 's an absolute plain forgery to imply by way of Query taking it for granted that it were really so in whose Name do we compel to a Conformity c. For we do deny it as feigned and false and many living powerful Testimonies arise in the hearts of Gods Children against this wicked malicious abusive Spirit that would defame us by falsly suggesting we did compel force and drive People nolens volens against the perswasion of their own minds whether they will or not comply they must We never endeavoured such driving forward work to bring any to an uniformity and subjection to that which we know of certain to be according to the mind of God and the counsel of his eternal Spirit consentaneous or correspondent to the Principles of Truth or the true Christian Religion and no ways repugnant to but congruous with the sentiments of sound Reason c. and it s our desire that every one should be fully perswaded in their own minds and we direct them to wait upon the Lord that he may reveal that to them which would tend to his glory and their good and I know
that hath called them c. and that that is not a necessary occasion And furthermore observe we have mens monthly meetings and must they not meet at the time appointed if no business should present And if they meet not pray how should they know whether they have business or not And if they may meet why not the women likewise If neither except as before why is any time appointed This looks as if they would have Friends only meet when they can tell of outward business to be proposed so if any but say he knows no business he is excused Oh what a disorder and confusion would they lead into Well may they be termed Babell's-builders and compared to the foolish woman c. 3 ly Moreover Reader I desire thee to consider that notwithstanding F. B. so much abuses that Epistle of G. F's concerning Womens meetings which he transcribes in p. 33. and brings in as a proof of an alteration and violence done to our first Principles of union whereof I have already taken notice See Chap. IV. p. 50. Yet this very same paper was approved of by John Wilkinson and others of his party and for thy further satisfaction and to shew thee both how much they have contradicted this foolish conceited man F. B. and likewise thou mayst clearly see how much they are degenerated and Apostatized from what they once owned I shall present a paper writ from the Quarterly meeting at Kendall the 6th of 8th month 1671. where the foresaid Epistle of G. F's was read and joyned with and with an unanimous Consent to be Practised as appears by what follows It is further agreed upon that this paper be read in every particular Meeting that the WOMEN-friends who are faithful may be stirred up to a serious consideration in the light of the Lord to examin themselves and feel his requirings and so to answer the Lord with diligence and willingness of mind that so every one that profess the living truth of God may be serviceable Instruments in his hand to Extol his Name and to perfect his praise in our day and time And in the womens assembling together to see and consider that all women young and old who profess the Truth do walk therein in good order in modesty and moderation in Charity out of the Customs fashions of the World and that nothing be lacking and so herein the femals will become very sensible of the necessities of the body and so you will rejoyce with them that do rejoyce and suffer with them that do suffer and mourn with them that do mourn who are not gotten out of the bondage and Captivity of the adversary and so be ready to lend unto such a helping hand and encourage every such good desire and reprove the willful and obstinate And so every one acting in the just Principle of God in our selves justice will be exalted and righteousness established and herein Male and Female is serviceable in our place and calling in this our day generation And so all Women-Friends who feel sincere desires in themselves to be instrumental of good unto others let them meet together as aforesaid n = * viz as is expressed in G. F's paper wherein it s found thus so it would do well for the Women to have a distinct meeting by themselves as it is in other places and to see that nothing be lacking So once a month to have a Womans meeting in the County-Town or other places convenient then the other Neighbouring Women may come go home they meeting together about the 10th hour of the day c. and in this desire certainly the Lord will assist you in his Wisdom and Counsel to act speak that which is convenient and all the faithful women who are inclined and affected herewith may signifie their minds and intents to the Mens meetings and so be encouraged by us whose names are hereafter subscirbed John Wilkinson Henry Story Richard Stephenson Henry Garner c. CHAP. XI THE last part of my present business is in something by way of tender Counsel and Brotherly advice unto all Friends of truth both here and also beyond Seas c. That which will render you in a true Capacity in your several stations to be a good savour in your places before the Lord and Instrumental in his Blessed Hand to be serviceable in advancing this great and glorious Work of the universal Restoration of the Sons and Daughters of men is as you are kept in the continual daily subjection of your Spirits to the Leadings of that holy pure power of Almighty God who hath called you unto a high and Honourable vocation For that hath been as well the ground of our preservation in a right state and good condition as the alone foundation of the infinite loving kindness and continuation of the tender Care of our heavenly Father towards us till this moment of time And because of the want of this holy subjection in the particulars of those who have been convinced of the blessed Truth and publickly have appeared for it but having gone from the life of it in themselves and because that they have not kept in the Constant dependency on the Lord in the dayly self-denyal and in the Cross to their own wills and so have not abode in the lowlike humble meek and quiet peaceable Spirit of Jesus therefore is it that a disorderly treacherous loose libertine reaching high perverse Spirit hath entered into them and hath so far prevailed upon them as to influence them thus to appear in such an abusive heady Cross opposite willful and stubborn mind that they become like those mentioned in Jude likewise also saith the Apostle These filthy dreamers mark well the sayings they are so apposite to illustrate and clearly demonstrate the very Characters of these Apostates defile the flesh despise dominion and speake evil of dignities and of those things which they know not and what they know naturally as bruit Beasts in those things they corrupt themselves Wo unto them for they have gone in the way of Cain and perished in the gain-saying of Core these are Spots in your feasts of Charity feeding themselves without fear Clouds without water Carried about with Winds Trees whose fruit withereth twice dead plucked up by the roots raging waves of the Sea foaming out their own shame wandering starrs to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever But beloved Remember ye thâ— words which were spoken before by the Apostleâ— of our Lord Jesus Christ How that they told you there should be Mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts and at last very evidently concludes demonstrating what persons these are as a signal mark to know them by These be they that SEPARATE themselves sensual having not the Spirit And Observe further how the Apostle Peter describes them more fully for when they speak great swelling words of vanity they allure through the lusts of the
thee Francis Bugg alas how hast thou betrayed thy great weakness folly and envy had it not been farr better for thee thou hadst never set Pen to Paper in bringing forth such a wicked piece of work hast thou not clearly evinced there how aptly thy name answers to thy crooked perverse nature and thy devlish venomous disposition the enemy hath wrought in thee for thou hast done what thou could to wound hurt and spoil not only the good name and reputation of particular persons but hast endeavoured with all thy strength and policy to bring a lash and blur upon many thousands of faithfull Friends however all thy Malicious smitings in the dark and thy open notorious abuses and scandalous reflections will be in vain and return as a weighty load upon thy own head for I know that the Innocency and uprightness of the one with the honest circumspect conversation of the other will out-live confute and disprove all thine and the rest of that hellish Combination your forged callumnies and lying stories and all your malicious insinuations and false suggestions shall but redown to your own utter ruine and everlasting shame perpetual defamation and eternal Confusion if you repent not but stoutly persevere and obstinately continue in this wilfull wicked work of opposition to and separation from the Lord and his People and be of such who have sold themselves to do wickedly and so devoted to the Devils service to be his Vassals Slaves and subjects Oh! for shame for shame that ever it should thus befall any who have made profession of Gods Truth and confession also to the Testimony thereof through many sufferings and hardships and yet to become the absolute greatest enemy to the Profession and Progress of it which I am perswaded had more gloriously shined and that more universally in the Nations had not these Clouds of Division and separation loosness indifferency and dishonest conversation of many convinced of and who have appeared for the same come over to Ecclipse the Splendor of this glorious day but I know in due time the Sun of Righteousness will so arise and shine in that brightness and Glory as that all these Mists and Clouds shall be dispelled and scattered And therefore this is that which is weighty upon my spirit in the Powerfull Name of the Dreadfull God of Heaven and Earth to warn you all to cease from the evil of your doings and O return return so long as it may please the Lord to strive in you by his Holy gentle spirit and bow every one to his righteous Judgments in your hearts to destroy that wicked perveâ—se opposing and separating Spirit that 's prevailed upon you and remember what the Apostle said that is very weighty For if God spared not the Angels that Sinned but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into Chains of Darkness and spared not the old World and turned the Cities of Sodom and Gomorah into Ashes and in his Exhortation to the Hebrews 10 25. Says Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is For observe well what follows Oh! how near and close a Sentence is it IF WE SIN WILFULLY after that we have received the knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sins but a certain fearfull looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the adversaries Oh! dread fear and stand in awe of the living Almighty God who is a consuming fire to all the workers of iniquity and who knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of Temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of Judgment but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and dispise Government who are Presumptuous self-will'd they are not affraid to speak evil of Dignities mark these sayings And let me tell you plainly that for all your fair specious pretences Plausible Eloquent Orations smooth speeches cunningly contrived your great and high Notions glorious-like appearances and Mysterious Transformations may be as an Angel of light or like unto a lamb covered with a profession of Truth it self and Preach up the words and Principles thereof in the manly part and with the Wisdom from below that 's your beloved darling endeavours thereby to catch the affectionate itching part of simple People and such as are but young raw and unsettled in their minds For all this know as certain and which I am constrained in the holy fear of God to forwarn you off You that are the workers of iniquity however you may cover and hide your selves for a time from the Eye of Mortals if you dye as thus you have lived in opposing the Work of Truth in separation from the Lord and his People you I say shall be eternally excluded and forever shut out from entering into the Pure everlasting Kingdom of Eternal Glory rest and Felicity and the Lord Jesus will no more acknowledge you than he did those that though you as they did Cry Lord Lord have we not Eaten and Drunken in thy presence have we not Prophesied in thy Name and cast out Devils and done many wonderfull works yet you shall meet with the same dreadfull Sentence depart from me I know you not for all your fair Plea ye workers of iniquity Wherefore this is a seasonable warning to all you gain-sayers who are in the work of Corah in the Devils work of Division opposition of tearing rending and devouring of disorder and confusion and innovation who are become mockers scoffers and abusers of the Lords work and his Innocent People and that in a higher Degree than any of your former Predecessors if you come not sadly to mourn deeply to lament for and unfeignedly to repent of the same a most terrible heavy stroke and dreadfull cup of weighty vengeance shall be your Portion from the terrible hand of the mighty Pure God of righteousness the just Judg of Heaven and Earth who shall reward every man according to his works This from the Lord I lay before you receive or reject it as you please however I shall enjoy Peace with him in clearing my Conscience to you and discharging my Duty before him and so shall be clear of your Blood who sincerely wisheth and earnestly Prayeth for the Recovery of backsliders and Restoration of all such whose gracious day of Visitation is not quite expired By one that heartily prays for the daily increase of the Peace of Jerusalem and the prosperity of Sion and for the Advancement of Holy Jesus over all throughout all the Earth R. Sandilands Postscript FRANCIS BUGG I desire to advertise thee that what I have now wrote in Answer to thy Book was in the First place with a regard to the clearing of my Conscience inthe sight of God as a Testimony against Malicious Opposers and crued Hard-hearted Apostates and in the Second place it was with a true desire and real intent of mind for thine and others good if perhaps thou maist be thereby perswaded