set the Author free â—…an while so far as I thy meaning guess 〈◊〉 will Reply and readily confess â—…at ev'ry one who in the Gospel-Path â—…th walk uprightly such a Teacher hath 〈◊〉 can't into a Corner be remov'd â—…hich from the holy Scripture may be prov'd â—…hich if it be of th' inward Teacher meant â—…s I to take it here am well content â—…t do the Scriptures plainly too declare â—…d Paul himself doth Testimony bear â—…at Christ when he ascended up on high â—…e Teachers for the Work o' th' Ministry â—…d gave those Teachers Gifts to fit them to â—…e Work he had appointed them to do â—…e of those Teachers too in down-right Terms 〈◊〉 Apostle Paul himself to be affirms 〈◊〉 which we plainly see our gracious Lord 〈◊〉 outward Teachers to his Church afford â—…ough they had the inward And to them 〈◊〉 outwardly he said who do condemn 〈◊〉 me contemns who yield to you the Eâ—…r 〈◊〉 you receive me too receive and hear I have enlarg'd because I see thou' rt bent To vilifie those Teachers Christ hath sent Thou add'st while speaking of Teacher prov'd That into Corners could not be remov'd But did not preach it up a slight to bring On holy Scriptures pen'd for our Learning What means this William Dost thou any know Amongst the Quakers who do now preach so Name if thou canst among us all one Friend That slights the Scriptures for our Learning pen'd Such dark Suggestions do from Envy â—…ow And a malicious concred Mind they show For selfish ends thou sayst some thus did seâ—… You see not right your Light directs not well Thy drift is here the Quakers to compare With the Worlds Teachers who in Darkness are And so art thou The cases differ quite For their Objection was against the Light But so 's not ours You see not right they said The fault whereof upon the Light they laid We see and truly that you see not right But far be 't from us to reproach the Light We never say the Light directs not well We tell you That you from the Light are fell Their case with ours doth no proportion bear But serves to make thy Envy more appear In all these Passages that I have quoted And divers others that I have not noted Of the same tendency with these thy aim Is by Insinuation to defame Gods faithful Servants and beget suspition That they have lost their primitive condition Whenas it is indeed thyself and those Who with thee joyn Truths Order to oppose That art from Truth and Godliness departed And leagu'd in War against the honest hearted Whom with malicious Mind and words untrue Thou in the following Lines dost thus pursue What Hypocrites are all such Quakers then As touching Souls concern have said Amen On the meer credit of auother's Lines That seeking Self from Scripture-Truth's declines Here 's Slander by the Lump A Whole-sale Trade Who are the Quakers thou dost thus upraid Come to Particulars leave gen'ral Work Deceit thou knowst in Generals doth Lurk Name none 'gainst whom thou darest undertake The charge thou here hast publisht good to make And make it good too I will then declare He and thy self may make an even pair Hadst thou consider'd as it thee behov'd How many things must in this Charge be prov'd Not only that the Author of those Lines Which Souls concern from Scripture Truth 's declines And seeketh self but that some Quakers do On his meer credit say Amen thereto It might perhaps have thee more wary made And the loose Ramblings of thy Pen have staid But when dark Envy once the Eye doth blind It bars Consideration from the Mind Have any told thee that they said Amen On the meer credit of another Then Prethee conceal them not disclose their Names And let them of their Follies bear the Shames But if none so have told thee prithee whence Assum'st thou to thy self the Confidence To dive mens Hearts and undertake to know The only Motive whereupon they go Thou that hast so derided inward Sâ—…se Wilt not pretend I hope to judge from thence And if thou hast not been expresly told By themselves how dar'st thou be so bold And positive that some have said Amen On the meer credit of another when For ought thou know'st they had an inward sense The thing was right and said Amen from thence And that Amen may to another's words In Truth be said the Scripture Proof affords And for that cause th' Apostle doth command To use a Tongue that People understand In thy third page thy Mouth thou open'st wide To Rail at Fox his Preachers and his Pride Thy Railing 's slighted and laid under foot And for the rest I 'll say but this unto 't George Fox is of the Truth a faithful Teacher And hath been from the first but has no Preacher That he calls his They that by thee are meant Are Preachers that as he by Christ are sent I dare thee but one Preacher to impeach That was by him commissioned to preach And as for Pride hadst thou been half so humble Thou hadst not climb'd so high to take this tumble Thou sayst He fram'd i' th' Church a Government I say not he but Christ that had him sent Christ by his Spirit first in him did move The Church the same in Spirit did approve When Deacons first were in the Church appointed By those that with the Spirit were anointed Was that appointment to be call'd their own Or Christ's whose Life and Pow'r through them was shown Paul in the Church did sundry things ordain Bear with the word the Scripture speaks it pâ—…in For Order sake Was therefore th' Order his No sure not his but Christ's And so in this Thou Cavil'st too that after Government Preachers approv'd by man beyond Seas went This too perhaps may serve at least is meant 〈◊〉 kindle Jealousies and Discontent â—…raw unsettled Minds Let 's therefore scan â—…e meaning of those words Approv'd by Man 〈◊〉 Man thou mean'st the Church for so I find â—…hou hast a few Lines off exprest thy Mind â—…d to approve imports to own receive â—…end or like This then no room doth leave 〈◊〉 Cavil For he must be stupid grown â—…at thinks Christ's Church should not Christs Preachers own â—…des I note that here thou hast not said â—…ose Preachers were by man ordain'd or made â—…t that that they were approv'd Now 't is most plain 〈◊〉 thing t' Approve another to Ordain â—…ey had their Ordination from above 〈◊〉 Christ Ordains his Church may well approve â—…d to receive the Churches Approbation 〈◊〉 to Christ's Servants no Dis-reputation 〈◊〉 that in Righteousness and Peace says Paul 〈◊〉 Christ and in the Spirit joy withal 〈◊〉 â—…to God acceptable and then â—…dds he Approved also is of men Thou giv'st an hint as if of them that went Beyond the Seas some by G. F. were sent How prov'st thou that I Proof thereof
Rogero-Mastix A ROD FOR William Rogers In Return for his Riming Scourge c. By Thomas Ellwood Printed in the Year 1685. TO such as ask why I in Verse have writ This Answer I return I held it fit Verse should in Verse be answer'd Prose in Prose My Adveâ—…ry his oâ—… Weapon â—…se 〈◊〉 chose â—…ore in Prose to wriâ—… and thâ—… I ansâ—… him in Proâ—… 〈◊〉 now agen Since he his Stile from Prose to Verse hath chang'd And in the Muses Walks hath boldly rang'd In his own Method him I chose to Treat Lest he should wise be in his own Conceit Prov. 26. 5. A Rod for William Rogers in return for his Rhyming Scourge c. THe Preacher tells us that beneath the Sun There 's no new thing for That which shall be done Hath been before And what is now a doing Shall acted be again in Times ensuing â—…t none be shaken therefore in his Mind 〈◊〉 he Gods People now Reviled find Reproach't with bitter Words and Vilifi'd With filthy Slanders loaded and bely'd By Wicked men Such was the Churche's state Of old as sacred Story doth relate That Railing Herauld of th' Assyrian Host The foul-mouth'd Rabshakeh that man of Boast Who from Senacherib Assyrian's King Did a proud Message unto Iudah bring When he design'd the faithful Iews to draw From their Observance of the holy Law He labour'd to perswade them they had left The way of God already and bereft Themselves by that means of all ground of hope That God would them defend This was the scope Of his false Reas'ning with them If said he 〈◊〉 answer In the Lord our God trust we Is not that He whose Altars and High-places Your Hezekiah takes down and defaces And hath to Judah and Jerus'lem said Your Worship at this Altar shall be made By this he hop'd their Confidence to shake In God the Lord and them 〈◊〉 make Of God's Protection and from thence afford An open Ear to his seducing Word And that he might the more amuze them he Pretends his Mission from the Lord to be Am I says he come up without the Lord Against this place to put it to the Sword The Lord adds he for in a Lye he 'll stand Unto me said Go up against this Land Then let nâ—…t Hezekiah make you trust Still in the Lord saying The Lord who 's just Will surely us deliver and this City Shall not be subject to Assyria 's Pity To this effect that Wretch with strained Voice Proclaim'd and in his Lewdness did rejoyce A little while but e'er 't was long the Rod Taught him what 't was to Rail at Israel's God When Treacherous Sanballat and Tobiah Perceiv'd the godly zeal of Nehemiah The care and pains he took his Diligence The holy City with a Wall to fence How hard he labour'd in despite of them To build the Breaches of Ierusalem Set up the Gates thereof and hang the Dore That they no longer could as heretofore Go in and out at pleasure and prophane With unclean Mixtures Iacob's Seed again Bring in mixt Marriages and thereby make God's People him offend him them forsake At first it griev'd them sore to hear some tell Of one that sought the good of Israel Then when they found the Work would be begun They laught and into scornful Scoffs did run And by Derision and Disdainful Cries Declar'd how much they did the Work despise But when they understood the Work went on And was in likely posture to be done They waxt exceeding wroth and strait combin'd Together to oppose it with them joyn'd Th' Arabian Ammonite and Ashdodite In League against Jerusalem to fight And all to the intent to bring to nought The Work which God had by his Servants wrought Their War-like Preparations proving vain They use a Stratagem they lay a Train To catch the Innocent thus him they greet Come let us in one place together meet Fair the Pretence appeared but their Thought Was by that Medium to have Mischief wrought Good Nehemiah saw their Snare and scap'd The hands of them that for his Ruin gap'd I am quoth he about a Work too great To leave it and come down with you to treat Four times so did they long to circumvent The Righteous They the self same Message sent And the same Answer did as oft receive I may not stop the Work 's too great to leave When thus Sanballat saw his Counsels fail That nor by Force nor Guile he could prevail With Rage and Envy swell'd at length he burst And cast up Gall and whatsoe'er was worst Not only Nehemiah to defame But bring an Odium on the Jewish Name And that he might his Slander publick make As publick as he could this way did take He gave unto his Servant a command To bear a Letter open in his hand In which he did suggest an Accusation Upon Report a sly Insinuation That Nehemiah had imploy'd the Iews To build the Wall that he might them abuse And thrust himself upon them for their King And thereby double Bondage on them bring And that he might the Crown the better reach He had appointed Prophets too to Preach So of him at Jerusalem and say There is a King in Iudah at this day Thus wrought Tobiah Sanballat and those That with them joyn'd the Work of God t' oppose One while by Scoffing Scorning and Deriding Another while by Force and Factious Siding Then by Deceit and many a subtil Wile In hopes they might the Innocent beguile And lastly by a publick Defamation To make the Iews a Scorn to Gentile-Nation When proud Diotrephes whose swelling Breast Love of Pre-eminence had long possest Had by Surmize and false Insinuation Leaven'd a Party in the Congregation The Rancour of his Venom'd heart brake forth Against some in the Church of greatest Worth Prating against them with Malicious words As in his third Epistle Iohn Records Nor only Prating but from Words proceeds To work Division by Mischievous Deeds Opposing what the Inspir'd Apostle writ Conducing to the Churches Benefit By these Examples plainly it appears How Satan plaid his Pranks in former years What Arts he us'd how craftily he wrought What Instruments wâ—…ereby to work he sought One while professed Enemies and then Another while he chose false Brethren And though those Agents now are dead and gone Satan remains the same the Evil One. He Mischief always to the Church intends And Mischief to effect his Agents sends Though Rabshakih be dead Tobiah Rotten Sanballat and Diotrephes forgotten The Wicked Spirit that in them did strive Against Gods Truth and Church is still alive And other Instruments doth daily raise To hinder Truth 's fair Progress in these dayes He Agents has great store of ev'ry size And sort How num'rous are Truth 's Enemies Yet blest be God! A greater Number 's those That stand for Truth than those that it oppose I list not here
this Work As for what thou add'st to wit If they their Motion freely did submit To â—…h ' London Church and do as she thought fit I count it a malicious Slander and Of thee an Evidence thereof deand â—…duce one Iâ—…iance if thou canst declare One Person 's Name with whom it did so fare Name one or else thou may'st be thought a Lyar Of whom the Church in London did require That he his Motion freely should submit To her and do therein as she thought fit I know 't is usual with thee to suggest The false Surmizes of thy envious Breast Void of all Proof and many a Calumny By thee flung at us yet unprov'd doth ly I know the Friends of London to whose Care And Trust those Services committed are Are faithful men and tender of the good By whom true Motions will not be withstood They 'r such as would not break a bruised Reed Nor quench the smoaking Flax. Yet they had need Be satisfi'd how they dispense that Stock Which is the Free-Will Offering of the Flock Not limitted to any single use As thou insinuatest in Abuse But is implâ—…d in a more gen'ral way The Churches common Charges to defray And William ask thy Friends T. C. E. M. If the Accompts were not perus'd by them Within these few years and each set his Name Thereto to shew he did approve the same Thou sayst Her Papers like to Briefs did cry For Money Money for the Ministry But thou sayst falsly I thy words deny Prove them or Falshood at thy door shall ly Thy naming Briefs on this occasion shows Thy Cavil from a Scoffing Spirit flows Paul to the Church did his Epistles send In which he to their care did recommend Collections for the Saints Why dost not flout At those Epistles too Why cry'st not out Against the Papers of th' Apostle Paul That They like Briefs for Money Money call Thy Cavil doth as mach against him ly Is against us and 't was thy subtilty Not openly of Paul to shew dislike But rather through our sides at him to strike Thy Work is seen thy Undertaking's vile Thy Spirit scornful frothy is thy Stile But William art thou sure thou never yet To what thou termest Briefs thy Name hast set Take heed lest while thou Stones dost upward throw They fall not back and give thy self a blow Thy flurt at Richardson for taking pay for what as Clark he writes doth much bewray Thy Folly and Injustice Is 't not fit Who works for others should be paid for it And that by them who him to work desire The Labourer is worthy of his Hire Have you no things call'd Clerks From whom I pray Do your Apostate-Clerks obtain their pay Save from the Herd to which they do belong And is Reward due only to the Wrong Come William come one Heav'n instructed Scribe Will weigh down all your Pharisaical Tribe Thou mention'st Impositions Humane Laws â—…ms Yokes Decrees Pales any thing to cause Strange Apprehensions Fears and Jealousies Whence Discontent and Prejudice might rise In some professing Truth who have not taken Root deep enough therein not to be shaken And that thou also mightst the Church expose To the Contempt and Fury of her Foes But blest be God though thy mischeivous Heart Be desperately Wicked yet thy Art Hath fail'd thee for thou art so full of Fiction Confusion Envy and Self-Contradiction That he must be already more than blind Who to believe thee can perswade his Mind One while thou sayst but in deriding-wise The Churches Laws are to her Members Eyes This is a plain Acknowledgment that she Would have her Members with their own Eyes see Yet ten Lines further off thou sayst she cryes Dark Spirits he that sees not with our Eyes This needs no Comment 'T is so plain that he Is blind that don't the Contradiction see But William here 's not only Contradiction But a foul Slander too a Lying Fiction Thou speaking of the Church here say'st She cryes Dark Spirits he that sees not with our Eyes This is a down-right Falshood I declare Make Proof on 't if thou canst and do not spare Acquit thy self thereof or it shall ly Upon thee as a Badge of Infamy 'T is by such base dishonest tricks as these Thou thy misguided Party seek'st to please And captivated hold But Truth thee strips And thy deceitful workings open rips Fox is term'd Head thou say'st I ask By whom Such terms ne'er from the Church of Christ did come This is another Slander One would think Thy Heart were full of Falshoods to the Brink And these run over What a horrid Sin Is this of Lying when it s once let in And thou hast let it in so deep that now Thou tumblest out thy Lyes thou car'st not how Thou sayst External Forms by Fox decreed Are set as Marks to know the Chaff from th'Seed This is another Whisker like the rest Hatcht by the Lying Spirit in thy Breast â—…rought forth by cancred Envy with design To shake the weak and cause them to decline The way of Truth Thus doth the Serpent lay His baited Hooks the simple to betray â—…ut by the Truth his Wiâ—…es discover'd are That the most weak may see and shun the Snare â—…n thy last cited words I do detect â—…o most notorious Falshoods and expect Thy Proof for what thou chargest I deny â—…nd turn't back on thee as a double Ly. One That External Forms have been decreed â—…y FOX This is a shameless Lye indeed Bring that Decree forth that it may be seen 〈◊〉 ever any such Decree hath been That ev'ry one may with his own Eyes see â—…nd not be fain to pin his Faith on thee Thy other Falshood is Those Forms decreed â—…e set as Marks to know the Chaff from th' Seed â—…his also as a Slander I reject By which thou would'st unstable Minds infect â—…o Forms as Marks to know the Seed are set â—…he Seed is known by weight and Vertue yet 〈◊〉 is not void of Form but doth receive â—…s proper Form which thou can'st not bereave 〈◊〉 of with all thy Railing Truth remains â—…e same not blemished by Envy's stains The Chaff too William is by lightness known â—…y lightness hath thy chaffy Spirit shown â—…rnt up the Chaff shall be with quenchless Fire â—…h William unto thee that day is nigher â—…han tho'rt aware My Spirit mourns to see Thee raving on the brink of Misery Some scatt'red flurts with hideous Exclamation Thy Pamplet has at Excommunication Wherewith thou mak'st a rumbling noise to scare â—…ch as thou apprehend'st unsettled are Thou talk'st of BULLS and Persecution too And with thy BULLS thou mak'st a great a-do Rome thou upbraid'st us with but prethee whence Had'st thou thy Bullish Term if not from thence Spâ—…ak plainly William tell us who thee hope Uâ—…o that title BULLS unless the Pope 〈◊〉 â—…ham'd the Pope should thee so gull To make thee take a Paper for a Bull That
whilst thou of a Paper wast a Treating The thought of Bâ—…lls strait made thee fall a Bleating Come William whilst thou writ such Paltry Trash Ne'e woâ—…der if thou sometimes get'st a Lash Thou 〈◊〉 whose Back the Wise man says The 〈◊〉 Is for Henceforth let Wisdom's Path be trod Leave thy Scurrilities cease to Revile And if thou wilt write learn a more cleanly Stile Thy Language is most Loathsom Take a tast Thereof in what thou in thy tenth page say'st Hence Sixty Six like Mercenary Iudges Or rather like Self-seeking slavish Drudges By Satan led What Nâ—…sty Terms are these How Foul must that Mind be that this can please No question William but thou at this rate May'st all the Scolds out scold at Billings-Gate As to thy Cavil that what was prepar'd By one was past against thy Iohn unheard Thy STORY 's false He had been fully heard And faulty found as at Drawell appear'd But this same Cavil has before been brought And Answer'd fully in my Antidote To which I now refer thee not delighting On the same ANVIL to be always-smiting Thy Curtailling the Number of the Beast To make thy gâ—…ddy Folk a jâ—…lly Feast Is such a Beastly Prank as nâ—…'er was play'd By any that of Truth Profession made What To prophane the Text with frothy wit And sport at what the Holy Ghost hath writ He that shall dare invent such slipp'ry Tricks May shrink the Number of the Beast to six But William nothing can more plainly show How scard that Conscience is from which did flow Thy scoff than that thou therewith dost belye The Chief of Christian Vertues Charity Thy Clamour against Excommunication SheÌ„ws what thou wouldst be at A Toleration For Unclean Spirits in the Church to lâ—…rk And uncontroul'd to carry on their work Against the Truth that so they might effect The Mischief theâ—… design and not be checkt That such as in their practice do Oppose The principles of Truth as do all those That pay the Priest for preaching though they may It do in never such a covert way That these and other such who are no less Unfaithful to the Truth which they profess Might notwithstanding from Reproof be free Upon pretence they don't the Evil â—…ee That such as will when Persecution shall Arise may let Truth 's Testimony fall Forsake their Meeting Places Skulk and hide And closely into Obscure Places glide Meet now and then by stealth in pit or Gill And set a Lad to watch upon an Hill Or Hireling like into a Cock loft creep Themselves to save what e're befals the Sheep And though by such Unfaithfulness they break The strength of Others and make many Weak Though they Examples so pernicious show Yet should fâ—…r Friends and Preachers blameless go That such as havâ—… in Truth 's Profession stood May now as â—…me such did before the Flood In Marriages with Unbelievers link And yet expect the Church at least should wink That Zimri might his Cozbi without fear Of being peirced by a Phineas-Spear From Midâ—…an fetch And with her as befell Of old the Plague bring upon Israel That by such Mixtures They the Holy seed Might Stain and introduce a Mungrel Breed Which half the Language should of Ashdod speak And make God's Warth against his People reak That such as list might in their Discontent The seamless Garment of our Saviour rent Make Breaches in the Church Dâ—…ssention sow And cause Divisions amongst Friends to grow And that they might although they Guilty be Of All these Crimes from all Reproof be free Nor only so but to be own'd expect Ev'n by that Church whose Power they reject This pleases wondrous well the Libertine The loose Licentiats think it very fine And to be loose and yet retain their Station They baul amain at Excommunication But blest be God our Saviour hath not left His Church so void of power nor her bereft Thereof to be will suffer but that shee Hath in her self full pow'r her self to free From such Pretenders who unto her cling Only that they may Scandall on her bring Our Saviour his Disciples hath directed That such as private Warnings had neglected Should to the Churches Censure be refer'd Which plainly shews The Church is to be heard And â—…whoso Her neglects to hear saith He Let him be as an Heathen Man to thâ—…e And that the Church did such Cut off declare From her Communion as unruly were In the Apostles days the Texts here set Sufficient are a Credence to beget This is a Principle that hath a place Even in Nature too as well as Grace In living Bodies how doth Nature strive The foul and penant Humours out to drive And reason good for why should that remain Which would corrupt the Health or Beauty stain All Liquors that have life by defectation â—…urge out their Dregs and make a separation And shall Christs Church alone less power have Than unto natural Bodies Nature gave That she must to Communion those receive Who her of Life and Honour would bereave No no our Saviour hath his Church indu'd With pow'r from her Communion to exclude â—…ruly spirits Evil Workers Those That Christian Order in Christs Church oppose That which to other Churches is a stain 〈◊〉 that they don 't within due Bounds contain Themselves but outward paenalties impose â—…n Body or Estate or both on those They Excommunicate which doth not stand With Christian Practice or with Christ's Command But William no such things can charged be On Friends Nay that they from such things are free Thy Self hast own'd than whom where's any more sparing To own a Truth or to Asperse more daring That which of Persecuting thou dost tell us 〈◊〉 but what Hymeneus or Phygellus Dimas Herâ—…ogenes Philetus with â—…rim Alexander toâ—… the Copper-Smith â—…ight have Objected to th' Apostle Paul â—…ad they as Envious been and apt to braul â—…or Two of these th' Apostle doth declare â—…or their bold â—…lasphemies deliver'd were â—…y him to Satan And of all the rest â—…ome Evil Note or other is exprest These thought no doubt St Paul was much to blame For casting such a Blemish on their name 'T is like They took it for a Defamation As thou a Wounding of their Reputation And might against St Paul have learnt to prate Had they but had thee for their Advocate But William One short Answer may Suffice To stop the Clamour of thy causless Cries All they that into such disorders run As cause the Church their Fellowship to shun And to the World ev'n-force Her to declare That they in her Communion have no share These on themselves do that Discredit bring Which thou so fain upon the Church would'st fling 'T is They themselves their Reputation wound The Church is only in Her duty found But O the Impudence that Friends should be With Persecution tax't and that by thee By thee who with some others did combine At Bristol and