WHICH IS DEATH and KILLETH Oh horrid abominable and wicked besides the falshood of it how near to Blasphemy is it Not to say much to his words in p. 5. where he maketh himself a Judge for others to be Judged by viz. Let all that read these Scriptures Judge thee BY ME to be a Lyar. Nor to their words in the Title Page where they say these their Words or Writings were GIVEN FORTH from the SPIRIT of the Lord IN VS You may enough ghess at it and the Impudence of it your selves Will not the Impartial Reader now think this Book ISHMAEL a Rare Piece for the bigness of it for 't is but about three sheets I must needs think that many Sober Readers that shall see and duly Consider these Words will almost conclude it incredible it being so abominably gross but that they may see it with their own Eyes in the Quakers own Book if they dare give Credit to their Eye-sight more than to the Quakers false Tongues and therefore I refer all such to the Book it self for better Satisfaction Sect. 2. Sam. Fisher in his Addit Appendix p. 21. Speaking of the Holy Scriptures says Which Transcriptions and Translations were they never so certain and entire by Answering to the first Original Copies yet are NOT CAPABLE to be to all Men ANY OTHER than a Lesbian Rule or NOSE OF WAX Forasmuch as even where Men have them as half the World has not they are lyable to be wrested and Actually twisted Twenty ways by Interpreters whose Expositions Sences and meanings which are as many and various as the Thoughts Conceits and Inventions of men are who Comment upon them must be the Rule to such as can Read them neither in Hebrew and Greek nor in their own Mother-Tongues neither And further the said Sam. Fisher in the same page tells us that He and the Quakers have put it to the Question How it may be known assuredly uncontroulably infallibly that the Scripture is at ALL of God and not a cunningly DEVISED FABLE and INVENTION of Men Do ye not think now Impartial Readers that the Quakers are High Honourers of Holy Scripture to use such Terms and Language in Querying about it as a cunningly devised FABLE and INVENTION of Men And in his very next words he gives us and the World to understand that the Church and Clergy of England do but go-round or Dance in a Circle when they tell the Quakers and us That the Scripture may be known to be of God by the Testimony of the Spirit and that we may try and find assuredly that Spirit to be of God by the Scripture Sect. 3. Ed. Burroughâ— p. 834. The ONELY perfect Rule of â—onscience in the Exercise to God is the SPIRIT of Christ and not any other thing G.W. Again the Question being put Do you esteem of your speakings to be of as great Authority as any Chapter in the Bible makes this Answer in his Serious Apol. p. 49. viz. That which was spoken from the Spirit of Truth in ANY â—s of AS GREAT Authority as the Scriptures and Chapters are and GREATER c. Sect. 4. W. Pen also that he for his Worthiness and sincerity may not Complain as left out shall give in his Verdict in his Spirit of Truth Vindicated p. 38. Thus the Scripture is much like the shadow of the True Rule c. Now all men know a shadow is an empty and vain thing and the most uncertain thing in the World sometimes shorter and sometimes much longer than the Substance it self Sect. 5. But now to wheel about and run round again though one would think no man possibly that pretends to Honesty or common Reputation could either have the Face or Confidence to do it having so rivetted and fixed the Contrary in Print as above nay some cannot believe that any Ordinary Romancer would Publish it in Print with such a Stupendious confidence as the Quakers have lately done viz. G.W. Quakers Plainness p. 70 71. Nor did we EVER prefer our Books before the Bible as unjustly we are charged but do prefer the Bible BEFORE ALL other Books extant in the World Our Intention and Principle NEVER was to bring our Books in Comparison to the Scriptures No G Is this True Does not thy own Conscience smite thee and fly in thy Face Nay is this possible to be true When G.W. himself calls the Scriâ—ture which the Minister asserted was the Foundation of Faith as I have already told you NATURAL and CARNAL the LETTER which is DEATH and KILLETH What can be worse than Natural Carnal that which is Death and Killeth Are your Writings worse than that Then further do but consider the Titles and Epithets this very G.VV. gives to some of his own Books viz. The Glory of Christs Light within Expelling Darkness Another The Light and LIFE of Christ within well go thy ways GEORGE not onely for a QUIBBLER but an AUDACIOUS CONFIDENT surely Geo. thou hadst not forgot that your Book ISHMAEL was given forth from the SPIRIT of the Lord in you Or did you deal therein falsely with the World And with God too Was any of the Holy Scriptures any more than given forth from the spirit of the Lord And if that you say be true I am sure your Books must be EQUAL at least with the Scriptures but what need I talk of that when Geo. himself assures me that some of their Writings or speeches were GREATER if ever the spirit of Truth spoke in any of them it is of AS GREAT Authority says he as the SCRIPTURES and CHAPTERS are and GREATER Sect. 6 And to face quite about again G. Keith told us positively That W.P. hath the Scripture as the Secondary Rule of his Faith and Practice Narrative of the Second Dispute published by the Quakers themselves p. 57. Who doth not see now that these men will say any thing Or care not what they say Mr. Pen himself at best does but say The Scripture is much like the SHADOW of the true Rule so far is it from being any either Primary or Secundary true and Substantial Rule to him but onely much like the shadow of it and a shadow is sometimes three or four times longer or shorter than the Truth and Substance and in that Respect says VV.P. it may be a KIND of a Secondary Rule Observe Reader how mincingly and Quibblingly VV.P. words it 1. In that Respect as it is much like the shadow 2. a kind of Secondary Rule a shadowy Kind but neither the true substantial or certain Rule and it all comes in with it may be suppositively now which of these two Quakers is the Quibbler Both May be one Must be But that is not all neither for worse absurdities will still follow for if that be true which G.VV. said then that which is DEATH and KILLETH is A RULE of VV. Pen's Faith and Practice and that which is Natural and carnal is A RULE of the Quakers Faith and Practice then an
THE QUAKERS QUIBBLES IN THREE PARTS First set forth in an EXPOSTVLATORY EPISTLE to WILL. PFNN Concerning the late Meeting held in Barbycan between the BAPTISTS and the QVAKERS ALSO The Pretended Prophet LOD MVGGLETON and the Quakers Compared The Second Part In Reply to a QVIBBLING Answer of G. WHITEHEADS Entituled The Quakers Plainness Wherein many more of their Quibbles and Equivocations are manifested the Comparison between them and Muggleton justified their Jesuitical Shifts Evasives Confidence and Grand Mystery in Directing the Intention Adverted The Third Part Being a Continuation of their Quibbles Equivocations Riddles Rounds and Confusions in Ten more particulars With some Remarks on G. W's Slight Sheet and a farther Account of their Mystery in Directing the Intention By the same Indifferent Pen. London Printed for F. Smith at the Elephant and Castle in Cornhill 1675. The Quakers Quibbles Set forth in an Expostulatory Epistle TO William Penn Concerning the last Meeting held in Barbican the 9 th of Octob. 1674. BETWEEN The Baptists and Quakers ALSO The Pretended Prophet and last Witness Lodowick Muggleton And the Quakers Compared and Considered By an Indifferent Penn. Job 13.6 7. Hear now my Reasonings and hearken to the Pleadings of my Lips Will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him Job 6.25 How forcible are right Words But what doth your arguing reprove LONDON Printed for Francis Smith at the Elephant and Castle near the Royal Exchange in Corhil 1674. THE Quakers Quibbles OR AN EPISTLE TO William Penn. SIR I Being one of the Auditors and so often appealed unto by thee somtimes to do thee Right and Justice at other-times by several Applications thou wast pleased to make in thy Discourses both to thy Friends and friendly Auditors I am pressed in mind to acquaint thee with my Sentiment and Observations this way that so thy Appeal might not be idle not having the conveniency nor admittance to do it there In the first place I do really own that thou hast a Voluble Tongue a strong Voice and clear a grateful Utterance and I believe good Lungs that thou art to be commended for an excellent Rhetorician and a fluent Tongue and so was Cicero But all this as it made not him so it will not prove thee a Christian and therefore as thou didst not deny him to be Wiser than thee so it was not over-needful for thee to Query whether he was Better since somtimes thou canst tells us that All Men are enlightned with a Saving Light which Light is Christ in them and so consequently Cicero might be a Christian as well as thee if he was a Man and yet when thou thoughtest it would serve thy turn thou couldst call him ignominiously Heathen as others do But this rather deserves the name of playing Fast and Loose than Quibbling Fine Words may catch Fools and may take with them that see no further than th'outside and let such be taken if they please But any that are able to distinguish betwixt Words and the true Sence of them and is willing seriously to consider of them can never be in danger and for others they are worthy to be deceived I have heard as plausible a Harangue as eloquent an Oration from a Jesuite wherein he painted the poor Protestants in such Colours that he set them forth to his Auditors more like some strange Monsters than Men indued with Sense or Reason but yet I cannot believe the Jesuites ever the better Christians for that Hadst thou had this Gift of a fluent Tongue and a good Voice meerly by thy turning Quaker and not partly Natural and partly acquired at Our Schools which now proudly thou contemnest then should I more highly esteem of it and that would more Convince me of the Truth of thy Christianity than all the Arguments I heard that day from thee or could ever hear from thy Friends The Members of the True Church in the Apostles time had the GIFT OF TONGVES immediately inspired into them upon their becoming Christians without acquiring it by Study And if thou canst shew me one in thy Church that hath such a Gift or Gifts given him upon his Conversion to thy Way it would put a clear difference betwixt thee and the Baptists and here thou wouldst go beyond them But now I cannot see wherein thou exceedest them in any truly Spiritual Gift One such Testimony if true in thy Church would Confute the Baptists and Convince thy Auditors more than a hundred such days Disputings as thy last was But alas for ought I can learn Thy Friends thy Church is as low poor naked and destitute herein as the Baptists Churches They in this Matter like Thee and Thou like them The want of which it is not improbable may be one Reason why you thus Oppose and Contradict one another One saying he hath a Vision and th' other a Dream from the Lord One that it is Revealed by the Spirit within and the other without when the Vision may be sealed up from you both and thus whilst you are both in the Dark you Wrangle and Fight Confute and Conâ—â—und one another to little purpose But what do fine Words without Charity or Shew without Substance avail when good St. Paul says Though I speak with the Tongues of Men and of Angels and have not Charity I am become as sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal And whether in thy Words thou shewedst not more Wrath and Rancour than Love or Charity all might easily see Eloquent Harangues are accounted by the said Apostle no better than the inticing Words of Man's Wisdom and it was but a Mark of the False Teachers of Old and therefore Ephes 4.14 The Apostle gives good advice That we henceforth be no more Children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the sleight of Men and cunning Craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive Now thou hast the Words of Man's Wisdom But wher 's the Demonstration of the Spirit with thee in Power and Mighty Signs St. Paul said when he preached to the Corinthians He did not come unto them in Excellency of Speech 1 Cor. 2.1 It is no new thing for a Mountebank or a Stage-player to have a grateful Utterance a fluent Tongue and perform in Words as bravely But I cannot more commend thee for thy Rhetorick than I must discommend thee for thy Logick for thou did not shew thy self more quick in the one than dull and sluggish in th' other When thou camest to the Reasoning and Disputative Part how many shuffles and put-offs how many pittiful Evasions and poor Shifts didst thou make how many delays how much loss of time I was not only ashamed to see and hear it but admired thy self and Friends did not blush at it to see you make your Selves and Party so Ridiculous in the Eyes of Others What Railing instead of Reasoning what Clamour what Noise what Tautologies what Disorder what Discord and Confusion No
there such an expression in the Scripture as Proper least Proper c. are not these Philosophical Terms SECT III. In Reply to his third Section shewing G. W's and the Quakers Ignorance of the true Spirits Evidence who deny the Gift of Tongues Prophecy Signs c. to be such 1. IN my Epistle to W.P. p. 8. I minded him of the Apostle Paul's words 2 Cor. 12.12 13. Truly the SIGNS of an Apostle were wrought AMONG YOU in all Patience in SIGNS and WONDERS and MIGHTY DEEDS For what is it wherein ye were INFERIOR to other Churches Here was a Church indeed that had the Spirits evidenee and here was an Apostle indeed that had Divine Revelation the Gift of Prophecying Tongues and Interpretation of Scripture such an Apostle was one who indeed was not of Men neither by Man but sent by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead Gal. 1.1 But no such Apostles nor Friends of the Ministry can I find amongst the Quakers who yet pretend to be Apostles not of Men nor by Man but immediately sent by God and pretend to have the same Spirit Calling and Power that the Apostle Paul had And yet alas do not EVIDENCE it any MORE than OTHERS do who pretend to it with as much Confidence as themselves Nay and so far are they from that that I do not see they are able to produce any MORE or give any better Demonstration of it than those who do not pretend at all immediately to it and therefore I told W.P. if he had had the GIFT OF TONGUES given him by the SPIRIT IMMEDIATELY upon his turning QUAKER Or if he could shew but ONE in all his Church that had such a spiritual Gift or Gifts upon his Conversion to their way it would put a clear difference betwixt them and the Baptists Churches and herein would the Quakers plainly then exceed and excel them and that one such Testimony if true in the Quakers Church would more confute the Anabaptists and Convince their Auditors than a hundred such days brawling disputes where the Quakers shew'd no more POWER OF THE SPIRIT than their Adversaries only fenced with words as well as they could as their wits would serve them best to Distinguish Evade or Answer And therefore I told W.P. I found his Church as Poor and Low as the Baptists whom yet they condemned I finding he had the words of Man's Wisdom in making plausible Orations but askt him Where was the Demonstration of the Spirit in Power and Sign 1 Cor. 2.4 5. 2. Now at this I find George is put to a great loss saying p. 14. What if God will not bestow such Gifts and Signs now Being afraid to say God will and yet not daring to say God will not what George art thou in a Maze Is not this Scripture-Phrase Is not this according to Scripture-Language 1 Cor. 4.19 20. I will know not the Speech of them that are puffed up but the Power For the Kingdom of God is not in Word but in Power see also Revel 2.2 And is not this according to your own Language G. Foxes Epistle before thy Book Divin of Christ have you the same Power and Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures And such miraculous Gifts are no more than what we find testifyed to have been and remained in the Christian-Church about two hundred or three hundred years after Christ Irenaeus who lived one hundred and eighty years after Christ affirmeth that in his time the working of Miracles the Raising of the Dead the casting out of Devils healing of the sick by laying on of hands and Prophesying were in being and that some that were so raised from the dead remained among them alive long after Niceph. Eccles. Hist Tom. 1. lib. 4. cap. 13. Tertullian and Cyprian which last lived till above 250 years after Christ do both make mention of the ordinary casting out of Devils and challenged the Heathen to come and see it 3. But says he p. 31. this is very strange But what then George It is not more strange than true And I say Is it not very strange that you will pretend to the Power and the Spirit and talk of being sent immediately by God as Paul was and have a Dâ—vine Commission to Prophesie and yet cannot bring any Evidence to prove it more than Others And instead of Producing one such Apostle Prophet or Minister in thy Church the best thing which yet alas is bad enough thou canst say for thy self Oh! our opposers do argue as just like the Papists and Jesuites as if they had served seven years at Rome Reply Ah Quibbler this will not serve thy turn above all Persons for who Argues more like a Papist or Jesuite than your selves about proving the Scriptures not to be the Rule of your Faith Who uses the Jesuites Arguments to prove good works the meritorious cause of our Justification more than you Was it not one of the most eminent and learnedst Men that ever you had amongst you that positively asserts THE SCRIPTURE TO BE A NOSE OF WAX yea and says it is CAPABLE of being NO OTHER Sam. Fisher Additional Appendix p. 21. And is not this the Jesuites Phrase in terminis And none but Papists except your selves use it Andrad Orth. Explic. lib. 2. p. 104. What had S. Fisher served seven years at Rome Nay I can shew you and others may see if they mind it that almost all the Arguments that Mr. Fisher uses to prove the Scripture is not the Rule of Faith are the very same that the Papists and Jesuites have used these hundred years and so G.F. in the Epistle before thy said Book says where doth the Scripture say that it self is the Word of God Just so do the Papists Argue What now George Is the Argument the better or the worse because the Jesuites have used it Dost thou think in thy Conscience this is a good Answer You can sometimes tell us that the Papists may use good Arguments and so the Jesuites make use of the Scriptures yet never the worse for that nay do but see how thou hast Answered this matter thy self in thy own Book Divin of Christ p. 38. It is but a mean way of Arguing to accuse or miscal any for owning any Truth that any sort if they do err in some things do hold for by that way I may as well be reckoned a Papist a Jew or a Turk c. How now George and yet dost thou use this mean way of Arguing against me For shame do not forget thy self and shuffle backwards and forwards thus but use some Consciencâ— in thy Scribling if thou hast any tenderness and plainness in thee lay thy hand upon thy Mouth 4. But further I 'le tell thee that I have oft used this Argument against the Papists and to chuse would use it before any other and the first and best thing as I verily think that I could use if I was to Dispute with a Iesuite
which neither they nor others can give before you can be tryed by that because that is the question whether you have the SPIRIT and the POWER OF GOD or no MORE than others 7. And then let me tell George That if he could Demonstrate it this way it would not be nay it could not be any Imposing upon me if G.W. did visibly Evidence and demonstrate to me by Power and mighty Deeds that he had indeed that Power and Spirit that he says he hath Therefore thou talkest deceitfully as if that would be an Imposing But now yours is imposing when you condemn Men for not-believing that you have immediate Revelations or in that you assert and would have us believe you are MORE inspired than other Men or other Societies and Bodies of Christians And you tell us you have the Spirit and are in the Truth MORE than others whom you Condemn as false and yet you produce NOTHING except YOUR BARE SAY-SO MORE than others who SAY SO of themselves as you do of your selves Now here 's the IMPOSING you pretend you are Infallible and yet produce no more or other effects of your Infallibility than other Men can or do Nay on the contrary the same effects of Fallibility are evident among you as among others and yet if any deny it in you you Censure and Curse them for not believing you and this is your way of Imposing And you Quakers say you are immediately sent of God and commissioned from God to deliver such or such a Message or Curse and that this and that is given forth by the Holy Ghost in you or from the Spirit and yet you shew no more certainty to prove to us and for us infallibly to build our Faith on that you are so sent and SO Commissioned from God than Muggleton does or other Churches which yet your selves say ARE NOT SENT OF GOD nor Commissioned by him Now here 's imposing upon Mens beliefs and this I say you are guilty of yea and most eminently guilty of next to Muggleton or the Pope of any Person or People I know and this is the thing George thou shouldst have Answered if thou hadst Answered me to the purpose and main bent of my Epistle to W.P. But this thou pittifully evadest and slâ—ly wouldst slide from But now since you pretend to such high things if you had the visible Spiritual Gifts that were amongst the true Primitive Churches and Apostles to evidence and demonstrate the Truth of what now you ONLY SAY and pretend I should never nor I suppose any Man in his wits call or esteem it any imposing on my Faith But the other is so indeed as I have shew'd you and therefore G. I would take thee by the hand and lead thee back again praying thee not to shuffâ—e and Cut also but Answer this and not that which I never desired of thee nor W.P. That 's the very thing I found fault with you before viz. That you would Answer to that which was not askt you instead of returning Answer to that which was and yet still thus thou servest me but it will not do For my design is that I may know you better what Real Power Evidence and Authority you have BEYOND others that so I may have a good Foundation for my Faith and give Credit to it and you Or that for want of it you may be brought to a better fight of your selves and see your nakedness and Poverty though you say as the Church of Laodicâ—a that you are rich and so may learn to be humble and not Censure others except you can better evidence your own 9. And yet why wilt thou say you have not imposed thus your Faith on others Was not and hath not your Language been such as this viz. It 's true that Timothy Titus and others WHO HAD GIFTS IN THEM for the Ministry were approved by Paul and others of the Primitive Elders for the work but this is no Proof that these opposers Ministers are either so gifted or approved G.W. Enthusiasm above Atheism p. 5. And so say I neither is it any Proof that the QUAKERS MINISTERS are SO GIFTED or APPROVED and the Words before-cited of G.F. before thy own Book Have you the SAME POWER and SPIRIT that gavâ— forth the Scriptures G.W. Wilt thou believe thy own words Then see thy Answer to Mr. Richard Baxters two sheets for the Ministry p. 16. We never understood that they that set up these Priestâ— were called as Peter or Paul or the Elders who had Power to lay on the hands that the HOLY GHOST FELL ON THE PARTY ON WHOM THEY LAID ON THEâ—R HANDS and shew me any ONE of thy MINISTERS CALLED SO George G. F. To all People in all Câ—ristendom says thus p. 2. All Sects have the words of the Apostles but out of the Power and Life A Paper sent forth into the World from the Quakers p. 5. We are against the Pastors that NOW STEAL the words of the Prophets of Christ and his Apostles W.P. Reason against Railing p. 115. Many may run into the Practice of several outward things mentioned in the Scriptures to have been the practice of Saints in former Ages and yet not be led into the Truth for all that is but will-worship Imitation and unwarrantable And all this I may say against you which you have said against others and if they were good then why not still For you have but the Names and Images of things you have got the words used in Scripture the Power and the Spirit the Gifts of the Spirit the Demonstration of the Spirit and Power But alas where is the thing it self viz. the visible Power and Gifts of the Spirit the Demonstration of the Spirit that the true Apostles had and the Scripture speaks of To this George can poorly say what if God will not bestow such Gifts now why then George I say thou hast them not only hast stolen the words out of the Scriptures thou hast got the Name the Image and words as thou sayest the Baptists and others have done but alas art as barren of the Gifts themselves as they are only art got into a Form but denyest the True power of God and Demonstration of the Spirit in Signs and mighty Deeds 10. Pa. 33. G.W. hath this further to say That he doubts not but where the Spirit of God lives and Rules it will manifest it self by its Fruits for it is self-evidencing and that they have a record in Heaven and also in many Consciences of the blessed Power of God with them and in them Reply And cannot the Baptists say all this nay and do not they many times They can say thâ—y have a Record in Heaven and in many Consciences also who believe them and pray tell me G. how thou wilt get up to Heaven to search the Record there and disprove them Did one ever hear such silly stuff as this man writes did he indeed think to shufflle it off with such
they come to you and desire it you would procure such of the Quakers Books as they shall make question of if you can find or have them and shew them at your shop for their better satisfaction that so they may believe their OWN EYES at least And that you send one of this second Part to Mr. Whitehead and another to Mr. Penn. So farewell Thy friend though unknown T.T. Jan. 1. 74 5. THE THIRD PART OF THE QUAKERS QUIBBLES BEING A Continuation of their Quibbles Equivocations Riddles Contradictions Rounds and Confusions set forth in ten several Particulars Whereunto is Added Remarks on G. W ' s. Slight Sheet given forth by him as a Reprehension for want of an Answer to the Second Part of the QVAKERS QVIBBLES With some further Account of their Grand Mystery of DIRECTING the INTENTION By the same Indifferent Pen. If ye Build again the things which ye Destroyed ye make your selves Transgressâ—rs Gal 2.18 Diruit Aedificat Mutat Quadrata Rotundis Erroris Mater fuit Aequivocatio semper LONDON Printed for F. Smith at the Elephant and Castle in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1675. TO THE Free Spirited Impartial READER AS it is left us upon Record in Holy Writ that GOD at sundry times and in divers manners hath spoken unto his Prophets and People for the Salvation of Men so we are thereby likewise assured that SATHAN at sundry times and in divers Forms hath spoken to and deceived many Souls by pretending great Light great Knowledge high things in words and semblance Imitating as near as might be the works and ways of GOD but still without that true Divine Power which enabled those immediate Men of God VISIBLY to out-do all the deceiving Pretences and Ape-like Imitations of the Devil's Instruments in the sight of all Men present as Moses's Serpent swallowed up all the Egyptian Sorcerers Serpents and Paul being filled with the Holy Ghost was able to over-come and strike Elymas the Sorcerer with outward Blindness Now this was IN DEED and not in TALK only to be in the Power and filled with the Holy Ghost and the Text says Then the Deputy when he saw what was done believed And no sooner had our Glorious Lord JESVS CHRIST Visibly Ascended to Heaven without us and fulfilled his great Promise of sending his Holy Spirit upon his Apostles and Disciples which was in a visible manner enduing them with Power not onely the Name but the Thing to speak with Tongues to Prophecy indeed and to work visible Miracles for the Confirmation of that Word and Doctrine they Preach'd to the World Heb. 2.4 and this is in Scripture-Language true Spirit Baptism or the Baptiâ—â— of the Spirit and this is it which was for Persons to be Baptized indeed with the Holy Spirit as it is expresly called Acts 1.5 and of Fire There appeared unto them Cloven Tongues like as of Fire and it sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost But Sathan that Old Serpent not willing to be long idle did quickly raise up even in those true Apostles days many Pretenders false Prophets and false Apostles some of the first whereof Ancient Records tell us were called Nicolaitans and Gnosticks who pretended high and strange Light Knowledge and Illumination beyond others And it is Observable of all the Forms into which Sathan Transformed himself it seems none is nor was more taking than what he used in the true Apostles days viz. Transforming himself into an Angel of LIGHT and therefore no marvel if such as are false Apostles are found Transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ Nor is it any great thing as the true Apostle Intimates to us if such as are indeed Sathans Ministers also be Transformed as the Ministers of Righteousness If the wicked one could play such pranks and be so bold then how much more may we expect and suspect it now and it is no strange thing if some of his Ministers and Instruments now be Transformed into Angels or Messengers of Light Pretend the Light Talk of the Light Preach up the Light Own the Light Witness the Light and Cry out the Light the Light And whereas a certain sort of People lately sprung up among us did pretend to high Illuminations and talkt much of the Light they walkt in above others and of the Power immediate Calling and Gifts of the Spirit that they had as in the Apostles time And as they pretended to higher things than others so I did set my self more especially and seriously to hear consider weigh and try them their Doctrines and Principles for about these Twenty Years But alas in lieu of finding any such thing amongst them as the same Light Power and immediate Commission and Gifts of the Spirit that the Apostles and Apostolical Churches had and which they then did pretend to blame others for want of I could see nor hear nothing among them but the meer Words and bare Pretences and taking up some such things by Imitation as they fanâ—ied in themselves and as they found the Apostles wrote or the Scriptures spoke of as many others do whom yet they did once Condemn for that very thing yea and inâ—tead thereof I have Observed the greatest Inconstancy Vncertainty Turn and Change amongst them that I think ever was to be found among any People that pretended to so refined Sublime a Religion in the space of Twenty Years and yet all this while to talk of or pretend to INFALLIBILITY which hath Occasioned them to defend themselves from those who have taken more notice of their Inconstancy Vncertainty and Changes than they were willing should be to use the greatest Quibbling and grossest Equivocations that have been used in Religious matters ever since the Jesuites new modell'd the Art the better to hide it and themselves Some of their most Considerable Quibbles in their Doctrine touching that Grand Principle of our true Lord and Saviour JESVS CHRIST I had Occasion given me by them to set forth more particularly in my Second Treatise beginning at p. 29. But my intended Brevity not permitting and not knowing but that these Persons might learn to be somewhat more humble meek moderate and civil when they should rightly reflect on it and themselves then prevented me of proceeding any further therein Yet since I understand it is very much desired by others and the Quakers as much to want it they being as Confidently outragious as before for in the midst of all their Inconstancies in their Practice and Doctrines I find them chiefly constant in these two things in their Practice viz. their egregious Confidence and their Railing Reviling Language to others and in that it may be truly said of them Can the Ethiophian change his skin or the Leopard his spots wherefore here is set forth more of their Quibbles in several particulars and that in some most weighty and important Points as those of the Church the Annointing the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures and
SCRIPTVRES and is not to be Questioned by others though the Holy Scriptures may be Questioned by the Quakers or Papists you will find it in Sam. Fishers Addit Appendix p. 21. an Eminent approved Quaker whence I take it mutatis mutandis viz. Tell us then how may it be known assuredly uncontroulably infallibly that the Scriptures says Fisher but say I that that which the Quakers call the Word Anointing Voyce of the Lord WITHIN THEM is at all of GOD and not a cunning devised FABLE or their own Invention and Phantasie If they tell us by the Testimony of the Spirit WITHIN which say they is onely All-sufficient to that purpose and they have the Witness in themselves the Spirit bearing Witness with their Spirits Then we ask them But by what shall we Try and find assuredly and infallibly that that Testimony and Spirit is of GOD and not a false one that tells us that the Scripture is of God boldly says Fisher but say I that that Light Word anoynting or Voyce WITHIN is of GOD Sect. 4. I request and desire Geo. Whitehead Wâ— Pen either or both or any Quaker in England to give a Visible manifestation or a Direct and demonstrative Answer to this without going round in a Circle or basely begging the Question If not for shame let them be silent and Learn to be humble and not arrogantly Contradict and Condemn OTHERS if they cannot say and evidently produce MORE for themselves in their Pretensions and Motions than OTHERS do or can that make no such pretensions For it is not enough to say that John Witnessed the Anoynting or the Church then enjoyed it or the Apostles had it for that John and the Apostles and Churches then had such an Vnction as impowered them with many and several Excellent SPIRITVAL Gifts as the Gifts of Healing the Gift of Tongues the Gift of Prophecy by Imposition of Hands of the Presbytery c. which they have not now for all their High pretences nor never had that I have heard and besides to say that John and the Saints and Churches of Old witnessed it does no more prove that the Quakers now have it than that the Baptists or some other Churches which they disown now have it This then is so far from a Proof that it is but a silly Quibble Sect. 5. But the Anoynting that the Lord JESVS and the True Apostles had was with â—he Holy Ghost indeed and with Power and not the Word or Name onely of it which is all that yet appears the Quakers have enabling them to go about doing good and HEALING ALL that were oppressed of the Devil and curing their BODILY Distempers Acts 10.38 How God Annoynted JESVS of NAZARETH with the Holy Ghost and with Power who went â—â—out doing good HEALING all that were Oppressed of the Devil for God was with him and WE are Winesses c. But the Quakers and the Christ within them doe onely for ought yet appears to others go about with words and talking but demonstrate no more Power than the Papists when they Convince and bring over some Persons to them by their Words and Doctrine as sometimes the Jesuites and sometimes the Quakers both do according to the Ignorance or weak Brains or the private Ends and Interest that the Persons they meet withal may happen to have Simplicibus facilè Imponitur SECT VI. The Quakers Quibbles about the Spirit Sect. 1. THat no Persons in England have talked more of the Spirit and pretended more to the Spirit nor cryed out the Spirit the Spirit so much as the Quakers did at first I suppose none that knew them will or can deny and that they blamed others for calling it a private Spirit or whining Spirit and for saying that it lead them into private places and to creep into Houses Sect. 2. And yet behold the very same Accusation have some of the Quakers took up now against others of them See P. Livingstone Idem p. 19. Now you that are led by that private Spirit though you pretend it to be Vniversal you draw into secret places for you absent the Meetings of Gods People Mark says he here is a deceitful whining Spirit that would be counted a Sufferer and would be counted Innocent and meek but this is truly seen not to be the Spirit of Sion's Children And what was all this for think you but because one that was of the Quakers writ thus Tell the Daughter of Zion behold thy King cometh unto thee meek and sitting upon an Ass though it be smitten on all hands yet it bears it all and suffers it although it be smitten in the House of its Friends yet grudgeth not nor repineth And this is the Language that P. Livingstone crys out mark here is a deceitful-whining-deceitful-whining-Spirit Sect. 3. So that it appears they have Learnt of their Adversaries the word Whyning and Whinâ—ing-Spirit and thus now the Quakers cry out as their Adversaries did formerly against them a-private-whyning-Spirit instead of the pure-living-powerful-Spirit of the Lord. Here you may Observe That if others though Quakers that own the same Principle with themselves of the Light within pretend to the Spirit or talk of the Spirit Oh then it is a dark-Spirit a whining-Spirit private-Spirit the Spirit of Antichrist and the Spirit of the Body onely is the Spirit of Christ See more of this in the third and fifth particular before and thus still stat pro ratione voluntas ipse dixit is all and must be sufficient to others or nothing for ought yet appears SECT VII The Quakers Quibbles and Hypocrisie in their Doctrine about Scholar-ship and Languages with reference to their own Practices Sect. 1. ONE while this is the Quakers Doctrine that is when they Cry out against Learning in others because they would have all People come to be so silly and Ignorant as to believe them or not to have Learning enough to Confute them then thus The Word which is the Original which the Apostles Preached amongst the Hebrews and Greeks which was before Tongues were and your Original which will break all your Tongues and Original to pieces Pilate had your Original of Hebrew Greek and Latine who Crucified Christ He that draws back into many Languages as into Hebrew and Greekâ— draws back into the Naturals and so draws into Confusion But the Ministers of God who Preach the Everlasting Gospel which endures for ever draw up into one Language and so the Priests and all that Trade into Natural Languages we VTTERLY deny A Paper sent forth into the World p. 3. and much to this effect we had formerly from them That the Light within is able ALONE to reveal to them the Truth and maintain it against all others and that they receive their Doctrine by Inward Revelations and not by any outward means c. Sect. 2. Another while that is when the Quakers are either to maintain their own Principles or confute others then to go round again It is Lawful and good to
of the Spirit so given must be either VISIBLE or INVISIBLE though it is apparent enough by the enumeration of those Manifestations in the subsequent Verses that the Apostle spoke of visible manifestations such as were visibly APPARENT to others and for the Profit of others without as well as within the Church and the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Apostle uses signifies plainly and clearly appearing open bare or easie to be seen as a Face uncovered Sect. 3. But let the Quakers take it which way they will it destroys their Usurped Title and vain Pretences above others whom they Condemn For if they say that the Apostle meant thereby that the manifestation of the Spirit which he speaks of is given to every one in the world Then they at the same time grant it is given to the Church of England to the Baptist Churches and to me also and if they I say that the manifestation of the Spirit is VISIBLE to others then thereby they grant they have it not more than others nay are without it because the Quakers have Censured and Condemned other Churches as being WITHOUT it and yet themselves can produce visibly NO MORE manifestation of the Spirit than those whom they say are without it And if they say the manifestation of the Spirit is INVISIBLE to others then at the same time they grant the Church of England or the Baptist Churches may have it though they may not know it or cannot SEE it for how should they if it be INVISIBLE Sect. 4. But on the other hand if they say These words of the Apostle are to be taken Restrictively that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every Man in the Churches onely as most likely in truth it is as the word IS in the Present Tense and the whole scope of the Chapter intimates the Gifts and manifestations of the Spirit he mentions being then peculiarly in the Church and no where else that we find such as the Gifts of Healing Tongues c. mentioned in the very next Verses as some of these manifestations spoken of in v. 7. Then this of the Church at Corinths having the manifestation of the Spirit is no more to the Quakers than to the POPE OF ROME For it will not follow That because the Church at Corinth had the manifestation of the Spirit that the Quakers Church must NOW have it nor because THEY SAY they have it for at that rate the Baptist Churches and ALL the Churches in England might claim it and who can hinder them And besides G.W. hath barred himself of that and plainly told us in his Glory of Christs Light within p. 33. That which was to one State was not to every particular State and Condition among the Churches neither do we read that the Church at Corinth was to go and make the Epistle to the Church at Rome their Rule Nor that the Churches at Ephesus Philippi or Thessalonica were to go to the Corinthians for Pauls Epistles to them to compare theirs with and to be their Rule but that of the Spirit or Light within to which they were all directed and which was the Rule of the New Creature whereby the things of God were Revealed and made known unto the Saints Now then what does the Apostle Paul's writing to the Church at Corinth that the Manifestation of the Spirit was then given to every Man to profit withal signifie to G.W. or the Quakers here They are not the Church at Corinth nor can they produce visibly such Manifestations of the Spirit as they did Nay G.W. himself gives you to understand such visible manifestations were onely peculiar to the Apostles times Thus then you may easily see how much this silly Quibbler is beside the business and hath confuted himself SECT VII Of the Gift of Discerning of Spirits Sect. 1. G W. p. 3. says He cannot give away the Quakers Cause as to the Gift of Discerning of Spirits for they have sufficient evidence thereof as a Gift given to divers I suppose the two Germans Young men may be some of their most sufficient evidences who pretending to be of great Families and Convinced of the Truth of Quakerism as I have heard came or were Conducted by one S.C. a Quaking Minister into England and were Entertained at London at the common Charge of the Quaking Friends of Devonshire-House for a long time The Quakers paid for their Board and bought them Apparel Glorying in their Converts But in process of Time it seems these Men in the Prosecution of their Debaucheries fell at variance and each of them fearing to be detected by the other charged one another in a Meeting of Quakers with great and notorious Crimes did they not detect one another even of haunting of Bawdy-Houses W Pilfring c. even out of those Houses where they had been entertained Was not here in the mean while an Excellent Gift of Discerning among the Quakers Sect. 2. Another Instance and pregnant proof I have heard of also One W.W. being a Minister among the Quakers for many Years and an Active man in their Cause yea and a Sufferer for the same was not discern'd nor Discovered by the Quakers till being troubled in his own Conscience he Confessed himself to have Lived in uncleanness c. Who is it will not think now that they have a most Excellent Discerning of Spirits And that they are so very wise and have such a Rare Gift they can tell any thing that 's told them and so can others SECT VIII Of Vnbelievers Muggleton c. Sect. 1. G W. p. 3. Hast not thou plainly implyed th◠self to be an Vnbeliever who wants such a Sign to be shewn thee to evidence that WE are Divinely Inspired Observe 1. How sillily does this Mr. Sleights scribble of my implying my self to be an UNBELIEVER of their Divine Inspiration when I have often directly confest it and now do it once more That I do not believe that G.W. nor the Quakers are Divinely inspired so as the true Apostles and Ministers of Christ were and I am well assured I have very good Reason for it viz. Because they cannot Evidence it as the true Apostles did This was one of the first things I writ them that I did not nor could possibly upon any good and certain grounds believe the Quakers Pretences to a Commission from Heaven Immediate Revelations and Inspirations MORE than Muggletons's except they could produce somewhat considerable MORE than Muggleton could and therefore I prayed them to shew me what they had and to tell me but this Why I might and ought undoubtedly believe them and their Commission MORE than Muggleton's or the Baptists Which I am sure is a very Reasonable and modest Request for otherwise I should have no BETTER ground for my FAITH in Believing a Quaker than a Baptist or Muggleton 2. But I do believe and declare to all the World I am a BELIEVER that the Apostles Peter and Paul and
by Circumlocutions one while and by Addresses to the Auditors another and sometimes by giving way to another of thy Friends to begin a Discourse of some new Matter or to raise some new Question before the former was ended the better to shift off the old or bring it in Oblivion confounding the Minds of your Auditors with other Words I cannot so well call this a Quibble as a base old way of Evasion and Shifting Do you think that we do not know this to be no new Device but sorry I was to see you use it Truly Sir I cannot but own Jer. Ives's Answer to your Distinction to be very good and pertinent and doubtless if you had not found it so too you would have Replyed to it but I found all your mouths stopt as to that His words as I remember were these or to this effect That then I or any Man might say by the same Reason that Will. Penn or Geo. Whitehead was never seen with Bodily or Carnal Eyes because the Excellency and better part of them viz. their Souls was never seen though their Bodies be seen which is not the Man Now what an absurdity would this be And yet is it not the same that you said then concerning Christ's being seen and not seen and thereby over-shooting your self obliged Geo. Whitehead to make a long Discourse to bring you off as handsomly as he could from a Contradiction But since you did not detect the irrationality of this Answer and Similitude at the Meeting I should be glad to see it from you any-where else in words that are rational and intelligible 7. In that Thou first crydest out thy self as the Proverb is stop Thief When thou hadst first made a great noise and stir then thou appealedst to thy Auditors for Justice and to hear thy Answer whereas thy Self and Friends were then the most guilty aâ—d greatest Offenders in that kinâ— in making a clamor and pudder without giving us a direct Answer What need was there for thee to cry out to thy Auditors to hear thy Answer when we could hear none from thee though we had stood waiting and gaping well-nigh an hour for nothing else I say I cannot apprehend this to be fair and candid Dealing either with thy Opposites or Auditors but rather a neat trick of crying Whore first as they say at best but idle superfluous vain words which become not a Christian such an one as thou professed thy self to be Really Sir I do admire that you should or would carry your selves so as to get a name of obstinate unreasonable and disorderly Men I was told before-hand that you would never Dispute either soberly or rationally in any due Order or Method and notwithstanding you are still confident and ready to appoint Disputes and Conferences Yet when you come to it you must have your own Will for a Law and your own Way imposed upon your Opponents or else you will not Dispute So that you give too much occasion to Persons to think and judg you a perverse Generation obstinately confident and confidently obstinate without Order or Rule Rime or Reason Wise only in your own conceits whom Solomon Characterises Fools and so fit for no Man to Dispute With except some of Muggleton's Disciples guilty of the same perverse and unreasonable Humour with you even to the making your selves Ridiculous no small Testimony whereof this last Meeting proved Why may you impose on others and they not upon you 8. I will crave leave to mention one thing more at this present of my observing and that is thy so oft using the gross word of Lying and Forgery and Lyar and Forger especially in thy Books against Tho. Hicks that it will hardly stand with good Manners such Language to be so common and frequent me thinks sutes not well with a well-civilized Man much less with a good Christian and what does it signifie To say it is a Lye that is neither an Answer nor an Argument Therefore in love I should advise thee to leave off all such Billings gate-Rhetorick and gross Language it being more fit for Scolds that are Duckt then to be used in Conferences or Writings amongst those that own themselves Christians at least so very frequently But if that be one way of Confutation then it will be no hard thing to Confute all thy Writings 'T is pitty so Learned a Person as thy self should be so linkt to a Party or blinded with Passion to Eclipse the more noble part of thy Reason by being engaged with such a People and having received their Principles thereby thinkest thy self obliged now to maintain them though therein thou makest thy self Pedantick Time and Experience may convince thee better though I cannot hope nor expect to do it believing that when somewhat of the height of thy Fancy and the heat of thy Brain is spent and abated thou wilt be calmer and wiser and that is all the Hurt I wish thee In the interim I only desire thee to consider of this if not now yet hereafter when thou art cool For the heat of the Dispute having so distempered the Humors in thee and raised thy Spirit I cannot promise my self much present good success as to thee herein though I have hopes it may have some with Others So I Rest Thy Friend in plainness Thomas Thompson Postscript I Hinted in the fifth Particular i' th Margent That some of the Quakers quibble as much about the Word Body as the Word Christ as appears by what one of them told me That the Church of Christ is his Body and when I answer'd him That was only figuratively or by way of Allusion that as all the natural Members compacted together and united to the Head make a Natural Body So the Church being knit together by One Profession and Baptism as Members of a Body become united by Faith to Christ as their Head and so the Church is by way of similitude and metaphorically called the Body of Christ but no otherwise that I understood What then says the Quaker Wilt thou make Christ a Monster and say he has two Bodies or words to that effect Now then after the same manner of Reasoning and Quibbling I may as well say Mr. Keith in the Dispute by his Distinction made three Christs when he told us more than once That Christ was Most properly taken for the Godhead or Divine Nature Less properly for the Manhood or Humane Nature And least properly of all for the Carkass Now after this rate may not one say That the Quaker says There are three Christs in Scripture A most proper Christ And a less proper Christ And a Christ least proper And that with as much truth as for them to affirm Christ would be a Monster on the account above For what can be thought not only more distinct but absolutely Different Then The Godhead Eternal God The Manhood Living Man A Carkass a Dead Body Study it as long as ye will And further
best language and which sort of Complements is unfittest to be used among civil persons and sober Christians Oh! that men should strain at such a term as Sir and yet can open their black mouths in such foul terms and Titles as you have heard Now if all this which is my chief aim herein will not bring them to Repentance for nor perswade them to leave off such censuring and hard-speeches or shamâ— them out of the so common and frequent use of it to those that see not ground sufficient to believe them I do here let them know from henceforward I shall nor tye my self up from using such a Liberty of Speech as I shall judg meet however I 'le endeavour to use as little as conveniently I can not being over-fond of it I being still of opinion that to tell a Man he lies is no good Answer nor Argument that the frequent use of it as the Quakers do becoms not a well-civiliz'd man overmuch Where he begins to his unprejudiced-Reader p. 3. his words are General and will serve the baptists turn or another Profession as well as if not better than his They can write this against thee G.W. and thy Friends viz. If the TRUTH could have been overcome by falshood or buried under reproaches or stopt with Popular Claâ—ors or undermined by the secret Combinations of its Adversaries or supprest by Injustice or Partiality I confess these implacable and envious Men who are chiefly concerned against us would have had the day and their Iniquity been triumphant and remained uncontroulable But such their Weapons and Engines have not prevailed nor ever shall effect the Enemies Designs against God's Cause or Heritage Had they been Men of Tender Conscience or respected the Honour of Religion more than Interest and Popular fame they would not have given us occasion for these publique Contests neither by abetting a manifest Forger nor by lying Pamphlets or false Relations that they so frequently bring forth and cause to be spread against us But their hard Hearts their fretful striving Spirits vent forth their Envy and declare their Spleen and iâ—â—-will towards us only that they want Power to effect their Revenge upon us to evince this I could give divers Instances that an Inveterate Persecuting Spirit hath long been and yet lives and works in divers of these Quakers Teachers and Leaders They can if they please call you as you do them a stingie Generation of Hypocrites and Apostates many of you having as they say been but Apostates from their Church and they can tell you that many such of late do busie themselves and take Counsel together like malicious incendiaries against them But that God will bring their Counsel to naught and scatter the proud in their Imaginations And that they have a secret sadness and sorrow of Spirit because of the great loss declension and Apostacy that divers even of these Quakers are fallen into Oh! the former Zeal Religion tenderness of Conscience c. But now at one that is a Quaker himself hath plainly told you The old Serpent is got up into you again and you are run into the World and the fashions and delights thereof again and that you are run into outward forms and have lost the Spirit and the power that once you enjoyed and now you are become as Worldly Proud and Covetous as some others are As to your Sufferings if you would have me guided by that meerly then I must abundantly prefer the Church of England and Reformed Churches beyond-Sea Nay and the Churches in Poland to be in the Truth before yours for that all their Sufferings for Religion have been more and eminenter than yours in several respects First in the extremity of the punishment and sufferings themselves how many of the Church of England which you have so much condemned have expir'd in the flames for the defence and Testimony of their Religion how many strange cruel tortures and bloody massacres have they had which I did not ever hear that you have sufferred in such a degree Though I could heartily with all my Soul wish that you had not suffered so much as heretofore you have done 2. In respect to the number of sufferers how many thousands and ten thousands Butchered at a time you only had some few happened to dye in Prison which yet I wish might have been prevented 3. In respect of duration and continuance for many years Yours but for a short time and blessed be God that hath inclined the heart of our King to mercy Thus you see clearly that in this Proof or Evidence the reformed Churches beyond the Seas and the Church of England doth far exceed you As for W. P's sincere-heartedness p. 5. I have not much to say for it 't is likely I may have somewhat to say against it if occasion be offered but as for his Zeal I am apt enough to believe that it sometimes outruns his knowledg But why might not this sincere-hearted and Zealous Man W.P. Answer this Epistle it being particularly directed to him could any person do it better than one that was sincere-hearted and Zealous too If W.P. had Answered it and he indeed so sincere-hearted as G.W. pretends I should have been glad of it for then he had saved me much of this labour which G.W. hath put me to by reason of his unsincerity and double-heartedness in his pretended Answer Or did G.W. Answer it that so he might set out the praise of W. P Because it was not so convenient for W.P. to commend himself in his own Person as it was hinted of Hickeringel But it seems W.G. says I thought mâ—â—t whether he means the Man George or the Light within I know not to write that brief Tract though it be not directed to me Well George since I could not have an Answer from W.P. it seems I must be contented with such an Answer as thou wilt give me Or dost thou only intend to Practice here as I observe thou didst in the late Dispute first endeavour to throw off all by Circumlocutions and Evasive words and if that will not nor do then W.P. to come in either opeâ—ly or covertly to thy relief We shall see whether this will be the sequel of thy undertaking and Answer and not that sincere hearted Man to whom it was directed and so I perceive I am like but to have an insincere Answer We find the said Pamphlet subscribed with the Naâ—â— Thomas Thomson Whether this be the real Author's Name says he some question But he doth not tell us who questioned it though the Book-seller will tell you if you question him That G.VV. himself others of the Quakers have so much and often questioned him about it as if they had had some power of the POPISH INQUISITION that he could not be quiet for them they more than once gathering a Multitude of People about his Shop by their crying BRING OUT THE MAN BRING OUT THE MAN TO US LET US SEE
Arguments I heard that day from him and my confessing that St. Paul saith Though I speak with the Tongues of Men and Angels and have not Charity I am become as sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal Reply If there be any contradiction here it must be in G. W's Brain and not in my Words For I do still say That the Gift of Tongues immediately inspired into those of the True Church upon their becoming Christians which was the Gift I spake of p. 7. in express words without acquiring it by Study was a certain Proof of Christianity yea and I do now say so discriminating that I do not know that ever we find in the whole Scripture any others but only Christians that were indued with that Gift by immediate Power and Inspiration of the Holy Spirit And accordingly the Apostle Peter took it for a sufficient and undeniable sign of their Belief and Christianity who had received this Gift upon his Preaching Christ Jesus to them and thereupon commanded them to be Baptized Acts 10.44 c. They which Believed were astonished as many as came with PETER because that on the GENTILES ALSO was poured out the GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST for they heard them SPEAK WITH TONGUES Then Answered Peter CAN ANY MAN FORBID WATER That these should not be Baptized which have received the HOLY GHOST AS WELL AS WE And he commanded them to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord. And do thou G. deny it against this plain Testimony of Scripture or make the Apostle Paul to Contradict the Apostle Peter here if thy Conscience can serve thee Therefore G. thou art so far from proving this a Contradiction that thou hast committed a great mistake in saying That the GIFT of Tongues is not a certain proof of Christianity wherefore consider what thou hast it's possible only rashly and hastily asserted and be not ashamed to confess thy Error But on the other hand though I owned SUCH A GIFT as before mentioned p. 7. of my Epistle would be a good Proof to me of W. P's Christianity Yet I do not nor never did own that Men speaking never so MANY nor so EXCELLENT Tongues by ACQUISITION AND STUDY much less that any of W. P's Plausible Orations or fine Harangues was a certain Proof of Christianity no nor any Proof at all and those were the fine words without Charity I spake of p. 9. and where 's then the Contradiction Surely in G. his own Fancy This being natural mediate and acquired by Study but the other Spiritual and a Gift immediate from God at an Instant And although it is not to be doubted but that the Apostle Paul had learned to speak lâ—ke an Orator and more Tongues than one by Study before his becoming a Christian he being brought up a Scholar yet suppose it be granted that he speaks 1 Cor. 13.1 of the Gift of Tongues he had immediately he doth not say any such thing as that it is no certain proof of Christianity to OTHERS nay so far from it that in Chap. 14. v. 22. he asserts Tongues are for a sign to them that Believe not that is chiefly to them and in the Quakers sence such are we who do not believe them But that Charity which he speaks of is a Proof of his or a mans SINCERITY BEFORE GOD that he did make use and imploy those GIFTS really in LOVE TO GOD AND HIS CHURCH for the Planting and edifying of it and not to any by and base ends which if he should it would profit him nothing v. 3. it would signifie nothing to his own Salvation though possibly it might to others much like to this you have it expressed again by the Apostle in Chap. 9. v. 27. But I keep under my Body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have PREACHED to OTHERS I MY SELF should be a CAST AWAY So that TONGUES IMMEDIATELY inspired by the Holy Spirit are a SIGN and PROOF to others of Christianity wherever that Gift was or is found and CHARITY is a SIGN and PROOF of a man's sincerity before God and of his SINCERE LOVE TO GOD AND HIS BRETHREN in his Exercise of that GIFT OF TONGUES and other miraculous Gâ—fts which God hath given him for the planting and edifying of his Church But what 's all this to W.P. who alas is so far from having THAT CHARITY and SINCERITY in the Vse and Exercise of those spiritual Gifts of Tongues and Miracles for the love and benefit of the Church that HE hath NONE OF THOSE GIFTS TO USE OR EXERCISE AT ALL And where 's now the contradiction therefore I must note this for G. W's second Quibble The Apostles were to stay at Jerusalem till they were endued with power from on high viz. with thaâ— Spirit whereby they were enabled to speak with Tongues being to Preach the Gospel to all Nations and not only to those that understood only the vulgar Tongue of the Jewes But W.P. or several of the Quakers Prophets have been sent to Preach the Gospel as they pretend to Peoples and Countrys that did not understand their Language particularly G. Fox to America where he as I have heard sent for at once an Emperor and two Kings to Preach to the Indians in English which they understood noâ— Thus have these Prophets rendered themselves more Barbarous than those Barbarians to whom they Preached Had not men the Light within them in the Apostles time as much as now If the Light within is now a sufficient evidence of the Truth of the Gospel why not then also why should the Apostles Peter and Paul have need of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost then and the Apostles George and William in these days have no need of them at all 3. He charges this as a self-contradiction For saying thou madest thy self the Author of a Lye and shewedst thy self not only a Fool but unjust and yet that I hint for W.P. to say It is a Lye is neither Answer nor Argument and therefore in Love I should advise him to leave off such Billinsgate Rhetorick Reply Oh excellent Artist He leaves out part of my words and then tells me I have contradicted my self For these words TO EXPRESS IT IN THY OWN LANGUAGE he deceitfully leaves out which I did in my very writing the Epistle think of and put in on purpose to prevent any such mistake for thereby I gave W.P. plainly to understand that it was his Language and none of mine I did express it in his Language and not my own that so he might be the more sensible of it Now George call to mind thy own words p. 68. But if you take this kind of unfair Curtailing which destroys the sence is this your Care and Justice would you be thus served both to wrong me and abuse the World or your Reader And see how out of thine own mouth thou hast Condemned thy self both as a partial and self-contradictory Pen. In his 3d. Sect.
ridiculous words as these I could tell the Quakers that some of them have a Record somewhere else be-besides the Court of Heaven viz. in the Court of Chancery for Swearing or Oaths I told W.P. That if his Church be the True and the Baptists Church false rightly to convince others thereof upon good and infallible grounds he must pretend to and produce some such discriminating Evidence or Sign for Proof thereof which the Baptists nor no false Church could in like manner produce as he doth I pray'd W.P. to shew wherein the POWER of GOD or the SPIRIT DEMONSTRATED it self MORE in the Quakers than the Baptists or a false Church And that he must do say something for his Church if he would say any thing to purpose which they could not do and say for theirs as an Evidence or Demonstration thereof and that this was NO MORE than what the true Primitive Church had and could and did on all necessary occasions visibly produce and Demonstrate Now what does the Quibbler Answer to all this he says nothing but what the Baptists can or do say that they have a Record in Heaven and in many Consciences also and that they doubt not but where the Spirit of God Lives and Rules it will manifest it self for it is self-Evidencing Then by that Rule the Quakers should not have the Spirit of God at best no more than others have because it does not manifest it self in them more than in others 11. P. 33. says G.W. This seems to be a hard task and I believe so indeed and too hard for all the Quakers though I was so reasonable as to demand but one such Testimony or Gift in all their Churches and they never read of any Christian-Church in Holy Scripture that had not some and many such Gifts Yet G. undertakes to say that it is no difficult matter for W.P. and many more to produce or demonstrate some such effects of that living Testimony presence and power of God among us as no false Church CAN PRODUCE although herein neither W.P. nor any of us will ADMIT OF PREJUDICED and ENVIOUS SPIRITS to be our JUDGES or WITNESSES in thâ—se matters Reply Bravely said George if it were as well done but for all thy boasting that not only W.P. but many more among you could yet the poor Man does not dare produce or so much as name one of them is not this excellent What must all Men believe it because thou saiest it Is IPSE DIXIT come to Town and the Quakers bare word all the Evidence they have or can produce Now it would have been a great piece of this Quakers-plainness if he had produced one or two of those effects only which he boasts he 〈◊〉 and no Church which he Condemns for false can produce I charge him to do it if he will not prove himself a MEER PRETENDER and VAIN-BOASTER speaking high swelling words like them in Jude But this Man is very timerous I I perceive he would do it with Caution enough though so silly that he makes himself Ridiculous by it 1. Where did the Apostles or the Churches ever make such a Proviso in their producing the Testimony and Power of God Did they not do it before all and in the presence of Envious and malicious Spirits as well as others and left them to judg as it had operation upon them And 2. May not the Baptists say so and make this Proviso as well as you that they will not admit of prejudiced and envious Spirits to be their Judges or Witnesses in these matters and then no doubt they will be able to produce as many such effects as the Quakers Oh silly and absurd But 3. well G. produce those effects and that Power thou talkest of in W.P. however and I am contented with thee for this time that you shall not admit of Envious or Prejudiced Spirits to Judg of it but produce it that others may behold it though not Judg of it or wilt thou say that there 's not one person in all England except Quakers but what are Envious and Prejudiced Spirits Poor Evasion 12. As for them which thou sayst in whose Consciences there is a Record many of which were gathered out from Baptists and other Churches They say such are but Apostates from their Church and some such you have had in your Church which you call Apostates when they leave you and go to other Churches so that all this is nothing for proof of the thing nay several of your grand Prophets so once esteemed among some of you for true Prophets of the Lord did and have left you Witness CHARLES BAYLY JOHN PARROT c. and the Baptists have gathered amongst them several out of other Churches as well as you and what then The Baptists may tell you that if the Quakers see no such thing amongst them as the Blessed Operation and effect of the Power and Ministry of Christ Jesus That is because the Quakers have not honestly made Tryal bâ—t stood in Prejudice and gainsaying as many did against Christ the Apostles and Primitive Church of old and what can the Quakers say to it ONLY DENY IT and so may the Baptists Besides the Baptist Churches have this to say for themselves which you have not being you have denied and disowned it viz. They own the Holy Scriptures for the Rule of their Faith and Practice and pretend to no such extraordinary immediate Inspirations and Revelations as you do 13. But above all you ought not you cannot in good Conscience complain against others for Questioning whether you are Christians you having first not only Questioned others but pronounced them all both Ministers and People and Professors also unchristian See G.F. Professors Catechism his very first words are come you UNCHRISTIANS let us talk with you c. Therefore look at home and rebuke your selves first for this 14. And whereas G.W. p. 34. says That a foolish and Adulterous Generation seek a Sign 'T is true our Saviour did so upbraid the Jews and might very well they having had Sign upon Sign Miracle upon Miracle wrought by our SAVIOUR amongst them and such mighty Deeds almost innumerable wrought before them and yet to cry out for more when they saw so many from him was foolish but what is this to the Quakers who have not wrought one true Miracle nor produced so much as ONE such Sign notwithstanding all their Pretences among us that ever I heard of must we therefore be a foolish Generation that ask a Sign of them to prove such their pretences No surely it follows not I am certain from that Text and yet notwithstanding that the Jews were such an Adulterous Generation and had had so many Miracles wrought among them yet Jesus Christ said they should have one Sign more and that was doubtless the greatest Miracle and Sign of all By this Text then if the Quakers will stick close to it they may lawfully give this Adulterous Generation one Sign
of yours was given forth more by the Spirit of the Lord than the Holy Scriptures are If thou sayest yes it is Blasphemy then thou provest thy self a Blasphemer by Intitling that as given forth by the Spirit of the Lord in you which he did not say and give forth 4. Wouldst thou not think it very hard and unjust if one should accuse the Quakers of Blasphemy for saying That the Church of Christ is his Body and that there is but one Spirit and one Body which is the Church and so deny that Christ hath any other Body than that whereof the Saints are Members and united to him as thou talkest to this purpose p. 29. Now some look upon this as Blasphemous wouldst thou not say it is very hard and uncharitable and why because this is according to Scripture-Language sayest thou And yet thou hast accused Muggleton p. 37. as a Blasphemer and Impostor for holding this Blasphemous Doctrine That the Soul of Man dies or is Mortal Now may not Muggleton tell thee â—â—at the Scripture saith in express words The Soul that sinneth it shall die Ezek. 18.20 God shall deliver my Soul from the Power of the Grave Psal 49.15 Thou hast delivered my Soul from Death Psal 56.13 Thou hast delivered my Soul from the lowest Grave Psal 86.13 Keep back his Soul from the Pit his Soul draweth nigh to the Grave Job 33.18 22 28 30. Then saith he unto them My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto Death Matth. 26.38 spake of the Resurrection of CHRIST that his Soul was not left in Hell or the Grave Acts 2.31 Is not this Scripture Is not this according to Scripture-Language Thus then thou condemnest something as Blasphemy which is according to Scripture-Language and so it seems it is all one to thee be it according to Scripture-Language or not thou joynest them all together as alike false and Blasphemous Besides there is no Protestant Church in Europe that I know of but what can approve the third Doctrine in thy 37. pag. which thou callest Blasphemous for True in the indefinite Terms thou hast expressed it viz. That the Soul of Man is Mortal i. e. Subject to the second Death if not Redeemed And because G.W. hath a Multiplying-Glass when he writes against his opposers he hath made here to lengthen them out eight several Doctrines which indeed can be reckoned but one or two in effect or much the same and as for those other Blasphemous Doctrines of Muggleton respecting the Godhead Life and that the Godhead died thou G. according to thy Principles must hold so too or else thou must run into another Blasphemy by holding that THE CHRIST INDEED did NOT DIE only put off HIS GARMENT with which thou sayest he was Cloathed but was not THE CHRIST nor no Real part of HIM And therefore upon this account your Predecessors who held much the same Doctrine with you concerning the TRINITY of PERSONS found a necessity on them to hold that the FATHER Died as Muggleton does and therefore were called PATROPASSIANS for without that they found they could not Really believe that THE CHRIST HIMSELF DIED and this Dilemma if not Blasphemy the Quakers are got into and if the Quakers did not come very near this Blasphemous Doctrine of Muggleton What is the meaning of Isaac Pennington's words Quest p. 20. But he CHRIST is of an Eternal Nature and his Flesh and Blood and Bones are of his Nature that is then his Flesh Blood and Bones are Eternal and so must be GOD for nothing is of an Eternal Nature but GOD and now let the Reader Judg how far this falls short of Muggleton's Blasphemy and let them clear themselves of it if they can so that it appears this is only a Pitiful begging the Question still betwixt the Impostor Muggleton and you which cannot be granted you by Muggleton nor yet by others without your producing better evidence for you see he can speak according to Scripture-Language as well as you when he hath a mind to it 5. Whereas thou sayest the comparison is unjust and wicked Thou dost not so much as Instance any one particular of the ten that is unjust or false But thou wilfully mistakes me when thou insinuates as if I did basely design by the Comparison to make others believe that the Quakers were Muggletonians or the Muggletonians Quakers No that was never my intent but thy own perversion on purpose to Evade and shuffle it off where thou foundst it lay too heaviâ— upon thy Shoulders neither canst thou find any such word in all my Epistle but well to the contrary as the tenth particular witnesseth That the Quakers Condemn Muggleton and Muggleton damn's the Quakers therefore any Man might see except G. who is wilfully blind that I never thought them all one or alike in all things and G. might have spared all his needless labour to set down wherein the Quakers differ from Muggleton in other Doctrines but that the poor Man could easier do that than Answer what I demanded of W.P. But this is the old Shift that I have formerly told them of they used in the Dispute Answer that which was never askt them to give the go-by and evade Answering what is askt and thus he serves me here The thing that I demanded of W.P. was this in my Epist p. 32 33. Why shouldst thou or thy Friends be believed MORE than Muggleton or an Impostor Since Muggleton says he hath received a Commission from Heaven that he had it by Divine Revelation to go forth as a Prophet c. That he is inspired by the Spirit of God and is infallible c. and so say the Quakers that they have And again in my p. 35. Is it not highly necessary one should know which of these are the Impostors Or whether since they both are such confident Pretenders they may not both be Impostors What canst or dost thou produce or pretend to more than Muggleton does Surely it will be a strange piece of Confidence for you to claim Credence from People if you cannot produce something considerable beyond such as your selves own to be a GRAND IMPOSTOR and a DECEIVER But very deceitfully G. gives the go-by to all this which was the only thing in Question and yet calls his Treatise an Answer to my Epistle Is it possible that the Quakers that prâ—tend so much should be Men of no better Conscience How can any look upon such to be tender and Men fearing God and hating deceit and falshood Is this think you for the Credit or Commendation of your way will such unfair dealing shifting and shuffling of Answers convince the Baptists or me or any other sober and discreet Men that you are immediately sent and Commissioned for to go forth as Apostles and Prophets from the most Holy God No surely Dost thou call this the Quakers-plainness detecting Fallacy It is the Quakers own Fallacy it then detects Let thy own Conscience if thou hast any that is not
CONFIDENCE of the Leading Quakers of the Foxonian Tribe audacious Attempts in such Evasive Replies to their Opponents daubed over to beguile the simple-hearted or deceived Quakers with seeming Vindications when their dreadful accusing Consciences if not absolutely seared at the same time cannot but tell them how greatly the sincerer sort of Quakers have been burthenâ—d yea grievously afflicted these many years under the sence of Guilt that rests on those called the BODY I may say even to the highest Degree of Perplexity witness J.P. W.M. J.O. W.G. T.M. M.S. T.F. J.F. M.P. A.M. with many more and although some of them may have trâ—ckled under the TYRANNICAL power of this BODY so called i. e. their Church though it be indeed Principally but of G. Foxes Building yet their Consciences cannot but bear Witness to what I have said in this Respect Here 's all that can be said in favour of such wicked Practices that it seems they must by Decree to uphold their Cause as long as they can set SOMETHING forth in Print as an Answer or that bears the Title of an Answer to all that comes out against them 6. It must be a very strong and notorious Delusion these Leading-Quakers are under if they do not see themselves manifestly Guilty of Abominable Equivocations and Quibbling in the greatest matters of Faith and Religion controverted between them and others Insomuch that notwithstanding their now loud pretences of professing Christ according to the Holy Scriptures so long as they do not nor will disclaim their Forâ—er Professions to the Contrary and their former abuses put upon the Scriptures and notwithstanding their loud Clamors against the Socinians as denying the Divinity of Christ yet themselves must know that they deny CHRIST to be either God or Man in the sence that Christians acknowledg him to be so see Contest for Christianity p. 115 116 117. and Controv. ended p. 44. to 54. And consequently they Introduce into the profession of Religion and the Scriptures such Equivocations and ambiguous Quibbling as Renders the most Religious Confessions Profound Deceits and the Words of God Recorded in Scripture no better than a Nose of Wax most dangerous and false 7. There are five or six little Books that do very ingeniously and fully set forth and give an accompt of the Deceit Impostures intolerable Pride Hypocrisy and Tyranny with the Popish Principles and vile Practices of some of your Leaders and Ministers of the Foxonian party chiefly in Matters of Fact which are visible to the Eyes and subject to the Senses of Men viz. The Spirit of the Quakers tryed Controversy ended The Spirit of the Hat Tyranny and Hypocrisy detected Questions for the Quakers to which may be added The Quakers Spiritual-Court The which or some of them at least I should advise all Persons Judiciously to peruse that would be inforâ—ed concerning them For notwithstanding that the Quakers have Printed something that bears the Name of Answers I do seriously think and hereby advertise them that those Books are IN EFFECT as much un-answered as if they had not writ twenty lines about it for indeed what these Quakers have writ in Reply is but ABOUT it not TO it They beat about the Bush and that 's all they make the greatest noise like the Lapwing when indeed they are farthest off What shall I say to your poor pittiful slight shifting evasive and equivocating Replies to these Books What shall I say to that heavy Charge of TYRANNY and HYPOCRISY exhibited against you in the Book bearing that Title What shall I say to that equal just and fair Proffer made to you therein and your not-accepting of it p. 49. and Title-Page 'T is offered over and over again to the Quakers To refer the Judgment of matters of Fact to the verdict of twelve impartial and honest men EQUALLY to be chosen and that in case the Quakers the others should not agree in the choice of the Persons it was proposed that the Vmpirage should be referred to the LORD-MAJOR of London or any Alderman on the Bench or to any one of twenty Common Council-men and if the Quakers would put it to this just honest and fair Issue that they should signifie it in writing and leave it with Francis Smith Bookseller dwelling in Cornhil and they should find their Accusers ready to comply therewith Now why dare and do you not thus adventure the Tryal of it And why will W.P. notwithstanding Cry out for Proof and exclaim that you are horribly belied and slandered and that they are all Lies Slanders and Forgeries and this is the chiefest part of your Answers If they are so indeed or ye Quakers so innocent therein as you would pretend nothing could possibly more honour and advantage the Quakers and their Cause here as clearly to Evince it and have this Judged for them by honest and impartial Men on both sides and it being only matter of Fact such men are capable to judg of it for shame then W.P. and ye Quakers do not any more cry out Gross Lies Slanders and Forgeries till you have agreed to this fair propose and have had the matters indifferently heard as so long profferred you and it be proved so what will ye thus decline the Proof and Tryal and yet exclaim as wronged oh unreasonable 8. What shall I say What can be said to such Men What can be expected from them Or who that is not infatuated can believe them or approve of their Confidence whereby they make themselves ridiculous and manifest to the world that some of them have neither tender Consciences nor shame in them to stand in things with such perverseness of Spirit not to say Impudence against not only Common Sense and REASON But OCULAR DEMONSTRATION saying any thing Backwards or Forwards as they please and that without Blushing I will name but three Instances now 1. Witness those many Texts of Scripture perverted â—ltered changed and corrupted by G. Fox when he charges others with falshood corrupting and perverting the Scriptures for doing the like or less as is set forth in several particulars in the Spirit of the Quakers tryed where in some places G. Fox puts THEM for HIM Col. 3.10 Conscience for Thoughts Rom. 2.15 he puts Christ's Belly for the Believers Belly John 7.38 puts another person into the Text John 10.29 Leaves out the SPIRIT in 1 Cor. 2.10 puts IT for WE in 2 Cor. 2.16 IS for WAS in 2 Cor. 5.19 Leaves out the word WILFULLY in Heb. 10.26 puts speaking for Prophecying 1 Cor. 14.31 c. Now as that Author says well any one that can but Read and understand English and knows that A is not B or HIM is not THEM or that IT is not nor can be WE may know that G. Fox hath committed Falshoods altered changed and corrupted several Scriptures and yet Mr. Penn hath undertaken to vindicate him in these matters though against his own other Mens Eyes and yet if you will credit W. Penn
this is the Spirit of Truth or the Truth that he vindicates 2. Nay let G. Fox their grand Prophet not only speak the greatest NONSENCE but Write it and publish it also to the World in Print yet Mr. Penn will vindicate it and Justifie him also G. Foxe's words are these And so to the word Christ Jesus him by whom the World was made before it was made and this G. Fox says SEVEN times over in his Book and another time thus By which the World was made before it was made Now if any Man that understands English and Sence except a Quaker will not say this is absolute NONSENCE that G. F. here ascribes to CHRIST and not fit for any Man of Ingenuity and that is a Schollar or regards his Credit to vindicate then I am wonderfully deceived and know not my Mother-Tongue and yet if you will believe W. Penn this is the Truth or Spirit of Truth still which he vindicates oh horrid 3. Nay more Write and Print BLASPHEMY and then stand in it and Justifie it when they have done Witness Solomon Eccles one of these Quaking Ministers in his Book called the Quakers Challenge he says of GEORGE FOX whose name thou art not worthy to take into thy mouth who is a Prophet indeed and hath been faithful in the Lords business from the beginning It was said of CHRIST That he was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not SO IT MAY BE SAID OF THIS TRUE PROPHET whom Iohn said HE WAS NOT But thou wilt feel this Prophet one day as heavy as a Mill-stone upon thee c. And yet G. Whitehead undertakes to vindicate this BLASPHEMOUS SPEECH and says it is a LITTLE FAILURE in Syntax for so his Conscience will serve him to call BLASPHEMY when it is utterred and published by a QUAKER though against the Lord CHRIST ah George canst thou call it but a LITTLE FAILURE is that a Truth At the best surely it is no less than a GREAT FAILURE 9. And as for George's DIRECTION of Sol. Eccles INTENTION in G. W's serious search p. 58. I pray my Reader and you Quakers but to peruse the MYSTERY of JESUITISM particularly Letter ninth Letter seventh and Letter sixth beginning at p. 122. and see whether it may not be concluded George is almost as good an Artist at it as they or at least if he be not fit and a towardly Youth for their School to teach people how to equivocate not to say â—ly neatly by DIRECTING the INTENTION and if George or Solomon Eccles may direct the Intention in THIS why not in OTHER things And if George why not the Jesuites Or if the Jesuites Why not George And this being once set thus on foot who hath power to stop it or who can tell where it may center except GEORGE FOX or the POPE For if George or SOL. may in DOCTRINALS or Cases of BLASPHEMY why may not the Jesuites in MORALS and in Cases of THEFT LYING and ADULTERY I desire you Friends seriously to weigh and consider this and what can certainly satisfy you and others herein When the Quakers shall speak or write one thing and tell you themselves they mean another or do not intend all they speak or write But here 's the misery on 't If Mr. Hicks or any of your Opponents do but write A for THE or do but say a DIALOGUE and not BY WAY OF DIALOGUE or do but say YOU for THOU or the like Oh then it is Forgery Lies Blasphemous Slanders Sinful impure and Corrupt then it is not a little Failure in Syntax only which the Law of Charity would not take notice of But let a Quaker say or write that which is a hundred times worse nay though it be in it self Blasphemy against Christ Yet then it is only a little Failure in Syntax and against the Law of Charity to reflect on a Man c. 10. Upon this occasion I could not but lament 't is not unlikely another would have smiled to see that G.W. in his serious search p. 24. hath such a rare Invention I will not say Black-Art that if Jer. Ives does but say if you dare appoint time and place to discourse about the Quakers Religion and Ministers George can and hath transform'd I will not say Conjur'd it into an Insolent frothy Challenge and like the common Hectors and Sword-men of the times But three or four Challenges that three grand Quakers viz. G. Fox E. Burroughs and Sol. Eccles made wherein the very same words are and abundantly more audacious as a Challenge at two Weapons Name Persons Time and Place a Duel and if you DARE as is worth your seeing more at large in J. Ives Quest for the Quakers yet George's Holiness hath Pope-like sanctified them and they are serious Challenges on a serious Religious Account Oh excellent Religion But the other he Condemns as if it were Curst with Bell Book and Candle in p. 19 20 and 23. Oh wonderful George that hath such a POWER to Sanctify and unsanctify words with a small dash of his Pen as he pleases Here I say is the Misery and this is the most gross abominable Hypocrisy unreasonableness Partiality and uncharitableness that can be heard of against the Light of Nature the Light of Conscience and the Light of Scripture That the same things or ten times worse should be no faults or but little trivial ones in Quakers and yet gross falshoods horrible lies and Forgeries in other men The Lord open your eyes that you may first learn to Judg your selves and Cast the Beam out of your own eye before you go to cast the Mâ—â—e out of anothers 11. Now for your saying unsaying Backwards and forwards I have particularly manifested it in this my Reply G.F. condemning what G.W. uses and G.W. condemning what G.K. used and W.P. condemning what G.W. Teaches and sometimes G.W. condemning and confuting G.W. himself and so round and round again But now notwithstanding all this considering what their Practices above related have been and that they are generally such I do expect and must not doubt in the least but that they will have that stupendious Confidence as to deny all this or not confess it yea and will say it is false and horrid Slanders though we read it we see it with our eyes and hear it with our ears yet our sences must be all deceived and the Quakers only in the Truth and if any will they may believe them not only before but against their own Eyes I cannot help it neither shall I concern my self much at it But only to express my real sorrow for to see any one so strangely deluded What else may I What must I nay what can I expect from such Men that have in this manner so often declared themselves in Print already who can undertake to vindicate falshoods and nonsence and their grand false Prophet G.F. and call this a vindication of the Truth
or Spirit of Truth Is G. Fox the Truth or Spirit of Truth no certainly much less then are his Falsehoods and nonsence the Truth or Spirit of Truth and who will vindicate such words as are in themselves no less than Blasphemy asserting it may be said yea and SO said of George Fox as it was said of CHRIST That he was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not whom John said he was not nay and this is not only set down without exception but on the contrary a parity or likeness affirmed that SO it may be said of this true Prophet G. Fox now we believe it was truly said of CHRIST 12. I doubt not but that I may with safety say That Mr. Penn and G. Whitehead if either of them please may with as much Truth Honour and Sence and with as little BLASPHEMY undertake to vindicate and Justify POOR ROBINS Position and Allegorical Proof That the Moon is made of Green Cheese And though this at first may seem strange to some Persons that may read it yet I speak it considerately and not rashly and do really think that if any Judicious Person does but duly weigh the one and the other he will find it so and yet these are the Pretending Divinely-Commissioned and Inspired Prophets and Ministers and the Infallible Doctors of the only True Church which undervalue and Condemn all the World besides Surely had they instead of this Arrogance and Pride but a little Humility and Charity it would make them quite of another mind and thus all that will may see how they RESPECT Persons among the Quakers and what DIVINE HONOUR some of them give and DIVINE POWER they ascribe to their grand Prophet George Fox God in his Infinite mercy open the eyes of all sincere-hearted though not so discerning yet well-meaning Christians That they may understand and see that it is absolute FOLLY if not MADness for any one to turn from another Church to the Quakers since they do produce no real or certain Discriminating Testimony and Evidence but only their bare say-so nor do SAY any MORE than others can no nor yet so much as many other Churches in some things do And this I leave with you and all seriously to consider and judiciously to weigh in the Ballance of true Judgment T. T THE Quakers Character OF THE QUAKERS QUIBBLES 1. IN the first place I was given to understand that Mr. Ed. Billing having been at the Quakers Cabal was first pleased to bestow this Character on 't viz. That it was the Quibblers Quibbles and that was Answer enough to it Reply Honest Ned hath hit the Nail o' th head For the Quibbles I am certain were the Quakers and thus then by their old Friends confession the Quakers are still the Quibblers But I suppose he did not there find any of these Quibbles Oh if thou couldst but see my heart within as plainly as thou seest my Face without Thou wouldst not deny as I am a man as I am an English man as I am a Christian I will However if this little Epistle be any yet certainly not such a Quibble as modest Ned B's little Paper Printed for satisfaction of There was a Quibble indeed a grand Quibble with a witness so loud that it was heard through the Kingdom thus he might have been silent or better Answered himself And 't is no small Quibble of the Quakers to own any Persons privately whil'st they pretend to disown them publickly 2. Thomas Taunton a Quaker Characterized it on this wise That that Pamphlet was made by a Cabal of Anabaptists and was a meer Forgery c. Reply This Man I declare to be a false Prophet and that his Revelation herein was a meer Forgery to speak in his own Language for there was not one Baptist or Anabaptist did see it or know any thing of it till after it was written delivered to the Bookseller as I have before declared as in the presence of God and therefore this Quaker was herein led by a False Light or a False Spirit and hath abused and wronged the Baptists with a matter absolutely UNTRUE 3. Lastly it past it seems the Censure of one Tho. Rudyard which I heare was on this wise He being askâ— if he did not think it was an ingenious piece answered No and that he Believed a Boy of ten years old might write as Rational a thing and that the Author designed to make a piece of Drollery but not having Wit enough brought it forth an Hermophrodite Reply If T.R. thinks good to call his Brethren the Quakers Quibbles Drollery I cannot help it let them call him to an account for that but I am much of T. R's mind that their Quibbles want wit enough though not Confidence to make a piece of Drollery and so come forth but an Hermophrodite Witness T. R's own Quibbling Answer to Jer. Ives sober Request who therein Quibbled so finely and Drolled so long with Jeremy about Oaths and being that Jeremy c. till at last he brought that Jeremy in good earnest upon all their Backs who hath given some of theâ—r Grand ones their Bellies-full of Swearing and Oaths too in his Questions for the Quakers Now this of T. R's might be such a rational and ingenious piece indeed as it may be a Boy of ten years old might not and yet a Boy of about thirty might Write And I have heard that some of T. R's own Brethren have lookt upon it as a very Ridiculous and silly thing for him to write so about Swearing as he did but that he deals so much in it and a Quaker may be Fool-hardy as well as others why not Had I been John Osgood or Gerard Roberts I would rather have given T.R. fifty pounds than to have had my Name brought upon the Stage in so gross a matter as here T.R. by his over-self-conceited-Ingenuity hath wondrous well occasioned to no small shame of the Quakers Let Thomas Rudyard compare his Practice of SUEING people with James Naylors Doctrine Possession of the Living Faith p. 7. It was never the Faith of Christ to SUE Contend c. and and T.R. may see what an Hermophrodite-Quaker himself will appear Besides one might take notice here of a Quakers Belief but let that pass as not being worth taking notice For they manifest sufficiently they regard not much what they say or write so it may but undervalue others and arrogantly lift up themselves FINIS Mr. Smith YOU having so well and carefully published the former I have thought fit to send you by this Porter do Recommend this second Part of the Quakers-Quibbles to your like Care and desire you to ask no Questions Only I must request this favour of you if without too much trouble to you it may be done That if any sober Person or Civil Quaker shall suspect or doubt whether I have truely cited the Quakers words out of their own Books That if
in other Matters which by the Quakers were at first made very weighty also however now they are Declined from what they once Pretended And if that be admitted neither themselves nor others can have any Certainty in them or of them for they may pretend the Spirit leads them to this to Day and that to Morrow and to a third thing quite different the next Day and they may say as some of them have done that they had not a clear Discerning of the Lord's Voyce in this thing then nor in that thing now and so they may as well pretend seven and seventeen Years hence for it depends onely upon their bare Word to others and thus they make their Religion as unconstant as the Moon and as wavering as the Wind. But how all this should be and yet the Quakers all this while pretend to INFALLIBILITY and That such their Writings and Doctrines were given forth by the Spirit of the Lord in them though thus Contradictory is such a Quibble and Riddle as would puzzle Oedipus himself were he here to un-riddle I should not delight in this threatning day to be uncovering their Nakedness did I not judge it a Duty to warn you and endeavour to lead them out of all False Coverings which in vain they would hide themselves under in their Defiled State rendring themselves by so doing but the more Naked in the sight of God and good men and giving the Enemy greater Occasion against them I have mentioned but some of those many that might be Collected by any that does but seriously Observe them and their Writings I had a large Field to walk in For who is it that knew them formerly and doth not see their palpable and grand Alteration now in their Gestures their Words their Salutations for now they 'l greet one in the Market-place which they use to tell us the Pharisees did asking in the Market How doest thou do In their Freedom in Eating and Drinking the Furniture of their Houses their Cloaths both for Fashion and Fineness of the Stuff minding the World and the things of the World their heaping up Riches and particularly in their now going to Law and having one or more Lawyers or Attorneys of them besides their Swearing in our Courts or if not doing therein something that is worse and almost in their whole Practice and Conversation as well as in many of their Doctrines and Principles Which if some abler Pen should undertake to set forth it might be the better and not unnecessary as it is possible hereafter some one may be moved to do Neither I think should I have done thus much but that I find they are grown of late Years so excessive High Proud Imperious Scornful and Hardened in a strange kind of Confidence and Quibbling Equivocations beyond the bounds of Modesty and Reason that they have need of something to make them sensible if it may be and better to know themselves that they may not thus proudly Despise Curse and Condemn everlastingly others that are not of their Body Church and Way Certainly the Old Serpent was the first Equivocator Evasive Quibbler and so the grandest Hypocrite that ever was when he deceived our great Grand-Mother Eve and it is as certain by what we see with our Eyes and hear with our Ears that he hath not yet forgot that Old Trade no small instances whereof the Quakers late Practices and many of their Pamphlets which you will find here cited most evidently appear to be I beseech you therefore give me leave in the Bowels of Love and Compassion seriously to warn and admonish you and such of them as will hear to look well to your goings and consider upon what it is you stand whether it be not very much upon Mens bare words or your own Fancies or at best in Naked likenesses and meer Imitations after you have been so long crying out against all Humane Traditions Literal Imitations making of Likenesses and Figures to your selves of what you find was once the Condition of others and beware of such uncertain variable changeable Lights and Doctrines as have no certainer basis than Geo. Foxes Light or Mr. Penn's Sandy Foundation Be not High-minded but Fear and let the Royal Law of CHARITY continue above all amongst all and I shall subscribe my self An Vnfeigned desirer of thy Souls Welfare THOMAS THOMPSON THE CONTENTS SECT I. THE Quakers Quibbles about their Quaking and Trembling and discerning the Lords voice SECT II. Their Quibbles about Set-days and Set places SECT III. Their Quibbles about their Body alias the Church and Forms as the Hat and Hand SECT IV. Their Quibbles about Flesh being Silent SECT V. Their Quibbles about the Annointing SECT VI. Their Quibbles about the Spirit SECT VII Their Quibbles and Hypocrisie about Scholarship and Languages SECT VIII Their Quibbles and Hypocrisie about punching People and thrusting and haling them out of Meetings SECT IX Their Quibbles and Hypocrisie in their former Practice of Disturbing of Ministers in Parish Assemblies with Reference to their Practice now SECT X. Their Grand Quibbles about and gross abuse of the Holy Scriptures Collected out of their Own Books The Conclusion Sam. Fisher Transpos'd on the Precedent Occasion Remarks on G. W's slight Sheet containing SECT I. Of G. W's Title and his false Suggestion 2. Of the Authors Name and Letter 3. Of Socinianism and the Divinity of Christ which the Quakers own 4. Of Scornful Reflections 5. Of the Miraculous Gifts of the Spirit and Prophesie 6. Of the Manifestation of the Spirit 7. Of the Discerning of Spirits 8. Of Vnbelievers and Muggleton c. 9. Of the Quakers Jesuitical Art of Directing the Intention G. W's Letter to the Author and the Author's Answer The Third Part OF THE QUAKERS QUIBBLES Being a Continuation of their Quibbles Equivocations Contradictions Riddles Rounds and Confusions in several particulars THAT Flood of Follies and Absurdities that Cloud of Confusions and Self contradictions which shatters it self up and down by Plats in sundry Showres throughout the sundry Pages of those Mens Books every Eye that Reads them as they there lye at a distance 't is possible may not so easily set sight on them Therefore I shall cull some few of them only out for the whole Number passes my skill to cast Account of and clap them a little closer together not so much to shame them as to honour the Truth which they would shame That they may be the more Ready to be Read and apparent to the view of every Ordinary Reader That any save such as seeing will not see may see the Sword of the Lord already laid on the Arm and Right-eye of the Idol-Prophets to the drying up of the one and the darkening of the other for perverting the right way of the Lord so that they see not the Sun of Righteousness nor yet the Moon of so much as Common sense and Reason but grope about in the mist of their own muddy minds so as to need
they themselves now confess that notwithstanding all that and all their Preaching up and confidence of the Light Spirit and Voice of the Lord WITHIN them they yet had not a distinct discerning of the Lord's Voyce not their minds brought into so much as a CAPACITY to discern it how can they be MORE confident and Infallibly evidence they are MORE certain of it now Or why may they not be mistaken and mistake the Lords Voyce now as well as fifteen or sixteen Years ago or not well discern which or what is the Lords Voyce And why may they not change again and again fifteen or sixteen Years hence and say then they had not before a distinct discerning of the Lords Voyce If the Quakers say but they know now they have it so the Quakers formerly said they knew it they felt it they handled it they witnessed it IN themselves and yet the Quakers now say they were so far out then as not to have a distinct discerning of the Lords Voyce And so then may the Quakers now for all their pretences and confident talk Let my Reader take Notice and they Consider what 's become of their Quaking and Shaking their mighty Motions and pretended Voyce of the Lord within And I think this may be enough for Quaking to shew that the present Quakers I deal withall have little more than the Name now in this particular Sic mutantur SECT II. The Quakers Quibbles about Set-days and Set-places Sect. 1. PRinciples of Truth p. 42. per E. Burroughs We believe his True Worship required and accepted of him is not by the Tradition of Men in outward Observances or Set-days or Places but he is Worshipped onely in Spirit and Truth without respect of Times Places or Things And this was one while the Quakâ—rs general Doctrine that they should not run nor be enjoyned by others to come to Meetings but as they â—re moved of the Lord thereto and that without that it was but Will-Worship See Principles of Truth p. 24. 51. Every Man ought to be left FREE as the Lord shall perswade his own mind in doing or leaving undone this or th' other practice in Religion Sect. 2. But to whirle about and run round again at other times P. Livingstone can tell you Idem p. 5. It is a dark Spirit clearness and FREEDOM is not in it but it hath and doth lead into Bondage And here Satan by Transforming himself hath obtained his End and purpose in such for which cause he first Transformed himself in the matter of the Hat and the Hand and not coming to Meetings until they should be moved of the Lord untill at last he obtained his end to get them not to come at all and not to let them rest therewith but also made and makes them believe lyes as namely that they be moved of the Lord to cry against Meetings c. And we are certain enough what that Spirit leads to in the end for all its fair appearance if it be followed to the end c. And who now Observes more their set-days and hours too their first and fourth days meeting and set places Built on purpose aâ— the Bull and Mouth and Grace-Church-street c. than the Quakers And thus are they run into Forms as those whom they once condemned and now deny that FREEDOM they once allowed and cry'd for which is all but a Quibble SECT III. The Quakers Quibbles about Forms and the Church Sect. 1. THat the Quakers at first did cry out against Forms and several external Ordinances and all Formality in Divine Worship and the Church of God is so generally known that I think I need not trouble the Reader with Instances yet if any should doubt it see G. Fox Mystery p. 65. Paul brought the Saints off from things that aâ—â— seen and water is seen and it's Baptism Here is a few words will serve for all Sect. 2. But then to go round again when others of the Quakers Object against them That taking off the Hat in prayer and taking by the Hand are but Formal and that by setting up this Friends were setters up of Forms now hear the Quakers Quibble P. Livingstone Idem p. 12. in Answer to that Objection The Form of Truth we own that which Truth appears in that is the Form of Truth Friends do not chuse a Form for the Truth but Truth chuseth its own Form and moveth in it at its pleasure Oh Excellent then it seems taking off the Hat or taking by the Hand is the Form among the Quakers that Truth appears in and this is the Form that the Truth chuseth for its own Oh rare Formalists Sect. 3. Then P. Livingstone goes on p. 13. And we know those that do the contrary pretend what they will it is by and in that Spirit which is opposite and opposes the Truth of God and its Children and we know if they were lead by the Spirit of the Body id est the Church they would be led to the same things it leads the Body and acts the Body in for the Body is one though many Members it being guided by one Life and they agree in these things and one stands not with the Hat on and another with it off nor one doth not give the Hand and another refuseth which is a contradiction but we see further into the thing than the Hat and Hand We see and know the Spirit of Enmity in the ground and it is truly testified against to be that Spirit of ANTI-CHRIST against CHRIST and the Spirit of Truth in the Body i.e. the Church beareth this Testimony against that Spirit and them Acted by it Oh what Rents and Divisions this evil Spirit hath made How many poor simple Hearts have been drawn aside by it So far he Now is not this exactly like the Doctrine and Practice of the Church of Rome Nay the Quakers are got so far as to say Friends that stand in the Life and are the Body know that there is not NOR CANNOT BE preservation out of the Body meaning the Body of Quakers For they that are out of the Body are out of the Faith â—â—d are not of the Body Pat. Livingstone p. 20. Just as the Papists say there 's no Salvation out of the Church Yea and more that they must believe as the True Church meaning the Quakers Church Believes or else positively they cannot be saved For these are his express words viz. I bear my testimony for that People in scorn called Quakers that the Lord hath chosen them a peculiar People above all People upon the Earth and we are to turn to no other People c. And they that believe not as the true Church-Believes CANNOT BE SAVED But this we know of an INFALLIBLE certainty that WE being faithful in the Truth those that are gone from us are of another Spirit and not of the Faith of the True Church P. Livingstone p. 22 23. this is like the very top-stone of Popery and
that in such low and external things too as in giving the Hand pulling off the Hat and coming to Quakers Meetings Sect. 4. Is not the Hat and the Hand SEEN Is it not a strange thing that giving the Hand and pulling off the Hat should be Ordinances to CONTINVE in the True Church but not Water-Baptism and Material Bread and Wine in the Lords Supper Note Readers I pray you Weigh this seriously and what their Reasons can be Remembring G. Fox's words at the beginning of this Section Consider well whither it is these Quakers are a Running laying such a Necessity on such a Ceremonial and external thing as giving the Hand do they not in this of the Hand exceed the Church of Rome in her impositions I have Transcribed the more of this that you may see how far the Quakers themselves are now come to own Forms and disown the Spirit in particular Persons and are already got to the Spirit IN the Body yea and OF the Body of Friends that is the Spirit in and of their Church Like as the Pope and Church of Rome and thus you may understand how the Quakers are and have been Divided amongst themselves one pretending the Spirit and others pretending the Spirit one against another and that which one calls the Spirit of Christ the other Quaker calls the Spirit of Antichrist and that which one calls Light the other says is Darkness and if they will continue running round and groping up and down in that Darkness notwithstanding this Faithful Admonition so let them SECT IV. The Quakers Quibbles about Flesh being Silent Sect. 1. IT is as generally known that this was at first the Quakers Doctrine and they used to cry out to others Cease from Man let all Flesh be silent and so would stop the Mouths of other Men and Teachers and draw People away from hearing of others Sect. 2. But now when other Quakers tell them so then hear how they wheel about again P. Livingstone Idem p. 14.15 You that cry let all Flesh be silent and yet not silent in your selves you but mock God and belie him he hath not bid you cry so For it is seen in the eternal Light that such would have the Truth silenc'd and its Children And the Prophet said Cease from Man but HE taught or the LIFE in and by him taught but all teaching that comes not from the LIFE are Mâ—n's teachings that is the Flesh to be silenced But such as be taught of the Lord and sent of him to Publish his Truth this is not to be denyed nor is denyed by them that know its teachings in themselves c. Oh Excellent Quibbling but pitiful begging of the Question for they still take that for granted which never was nor can be granted them That that onely in them is the Life and the Lords teaching which they call so MORE than that in others who oppose them Sest 3. Thus you see one while they would have us cease from Man another while to go round we must not cease from Man nor the Light and Life in the Man another while to face about again and meet in the middle we must cease from the Man but not from the Light in the Man and one while the pretended Light in the Man is Light and at other times 't is Darkness and all this as they the Men or the Life in them fancy and please when they please how they please or what they please One while all Flesh and Man is to be silent but another time to dance the Rounds the Prophet who was a Man and Flesh Taught or the Life in and by him Taught one or the other or both or he knows not whether Oh! the profound Riddles and Quibbles of these Quakers Sect. 4. For that 's a great Mystery and a Riddle that deserves unriddling upon all Occasions that when a Quaker says I say this or I write this or I Act this or I thought good or I thought meet as G.W. said to write an Answer to the Quakers Quibbles whether he means the Man George or the Light within or both or neither And pray George be so favourable to thy Countrey-men and me as to let us know when it is the Light in thee or the Flesh that speaks or writes when thou or any for thee writes again SECT V. The Quakers Quibbles about the Anoyntting Sect. 1. THat the Quakers one while did most frequently cry out the Anoynting which they had Received abideth in them and they need not that any Man teach them but as the same Anoynting teaches them all things c. I think themselves should not have Confidence though they have abundantly too much to deny and that their Doctrine was at first This is the New Covenant I will put my Laws into their Minds and Write them in their Hearts and they shall not teach every Man his Neighbour and every Man his Brother c. G. Fox Testimony of the True Light p. 37. Sect. 2. But now when others among themselves have Objected this very thing against them then hear the Quibble P. Livingstone p. 15. Here indeed is a subtle Bait of the Enemy to stop Truths Testimony through them that are called to bear it and to Publish it to the Nations And ye need that no Man Teach you but as the same Anoynting Teacheth you â—â— all things say they But why did HE Teach both by writing and speaking who spake or wrâ—t these words Or rather was it not the Anoynting in him that wrote unto them That they needed not the Teaching of Man who was meerly Man and was not come to the Anoynting in themselves but this forbids not the Anoynting to Edifie the Church as it doth move through either Son or Daughter and this is not Man's Teaching but this is the Anoynting which is Truth Sect. 3. Excellent still the Old begging of the Question and Quibbling it is when they please not the Man but the Anoynting in the Man that writes and Teaches and when they Pope-like please it is not the Anoynting in the Man but the Man that Teaches or Writes But how came this Foxonian Quaker to have this Popedome and Infallibility of Judgment MORE than these other Quakers Who gave it him hath he not arrogantly assumed it to himself most certainly No Quaker can justly blame me if I require satisfaction of them in this particular or for asking them to shew them how they run round in a Circle about the Voyce of God the Word or Anoynting and Light within them one of their own Teachers and Learned Men having not thought it uncivil nor abusive to ask and publish the like concerning the SACRED SCRIPTVRES except they will be so hardy as to say now what or to the like purpose some of them heretofore have not much stuck at That the Voyce of God and the Light IN THEMSELVES is better higher and more certain and infallible than the Voyce of God and Light in the HOLY
a Man of no Conscience nor Credit in what Relates to them i. e. the Quakers he did not dare say he was a man of no Conscience nor Credit in what Râ—â—â—ted to others because then he might have been disâ—â—â—ved but onely to the Quakers they themselves being Judges also when as you must note if a man does but oppose the Quakers that That is enough to make him a man of no Conscience or Credit with them Oh neat Quibble pray let the Quakers name you ONE man that does oppose and Contradict them that they will say is a Man of Good Conscience and Credit in what Relates to them Who is so silly that cannot see the baseness of such slie and Quibbling Suggestions Pray before I leave this Section hear another of them about the same Person p 39 Mr. Pen says he had as good as confest that he had been Hired by some Professors to disturb us who sees not the Quibble in the words as good as confest That is in plain English he did not tell him so neither is it at all likely but well on the contrary I have heard that some Years since a Quaker would have Hired him to have let them alone the Story runs thus He owed a Quaker a certain sum of money and the Quaker would have forgave it him and writ or would write him an Acquittance as Received so much money of him provided he would not disturb them any more Mr. Chadwel Answered him to this purpose that if he writ he had Received so much money when indeed he Received none that would be a Lye and he would not consent to it So here it seems Fran. Chadwel had more Conscience than the Quaker Sect. 8. And besides the Truth of their abusing punching haling thrusting and throwing the said F. Chadwel out of their meetings by main Force depends not upon his Testimony alone but there are some scores that have been Eye-witnesses of it that can testifie it And if the Quakers can Justifie doing thus to one whom themselves shall alone Judge to be a man of no Conscience nor Credit then they may do it to another and another and to Twenty on the same Ground and at last to whom they please as far as they dare And to be sure none shall want their Judgment and Censure of being Forgers Lyars or Tiplers Men of no Credit nor Conscience if they do but oppose them And so at present I 'le leave them with their Apostatized Persecuting Spirit as to this particular wishing they may for the Future learn more Honesty Humility and the Royal Law of Charity which never fails and that they may put on Bowels of Compassion and Lowlyness of mind to others for if they shew Love to their own Friends onely what are they better than the Publicans Don't they do so SECT IX The Quakers Quibbles and Hypocrisie in their former Practice of Disturbing of Ministers in parish-Parish-Churches with reference to their Practice now Sect. 1. THat it was the Common Practice of the Quakers for many Years to pretend They were sent and moved by the Lord and by the Spirit to come into the Parish-Assemblies to oppose the Ministers and accordingly did commonly every Moneth and sometimes oftner come in and disturb the Ministers and Congregations with their Messages Visions and Revelations from the Lord as they said is so generally known that I need bring no Instances and I think they will not deny it Sect. 2. But now since His MAJESTIES Happy Restauration and Government I do not find but those ORACLES are generally ceased or at least for the most part and now their Common Practice therein is altered which shews either their great Hypocrisie now they think they cannot do it but with more danger or that these motions were only pretences and so very unreasonable as most likely they were or if true motions from the Lord then the Quakers have rarely if any of those true motions from the Lord now among them nor do grow in MORE Experience of such Revelations but are withered Where 's G. Foxe's Lambs of CHRIST which have been sent forth to reprove Sin in the Gates of Cities Markets High-ways and Countries What are they all asleep G. F's Professors Cat. p. 22. What is there no Sin to be Reproved within the Gates now as then What no such Messages from the Lord now Oh Hypocrisie Sect. 3. By this it would appear that Muggleton is the best Prophet of the two and that his Sentence and Curse hath taken hold of the Quakers viz. Because I saith Muggleton have passed Sentence upon the Quakers they shall never grow to have more Experience in Vision and Revelation but shall wither See G. Fox his Answer to Muggleton's Book The Quakers Neck broken p. 11. SECT X. The Quakers Quibbles about the Holy Scriptures Sect. 1. THis is a very weighty Point Dear Friends and Countrey-men consider it well you shall first hear what G.W. himself and three more Quakers say in Answer to one Sampson Townsend a Minister in Norwich in their Book Entituled ISHMAEL c. The Ministers Propositions which he and they opposed were these two 1. That the Scriptures contained in the OLD and NEW Testament Commonly called the BIBLE is the Revealed Will and Word of God 2. That the Scripture which is the Word of God is the onely Foundation of our Faith and onely Rule for our Obedience Now in their Answer to thiâ— I onely desire the Reader to Observe the several Epithetes G.W. gives to the SCRIPTVRE viz. that commonly called the Bible which ONELY the Minister affirmed to be the Foundation and Rule of our Faith and Obedience as above THIS G.W. calls NATVRAL and CARNAL p. 3. Obscure something without them p. 3. Bids him prove that ever it was called by the Saints a Written Word of God and that with these thy Lyes thou hast deceived the Blind p. 4. That which is Written is the Letter which is DEATH and KILLETH p. 10. Thou that sayest that the Scriptures Reveal God thou art a Lyar p. 10. Where did ever any of the Holy men of God say that the Scripture Converts the Soul or makes Laws for mens thoughts p. 11. He calls it a Lye to say the Scripture is the means by which Faith is wrought p. 11. Now that which Matthew Mark Luke and John wrote of Christ could not give Life for that is called a Declaration of those things which was freely delivered among them Luke 1.1 And that thou callest the Word which is DEATH and KILLETH as thou mayst Read 2 C. 3. p. 9. And that which the Minister then called the WORD as G.W. himself and the Quakers tell you just before in the same page was the sayings and doings of our SAVIOVR which are frequently Recorded in the NEW TESTAMENT and hence IT the New Testament is called the word of CHRIST says he and in the Quakers Answer to this G.W. and they tell the Minister and that thou callest the WORD
but imagine to see any good Effect of such a PRIVATE Discourse with thee and thy Friends WHEN I Consider besides that some of you have not stuck PUBLICKLY in the Face of the World to assert without blushing such strange things sometimes as I apprehend to be beside the Truth common Reason yea and contrary to our very Eye-sight which if you did not afterwards stand in and pretend to vindicate but did ingenuously own the mistake and candidly retract the Error I should not yet think so ill of Therefore as I have Printed my Reply that all who will and can may see and Judge of what I say so I think it cannot be better than for thee to do the like that all may see how Civily and fairly thou hast or shalt deal with me therein and that was the Intent I at first signified to Mr. Pen hoping that his Education would have been so prevalent with him at least as he was a Scholar as not to write Trivially or impertinently nor deal unfairly by me when he was COOL as I apprehended he did by some when he was HOT in the Dispute which really I was then so Charitable as to attribute chiefly to the Motion of his Passion or Party Whereas thou sayest Thou apprehendest thy Self Friends and Truth wronged in divers passages of my said Book if it should prove so INDEED I should be heartily sorry for it but I protest seriously to thee in the dread and fear of the most HIGH that I have not wronged you knowingly and if it should be Ignorantly which yet I hope upon due Examination will not appear I presume thy Charity may the easier forgive me as I believe my Heavenly Father will especially if it be occasioned through thy OWN FRIENDS ill expressing themselves they then may be more blame-worthy than I. Further thou sayest many serious and unprejudiced Readers are much disgusted and wearied and their Patience too much grated upon by such kind of method as I have chosen against thee As to this be pleased but to consider that they and thou must thank thy self for that occasioning me so to do by thy dealing so INSINCERELY with me and giving no real nor pertinent Answer when thou hadst undertaken it which if thou hadst pleased thou mightest have forborn I could not nor did impose it on thee But since thou wast pleased to propose to the World and thoughtest meet to undertake it Now it cannot but be expected both by them and me thou shouldest perform it more directly and candidly than as yet thou hast done or ingenuously say thou canst not any more than others For what Sober Person that pretends to tenderness of Conscience and Ingenuity would ever endeavour to make any believe I had contradicted my self by saying IF PERHAPS or that pretended to any thing of Scholar-ship that would assert those words of mine to be a Contradiction according to your own Mr. Keith's just Laws of Dispute Or what Man would have accused me as being in the Vnbelief and not acknowledging the sufficiency of the Spirits Evidence for my owning Miracles Signs and the Gifts of Tongues immediately Inspired by the Spirit as sufficient Evidence of the Spirit which thou thy self sayest p. 12. I did propose as Evidence But if thou hadst been pleased to have given me a sincere Answer to the very Matter indeed at first much if not most of this had been prevented Yet pray Consider why mine should grate on the Patience of thy serious and unprejudiced Readers more than thy own Book lately put forth Entituled A Serious Search which is almost five sheets in Answer to two proportionably I think my Reply is not so much Besides I have Divided my Discourse into Sections and set down the Contents at the beginning that so if any Readers Patience shall not serve him to Read the whole he may onely cast his Eye on that Section he hath most mind to which he may do without any great Injury the Matter of them not depending much one upon the other And Friend for thy ease if thou shalt think good but to give an honest plain and direct Answer to the twelve particulars mentioned in the ADVERTISEMENT which is not one full sheet I shall gratis quit thee for the present of all the rest upon this Condition that thy Answer be plain and direct INDEED to the very Question without Equivocation Evasion or begging of the Question And in my next if I think I have Occasion to Rejoyn it is now my Intention to be briefer but then I wish it may not be sharper I generally Observing that Prolixity much abates the picquant Severity of ones style Further I pray thy Excuse if I do take the freedom to tell thee that I had abundantly rather see a Real Answer to that little part of it than a great many words to the whole if as far from the purpose as the former was and bear with me if I intreat thee to Observe this particular thing If by grating on their Patience thou meanest their waiting for it so long I 'le assure thee my self was a chief Sufferer in that Respect and the Printer or Book-Seller to be blamed for keeping it five or six weeks in hand before Finishing it To Conclude this I 'le promise thee that if thou wilt forbear all Reflections for the Future I will also and onely and meerly concern our selves with the Merits of the Cause and this will be the best way I can think of both to shorten the work ease thee and me and accomplish all the Ends propounded in thy Letter which shall be my chief aim as it is my hearty desire if thou or some of thy Friends do not divert me so I Rest Thy Well-wisher T.T. 17. Feb. 74 75. Remarks on G. W's Sheet c. W. Pen's Account of the INFALLIBILITY of himself and the Quaker's Ministers We ascribe not an Infallibility to Men but to the Grace of God and to Men SO FAR as they are led by it for that it certainly Teacheth what it doth Teach W. P's Rebuke p. 22. And are not the Ministers of the Church of England and the Ministers of the Baptists Church yea and ALL the Men in the World SO FAR INFALLIBLE as well as the Quakers Oh Excellent Rhetorician But poor Logician SECT I. Of G. W's Title and his False Suggestion therein Which runs thus The Timerous Reviler Sleighted being a brief Reprehension of a Scornful Pamphlet Styled The Second Part of the Quakers Quibbles Subscribed by the Name of Thomas Thompson but by some suspected to be the Author of the two Pamphlets the one Entituled The Spirit of the Quakers Tryed the other Controversie Ended c. Sect. 1. REviler and why so But because I told him and the Quakers of their Railing and demonstrated their Ridiculous and deceitful Equivocations let him but name to me any one word that I have used that he Accounts Reviling that he himself hath not used or worse in his Writings
of Sence except such a wilful scoffing Perverter as W.P. could not but take TRADITA to be there put down for the Readers and especially ye Quakers better Information not for the Lord Christâ—s and so I took it on my first Reading it and could honestly take it no otherwise H.H. fearing as I perceived you might or would Quarrel or discant upon the word TRADITION just before used by him in his Prayer But by this it appears the Quakers are so Prophane and far from owning the Lord JESUS the MAN that indeed dyed at Jerusalem that they wilfully make a meer Scoff at one's serious Worship and Prayer to him Where 's W. Pen's Religion and Conscience now Is it all devoured with Lightness and turned into Scorn Nay Mr. Pen is such a Pragmaticus and a wit that rather than he would lose breaking his Jest on Jeremy Ives he would adventure the bestowing on himself the Title of Mouse-hunter or Mouse-catcher and in time if he continues as he hath begun it is hoped he may as well arrive to the Degree of a Rat-catcher amongst the Quakers P. 4. He says I term my self a scornful Fellow which is a plain and evident falsity for I did not term my self so but these were my words G.W. knows IT SEEMS it is a Scornful Fellow he hath to deal withal otherwise I thought he would not nor could have styl'd my Epistle a very scornful Pamphlet as he did Where 's this Man's Conscience now Or so much as common Honesty That cares so little what he says or writes though never so false Is this and the like the Quakers Religion Is this the Practice of one of the Vs Gods People Is this to pretend Christianity Or to talk for it at such a Rate Then many Civil Heathens may or will go beyond them SECT V. Of the Miraculous Gifts of the Spirit and of Prophecy Sect. 1. IT appears G.W. met with two such stumbling-blocks though of his own framing at the very threshold the Epistle of my Book that he dar'd hardly to enter into the Book it self onely peeps in and presently his Brother Fisher's Ghost presents it self to him and thereupon he Runs away from the rest as if he was scar'd out of his wits Without any of the Quaker's Revelation I could fore-tell my Reader how I did expect they would winch and Kick wynd and twine to Wyer-draw or draw back those two Sentences again but all will not do For as to the First he can poorly and onely give us his bare word without any Proof That those Spiritual Gifts were ONELY PECVLIAR to some in the Apostles days p. 2. I have proved the contrary by Testimonies and Records Cited in my Second Part of Quâ—k Quib. p. 53. And besides if he could do that which I conceive he will never be able to do yet his business would remain still undone For how will he be able to prove Infallibly uncontroulably Sam. Fisher's word and certainly that these Gifts of the SPIRIT viz. the Gift of Infallibility Discerning of Spirits Immediate Revelation and Prophecy or an immediate Gift of Interpretation and fore-telling things to come certainâ—y and expresly and not conjecturally onely were not PECULIAR ALSO without begging the Question to some Christians and Ministers in the Apostles times as well as the Gifts of Healing Tongues c. when besides the Gift of Infallibility is one of the matters in Question For the same Text that says Tongues shall cease and Knowledge vanish first mentions that PROPHECIES shall FAILE 1 Cor. 13.8 and that in the Plural Number Sect. 2. And whereas G. says If he could speak with the Tongues of Men and Angels that were not a sufficient evidence OF IT SELF to convince Vnbelievers I Answer That is more than he knows because he never could make Tryal It might be sufficient to convince Vnbelievers though not to Save himself But if that were any good Argument against the Gift of Tongues NOW then it is also a good Argument against the Gift of Prophecy NOW yea and against FAITH since the Apostles very next words in 1 Cor. 13.2 are of the same strain And though I have the Gift of Prophecy and all Faith and have not Charity I am nothing it profiteth ME nothing whatever it may do to others But above all G.W. shews his Folly when he had said That the Gift of Tongues and working Miracles were PECULIAR to the Apâ—stles times Yet then to talk that he cannot give away the Quakers Cause as to working Miracles in a Spiritual way Oh Senseless Man is this thy Rhetorick or Logick either Were not the Gift of Tongues and all the Miracles that the Apostles the Christians then wrought Miracles in a Spiritual way Surely thou darest not say but that they were And thus you see he is as far off as before he hath done just nothing at all to take away the dint of his own words as a strong Argument against himself But he hath here made it worse in this sheet by positively LIMITING THE HOLY ONE in those visible Gifts of his Spirit saying they were ONELY peculiar to them then Who hath given this Quaker POWER to LIMIT what Gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be PECULIAR to the Primitive Time and what are to CONTINUE and none but such and such as he says Oh Rare is not this abundantly more Arrogant than for John Perrot to Subscribe John onely Or to write Proverbs like Solomon SECT VI. Of the Manifestation of the Spirit Sect. 1. G W. p. 2. Whereas a Manifestation of the Spirit was given to every Man to profit withal Very good this makes as much for the Gift of Tongues and healing the Sick as Prophecy since they were all Manifestations of the Spirit and if the Gift of Tongues were not COMMON to all no more was the Gift of Discerning nor of Prophecy COMMON to all See 1 Cor. 12.29 And therefore that makes as much against the Continuance of BOTH as ONE And so Geo. by his own Hand is but still stâ—iking at and Destroying his own Cause Sect. 2. Besides I could wish for no fuller and fitter Text for my purpose and his confutation than this he hath Cited For if the Manifestation of the Spirit be given to every Man to Profit withal then it is a strong Argument against the Quakers that they have it not or at best have it not any more than others because there appears NO SUCH MANIFESTATION given to them MORE than others have whom yet they Condemn which will be easily further demonstrated if you do but consider this viz. That the Quakers must mean that these words of the Apostle are to be taken either Vniversally and that the manifestation of the Spirit was and is given to every one as well Women as Men to ALL Persons in the World Or Restrictively to the CHURCHES in the Primitive times and particularly that at Corinth to whom the Apostle was writing And Secondly Consider that these Manifestations