Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A35008
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An essay towards the allaying of George Fox his spirit
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Crisp, Thomas, 17th cent.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing C6950; ESTC R24130
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10,328
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9
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An Essay towards the Allaying of George Fox his Spirit CHristian Friend I desire that my Imperfections nor these Quakers revilings may not prejudice thee against the impartial and serious reading of this Discovery for they cannot represent me a greater sinner than I thank God I think my self to be but they by their villifying of me shew the weakness of their cause and the wickedness of their spirits for the controversy between us is not what T. C. is but whether or no G. Fox c. have printed so as I charge them and whether or no those Expressions objected against by me be not unchristian and contemptable if they be not then I have wronged them but if they be the product of Ignorance or worse then the Authors thereof were false Prophets Diviners and Conjurers by G. Fox's own judgment in print I desire you only to judge of the Tree by its fruit and remember that altho' the poor Ass was beat by the mad angry and covetous Prophet yet the poor Ass saw the Angel when he did not These Quakers charge me for short quoting of G. F's words of which fault G. F. is herein proved grosly guilty My charge was not on the Quakers in general but particular Persons which I distinguished from christian Quakers by the Term of Foxonian Quakers but others by covering and justifying the wicked have made themselves guilty and this Discovery is not uncovering of Nakedness but warranted by their own practice and in print This is not in Answer to the High Priest's Servant Ed. Pennington AS is said in Acts. 8. so it hath been in these days there was a Man called G. Fox into whom a Spirit entred giving out that himself was some great One to whom most of the Quakers gave heed saying This is the great power of God and having in his life and also since his death extolled this G. Fox above what they ought W. P. especially saying Many have done well but thou Dear George excellest them all but it was in self-exalting and abusing others and having contemned Water-baptisme Lord's Supper and the Scriptures he invents an Image of Female-prelates in their Church and these his chief Priests make an Idol thereof and deck it with high Titles as the great and good Ordinances of Jesus Christ which he hath set up in his Church and he G. F. says to these Women when so met by his Order about the 10th hour of the day G. F. saith whose mouth the Lord opens in the Womens meeting to praise him they are to be obedient as if the Lords opening their mouths were not sufficient without his license and of this Image they have in print also since his death with other of his Appointments said You know Friends that all the meetings mens and Womens c. were set up by the Power Spirit and wisdom of God so indespensable Duties as they say in the room of them two Water-baptisme and the Lord's supper I considering the evil consequences of these things and knowing by the rule given in Scripture viz. That the Tree may be known by its fruit that this Spirit of theirs is not of Christ but that Man of Sin who exalteth himself above all that is called God c. I say these considerations me to discover â—o others the fruits of the Spirit of G. F. in hopes that many amongst them who be honest would condemn those Wickednessess and so clear themselves thereof for indeed although they charge me with Envy c. God knows its false for they are to me many of them as St. Paul saith the Jews were to him and I never had any prejudice against any of them but know they exalted themselves too much and despised others as the proud Pharisees excusing their Contempts of our Lord Jesus of Nazareth his sufferings and blood and the Scriptures Magistrates and almost all Christians ever since the Apostles to the worlds end except themselves and this I have in print proved and in this and other their wickedness they are uncharitable and unchristian and scandalous to the protestant Religion especially England and if they do own the true Faith and Scriptures and our Lord Jesus of Nazareth truly they must condemn and disown them printed Expressions tending to the contrary for the Matter in controversy is not what thy now say they believe but about what is in print from G. Fox and others their chief Rulers and Teachers whom they give these high Titles to and write such Epistles and high Commendations of them and their Writings as will more fully be made appear W. P. and many more of them have done of and to G. Fox and others considering W. P's great power in Pensilvania and great interest in all the Quakers in England and elsewhere and influence over them I think they may be 100000 and 1000 of them preachers and may have 1000 Meetings in England Scotland Ireland and Wales and I fear W. P's influences 80000 of them so that what Interest Doctrine or Men he espouses is most likely to prevail Experience have proved the truth of this but they are but sowing their Seed now but the full Crop and effect of these their evil Labours may not be known in this Age and indeed many of their printed Expressions are so contemptious of our Lord Jesus of Nazareth that the Jews or Mahometans may from them take great advantages to deny the New Testament in part saying Your new Testament says That him whom our Rulers killed was the Saviour and that they by wicked hands slew him but the Quakers says what was done to him was done by Law and in a great part by due execution of a Law also they say the Jews never see the World's Saviour your New Testament says that Jesus with his own blood shed without the gate sanctifies the People but these Quakers say his Blood was no more than the Blood of another Saint Excused by G. W. as in G. K's paper Their Scripture accuse our Rulers for cruelty to Jesus of Nazareth and his Disciples when as you are more cruel to them as they say and these Quakers say His Disciples loved his person for the sake of the frame and quality of the Spirit that dwelt in him or else what is his person more than another person But our Rulers did not condemn him for saying the Son of God was in his prepared Body but because he said of himself he was the Son of God for they meddled with nothing in that body only a Soldier with his sphere let out some of his blood which these Quakers say was no more than the blood of another Saint therefore your New Testament seems by these their printed Doctrines to charge our Rulers too hardly in saying of him whom they took down from the Tree and laid in the Sepulchre That through this Man his preaching Remission of Sins and that by him all that believe are justified but by their Doctrine it seems to us that Man
our Rulers crucified was but a Garment or Vessel that Christ dwelt in saying The same Christ therein crucified ascended into Heaven but they meddled with nothing within that body nor laid no hands on Christ as your New Testament charges them Indeed I have not capacity to express how destructive to the new Testament Doctrine many printed Expressions of G. Fox's W. P. G. W. c. are or may be besides what formerly published see more now published by G. K. in a book entituled A true Copy of a Paper c. from page 17 to the end I say if the Enemies of the Christian Religion should but take the advantage of their printed Contempts they may be of ill consequence and hinder the propagation of the christian Faith as in the new Testament if not to the subversion thereof But if any object why should these Quakers now living be blamed for the Errours of the dead seeing they say they believe rightly in Jesus Christ I do believe many of them are not so guilty as them who wrote those Errours but it may be doubted that few of them are sound in the Faith if we may judge by their dubious and too-faced expressions thereabouts also their great enmity against G. K. and others for preaching and defending it and if they do truely believe than they should disown them printed Errours of G. Fox c. or else they are likely to remain and poison more people hereafter and much more dangerous than verbal Preaching for that usually reaches no other than the present hearers but printed books are for posterity also especially considering what Monuments of high praises they have printed of G. Fox and others the broachers of them But the reason why they so strive to excuse and cover and will not disown G. Fox's errours is not commonly understood for he having arrogated to himself to be moved and guided by the infallible Spirit and no less than equallity with God and Christ and they having owned his inventions or dictates as from God immediately and his Writings allowing to be Titled The Word of the Lord and yet called Blasphemy to term the Scripture so nay D. S. a christian Quaker did but propose to have some Amendments or Corrections of his and others Errours they exceedingly reviled him in print and give a caution to whom presume mind that to amend what they apprehend offiensive least they be found touching the Lord 's Anointed as to hurt his Prophets Thus you may see the high value they put on G. F. c and indeed I question not but it will appear to the the impartial that G. Fox's spirit is the Foundation or chief Corner-stone of their Buildining and if that prove fallible and erroneous as is proved than their building of church-Church-power must fall therefore it is as I fear that so many wise Men having been deceived by this false Spirit they cannot deny themselves and take up their cross to acknowledge it but whether their Reputation or the Authority of the New Testament be of most advantage or concernment to the Protestant Interest let the true Christians judge And let but these Quakers consider their Dealings to and with G. K. and the Reason they give therefore i. e. they enjoin in him to clear them of those Errours charged on the Brethren-preachers in Pensilvania but these Errours of theirs in print are of greater concernment therefore by the same rule they ought to clear the protestant Religion to condemn and disown these printed contempts of our Lord Jesus the Scriptures and Magistrates and all Christendom almost ever since the Apostles to the end of time more especially considering how the endeavour by high Commendations in print to exalt this G. Fox as the only or chief Luminary of this Age whereby they are so far from disowning his Errours that they thereby do more effectually spread them than if twenty of the ablest of them went all over England preaching the same and so far as this contemptious and self-exalted spirit prevails so much must the true Faith decline and is undiscernable under mined by their so extolling G. F. as they have done in print in a Journal and Preface thereto in Folio the folly and wickedness thereof will in time appear and I have warrant from themselves for my discovering them for they say in print The only way to recover the Deceived is to discover the Deceivers and for their shuffling in among their Errours some sound Expressions its for their Advantage if you consider they must be very silly Cheats that intend to deceive with false Coin if they should not put some Good among the Bad but although the Good be good yet that doth not make the Bad good And pray take notice that the matter now in controversy is not so much what these Modern Quakers say they now believe but about those printed Errours for if these believe otherways than they must condemn and disown them but they contrarywise excuse and cover them and thereby make themselves guilty and chargeable with them but I having printed a Discovery of some of G. Fox's errours and for brevity sake I took his Sentences short but not willingly to wrong his Sense but they to excuse him pretend I have abused him by my short citation but I shall have an Opportunity to cite them at large wherein I doubt not but it will appear that they falsly accuse me but seeing they so revile me for short Quotations by the same rule if they be guilty of the same Fault they deserve the same punishment and more abundantly in as much as I acknowledge my self a fallible sinner for which they have banterr'd me as G. Fox have done other Christians therefore the chief end of these following Citations is to shew how grossly wicked G. Fox was in short and false quoting and perverting Men's words and meaning G. Fox his false Quotations and pervertions of J. Timson's words in his Book The great Mystery c. In page 17. G. F. brings J. T. saying It is an Expression of a dark deluded mind to say God is not distinct from his Saints but J. T.'s words be these would they counfound God and Man into one denying God to be distinct from his Saints would they renounce all former Teachings and Practises received from the Lord by the means of his Word and Ordinances and wholly follow the Imaginations of a deluded heart consider are not such things as these expresses of a dark deluded mind c. Now observe J. T. sentence is above 50 words and G. F. takes but 10 of them and transposes them to and its confounding the being of God into one with Man that J. T. opposes as in 8th pag. he says Is every gift and work of God in Man God that made all things it s this confusion J. T. opposes and not God being by his divine power in the Soul Again page 16. G. F. brings J. T. saying we Quakers have broken the everlasting Covenant of