a Competent maintainance or necessary Aliment by Quaker teachers however so freely and Voluntarily given without appointment of humane law and all compulsion be a Preaching the Gospel freely A True Copy of George Keith's Paper Delivered to Mr. George Layfield At POCAMOK in MARY-LAND KIND Friend George Lay-field my Dear Love in the Lord Jesus Christ Saluteth thee with Earnest Supplication and Prayer to God for thee that God who hath begun his good work in thee may perfect it until the Day of Christ and that the Precious Seed that God hath Sown in thy Heart may grow not only to be the greatest of Herbs but a great Tree bringing forth Fruit to Gods Everlasting Praise and to thy Souls Everlasting Comfort and Happiness As concerning the Catechism Published by F. M. I have diligently read and conâ—dered it and tho' it holdeth forth diverse true things yet it hath a great mixture of Error and many false and unsound hurtful things it doth contain which my present shortness of time in these Parts doth not permit me to mention in most particulars and as the same Catechism aboundeth with many Errors so it falleth exceeding short in not mentioning in the least many necessary Truths and Doctrines which are of great necessity to be taught unto people as belonging to the first Principles of Christian Religion which he altogether omitteth nor doth he in the least declare that he receiveth any one of these things delivered by him in his said Catechism from any inward opening or discovery of Gods Spirit in his Heart Nor doth he mention any one thing of his own experience of the work of God in his heart but as his Title Page sheweth his whole Work is but a Collection from others he mentions nothing in all his Catechism that people are to be turned or directed to God or Christ or the Spirit of God in them he telleth not People that it is God or Christ or the Spirit of God convinceth them and reproveth them for sins of all sorts as Lying Pride Envy Coveteousness Unbelief he doth not instruct People how they are to find God and Christ in their Hearâ—… and how they are to wait in silence 〈◊〉 mind and thoughts to hear God and Chriâ— speak inwardly unto them in their Heartâ— in the silence of all Flesh and how theâ— are to have God and Christ and the Hâ—ly Spirit to dwell and walk in them and tâ— teach them over and beyond all outwarâ— teaching he mentions very little of the Spirit at all and what he mentions of it is very Obscurely so that without breach of Charity I can freely say he is a great Stranger to the inward Dealings and Workings of Gods Holy Spirit in the Hearts of his People and whereas he mentions his Compassion over the Tender Souls in an American Desart ready to perish for want of a Vision in his Epistle to the Reader his Catechism can nothing help them in that respect for not one word in all his Catechism directeth People were to find the true Vision of God in any measure but on the contrary according to his and his Bretherens False Faith all true Divine Vision and Revelation and all Divine Inspiration is ceased since the Apostles Days both among Teachers and People and God hath committed His Counsel wholly to Writing the former ways of Gods revealing himself being ceased and they say further there is no inward voice or word of God in people but the Scripture is the only Word and only Rule all which is most false and hurtful Doctrine and doth more hurt where it is received then all his Catechism can do good And all the People in Virginia both English and Scots whom he seemeth to reflect upon for their Ignorance have the Holy Scriptures without and the Holy teachings and illuminations of God and Christ within to teach them what is needful to their Salvation if they will hearken thereunto far better then this Catehism of F M. which is defective and wanting of many Principal and necessary doctrines belonging to the Christian Faith In the first Page of his Catechism He saith God made the World out of Nothing but this is no Scripture Language and indeed in very many of his Answers he holdeth not to Scripture Language but useth the invented words of Mans Wisdom not according but contrary unto the Holy Scriptures May it not suffice to say God Created aâ— things by Jesus Christ as the Scriptures declareth without adding to the Word of God Page Third He mentions no other Teacher but the Scriptures given to men to serve and Glorify God And thus according to him all these great Nations who have not the Scriptures are wholly left without all Teaching of God to Serve and Glorify him in the least measure but this is expresly contrary to Scripture which say concerning the Gentiles who had not the Law outwardly delivered in Scripture that they did show the work of the Law in their hearts and what was to be known of God was manifest in them for God had shown it unto them and when they knew God they Glorified him not as God and Christ the Light of the World hath enlightned every man that cometh into the World and teacheth every man in some measure to serve God which is to obey him otherwise they could not have sin if there were nothing in the Gentiles to require obedience or service of them unto God It had been much better in this Authour to have instructed People that they had some other helps and means of knowledge with the Scriptures and these some outward and some inward although it is to be granted that the Scriptures are the best of all Books outward yet there is the Book of Gods Creation and the Book of His Providence over all his Creatures that are no small helps and means in their place being duely used and together with God Christ and the Spirit are inwardly present to teach all People in some things to serve God and as every one is faithful in the little more is given to them Besides that the Writer of this Catechism should have joined the spirit of God Christ with the Scriptures as the Opener Interpreter of them informing people that the Scriptures are the Organ Instrument of Gods Spirit that Gods Good and Holy Spirit is the principal Author and cause of all true knowledge of God as he doth inwardly inspire and enlighten every one and that there is no true saving knowledge of God and Christ without the Spirits Inspiration and Teaching and that how much soever people read or hear the Scriptures if they neglect or turn away their minds from Gods inward teachings by his Word Spirit and Light within their hearts they remain Blind and Dark and Ignorant of God Page Third That he saith there are Three Persons in the God-head this is not Scripture Language to say Three Persons The Mystery of the Three to wit the Father the Son and the
be called Fundamentals as Salutations by words and Gestures Covering and Vncovering the Head condemning Preaching in Steeple Houses Churches Yea I appeal to the impartial and unbiassed Reader if the Catechism Composed by F. M. contains not more of the Principles of Religion then one containing Quakers Principles Composed by several Hands as Crook Pennington Burroughs Parker Smith and several others now I refer my self to every man how invidious and unjust it is to Charge a Catechism composed by one with Omissions while so many pretenders to immediate Revelations and Inspirations are guilty of so great Omissions and vain Repeticions and there is not a Book which I have seen writ by George Keith but may as justly lie under this Charge as my Catechism it were vain Ostentation to disown it And for my own part I have ever observed in all the Writings of men Ignorance Infirmity and Imperfection to magnifie the Excellency of the Scriptures above all Books of mens Composure but it is no strange thing to find Quakers quarrelling our succinct way of composing our Principles for young ones because they are opposite to so early Edification which practice is very inconsistent with Scripture Precepts and Presidents of Training a Child when young bringing up Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord and Timothy knew the Scriptures from a Child and the advantage of an early Instruction is witnessed by the experiences of many Godly in all Ages where attended with the Blessing of God and pursued with Exhortation until they arrive at a riper age Now I leave all to consider how insignificant an imputation this of Omission is Another general Charge is that I have not declared from whence I have Received these things and that I have owned in the Title Page of my Catechism to be but a Collection from others These are heavy Charges with him therefore shall answer them particularly 1. Any that reads his Paper may understand he is as guilty of that Omission as any of his Neighbours for he has not told from whence he had what is delivered in this Paper and it was the best policy for he durst not assert it was from the Spirit of God because of the falshood and malice it contains as I shall make appear 2. If they are the Truths of God and agreeable to Scripture it is easily determined from whence these Truths are which were questioned by few until G. K. whose Trade has been to Foment Contention and stir up strife in the Churches of Christ in the World and whose Arguments are so slender and thred bare that they scarce deserve an Answer 3. If I inclined to stuff my Doctrines and Discourse upon all occasions with enlarged Accounts of Conversion or a work of Grace with concomitant and consequent Experiences of the Operations of Gods Holy Spirit as Keith pretends to do I might amuse my Hearers but Actions and Conversation are better demonstrations of a work of Grace then all Keith's vain boasting Language which with his self magnifying Language can be esteemed nothing else then a Crying up and Preaching himself instead of Christ for though Paul oft declared his Conversion and gloried in his Attainments it was that the Free Grace of God might be exalted and self abased which Quakers are rarely acquainted with either in Praying or Teaching as many who have heard them always declare And because Keith has shewn himself void of Charity by shooting his invidious Thunderbolt at a distance e're he knew or saw me or I him That I am infallibly a great stranger to the dealings of Gods Spirit on the hearts of his People I am constrained to Justifie my Office from those Uncharitable Calumnies and that Grace might be magnified by giving this Relation in the sight of an All seeing and Omnipresent God that e're I Received the Imposition of Hands in that Scriptural and Orderly Separation unto my Holy and Ministerial Calling that I gave requiring satisfaction to Godly Learned and Judicious Discerning Men of a work of Grace and Conversion wrought on my heart at fifteen years of Age by and from the pains of a Godly Schoolmaster who used no small diligence in Gaining Tender Souls to Gods Service and Fear since which time to the Glory of his Free Grace be it spoke I have had the sure Experiences of Gods various Dealings with me according to his Infinite and Unerring Wisdom to my unspeakable comfort whereby all may see how far Grace is expected and desired with Gifts to qualifie for the Ministerial Office for not only was this required of me but is expected of all Ordained by Presbyters which experience shall enable me not to value what Keith or any other Quakers shall ignorantly and groundlesly affirm in judging rashly of my State for we are looked upon as of the World and they only the People of God as they commonly Cauterize us but this is our comfort we shall not be Judged in the Last Day by Quakers who must as well as their Neighbours give an account of their rash and uncharitable judgings to a most Righteous Judge 4. And that it is a Collection from the Scriptures of the Living God I never will deny but glory in it it Keith mean from others it is faâ—… and there is â—o mention of those others in the 〈◊〉 Page what hath Keith Published in most of his Books but Collections and many of them from the worst of men Hereticks long since consured with some wild sophistical and unscriptural Notions of his own both repugnant to Scripture and opposite to his Quaking Brethren And Turpe est dectori eum cuâ—pa redarguit ipsum He asserts I declare not that it is God or Christ or the Spirit of God that convinceth or reproveth people of their sins but this is so false a Calumny that none in charity can judge Kâ—ith to be so great a Perfectionist as he proclaims himself to be and this every one may be satisfied in if they will but turn over to page 12 where it is plainly delivered That God in Turning or Calling Sinners unto himself does convince them of Sin and Misery Enlighten their Minds with the Knowledge of Christ Renews their wills c. which is also the judgment of all my Brethren and particularly of those of the Westminster Assembly both in their Shorter and larger Catechism And whereas he charges me with this that I mention but little of the Spirit of God at all and that this may appear as falâ—e as the former I refer my self to every Reader and especially those who have read and considered better then Keith hath done and let them turn over to the several pages where I have made frequent mention of the Spirit of God in so small a Volumn ascribing to him that which was and is his peculiaâ— work 1. As being the Original Author and Inditer of the Scriptures page 3.2 As being one distinct from the Father and the Son page 4.3 Oâ— Christ's
in Heaven and Rt. Young one of their pretended Teachers said that he did not find Christ without in all the Scriptures and further that Christ when he ascended into the Cloud was seperated from his Body and Arthur Cook accused G. K. for saying that Christs Body that was Crucified and Buried is gone into Heaven and was and is in heaven even the very same Body which Cook and others called a Novelty imposed upon his Ancient Brethren And John Simtock asked G. K. Did Christs Bones Arise and Thomas Lloyd did object against G. K. his imposing Unscriptural Faith on his Bretheren further that Faith in Christ without us as he Dyed for our sins and rose again was not necessary to Salvation and further that Christ within did all Can any Repeat such Blasphemous expressions without horrour when they consider the deplorable case of such as are Lead and Taught by these men who openly publickly and avowedly profess their Ignorance of the true Christ which is but One and can be no other even He that was Born of the Virgin Mary Suffered in the World was Crucified without the Gates of Jerusalem was Buried Rose again with the same Body having his wounds upon him as he shewed to Thomas the Apostle after some time of Converse in the World proving thereby the Reality of his Resurrection was received Bodily into a Cloud in the open view of his Apostles and Ascended into Heaven now Sits at the Right Hand of God the Father making continual intercession for sinners the same Man-Christ that Liveth for Ever Ever shall come in his Glory with all his Holy Angels to Judge the World in Righteousness at the Last Day All which is abundantly testified in the Holy Scriptures And now whosoever Believes not in Christ nor receives him as described in the Word of God seeing he himself says John 5.39 They are they that testify of him it may warrantably be concluded they believe not in him at all therefore I leave it to others to determine what sort of Christians Quakers must needs be and also what we must judge of their Sufficient Saving Divine Light of which they have been boasting universally and magnifying them selves from above all others in the world and what do they now think of their immediate Call and Apostolick Mission seeing they discover themselves so grosly Ignorant and so much in the dark about the Foundation of our Salvation even Christ Jesus who is so fully described in the very Letter of the Scriptures And this Breach is Risen to such a height that the Railings Revilings bitter uncharitable Accusations they were wont to vomit maliciously against all the Reformed Churches are now justly turned against one another for Lloyd and his Party fly out against Keith calling him a Reviler of the Brethren Brat of Babylon Accuser of the Brethren one that alwayes endeavoureth to keep down the power of Truth drawing from the Gift of God calling him also Pope Primate of Pensilvania Father Confessor accusing him of Envy extream Passion a turbulent unsubdued Spirit Let the Authors of these make good their Charge or let them take what follows Shall ever such a man be followed by such as have given him such a monstrous Character as none but the greatest of Impostors deserve and it is observable that in all which K has Published for he has carried the day in his Prints that he has not fairly nor fully Explained himself for it wants to be determined when Christ is said to be in all men by the name Light whether he and his Party who say with all Quakers He is substantially in them believe him to be in them as Mediator and Saviour as K. seems to assert in his Grounds of Separation pag. 32 William Pen in Reason against Railing asserts the true Light with which every man is Enlightned to be sufficient for Salvation and how Pen G. K. and his Adversaries can jump again into a Knot after so plain and palpable Difference about their great Fundamental of the Sufficiency of the Light within I Leave it to other Judges to determine and it deserves observation that in their Epistle to their Brethren and their Commendation what high lofty and proud Titles of Commendation scarce applicable to men they gave to G K. as That he Walked in the Counsel of God was Lovely in that Day When the Beauty of the Lord was upon him and his Comeliness covered him and immediately with the same Breath they throw him down and look upon him as Fassen from the high Places of Israel as a man Slain in his High Places as they fix hard names upon him as formerly so he payes them home again in the same Coin calls Lloyd and his Party which are some thousands Fools Ignorant Heathens Infidels Silly Souls Lyars Hereticks Rotten Ranters Mugg letonians c So that if we were inclinable to give them Names we have no Room for they have done it to our hands themselves And I must confess they are better able than we for they are better acquainted with one another and privy to their Errors Heresies and other Hidden Works of Darkness which they have hitherto been ashamed to Publish to the World and yet it is admirable to think where these men find such a stock of Confidence as to wipe their mouths and say they have not Railed all this while but all they have said on both sides is in the uprightness of their hearts all these Names given are Truth I shall leave them so disproving neither one of Lloyds Party William Gabitas desired K to forbear Preaching Christ without seeing it gave Offeence to his Brethren as Paul did concerning Eating of Flesh an able Doctor indeed and very probable to have Christ in him who valued the Preaching of Christ Crucified no more than the Eating of Flesh and must not such Brethren as take Offence as such Doctrine be acted by a Diabolical Spirit Thomas Lloyd in a Publick Meeting affirmed no man could differ with G. K. but he was in danger of the Life of his Soul by him and farther that he had bin 〈◊〉 more vexatious Adversary to Friends then Hicks or Scanderet or the greatest Enemies sure such Untharitableness and Ranchor must have great provocations flow from no good Spirit another proud and self conceited expression of a plain Quaker Must I truckle under thee indeed it was not fit a Governour should and further G. K. affirmed That no such Damnable Heresies and Doctrines of Devis were Tolerated in any Protestant Society as among Quakers at Philadelphia if this Charge is true I am perswaded it will extend to most Quakers in the World or they must yet be in Confusion and Undetermined about their Principles Many other most dangerous Positions were urged and disputed among them savouring of nothing but Blindness and Error as one that owned no man Christ Jesus as Mediator in Heaven without him but the
revealing the Will of God to us by Hiâ— Word and Spirit page 10.4 The Spirit of Goâ— applies to us the Redemption purchased by Christ page 11.5 In the same page being the Author of Regeneration or the New Birth according to the Scriptures Joh. 3.6 The Spirits sanctifying of us page 15.7 That he teaches us to pray aright and acceptable to God page 41. From hence every one may learn what credit to give to Keith's worth and Calumnies for the future and though he constructs my Compassion over the tender Souls in aâ— American Desart to be a reflection against the Scâ— and English in Virginia I am satisfied it has nâ—… been so Received by them for whom it was intended neither judged so by the Spirit of God whâ—… much after the same manner pitties and compassiâ—nates the Ignorance of his own people by the Propheâ— Hos 4.6 My People are destroved for lack of knowledge And I am perswaded Quakers should nâ— have so great success in drawing aside silly Soul from the Truths and Ways of God if it weâ— not for the abounding Ignorance of Virginia anâ— other dark Corners of the World who have noâ— yet received and comprehended the Light shiniâ— about them and even their ignorance of thâ— Fundamental Truths contained in the Catechâ—… And none deserves more to be pitied for their â—…norance than Quakers and of the most Fundameâ—tal Truths notwithstanding of their high pretenâ— â—o the Spirit and Light within as John Drummond 〈◊〉 Reputed and Received Quaker a Reader of Keith's Books with many others who lately at my House at Poccamok before Keith and several other Witnesses published his gross Ignorance of that Fundamental Article That none could be Saved without Faith in Jesus Christ from which I understand since that he had oft reproached me drawing his own ignorant conclusions from thence And if Quakers are ignorant hereof what can they pretend â—o know Another general charge is That I nothing help the Ignorant neither do I direct them to the true Vision but whoever will but consider how many Fundamental Truths are laid down in the Catechism for the Edification of the Ignorant and plainly asserted That Christ teaches his People with his Word and Spirit and if this be not the true Vision of God Quakers must lose themselves and be puzzled in finding of it but he rather would insinuate what harm it would do if received but this may discover how far men are for keeping sinners in ignorance by possessing their minds with a dislike of this mean of Knowledge which leads and directs sinners to the Scriptures as the great mean of Knowledge and profitable for instruction containing all things necessary to be known by Christians and also to Christ and his Holy Spirit the Author and Efficient Cause of Knowledge who can Enlighten without means in a most immediate manner but most ordinarily conveyes Knowledge by Means and Ordinances of his own Appointment concurring with his Holy Spirit blessing and making them effectual to whom he pleases And in Catechism many savoury truths delivered no fins indulged most duâ—ies relating to our general and special callings enjoined Now â—ow the receiving such a form of sound words containing positive Diâ—vinity should be prejudicial and Kieth's works stuffed with Quibling and Sophistical Controversy his teachings filled with often repeated Calumnyâ— against all the Reformed Churches and Vn-scripâ— turaâ— or unheard of Long-winded Similitudes which amuse the deluded and ignorant should become profitable let every one determine and I am perswaded none has received or can receive injury therefrom but by slighting and disregarding it And this my experience can testifie that since the Catechism was opposed by Quakers they have had a more universal and kindly welcome and reception And here is no new Doctrine but what Keith had oft seen in the Catechisms of our Reformed Churches which he had oft impugned with all his might and Sophistry and his repeating his old Arguments is only with vain Ostentation to show himself among a poor ignorant and deluded people and once possessing them with this that what he delivers is immediately from the Spirit of God he may deliver what he will as infallible and never to be questioned Having answered his Generals I proceed to examine his particulars and he suffers not the first page to pass without a Censure because I have affirmed God made the World out of Nothing and that this is not only true and agreeable to Scripture that to word and expresâ— it otherwise were inconsistent with the Revelation of God and it were to jump in with the Adversaries of Gods Truth for we cannot conceive of Creation without saying it was made out of Nothing which all dâ—scribe to be Preductio ex nihilo therefore as many places of Scripture as but mention Creation say as much as I have done for which I am quarrelled Did not Creation give the First Being to all things that were made and consâ—quently were all nothing before God commanded them to be for was not Light nothing till God said Let there be Light Further if God made the World he either made it out of his own Essence or some pre existent matter from Eternity or produced it out of nothing I presume you will not be so absurd as to assert any of the first two not the first for so the Essence of God should become divisible and corruptible not the second for then some matter should be Co-eternal with God which were blasphemy to affirm And it is no small argument of the Omnipotence of God to declare and affirm especially to young ones the World was made out of nothing seeing they know not that it is implied in the word Creation for because of the Omnipotent Power of God in Creation Acclamations of Praise are ascribed to him Psal 33.6 By the word of the Lord were the Heavens made all the Host of them by the breath of his mouth Acts 4.24 In that joynt Acclamation of the Apostles Lord thou art good which hast made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and all that in them is And it is no adding to the Word of God while nothing is delivered but Gods Mind in his Word though Keith next in his pretences to Nailer himself should discover so much palpable weakness as to censure it again And I have also asserted in my Catechism that there is no work so peculiar to any of the Persons of the Holy Trinity but all of them have a hand in each so that his advice which he calls sufficient is prevented if he haâ— diligently read and considered it as he has said In page 3. He chargeth me for mentioning no other Teacher but the Scriptures to direct us to Seâ— and Glorifie God this is no strange imputation froâ— Quakers who notwithstanding of all their fair pretences yet have uttered many vilipending expression thereof calling it a dead Letter a nose of Wax Pâ—… Ink Divinity Keith in his publick Teachingâ—