8. 3. to oppose the Devil's Assault Man lives not by Bread alone but by every Word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of God Prov. 30. 5. Every Word of God is pure Jer. 23. 36. the Complaint is The false Prophets had perverted the Words of the Living God A great Evil and too common in this day But would the Quakers have the Word always to intend Christ Mark 4. 19. The Cares of this World and the Deceitfulness of Riches and the Lusts of other things entring in choke the Word Will the Quakers say these things entring in choked Christ Surely no. By all this the judicious Reader will see the Endeavours that have been used by the Quakers to explode the holy Scriptures not only to rob them of their Nature Use Power and Efficacy but also of their very Name But let all Christians learn to prize them and carefully improve them and be thankful to Divine Providence by which they have been preserved through all Times and against all Tyrants Psal 19. 7 8. David sets forth the worth of them The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soul the Testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The Statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the Heart the Commandments of the Lord are pure enlightning the Eyes 2 Tim. 3. 15 16. They are able to make wise to Salvation Soul thou needest not fear miscarrying if thou makest the holy Scriptures the Rule of thy Faith and Guide of thy Life This short Treatise will not admit me to enlarge I shall leave this short Scheme by which the Reader may judg what an Esteem the Quakers have for holy Scriptures they so much pretend to in their Pamphlet The Names they give the holy Scriptures Scriptures no standing Rule it is dangerous for the ignorant to read them No better than an old Almanack neither Rule Guide Light nor Teacher A dead carnal Letter They are Precepts and Traditions of Men. Paper Iak and Writing The Letter without Swine feeding on Husks Obedience to Scriptures is the Harlot's Child You may as well expect God to teach or rebuke by any other Creature as the Scripture as he did Balaam by his Ass The Names they give their own lying Pamphlets A true and everlasting Rule The Royal Law and Covenant of God Love to the Lost News out of the North written from the Mouth of God The pure Language of the Spirit A Salutation to the Seed of God The Lip of Truth The Spirit of Truth A Trumpet from the Lord sounding out of Zion A true Prophecy of the mighty Day of the Lord. The Word of the Lord and a Word from the Lord p. 13. of the Mighty Day of the Lord. Blusn O Heavens and tremble O Earth at the Pride and Ignorance of these Impostors I shall add but two or three Passages more concerning their Contempt of the Scriptures see Tho. Lawson Vntaught Teacher p. 6 7 8. The Scriptures are not a Rule whereby Men may know the Will of Christ And in Pag. 2 and 3. of the same Book he denies that the Ministers of Christ endowed with the Spirit of Christ ought to minister or preach from Scripture Add to this what is said in Cloud of Witnesses a Book of theirs p. 1 3 4. But the Priests of England the blind Guides they do teach the People and say Hearken to the Word of the Lord as it is in such a Chapter and Verse Now is it not a sign that the Quakers are untaught Teachers indeed but let the Word of God be true and these Men Liars Did not our Lord make use of the Scriptures in teaching Mat. 21. 42. saith Christ Did ye never read in the Scriptures The Stone that was set at naught by you Builders and Mat. 22. 29. Ye do err not knowing the Scriptures Surely they will not deny Christ to have the Spirit and he proves the Resurrection of the Dead by Scripture Exod. 3. 6. Surely Peter had the Spirit yet he proves Christ to be the great Prophet Acts 3. 22. from Deut. 18. 15. And will they deny Philip to be endowed with the Holy Ghost Acts 8. 35. he preacheth Jesus to the Eunuch from Isa 53. And Acts 17. 2 11. Paul reasoned and preached out of the Scriptures and the Bereans searched the Scriptures to try whether Paul's Doctrine was true or not The Reader may see from hence with what an open Face these deluded Impostors will assert apparent Falshoods From all this it appears the Quakers are great Enemies to and Contemners of holy Scriptures and that what they say in their Pamphlet is a great Falshood II. I proceed to examine the other part of their first Article professed in their Paper Article Our Belief is That in the Unity of the Godhead there is Father Son and Holy Ghost being those three Divine Witnesses that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the holy Spirit This Profession looks like good and Orthodox Christianity but yet when it comes to be weighed it will be found wanting I shall only examine what Heaven this is the Quakers intend not in the glorious Heavens above beyond the Clouds and starry Heavens no by no means it 's ridiculous to speak of an imagined God beyond the Stars it is the Heaven within thee where these three Divine Witnesses are you will hear their severe Rebukes by and by if you will have any other Heaven to be meant as their Residence See James Parnell's Book Satan's Design discovered p. 19 25. he affirmeth They that confess not Christ to be come in their Flesh are the Antichrist and also affirmeth That by preaching of Christ in Heaven the Devil gets his Work done on Earth Pray what is fairly to be inferred from hence why the Heaven they intend is no where else but within their Mortal Corrupt Bodies or else Christ is not one of those three Divine Witnesses they speak of in the Paper for they will allow of no other Christ but what is in every Man And see further Tho. Lawson in his Book against William Jeffery calls him Thou Image-maker thou Cockatrice hatching Eggs Vulters Eye c. because William Jeffery had said that Christ was ascended into Heaven with that Body that was raised from the Dead And they intend no other Heaven than what is within them and thus they must be understood in their Pamphlet for see Lawson's Book p. 9 and 19. they say that they have eternal Life now really in Possession But would you have it more plain that the Quakers Heaven is within them take a Testimony out of Edward Burrough's Works Pag. 9 149. a chief Guide among them therefore you may take his word for it We say he that was slain upon the Cross is the very Christ of God and the very Christ of God is in us Tho Lucock being ask'd several times before many Witnesses where that Heaven was that Christ did ascend into and now was in he answered clapping his Hands
Antichrist in Spirit unmasked OR Quakerism a great Delusion Being an Answer to a Pamphlet lately published and dispersed in and about Deptford in Kent intituled The Christianity of the People commonly called QUAKERS Which they say is asserted against the unjust Charge of their being no Christians upon several Questions relating to those Matters wherein their Christian Belief is questioned By which Pamphlet they would perswade the World that the QUAKERS are Christians In which ANSWER you have their Deceit detected their pretended Faith examined and proved a Counterfeit And no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11. 14. If that Light that is in them be Darkness how great is that Darkness Mat. 6. 23. They are of those that rebel against the Light they know not the Ways thereof nor abide in the Paths thereof Job 24. 13. And for this cause shall God send them strong Delusions that they should believe a Lie 2 Thess 2. 11. By Edw. Paye a Servant of Christ London Printed in the Year 1692. A Commendatory Epistle to the READER Impartial Reader THOV art here presented with an Examination of the pretended Faith professed by the Quakers lately published and dispersed in Deptford It appeared to the World with a fair Aspect and the Ignorant and Easy were ready to take their Words that they so believed But the Author to unfold their Riddles hath made use of their own Construing Books to get at their Meanings and it fully appears to be nothing so believed by them as pretended in their Pamphlet We believe neither Ambition Self-Interest or Prejudice moved the Author to this Work but purely the Honour of God Defence of Truth and Good of Souls We also hope and believe that he hath been careful truly to cite the Quakers own Authors and we believe if any Error therein be as to Page or the like it may be justly imputed as an over-sight Reader thou art foretold by our Lord That in the last Days many false Prophets shall arise and deceive many And the Apostle informs of some that with feigned Words and fair Speeches shall deceive the Hearts of the Simple And of others That shall privily bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them c. and that many shall follow their pernicious Ways c. So that as was said in another Case we may say in this Is there not a Cause The Holy Scriptures which this Generation of Men contemn and vilify as will appear in this Discourse go very nigh to us we always having had and hope ever shall have a venerable esteem for them And thus we commend the ensuing Discourse to the Judgment of the unbiassed Reader hoping Error may be detected and the Truth preserved from Seducers who would introduce their corrupt Notions in the room thereof And we shall rest with these Desires true Friends to all that love Truth and Peace Hen. Loader William Allcot Quakerism a great Delusion THE Substance of their pretended Faith may be reduced into these six general Heads I. In the first and last Articles professed they say they believe according to holy Scripture-Testimony in the Trinity or those three Divine Witnesses that bear Record in Heaven c. and that they believe and own the holy Scriptures contained in the Books of the Old and New Testament and to be given by Divine Inspiration and to contain all matters of Doctrine and Testimony c. necessary to be believed and practised in order to Salvation and Peace with God c. II. They say their Belief is that in the Unity of the God head there is Father Son and Holy Ghost being those three Divine Witnesses that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the holy Spirit and that these three are one c. III. They profess to believe the Divinity and Humanity of Christ the Eternal Son of God c. and that he is the one Mediator betwixt God and Man the Man Christ Jesus c. IV. They profess to believe and expect Remission of Sins Justification Redemption and Salvation through the Sufferings Death and Blood of Christ and not by their own Works Righteousness or Merits this is professed in their third and fourth Articles specified in their Pamphlet V. They profess to believe and own the Divine Offices of Christ as King Priest and Prophet over his own Church and People VI. They evade and deny Baptism in Water and the Supper of the Lord instituted in Bread and Wine to be now in force as standing Ordinances in the Church of Christ They say nothing of those two great Articles of the Christian Faith the Resurrection of the Bodies from the Graves of the Earth and the eternal Judgment tho they are not ignorant that their Faith hath been questioned herein Before I proceed to examine their pretended Faith professed in their Pamphlet I shall take notice of its Title it is called The Christianity of the People commonly called Quakers and could we take them at their words their Profession looks like good and Orthodox But as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 11. 13. there were deceitful Workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ using feigned words and fair Speeches was the old way of deceiving the Hearts of the simple As our Enemies at Sea either to defend themselves from our Stroak or to draw us into their Snare will put up the English Flag So the Quakers see it necessary upon this occasion to make a very plausible Profession The gilded Pill is not so irksome to the Palat but if we are cautions in taking Money and if a Piece be fair and large yet if the Metal be suspicious we bring it to the Touch-stone 1. Christianity is a very high holy and honourable Profession which hath caused many to lay claim to it without a just Title who will needs have the Name tho strangers to the Nature of Christianity many have no better a Title to this Name than their being born in a Nation called a Christian Nation Others depend upon Morality alone and bless God they are not so bad as some other Men. Christianity is to lay hold upon Christ by a true and Evangelical Faith in his Death Sufferings and Merits for Redemption and Justification to believe him in all his Offices and obey him in all his Ordinances Christians are Disciples or Scholars of Christ Acts 11. 26. The Disciples were first called Christians at Antioch A true Gospel-Profession from a real and Evangelical Faith attended with a pious Life for Morality is included where there is true Christianity 2. Quakerism with respect to the Name is not derived from a Person so called but from a Gesture used much amongst them formerly in their Meetings as was manifest by what was alledged against them by the Westmoreland Petitioners viz. That their Practice did exceedingly savour of Saucery because of the Swellings Quakings Roarings and Foamings that were amongst them at their Meetings And
upon his Breast Within me Within me I shall not trouble you much more in discovering to you the Quakers Heaven and what they intend by it G. Fox in his Great Mystery p. 16. writes thus Thou art deceived who saith Christ is distinct from the Saints Can any Man eat the Flesh of Christ if his Flesh be not in them Can you call him Christ in Man if the Man be not there George Whitehead Dip. Plong Christ without us is not Scripture-Language but the Anthropomorphites and Muggletonians and Socinians saith he tell us of a Personal Christ and that the Man Jesus our Lord hath a place in Heaven remote from the Earth Let this serve to satisfy the impartial Reader that the Quakers believe the Heaven they intend to be within them and they are but Hereticks that believe in a Christ in any other Heaven remote or at a distance from them for it is plain that they deny Christ to be a distinct Person without them And in like manner all the three Divine Witnesses they speak of that bear Record in Heaven are within them also for the Light within them is really and compleatly Christ and Christ is God But this will further appear under the next Head But let all Christians believe that Jesus Christ is at the Right-hand of the Father in the glorious Heavens above However the Quakers do endeavour with their false Glosses to abuse the World and bethrone Christ We own and believe those Scriptures in their true and proper sense 2 Cor. 13. 5. Know ye not that Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates 1 Cor. 6. 19. Ye are the Temples of God and Christ in you the Hope of Glory c. And it is also true that the Saints are said to be in Christ 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any Man be in Christ he is or let him be a new Creature And he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and he in him How often doth Paul speak of the Faithful in Christ Jesus and he also speaks of some that were in Christ before him Now the Quakers if they are not stark blind may see in what sense Christ is said to dwell in the Saints that is by the Gifts and Graces of his holy Spirit Ephes 2. 22. the Saints are the Habitation of God through the Spirit For if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his These Gifts of the Holy Ghost Christ promised John 16. 7. I go to my Father and he will send the Comforter this Spirit of Truth to guide into all Truth which was accordingly poured upon the Apostles and Disciples Acts 2. at large And Acts 19. 2. Paul asks those Disciples at Ephesus whether they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed that is this Comforter that Christ had promised that when he went to the Father he would send Acts 5. 32. and give to them that obey him albeit the personal Ascension of Christ is fully witnessed to And to put this out of doubt read Luke 24. 49 50 51. And behold I send the Promise of my Father upon you but tarry ye in the City of Jerusalem till ye be endowed with Power from on high and then go and prosecute the Commission I have committed to you And he led them out as far as Bethany and he lift up his Hands and blessed them And it came to pass that while he blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into Heaven Compare Act. 1. 9. He was taken up and a Cloud received him out of their sight And while they looked stedfastly towards Heaven as he that is Jesus went up behold two Men stood by them in white Apparel which were two Angels ver 10. which also said Ye Men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into Heaven This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into Heaven Ay saith George Whitehead in like manner but every Like is not the same Pitiful shift Thus you plainly see the Certainty of Christ's Ascension and that the Holy Ghost's Descension Acts 2. 3 4. ver 38. promised to the penitent believing obedient Soul But Act. 3. 20 21. He shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you Whom the Heavens must receive till the times of Restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the Mouth of all his holy Prophets since the World began Now this Restitution is not yet tho the Spirit was come See Acts 7. 55. But he that is Stephen being full of the Holy Ghost mark that looked stedfastly up into Heaven and saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing on the Right-hand of God ver 56. and there he saith I see the Son of Man standing at the Right-hand of God Observe Stephen was full of the Holy Ghost or of the Spirit of Christ when he had this glorious sight of Christ in the Heavens at the Right-hand of God and in the Glory of the Father Now it is the Faith of Christians that Christ shall come in this glorious Body the second time from Heaven Phil. 3. 20 21. We saith Paul look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ not for a greater Fulness of the Spirit as the Quakers dream for what greater Fulness could Paul expect if the Quakers Notion were true if Heaven and the whole Trinity were in him before But saith Paul we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile Bodies and make them like his glorious Body Yea saith Christ you shall see the Son of Man come in Power and great Glory and every Eye shall see him c. Mat. 24. 26. It is more than probable that Christ pointed at this Generation of Impostors the Quakers who say Behold he is in the secret Chambers ay within thee not at a distance from thee Believe them not saith Christ for my second coming shall be visible as the Lightning or the Sun that riseth in the East and shines to the West every Eye shall see me c. Let this serve to construe what they intend in their Paper when they speak of three Divine Witnesses bearing Record in Heaven it is the Heaven within they intend III. I proceed to the third Head collected out of their Pamphlet as proposed to be examined and that is they profess to own the Divinity and Humanity of Christ I shall therefore proceed to examine their Belief herein and still I know no better way than to make use of their own Construing Books as the surest way not to wrong them for by comparing this professed Faith with the Writings of some of their chief Guides by that you will see whether they believe as they say or whether it be not only a gloss to deceive the Hearts of the Simple And in examining this Point of Faith professed by them I shall begin with their greatly admired George Fox in his Great Mystery c. p. 71.
second coming of Christ as the Quakers dream for how improper were it for to celebrate an Ordinance in remembrance of him that was within them I leave to the Reader to judg 2. Christ is not come because that Kingdom is not come that Christ speaks of I will not henceforth drink of the Fruit of the Vine till I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom notwithstanding the Quakers do so abuse that Saying of our Lord. For it is the Duty of the Disciples of Christ to pray for the coming of that Kingdom and it is most evident that the Will of God is not done upon Earth as it is in Heaven for the greatest part of the World live in Disobedience to the Will of God neither doth Christ now drink of the Fruit of the Vine with his Disciples because he is at his Father's Right-hand in the glorious Heavens and his Disciples upon Earth are to break and eat Bread and drink of the Fruit of the Vine till he come in remembrance of his broken Body and Blood shed for their Redemption and Salvation in which Christ hath spiritual Communion with them not personal which he will have after his second Coming And 3. Paul and the Primitive Christians did not believe the givings forth of the Spirit to be the second coming of Christ because they believed and expected him to come in a personal glorious and visible manner Phil. 3. 20. We look for the Saviour who shall change our vile Bodies and make them like his own glorious Body that being one thing that will be done at Christ's second Coming And Paul and the Christians did look for Christ's second and personal Coming because they were told Acts 1. 11. That the same Jesus should come in like manner visible in his Body of Flesh and Bones as he did ascend as hath been before proved more largely and as Christ himself shewed his Disciples Mat. 24. at large that his coming should be glorious and visible Rev. 1. 7. Long after the Spirit or Comforter was come faith John Behold he cometh every Eye shall see him and they that pierced him shall mourn 1 Thess 4. 6. For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the Voice of the Arch-Angel and the Trump of God c. 4. If the Quakers will need have this to be true which no Christians can allow them that Christ is come the second time as the Scriptures have foretold of him and as he himself said he would and from thence they conclude that Baptism and the Supper of the Lord are at an end I would know whether all other Gospel-Ordinances are not at an end also as Preaching Prayer Acts of Mercy and Charity and the like And if so why do the Quakers pretend to Preach and Pray for in that Kingdom there is no need to teach any to know the Lord no need of Prayer for then the Saints possess the fullest Enjoyments they can pray or wish for they shall hunger no more and so have no need of Alms and in that Kingdom they neither marry nor are given in Marriage neither can they die any more Luke 20. 35 36. But the Quakers pretend to Preach and Pray and give Alms they Marry and they Die See then what horrid Contradictions and gross Absurdities attend this Spirit of Delusion And to what End they bring 1 Cor. 10. 15 16 17. Rev. 3. 20. Prov. 9. 4 5. with Joh. 6. I know not except to abuse the Scriptures or confute themselves All Christians own Christ to be the Bread of Life and have spiritual Communion with him in his Ordinances which spiritual Communion they cannot have whatever they pretend who do not obey Christ in his Ordinances but flight vilify and contemn the same as the Quakers do But those that open when he knocks by the Hammer of his Word those that receive his Word Ordinances and Appointments he will come into them by his Spirit and having Communion one with another as one Bread so their Fellowship shall be with the Father and the Son spiritually and so he hath promised to be with his Church in the participation of his Ordinances to the end of the World And though we highly own and honour the Ordinances of Christ yet as we believe those that reject and despise them whatever they pretend have no spiritual Communion with Christ so also those that are not duly fitted and prepared for them may not expect any Benefit or Advantage by them In the next place they talk of the Seals of the New Covenant Which term in the plural I deny and believe that the Spirit or Holy Ghost those Measures or Gifts thereof that God bestows upon Christians is the Seal of their Acceptance with him as Ephes 1. 13. After ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of 〈◊〉 Whoever accounts these Gospel-Ordinances the Seals of the Covenant are so far mistaken for they are part of the Covenant it self Saith Christ If ye love me keep my Commandments and I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that shall abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth This Spirit which is promised as a Seal is upon the Terms of keeping Christ's Commandments of which are Baptism and the Lord's Supper Acts 5. 32. He gives this Seal of the Spirit to those that obey him duly observing and obeying Christ's Ordinances and Commands from a real Faith in his Word and Promises as well as in his Death Blood and Merits and also to attend this Gospel Faith with a pious Life and so resigning up our selves to be Christ's he hath promised us the Seal of his Spirit as an earnest of our Inheritance which is hereafter to be enjoyed But vainly do the Quakers feed themselves with Wind in imagining that they have the Holy Spirit or Seal of this new Covenant who rebel against Christ the Minister of the Covenant condemn his Blood despise his Ordinances c. So that from hence it appears they have nothing to do to take his Covenant into their Mouths seeing they hate to be reformed And as for their next Impertinency in talking of one outward Type or Shadow being a Type of another outward Type I am an Advocate for no such Notion neither do I believe that Circumcision was a Type of Baptism but of the Circumcision of the Heart nor that the Passover was a Type of the Lord's Supper but of Christ the true Paschal Lamb slain for the Sins of the World And now to conclude Let all Christians admire the Grace of Christ who gave his Body to be broken and his Blood to be shed and not only so but in love to his People hath left this Ordinance of his Supper in his last Will and Testament to be celebrated he before knowing our Frailties we being subject to forget his Kindness Let us therefore observe it with the rest of his Ordinances and blessed is the Servant whom the Lord