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A65884 A rambling pilgrim, or, Profane apostate, exposed being an answer to two persecuting books, falsly entitled, I. The pilgrim's progess from Quakerism to Christianity, II. A modest defence, with an epistle dedicatory to his bountiful benefactors / by G.W. Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723. 1700 (1700) Wing W1951; ESTC R20202 45,954 62

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solemn Testimony how expresly contrary it is to his present Treatment of us the said People as it is in his Book stiled The Quakers Detected c. printed 1686. about Two Years after his leaving our Communion and Conforming to the Church of England as 't is in his own words following viz. The first Point under Consideration is how I came to be a Member of their Society c. i.e. of the Quakers In the beginning they taught That all Men were enlightned according to John 1. 9. and that this Light wherewith Christ had enlightned them was sufficient if obeyed to lead to Salvation and that it was the Work of the Ministers of Christ to turn the Peoples Minds from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan to God Affirming That this Light was a sufficient Teacher Leader and Guide to every Believer without the help of outward Prescriptions Forms Orders and Decrees of Men Upon these and the like Notions I became perswaded to make Trial of their Doctrine and when I came to see and observe their Practice Conversations and Deportments in the Beginning and what Simplicity and Plainness attended their Ministry I was still more Confirmed that it was a Dispensation of the Love of God sent as a Visitation to Mankind And being thus perswaded I was resolved to bear the Cross and did utterly despise the Shame that attended them and their Message and was not behind any of my Equals both in doing and suffering for the Testimony thereof as some amongst them can still bear me Witness And in this manner we went on for many Years and loved one another with Love unfeigned and doubtless God blessed our Meetings with the Comfortable Enjoyment of his Presence p. 3. From which solemn Confession thus made by Fra. Bugg after he forsook our Communion and went to the Publick as he saith it follows naturally that he did not forsake us because of our Christian Principle or Profession of the Light or because of our Doctrine Conversation Communion or Meetings or any Dislike had thereof but because he deem'd us guilty of Apostacy from our first Principle and Profession and that by his own Confession he did not thereby make his Progress from Egypt into Canaan appears by his applying to himself the words of Joseph when in Egypt viz. But I can say as Joseph did to his Brethren Gen. 50. 20. But as for you ye thought Evil against me but God meant it unto Good And Chap. 45. 5. Now therefore be not griev'd nor angry with your selves that you sold me hither Quakers detected p. 8. How came F. B. to apply these words to his State when turn'd from us to the Publick if he did not think himself then in Egypt or turn'd from the true Light into Darkness But we sold him not thither he fled in Winter when he had let in Unbelief and Fearfulness because of Suffering and Persecution which he had felt something of but fell into Impatiency and Quarreling under it and having lost Sincerity and Truth turn'd Envious Temporizer And because he has so frequently and falsly charg'd the said People with denying Jesus of Nazareth and Contempt of holy Scripture I may acquaint you with One or Two Passages more which concern himself as recited in my Answer to his New Rome Arraigned entitled Innocency Triumphant over Insolency and Outrage printed 1693. p. 25 26. as followeth viz. And to his saying The Names Jesus and Christ are given to the Mediator c. True but what follow Therefore quoth F. B. 't is no Absurdity to say It was not Jesus Christ for whom the Body was prepared it was not Jesus Christ that came in the Flesh but the Word John 1. 1. Apol. Introd p. 3. And yet he has confessed it was the Son of God that took the Body p. 4. What Confusion and Self-contradiction does the Man blindly run into And how contrary to the Apostle John's Testimony is his Doctrine herein See 1 John 4. 2 3. Every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh is of God and every Spirit which confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh is not of God but this is the Spirit of Anti-Christ What Spirit is this in our Adversary which saith It was not Jesus Christ that came in the Flesh Who was it then It was the Word the Son of God As if Jesus Christ were neither the Word nor the Son of God O horrible Anti-Christianism And contrary also to that Martyr Dr. Barnes his Confession as cited by F. Bugg himself p. 4. 5. viz. I believe that without Man's Will or Power Christ Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and took Flesh of the blessed Virgin Mary Acts and Mon. p. 610. Now If Jesus Christ took Flesh of the blessed Virgin Mary then it was Jesus Christ that came in the Flesh But it was Jesus Christ that took Flesh Therefore 't was Jesus Christ that came in the Flesh. Consequently F. Bugg's Doctrine That it was not Jesus Christ that came in the Flesh is Anti-Christian Anti-Apostolical and Contradictory to the said Martyr's Doctrine In his Book stiled De Christianâ Libertate Part 2. Chap. 1. he confesseth in the Name and Person of the People called Quakers That we told them i. e. the said People that the Scriptures were good and a true Declaration of those things which were most surely believ'd by the Apostles and by us ought to be believ'd yet not the only Rule but still the Spirit of God which was the first Principle c. And many more Confessions he has given to the Truth of our Principles both with respect to Jesus Christ his Light and the holy Scriptures Now I recommend you to the faithful Witness of Truth in all your Hearts which will Judge Righteously and desire you seriously to peruse the following Treatise and hear us in our Answers and Defence as well as our Adversary in his Accusations remembering that common Maxim To Condemn no Man before he be heard By a Servant of Jesus Christ and real Friend to your Immortal Souls G. Whitehead London the 30th of the 4th Month 1699. The CONTENTS of this Treatise PART I. OF Francis Bugg's Fictitious Profane Sermon in G. Whitehead's Name From Page 1 to p. 16. Of our Yearly Meeting p. 1 2. Of the Scriptures p. 2 3. Of one only God the Father Son and Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures p. 3 4. Of Confession of Sin and Prayer to God p. 5 6. Of the Ten Commandments and Moral Law p. 7 8. Of his gross Fiction against the Holy Scripture and the Light within p. 9. Of his resembling the Mockers Psalm 35. 21. and 40. 15. p. 9. His Forgery against William Bingley and Ben. Bealing's Certificate p. 10 11. His repeated Forgery about G. Fox touching the Branch the Star c. p. 12 13. Of his Counterfeit Court and Condemnation p. 13. His Forgery and Frofaneness about our Light and Exaltation p. 14.
O Abominable Abuse And I positively deny that we so translate the Words of Christ John 5. 22. as F. B. saith as if we believed no Son of Man without us but only the Light within us which is as falsly Charg'd as the rest though the Son of Man which is Christ the Son of the Living God be the true Light yea the Light of the World the Sower of the good Seed of Life and Light in the World Forgery Notwithstanding we call the Scriptures Death Dust Beastly Ware c. Obs. Note Upon this often-repeated Falshood is grounded much of his idle and wicked Romance which he calls George Whitehead's Sermon Oh F. B. repeat this Lye no more Forgery Now my Friends though this Confession be as contrary to our ancient Testimony as Light is contrary to Darkness as by our Books quoted you may see And what Confession that is he relates just before viz. I believe with my Heart and confess with my Mouth the sacred Scriptures to be Divine left us by Men inspired of God c. And I profess to believe in one only God who is the Father and in Jesus Christ his Eternal Son very God and very Man and in the Holy Spirit one and the same God with the Father and Son blessed for evermore Observe How he most falsly and ridiculously feigns me to Preach this Connfession to be as contrary to our ancient Testimony as Light is contrary to Darkness and consequently to make me Preach us all guilty of gross Dissimulation and Blasphemy What horrid absurd Folly is this Agent guilty of Forgery And therefore I exhort you this day to stand Faithful to your ancient Testimony which is to throw down the Scriptures and exalt our own Books and so will the Work of your Light prosper in your hands p. 113. Observe Thus he represents me to Preach expresly contrary to my known Principle and Testimony for the preferring and exalting the holy Scriptures above all other Books extant in the World So far am I from Preaching to throw down the Scriptures and from Fathering any such Doctrine upon our Light as I am wickedly misrepresented in contempt against the Light also contrary to this Man 's former serious Testimonies for the Light And the Preference I have ascribed to the Spirit of Truth and its Immediate Teaching either in or through its Ministers to the Scriptures or Chapters was not any Preferring of our own Books thereto as I am often misrepresented But allowing the Spirit its due Preference to the Scripture Letter or Chapters For the Spirit was before Scripture and I never heard any assert the Division of Chapters and Verses to be of Divine Authority though the holy Doctrine contain'd in Scripture be This Point is more fully explain'd in my late Just Examination of the three Norfolk Priests entituled Truth and Innocency vindicated c. p. 16 17 19 to 23. p. 57 58. Forgery My tender Lambs You see first that we are the true Church of Christ next that you are to believe as the Church believes and there lies G. Fox ' s Journal on the Table c. For as our Brother Mead has express'd himself It is the best Book in the World for our keeping up our ancient Testimony yea better than the Bible said he And now to conclude this Head look into the Book of Canons which lies before you on the Table p. 114. Observe Thus to ridicule me he forges such Stuff in my Name which I never owned preached or asserted neither did I ever hear W. Mead so express himself as That G. Fox ' s Journal is the best Book in the World yea better than the Bible but expresly the contrary and denies that ever he said so but gives the Bible the Preference to all other Books Forgery Friends I am now come to the last thing propos'd to speak to on this solemn Occasion and it shall be by way of Use and Application for your Comfort and Consolation c. First respecting Confession of Sin shewing your Exaltation above the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Primitive Christians Saints and Martyrs and all the Christian Churches to this day p. 114. And p. 115. You being the True Ancient Apostolick Church of Christ and as Quakers elected thereto c. have no need to make any Confession of Sin in our Prayers to God as our Practice for near Fifty Years does confirm c. Our Adversaries cannot prove from any one of our Books wrote by my Self G. Fox E. B F. H Father Penn S. Fisher c. that ever we made Confession of Sins and asked pardon for Christ's sake nor that ever we recommended such a Practice to our Disciples c. Now Friends what Cause have we to rejoyce and to magnifie our Light within which hath led us to such a State of sinless Perfection Obs. Thus F. Bugg represents me preaching such Stuff as I never preached in my Life nor ever own'd any such Flattery or Deceit as to exalt any Auditory above the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles c. or to disswade any from making Confession of Sin or asking Pardon for Christ's sake who have need of both or who have not received forgiveness of Sins And my known publick Practice both in Ministry and Prayer often times testifie the contrary To the True Witness in all who know me and my publick Exercise and Travel for the good of Souls I do Appeal to clear me in this Matter against this Man's absurd and abominable Forgeries which he terms George Whitehead's Sermon And he goes on still with his Forgery as my Sermon viz. Forgery Now Friends what a happy thing is this that you need not trouble your selves with any Confession of Sins since you are not like other Men nor like these Publicans And therefore I exhort you to keep to your ancient Testimony in all the parts of it make no Confession of Sins nor be sure you do not recommend the Practice of it by Word or Writing but keep to our ancient Practice Nor is there any need for our Hearers to follow those Christian Precepts viz. And whatsoever you do in Word or Deed do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus giving Thanks to God the Father by him Col. 3. 17. Whether ye Eat or Drink or whatever ye do do all to the Glory of God 1 Cor 10. 31. Matth 15. 36. Observe Where did ever F. Bugg or any other hear me or any of us Preach such a Sermon as this to exhort the Hearers to make no Confession of Sin or ever tell them there is no need for them to follow those Christian Precepts cited as before out of Col. 3. 17. 1 Cor. 10. 31 Oh poor Francis What will become of thee What will be the End of this thy Liberty and Profaness How wilt thou Answer the great God in the Day of Judgment for such presumptuous Forgery and Profanation of the Sacred Name of God and Abuse of me his Servant who have been many times
in the beginning we were Convinced by G. Fox that Matthew Mark Luke and John were Death Dust and Serpents Meat that the Scriptures were heastly-ware c. This Passage by the way is a gross Forgery and notorious Lie still I never thus preached nor ever were we convinced by G. Fox or any other that either the Doctrine of the holy Evangelists were Serpents Meat Dust or Death or the Scriptures Beastly-ware as 't is frequently repeated by F. B. Unto which foul Abuse he farther adds as my Sermon viz. And therefore I warn you all to take heed of Apostatising from our ancient Testimony as you have it in my Text for what we were Convinced of by our Light in the beginning to be Evil to be Death Dust Serpents meat 't is so still to be Beastly-ware and Conjuration 't is so still p. 120. Obs. This is a blasphemous Fiction not only against the Holy Scripture but against the Light which he calls Your Light For neither did the Light ever so Convince us to call the Scriptures Beastly-ware nor did I ever Preach such blasphemous Doctrine of the Light as here I am grosly misrepresented but the Contrary As no Man speaking by the Spirit can Blaspheme or call Jesus Accursed so no Man speaking by his Light can Blaspheme or Reproach his holy Scriptures which Testifie of him The Book Bugg quotes for his so often-repeated Lie of calling the Scriptures Beastly-ware is stiled A Brief Discovery of a three-fold Estate of Anti-christ printed 1653. Page 9. I have that Book by me and I have searched both Book and Page and I find no such words as calling the Scriptures Beastly-ware But Babylon's Merchants selling Beastly-wares for a large Price all the Week time heaping up a Rabble of Notions into the Brain So that the Beastly-wares intended was their Rabble of Notions and not the Scriptures Obs. Again How scurrilously F. Bugg makes me to come to a Stop in this Insolent and Presumptuous Romance which he calls George Whitehead's Sermon after this manner viz. And therefore keep up your ancient Testimony my Dear Lambs in all the part of it Ha ha ha hme hme hme silent p. 120. Thus this Scorner forges a ridiculous Tone as my Conclusion or Stop in that place somewhat resembling the Mockers of Old whom the Psalmist complains of Psalm 35. 21. Yea they opened their Mouth wide against me and said Aha aha And Psalm 40. 15. Let them be desolate for a Reward of their Shame that say unto me Aha aha And Psalm 70. 3. Let them be turned back for a Reward of their Shame that say Aha aha And then after a little Silence he most absurdly represents William Bingley as preaching in Confirmation of his Confused and Absurd Romance aforesaid which he calls George Whitehead's Sermon In W. Bingley's Name thus viz. Friends Friends I am filled I am filled as with new Wine I am ready to burst at the Joyful News I have heard to day respecting our Ancient Testimony And O magnified be our Light within which hath thus exalted us above the Prophets above the Apostles above the Martyrs and above all Christians as our dear Brother G. W. hath most excellently made it out first in opening his Text and also in the two Branches proceeding from it but more especially in the Use and Application where he hath confirmed me in not making Confession of Sin nor regarding the Ten Commandments nor those two Ordinances of Baptism and Supper p. 120 121. Obs. How shamefully he personates W. B. to asperse and abuse him as if he were highly Elevated and magnified our Light within because of what F. Bugg has most falsly feigned G. W. to Preach in Contempt of Scripture and for Exalting our selves above the Prophets Apostles c. Thus he presumptuously adds Sin to Sin Lye to Lye Forgery upon Forgery such sordid Stuff as we never heard W. B. preach but he utterly disowns and testifies against the same with Abhorrency to such Abuse of him and others And not only so but Bugg wickedly represents W. B. as making our Light within the Author of his foregoing Absurd Forgery and Romance in G. W's Name against the holy Scriptures Ten Commandments c. Consequently to blaspheme our Light within which is the Light of God and his Dear Son as if that oppos'd its own Testimony in holy Scripture and as if that led to Self-Exaltation above the Prophets and Apostles c. O wretched Man F. B How wilt thou appear before the Tribunal-Seat of Christ What a sad Account wilt thou have for such Profanation design'd Deceit and Wickedness Who further proceedest in W. Bingley's Name viz. Forgery But yet I have a short Testimony to bring in touching the Priests which I think our Friend G. W. left out unawares for I take it to be as necessary an ancient Testimony to be kept up as any other only a little more privately and prudently for they are as great Enemies to our design of Supplanting Christianity as any the World affords p. 121. Observe again Oh shameful Folly and Falshood Where and when did ever W. B. thus Preach That our Design is the supplanting Christianity Whenas our Design is well known to the contrary to such as truly fear God and to be for the Promoting of Christianity both in Spirit in Faith Life and Conversation Forgery Benjamin Bealing Clerk Let us sing an Hymn of Praise and Self-Exaltation and to the Confusion of our Adversaries as you will find it written in the Epistle of that Son of Thunder Edward Burrough prefixed to our Apostle G. Fox ' s Great Mystery printed 1658. The Waters have I seen dry'd up the Seat of that great Whore Who hath made all Nations drunk with her enticing Power Observe Now F. B. dost not thou Glory in thy Shame in such Invention as this Where did ever any in the World hear Benjamin Bealing set or sing such a Hymn as this in the end of a Meeting or any time else Observe his own Testimony viz. These are to Certifie all sober Readers That Francis Bugg's Representing me as calling to the Yearly Meeting To sing an Hymn of Praise and Self-Exaltation c. and making some Verses out of Edward Burrough's Preface to G. F's Great Mystery to be that Hymn 'T is all an idle false Invention and Forgery of his own for I never was concerned in any such thing in my Life-time and I am heartily sorry that this poor Man should be so given up in his old Age to serve the Father of Lyes with whom in the Lake he may expect to have his Portion without he unfeignedly Repents Witness my Hand Benjamin Bealing London the 4th of the 5th Month called July 1699. Oh F. B. thou appearest one of that sort who are arrived to that ill Habit of Iniquity and Hardness that they know no Shame And thy presumptuously Prophaning the sacred Name of God and of his dear Son and of his Light within using the same
then were severe and we under Hardship in the depth of Winter wherein my self with the rest had my share Though I then was but weak and young being but about 18 Years of Age yet was in my Heart truly tender and sincere to God and his Presence I often felt to strengthen me in that and divers other hard Imprisonments in Cromwel's time and by his Special Divine Providence I was supported in his Work and Service blessed be his Name for ever Who also hath made me to Triumph in Christ over Reproaches and Aspersions of This and all other my most Implacable Adversaries F. B. may think he has found out a deadly Weapon against me by his raking up and reprinting the said Ishmael c. printed in 1655. But he does very ill and very dis-ingenuously in upbraiding me and my Friends with some unwarrantable Expressions which I have positively disown'd and disclaim'd in Two Books as he knows And yet from thence he unjustly asperseth the Quakers That they dissemble the Doctrine of the Trinity when they pretend to own it whilst in their Books they damn it to the Pit and Lake Ded. p. 11. And part 2. p. 22. Margent This is their ancient Testimony to damn the blessed Trinity to the Pit of Hell the like in Part 3. p. 35. I say This is not true 't is neither the Quakers Ancient nor Modern Testimony and the passage upon which he makes this Note in the Margent though never intended against either God his Son or Holy Spirit or this Scripture-Trinity as I may say Yet I say as to the said Passage noted upon on the Margent I have positively disown'd those offensive Expressions publickly in Print in Two Books The 1st Entitled The Christianity of the People called Quakers Vindicated 1690. p. 28. The 2d Truth and Innocency Vindicated 1699. p. 51. Besides many Years since I corrected them where I met with that Answer And though I writ some Passages therein yet I still affirm I was not the Author of the said Unwarrantable Expressions nor of divers other sharp ones but C. Atkinson who miserably fell into Pollution and Condemnation after my self and my other Fellow-Prisoners had left him in Prison being discharg'd before him I was sorry my Name was to that Answer without distinction between my own Words and his For though I was then but Young Weak and Low yet I still believe and am satisfied I had a Measure of Understanding given me of the Lord and a Sense of his Power and Presence And I do not deny but I writ some Part or Paragraphs in that Book aforesaid by reason whereof I suppose my Name was to it and the Substance of what I writ I cannot disown to this day namely 1. Asserting the Word which was in the beginning to be God Christ the Light and the Foundation of Faith 2. And that the Word was before the Scripture or Writing or Letter thereof was 3. That Jesus Christ was the true and only Foundation 1 Cor. 3. 11. This was in Opposition to our then Adversary's Asserting the Scripture to be the only Foundation of Faith c. And I cannot in the least believe that there ever could be any Intention of Contempt or Contemptible Expressions design'd against God or his Dear Son or Holy Spirit among us or that we could be so grosly dark and ignorant as to think to confine him in Darkness who is an Omnipresent God and he being Light in whom is no Darkness at all this hath been our Principle from the beginning But to fasten the whole Book Ishmael on G. W. F. B. saith he owns the Book viz. in Truth Defending 1659. 1. From Tho. Smith's calling it G. Whitehead's Book 2. From the words Our Book Part 1. p. 31 32. Answ. How far I then own'd it I have signified 1. As having writ some part of it 2. But not then espousing the very words chiefly objected by F. B. and disown'd by me as before but my own Construction then given partly in these words viz. And he that Dreams and tells Lyes contrary to the Scriptures of Truth which we own he with his Imaginations and Dreams is for the Lake Rev. 21. 8. Yet what the Scripture saith of the Godhead the Father the Word and the Spirit which are one 1 John 5. 7. we own Truth Defend p. 1 2. Tho' I confess I there questioned the Notion of Three Distinct or Divided Persons as not Scripture but an Imagination And in our Disputes at Cambridge in the same Year 1659. My Opponents then Arguing They i. e. the Father Son and Holy Ghost are Three Hees therefore Three Persons and that because Christ was under the Water when baptised and the Holy Ghost then descended upon him like a Dove therefore Three Distinct or Separate Persons I then thought such Arguing as much beside true Scripture-Divinity as good Logick However I cannot call to Mind That at those Disputes I had with Tho. Smith the Library-keeper c. in Cambridge 1659. I either did own or defend that very Passage now objected against us out of Ishmael which I have disown'd and disclaim'd as before If I were now Conscious thereof I should be sorry for it To conclude this Point about the Trinity I refer the Reader 1. To a Catechism in the Words and Phrases of Scripture with this Imprimatur Guil. Sill. R. P. D. Henr. Episc. Lond. â Sacris Domesticis printed 1693. wherein are these Questions and Answers viz. Q Is there any more than One God A. There is none other God but one 1 Cor. 8. 4. Q. What is said of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost A. It is said That these Three are One 1 John 5. 7. Note Here they confine themselves to Scripture-Language 2. 'T is worthy of Observation what Dr. Burnet now Bishop of Sarum in the Life of John Earl of Rochester p. 104. speaking of the Trinity saith Which for want of Terms fit to express them by we call Persons and are called in Scripture the Father Son and Holy Ghost Besides the false Printing and bad English in the said Ishmael as F. B. has expos'd it there 's another Defect after the words The Lake is thy Portion which is the Portion of Lyars the words except thou speedily Repent are omitted there and in some other places The Old Impression I have not seen for many Years nor do I know where to find it tho' it seems F. B. hath industriously sought it out and reprinted it after a fashion with his perverse Annotations in the Margent to reproach Quakers withal And now let 's a little observe F. B.'s Definition of Person part 1. p. 18 19. viz. From the words God Christ the Light the Word the Spirit the Truth the Kingdom of God within me and these are one F. B. infers viz. Reader here is in the Quakers Essence Septem Personas Also from the words Stumble not at the Light for if thou dost thou stumblest at God at