against us crying out against Impositions Forms Prescriptions Laws c. but show no Unjust nor Unrighteous Law Form Order or Prescription practised among us and therefore in your Madness and Fury are but beating the Air and unjustly and falsly accusing us with Impositions lording over our Brethrens Consciences And John Pennyman he is for crying out Away with your set form of Words of THEE and THOV he is offended at the Form of sound Words his Backsliding Apostacy and vain Imaginations have been these many Years openly manifest and time will further discover him to be a false Prophet against us The Lord has brought us into that Form and Order which neither Apostates fallen Spirits nor the Father of Lyes shall ever be able to throw down or lay waste We direct People to the Light and Power of Christ within to guide them both in the Life and Form of Godliness Form of sound Words and to obey from the Heart the Form of Doctrine received from Christ and therefore we impose no blind Obedience nor dark Formality upon any but desire that all may come to be living Christians in Spirit Life Power and Holiness of Conversation that their Conversations may be as becometh the Gospel of Christ but you Backsliders are of disobedient and loose Spirits else you would not rage roar and foam out your own Shame as you do against the Servants of Christ or that Form and Order which we are sure he has brought us into and wherein we are Conscientiously concerned to follow our Lord Jesus Christ in Humility and herein we can distinguish between formal Christians and living Christians and would have none to enter into either extream of Formality without Life and Power or under pretence of Life and Power to deny or oppose all Form and Order for there may be a formal pretended Christian without Life and Power but no real living Christian in Power without true Form And this distinction we had from the beginning and therefore alwayes believed that the true Power would not lead into any false or wrong Form nor into any Disorder or Confusion knowing that our God is the God of Order and not of Confusion he is the God of Love Peace and Union and not of discord or strife § 4. And Thomas Crisp hadst thou kept to that which first Convinced thee and raised up a love in thee to Truth and the People of God called Quakers thou wouldst not have espoused such unsound Doctrine as this of R. R. printed and published in thy Pamphlets among thy pretended weighty Truths nor reckoned it among sound Doctrines as thou hast done even in thy third Edition p. 22. where after he hath confessed in these words viz. I know that the Lord hath his People amongst them meaning those called Quakers as in All Forms and such as love and fear the Lord doing the thing which is just and right The words which I chiefly take notice of are these of his which follow viz. And such are accepted with me as bone of my bone and as my Brother Benjamin that came of the free-woman and are in that freedom fitted to act in ALL FORMS as the Lord their Light shall lead them that they may replenish the Earth This Doctrine or Proposition I look upon to be very unsound and tending to plain Ranterism making no distinction in Forms but including ALL FORMS without Distinction under the leading of the Light of the Lord Which also is an absurd begging of the Question for his Light doth neither lead nor fit the Children of the free-woman to act in All Forms of Professions but in its own form or way most proper and peculiar to it self as the Form of Godliness is to the Power of God and Godliness for granting the Lord may have a People that mean well under other Forms as he has other Sheep that are not of this Fold Howbeit many that mean well are clouded and mistaken under wrong Forms empty Shews Ceremonies and Circumstances only of mens inventions and imposing which the Light of the Lord guides them not into being but humane Traditions and Impositions of men neither proper nor suitable to divine Worship or to a true spiritual Christian state and therefore it is not the freedom of the Children of the Free-Woman to act in ALL or any such Forms nor will the Light of the Lord lead them therein nor may R. R's words be applied to the Children of New Jerusalem who under the dispensation and order of the new Covenant nor are they properly applicable to them where he saith Why may not God enjoyn that as an Ordinance to day and give his Power to it also which to Morrow he will lay aside as useless and by his withdrawing his Power from it leave it no better than an Idol as in pag. 19 20. of thy 3d Edition This cannot be truly said of the Ordinances of the new Covenant which are not to be compared to the Shadows under the old and therefore these his Expressions as applied to this Dispensation which we are under which is that of the Gospel and new Covenant do tend to lead into Uncertainty Instability Looseness and Ranterism Good Works are ordained of God the practice of pure Religion he enjoyns us to walk it and he will not forsake the Children of the Free-Woman who therein serve him in his free Spirit This R. R. whose pretended Testimony thou hast espoused his exclaiming accusing and smiting unjustly also like the rest of you about Imposing upon Brethrens Consciences Prescriptions Impositions and falsly accusing Friends with the Spirit of Dominion and Rule over the Conscience Telling of the Yoke of your Prescriptions your carnal and literal Impositions G. F 's comely Order G. F. and his Tribe of Proselites creating a Dominion over your Brethren and the movings of God in them and claiming a power to judge of all Differences prescribing Rules and Orders c. falsly comparing Friends with the Pope himself and accusing them with swelling Soveraignity over the Minds and Consciences of men heavily imposing upon others in such Circumstances and Indifferences wherein the Kingdom of God doth not consist c. With many more Falshoods and unjust Reflections and Abuses without innumerating or giving particular Instances of those Impositions Rules Orders complained of only bids us witness the Hat which I take to be because we could not own J. Perrot and his party in their keeping on their Hats in publick Prayer R. Rich being one of his Party a Disciple and Agent in his Cause confounded in his Judgment with a Spirit and Notions of Ranterism though sometimes he confessed to the Power of God among Friends but too lofty in his Spirit he now seems to be adopted by you in his opposition in this his Paper which thou hast printed for a weighty and sound Testimony I mean Robert Rich's whom I take to be thy Author Why didst not set his Name but R. R which may
from the Spirit of God in any of his Servants is just and reasonable for whatsoever is unjust is not of God but to be rejected The Controversie is not there § 6. Again William upon our words viz. God preserve his people from this Libertine Spirit thou falsly notest That by the Pen-man's discourse a Believer's refual to submit to the Church on account of not seeing it his Duty to submit is the fruit of a Libertine Spirit c. p. 45. A Believer's refusal to submit to the Church is a begging the Question and fallacy for I do not own that any true Believer will REFVSE to submit to the Church of Christ in any thing that Christ commands or is in it self his just duty towards God or his Neighbour on the account of not seeing it his duty is again a begging the Question If it be his Duty and required of him by the Spirit of God in his servants the same spirit if he minds it quickly makes an immediate discovery of it to and impression on his Conscience it being his duty both to see and submit to what Truth and Justice require of him so as the sincere and tender-hearted though but weak in the Faith for a time are preserved on the one hand from Rebellion and from Refusing that submission which the Lord requires and on the other hand from running into a blind Obedience For put case there be a little space of time that one weak in the faith sees not presently every thing that may be required by the Lord in his People as duty he does not therefore REFVSE Submission but waits patiently on the Lord to clear up his way and reveal his duty therein and though whilst thus waiting for satisfaction and clearness he 's neither refusing nor opposing that which he has not a clearness of judgment in Want of sight or clearness in such cases of Conscience is no just ground for Refusal Rejection or Opposition no more than for any to act in a blind Obedience or ignorant Devotion without satisfaction in Faith or Conscience Let but blind Opposition and Refusal as well as blind Obedience be laid aside and we shall have quietness for though neither be good yet blind Opposition is the worst of the two For there 's yet a Medium between Refusal and Active Submission viz. A WAITING passively and patiently until God reveal his will in this or that particular thing required by him as duty Again thou dost both scornfully and fallaciously proceed against the Pen-man in these words viz. 'T is plain to me that he reputing himself a Church-Governour is thirsting after such a sort of Subjects that may be willing to follow his Track though they know not whether it be right or wrong p 45. I presume thou meanest my self as that Pen-man that so affects being a Governour or so reputeth as thou hast before twitted the Pen-man with having forgotten his low and mean Estate telling him how the very conceit of being a Governour in an outward Government is very apt to puff up Persons of some sort of Qualifications pag. 25. If thou intendest me herein thou hast taken wrong measures and hast given me Scurrillous and Abusive Characters and then thou art grosly mistaken in thy judgment That I thirst after such ignorant Subjects as thou importest The Lord hath raised me up to open peoples Eyes and to turn them from Darkness to Light and God the Righteous Judge who knows my heart and whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son he knows 't is my delight in Humility to serve him therein and to see People turned from Darkness to the true Light and from their Ignorance and Error to the knowledge of the Truth in the spirit and power of it in themselves that they may walk in the Path of Life and be saved and no otherwise to follow me than as they may see me walk therein So knowing my Integrity and Humility in the sight and presence of God who hath thorowly searched and tryed me that I affect neither Popularity nor Greatness I do the less value thy Reproaches and all the bitter Invectives that thou canst bring forth against me My innocent Life reigns over thy hatred and shall out-live thy envy and scorn And as thou hast laid a false foundation against the Pen-man as judging him a Person thirsting after such sort of ignorant Subjects as before related so thy Superstructure raised by supposition is impertinent trifling and fallacious For 1 st Where have any of us whom thou smitest at either from a Meeting yearly or else-where in giving forth as thou callest them certain Sentences Decrees and Orders directed to the rest of the People called Quakers therewith signified to them 'T is your Duty to submit whether you see it your Duty or no p. 45. I am sure this is forreign to my and my Brethrens Language and Intention If it intends an active Obedience before men see their real duty which none can acceptably perform nor is it my Principle to urge them upon practice until their Eyes be opened to see their duty therein yet peoples present Ignorance of their Duty when proposed or told them in the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ is no warrant for them to oppose refuse resist or reject it but rather tenderly and quietly to weigh consider of it before the Lord and wait in his Light till he reveal it resolve the doubts and remove the scruples 2 dly Moreover that which hath a tendency to Confusion Rebellion and Ranterism was thy undervaluing the Authority of the Church of Christ in such a Judgment or Decision given thereby as proceeds from the Spirit of God for 't was no other that R. B. argued for in the case by thy pleading in opposition for leaving a liberty therein for a Believer to refuse to submit on the account of not seeing it his duty to submit with other circumstances of Looseness and Confusion proceeding from thy opposite loose confused Spirit of Prejudice and Division This has a tendency to Confusion Rebellion and Ranterism which we placed not meerly on a Non-submission or Forbearance of Practice for want of seeing it their duty to act therein For 't is possible some Members may want a present sight in some things required by the Church of Christ and his Spirit and yet they not thence allow themselves a liberty to Refuse submission but rather to wait in their measures till God reveal his mind therein in which cases there 's a tender sence and forbearance one to another and this does not tend to Confusion Rebellion or Ranterism but thy plea for the leaving a liberty for Believers to refuse to submit to the judgment and decision of the Church of Christ and for the same insisting on their not seeing it their Duty to submit when the judgment of the Church of Christ pleaded for on our parts is no other than what proceeds from his Spirit or Christ himself as
him and his Spirit as Impious Wicked c But in humility and fear of the Lord he is at Unity and daily converseth with the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ which is a Spirit of true Understanding and Judgment whereby he clearly discerns and hath Power to judge thy dark confused Spirit of Enmity and its unfruitful Works of Darkness and Division against Christ and his true followers § 7. Concerning Tythes thou pretendest to except against the Payment of them That they are as at this day paid under pretence of being Due JVRE DIVINO Antichristian and also against the Humane Institution and constraint to pay them And thus far we do not oppose thee nor have shewn disaffection But thou hast found out another and more easie way to pay them Thus viz. Yet if any Person will FREELY of himself give a Tenth part of his Estate or of the Increase thereof TO ANY VSE WHATSOEVER having no regard to any Humane Institution or Claim by vertue of any pretended Divine Law it can no more be called Antichristian then c. p. 52. No! not as given to any use whatsoever That 's large and loose and as strange Suppose some do freely pay Tythes to maintain an Antichristian Ministry without regard to the plea of Jure Divino or humane Institution or Constraint but voluntarily and freely which needs no constraint nor coertion Were not this Antichristian And did not the Christian-Quaker bear Testimony from the beginning against the Antichristian Ministry and Tythes paid to maintain them whether by some paid freely or not the labour was to bring People from them to Christ the great Shepherd and end of the first Priesthood Tythes and the Law that upheld them Art not thou now evading and shifting from our first Testimony that was absolute against the payment of Tythes in these Gospel dayes And doth not these thy evasive Apostatizing shifts tend to draw others into Looseness and Apostacy to decline the Cross and cast off the Yoke of our Lord Jesus Christ Again thou givest a recital of thy Answer to the Objection or Question of thy own framing in the case of Tythes but now craftily leavest out thy Objection which concern'd Tythes as given to the National Ministry thus viz. But what if it please the Supream Power to bestow on the National Ministry Tythes How prove you from Scripture that those who freely pay it do ill or that 't is not lawful for them to receive it from such These are thy own Words William to which thou madest the following Answer mentioned in our 40 th Disaffection and recited in these words viz. We are so far from condemning those who freely pay them i. e. Tythes and not as by Constraint that we look upon it to be the Duty of all professing Christianity to contribute towards the outward Maintenance of such whom they usually hear and account to be the true Ministers of Christ though not obliged thereto by Law in case they have need p. 52. We remain still Disaffected with thy Doctrine it this point William so far as it relates to the paying of Tythes Thy granting an uncondemned Liberty therein for them who can freely pay them to those they account the true Ministers of Christ though they be the National Ministry I am sure is contrary to the antient Testimony of the true Christian-Quaker and all faithful travelling Brethren in the Gospel and Work of Christ To contribute towards the outward Maintenance c. is not the matter under debate But the Question immediately relating to the Payment of Tythes as 't is included in thy own Objection in the case which thou hast craftily forborn to recite and only recitest the Words of thy Answer both being compared together do more clearly evince thy Unchristian Liberty and Apostacy in justifying Mens freely paying Tythes to those they count Ministers of Christ c. yea though it be to the National Ministry by thy Objection and Answer before Thy varying the Terms from FREELY PAYING them i. e. Tythes TO a CONTRIBVTING towards their outward Maintenance appears but a Prevaricating shift and evading the terms of thy own Objection and Question Review the Point in thy own 2d Part Christian-Quaker in granting a Liberty of freely paying Tythes to the National Ministry without condemnation as before Thou hast contradicted J. W. and J. Story 's Testimony viz. As to Tythes we can in truth say 't was never so much as in our Hearts to strengthen any in the Payment thereof nor yet to weaken the Faith of any having a Testimony in our Hearts that Tythes as at this day paid are Antichristian Mark as at this day paid is to the National Ministry by some freely and by others by constraint As also thou shewest thy fallacious Insinuation and Prevarication from the terms under debate in concluding That the Pen-man would exclude such sort of Charity to any ministring Professor of Christianity besides such as he may account of his own Brotherhood whereby their outward Man might receive Sustenance else if they accounted it not Christian-like to give on a Charitable score TYTHES without Compulsion yet he might have shewn his assent that their Conscientious Hearers might without Condemnation have administred in another Method p. 53. How falsly hast thou insinuated against the Pen-man and daubed with the Professors as if now thou wouldst ingratiate thy self to come into favour with the Professors who are against the Quakers and as if thou wouldst please them by telling of giving on a Charitable score Tythes But William I am sorry thou shouldst thus wrong thy own Conscience by such false Insinuations for therein thou knowest the matter in question and our Observation was not about nor for excluding such sort of Charity as that of freely relieving or contributing towards the Sustenance of the outward Man of any of them in case of need for that Humanity allows much more Christianity But the matter in question was singly about the freely paying of Tythes and that to the National Ministry as thy Words were against which our 40 th Disaffection was directed And thy insinuating expressions about giving on a Charitable score Tythes will not excuse thee nor clear thee in this matter as also on this occasion thou fallaciously insinuatest in thy Prayer viz. The Lord preserve me and all true Christians from that Censorious Spirit as may conclude that there are no other Sheep than of the Pen-man's Fold p. 53. Whom dost thou herein accuse We deny any such Censorious Spirit with thy terms Pen-man's Fold for 't is Christ's Fold we own Thou art an uncharitable censorious Spirit We know there are other Sheep as Christ declared which he will fetch home into his Fold But thou appearest none of Christ's Sheep either in his Fold or out of his Fold whilst in such an Envious Wolfish and Scornful Spirit § 8. Whereas to our 44 th Disaffection about Circumcision being a Christian-Liberty according to thy own Words thou
sayest viz. Suppose I had in any part of my Writings laid down that the practice of Circumcision by one that was a Jew and a believer in Christ was in that day a Christian-Liberty I only Query not intending to quarrel with my Adversary about a Mode of Speech when our Meanings are the same How can this be termed an Erronious manner of expression Why might not the Practice of such a Christian be without offence termed Christian-Liberty p. 54. I Answer Because Circumcision in the Flesh was not only a Type under the Law but by Christians counted a Yoke of Bondage not to be born by the Disciples under the Gospel being also among other Types abolisht by Christ in his Sufferings and Death Though some weak Believers as those of the Jews did for a time practise it yet they did it in obedience to the Law of Moses and the Old Covenant and not in obedience to Christ and his Apostles in the New Covenant And there was a Christian-forbearance and patience towards them in suffering Circumcision for a time to those of the Jews when the Vail was not wholly done away nor they come clearly to see to the end of those things that were abolished by Christ. and yet no liberty nor way was given for them to draw others into it Whence it follows not that Circumcision it self was Christian-Liberty or practised in a Christian-Liberty in that day but with respect to Moses's Law but the forbearance towards them was Christian and tender I am not willing to make much ado about this thy Mode of Speech though I look on 't to be an unsound and unscriptural Mode To thy saying Thou dost not say that Circumcision practised as aforesaid is a Christian-Liberty 't is the Pen-man's consequence c. What hast thou said less Thou hast told us of these Differing Exercises IN A CHRISTIAN-LIBERTY When speaking of practising Circumcision keeping a day abstaining from eating Flesh amongst the Primitive Believers That Christian-Liberty c. See thy own Recitation p. 53. 7 th Part. Circumcision then was one of those differing Exercises which thou placest in a Christian Liberty and which in thy next page thou termest Christian-Liberty as before And thou sayest If the mode of Speech be not pertinent to express the matter in hand 'T is our own approved Language I think thou mistakest here William and the passage thou citest out of R. B's Book of Government p. 63 64. proves it not from these Words cited viz. There is a certain Liberty and Forbearance also c. whereof we have the Example of the Primitive Church viz. In suffering Circumcision to the Jews Did he here term Circumcision Christian-Liberty No sure 't was only permitted or suffered to them as was the Observation of certain Dayes and abstaining from Meats which were not holden universally but when laid upon others then preacht down and reproved by the Apostle Gal. 5. Is there not a plain difference between a certain Liberty in suffering Circumcision to the Jews and terming it Christian-Liberty Is this the very same Language approved by the Second day's Meeting as thou sayest p. 55. Sure thou art much out here William to our saying That this man who is thus discomposed in his Work should not have medled so much with Points of Divinity which he appears so little skilful in He dreams so much of Liberty that he is greatly bewildred in the management of it Thou answerest 'T is Language more like the proudest of Prelates adorned with a pair of Lawn Sleeves than an humble Quaker p. 53. To this adding also in p. 55. Will not the impartial Reader hence be apt to suppose that the Pen-man's design is to ingross discourses of Divinity to himself and his Brethren that so the Laity may believe nothing but what proceeds from their Mouthes and Pens If they shall complain that this renders them guilty of gross Popery my counsel is Let them for the future cease giving occasion p. 55. This Question contains both scorn and falshood suggested against us to render us guilty of Popery as before is discovered We have no such design of engrosement nor Popish distinction among us as between Clergy and Laity the Spirit of Christ and true knowledge of Divinity are not limitted nor engrossed in the will of man to Persons neither doth our reprehending a discomposed Person for medling in things beyond his skill prove us Guilty in these cases Again William thou proceedest abusively and falsly in these Words viz. For 't is well known that G. Fox his party have been so Contentious as that nothing would content them but the introducing new Practices under the Notion of Gospel-Discipline in a Spirit of Strife and Contention concluding all to be dark that saw not with their Eyes p. 55. I shall say little to these Reproachful Censures But the Lord rebuke this false malicious censorious judging exalted conceited Spirit And he will manifestly rebuke it I doubt not CHAP. VI. § 1. Of our Catalogue of some of W. R's manifest Falshoods notorious Slanders scandalous Abuses c. which are numerous to clear himself and prove the Pen-man to have play'd the Forger He gives only three Instances whereby W. R. cannot clear himself § 2. W. R. again opposing the Credit of the Pen-man's method about proving Negatives The supposed Absurdity and Immorality removed § 3. Concerning his Contradictions His attempts only to reconcile the first Instance proved invalid as between his placing the Disunion in Principles Doctrine and Life of Christianity and placing it not in Principles of Truth nor in Christ's Doctrine but in Ceremonies the Shell c. § 4. His own Affirmation to clear himself of Contradiction no valid Plea or Argument His own dishonesty and injustice in accusing the Pen-man for not informing the Reader what is right and what is wrong in the matter of Contradiction His notorious Falshood and Contradictions farther pursued in judgment against himself on his own Censure about the Apostacy entring the generality Christ's words Mat. 18.15 16 17. Circumcision The Tree of Knowledge Freely paying Tythes c. § 5. W. R's Postscript a slight and scornful Put-off to our Friends of Bristol their Book entituled An Exalted Diotrephes Reprehended his miserable Evasion manifest Fallacy Falshood Abuse and Scorn against them detected § 6. Of his Proposition to our Meeting in London His Insincerity unrighteous Judgment and Conclusion against our Meeting § 1. BUt let 's see how thou W. R. proceedest to prove the Pen-man to have play'd the Forger in giving a Catalogue term'd of some of W. R. his manifest Falshoods notorious Slanders scandalous Abuses Perversions Rayling Scoffing Flattering and Reviling in the 4 th and 5 th Parts of his Book against G. F. and others in his own words and terms which may be seen at large in our said Treatise Accuser c. from page 230 to pag. 255 c. how not only some of his manifest Falshoods Slanders scandalous
stand for another Name as Richard Richardson but we are sure he is better principled than to write such Airy Loose Ranting stuff One reason that makes me take it to be R. Rich's Paper that thou hast espoused 't is so much in his floating reflecting accusing lavish and conceited Stile and also that thy Brother Francis Bugg makes use of his Authority in his Book De Christ. Lib. p. 170. in these words viz. I begin to see the truth of Robert Rich 's words in a Letter from Barbadoes to his Friends Abstracts c. pag. 20. viz. I can assure you that who meddle with the Quakers had need to be fenced within and without with the whole Armour of God Truth and love to Righteousness David 's Sling and Stone c. These Passages are mentioned that it may the more obviously appear how plainly you resemble one another and tread the same Track in the Stile and Terms of your Opposition and that 't is no new Controversie in the Substance 't is but only John Perrot's Spirit of Division risen with some other Circumstances and Pretences in a more Rough Lofty Contemning Hectoring and Huffing Party daring and scornful who have not that seeming show of Humility Lamb-likeness and Outside Demureness that John Perrot had the tendency and end of whose work time will manifest more directly to center in RANTERISM as it now tends to FLESHLY LIBERTY casting off the Yoke of Christ and causing the offence of his Cross to cease § 5. And now Thomas I am not willing at present to spend much farther time with thee thou having been so much answered by R. Richardson and J. F. only I would show thee a little further how unfairly and disingenuously thou dealest with John Field in thy 5th part of thy Babels c. First I take notice of the account J. Field gives in the 3d page of his Book entituled Thomas Crisp's Envy detected about thy Doctrine and then of what thou sayst in relation to the same and that which thou scornfully callest J. F's Bull of Excommunication against thee his account is this viz. John Field signifieth That Friends have no Vnity with Tho. Crisp nor his Doctrine which is as followeth The 8th day of the 9th Month 1681. Thomas Crisp said That he had lately paid Tythes and that the Spirit of God did or might allow him to pay Tythes or Marry by a Priest And that by the same Spirit of God another might be required not to pay Tythes or not do the same Things This Thomas Crisp spake the day and year abovesaid and consented to have it writ and printed and took a copy of the aforesaid words Witness John Field jun. Oh Thomas How hast thou lost true tenderness and the sence of Truth How art thou backsliden and gone from that which first convinced thee of the way of the Lord and his holy Truth which is but one And how variable dost thou render his Spirit and contradictory to it self in these great concerns of Tythes and Marriage Is this like the Testimony of the Christian-Quaker as thou and thy Brother W. R. and his party would be rendred Is it not more like exact Ranterism Let all tender Hearts and sincere Souls in the Light judge But what sayest thou to J. F's Question Why did thy Wife condemn it meaning your marrying by a Priest To this thou most unrighteously and scornfully answerest in these Words viz. But may not those that pretend to sell Pardons and pray Souls out of Purgatory your Brethren say that if their Prayers and Pardons be not effectual why have and do so many give so much Money for them If a Woman gives all she hath to have her Husband out of Purgatory an effectual Proof of the worth of the Pope's Pardon Thomas Thy Answer herein is dirty and scurrilous thy comparison with the Pope and those that falsly pretend to pray Souls out of Purgatory most unjust and slanderous Be ashamed of such scribling and abusive dirty Work and falsly calling such our Brethren Be ashamed also of thus unnaturally exposing thy own Wife to an unjust censure in this comparison viz. As to a Woman that gives all she hath to have her Husband out of Purgatory Oh sordid and bruitish As also in thy following Words and foul Reflection upon thy Wife viz. It is like SHEE as too many more have gave too much credit to what some of G. F's CHEATS said And she is not the first that hath been deceived by you and perhaps some among you that have prated others out of their Money might prate her unto the writing and giving you that Paper you pretend to Thus far thou in the 9th page of thy 5th part of thy Babel O Thomas be ashamed of thus abusing thy Wife and others our Friends with thy Railery in Print as if she were cheated or deceived into the giving forth the said Paper in judgment against your marrying with the Priest I am satisfied thou hast most foully wronged her as well as abused her Friends herein for I am perswaded that the Lord made her sensible you had done amiss in so marrying that she was convinced in her Conscience of the Evil of it and of your wrong proceeding therein by the Light of Truth before she gave out the said Paper and that therefore thou hast not only abused and unjustly exposed thy Wife thy near relation in Print but also that thou hast abused the Truth and the real Conviction thereof in her I dare appeal to the witness of God in her Conscience against thy sordid abuse of her and Friends in this matter I find thou art a shallow impertinent Scribler and Railer and uncharitably Censorious and Reviling in much of thy Work thou hast an absurd and dirty stile of writing if it be thy own however it is patronized by thee Remember from whence thou art fallen and Repent of thy hard Speeches Prejudice and Uncharitableness against Gods People his Heritage Thou hast abused the Servants of Christ have a care thy dayes be not shortned in Darkness and Sorrow I am sorry for thee Thou canst advise and instruct others to Love and Gentleness and pretendest to shew the necessity of bearing with and not judging one another about such things wherein they differ in Opinion or Practice in some things viz. outward and circumstantial matters of Religion for that thou sayest We may belong to one Shepherd although not all in one Fold and confessest That Love is part of the Seal in the Forehead of the Lamb's followers and so also Hatred Strife c. the mark of the Beast as in thy Introduction to thy third Edition As also page 13. thou givest Friends this warning To forbear judging any man any more upon any pretence whatsoever as in the Paper thou hast cited and falsly callest E. B's Vision Yet contrariwise thou art severely judging and contemning us on some Pretence thou appearest in Hatred and Strife in the most of thy
Bride the Lambs Wife and she hath no need of the Light of the Moon to shine in her because the Lord is the Light and the Lambs Spirit is the Light of the Church that is in him But your visible Churches make use of the Light of the Moon that is your Mens Meetings and also your Womens Meetings and the Orders which are set up by them they are to be Rules for your visible Churches to walk by For the Women have power to order the Affairs of your visible Church as well as your Men and this Practice of yours is altogether Antichristian and so also is your Church-Government because it is the Invisible man Christ who orders all things in his Church by his own Spirit Those who are Members of the Church in God among you in time will abhor your Government because it is Antichristian For you Elders do look upon your selves to be Judges and that you have Power to determine things in matter of Conscience c. p. 10 11. Answ. Christ's Government in his Church is both Invisible and Visible he governs by himself and by his Ministers all are not come to a ripe Age in him there are many Children and weak Ones who have need of helps in Government Our faithful Mens Meetings and Womens Meetings were set up by the Power of Christ Jesus and in his Light he governs and rules among them by his own Spirit And faithful grave and sober Women have power to be Teachers of good things and to teach the younger Women Christian-Church-Order and Spiritual Rule were exercised among the Primitive Christians both Men and Women who were Children of New Jerusalem the free Woman the Inhabitants of this City are not without Order or Ministers therein And therefore this Opposers Blow and Charge of altogether Antichristian against our Mens and Womens Meetings is both Silly Proofless Slanderous and altogether Antichristian against Christ's Work and appointment in Male and Female and as the Church-Government among us is Christ's Government both revealed set up and ordained by him none that are and continue true Members of his Church will ever abhor that Government nor reject slight or despise that promised Dominion and Judgment that he hath given to the Saints to determine matters of Difference but only Apostates false Brethren and deceitful Workers and loose Spirits these will be smiting and accusing the Brethren despising Dominion and speaking evil of Dignities yea speaking perverse things to draw Disciples after them crying against outward Rule and Government Forms and Order in the Church whilst they are seeking Mastery Dominion Rule and Government to themselves As for our visible Church and visible Church-Government or Order so much opposed by this Adversary he talks blindly and ignorantly for though the Church be Invisible as to the Spirits of Men who are Members of it and Christ's immediate Rule and Government in the Heart be Invisible yet there is a Visibility both of the true Christian Congregation and good Order and Rule therein proceeding from the Spirit of Christ within The People of God and their good Conversations and Order in Christ are not all shut up in an Invisibility being as Epistles to be read and seen of all and they as a City set upon a Hill c. J. B. You do prefer your selves and the Church in the first place before God who is Light And have set up themselves and their Church as Head instead of God and Christ p. 12. Their setting up themselves and their Government and are laying aside the Spirit 's Government and Authority p. 13. Those Elders who call themselves Ministers look upon themselves and their Image to be equal in Power and Glory both with the Father and the Son Testimony against the Quakers p. 3. Answ. These are notoriously false and slanderous We prefer the living God and his Son Christ Jesus before all and do not lay aside the Spirit 's Government or Authority but in humility reverence and desire ever to live under the same knowing Self abased and Images defaced and rejected by the Light of Christ Jesus § 4. J. B. If any of those called Teachers intend to speak a few words commonly called Prayer then the Women and the Men that are set in the Meeting shall rise up and the Men will uncover their Heads Their Teachers have judged those Quakers not to be real Members of their Church or Body that have not done it i. e. uncovered their Heads And herein the Quakers in general have given more Homage Reverence and Respect to the Words or Prayers of another wherein there was no Life at all than they have done to the Word of Life it self in their own Particulars And this is Anti-christ's work p. 14 15. Answ. His conclusion is false and slanderous herein We Reverence the Word of Life in our living Prayers and not Lifeless Words And why doth he thus judge any Reverent Posture among us in Prayer as that of Peoples Rising up and Mens Uncovering their Heads in our holy Duty of publick Prayer This is like John Perrot's prejudiced Party And how foully Contradictory to himself is he in thus uncharitably judging us for our Reverent Posture or serious Behaviour which is matter of Conscience to us when yet he 'l not allow any Members or Elders among us to judge or determine matters relating to Conscience And cautions us in Christ's words Judge not that ye be not judged p. 12. Oh blind harden'd Man how darest thou thus judge over our Consciences or falsly accuse us with leading People from the Power to worship and reverence the Form more than the Power And then most falsly to add That this is the work of Antichrist among the Quakers p. 17. Here thou hast slandered and shamefully belyed the People of God called Quakers and hast shewn thy self not worthy of so much as the Name of a Quaker Thou hast long been a Reproach unto them J. B. Postscript to his Antichrist's Transformations within viz. If any amongst you pretend to be moved by the Spirit to go to Prayer then both Men and Women they either stand up or else kneel down and the Men all pull off their Hats which own your Form of Prayer and herein you do both Worship Reverence and Adore the Form outwardly and the Words more than you do the Word of Life in your own Particulars Answ. An erronious Conclusion and no natural Consequence either of our standing up kneeling or putting off our Hats in Prayer for all these may be and are innocently and conscientiously performed with Respect and in a holy Reverence to Almighty God whom we breathe and pray unto by his own Spirit Besides both Kneeling and being Uncovered have been practised among God's People and true Christians in Prayer to him so that these Postures are not condemnable in themselves How blind and ignorant therefore is this Gain-sayer in his Opposition Read Psal. 95.6 O come let us Worship and Bow down Let us
Appeal and Supplication I do Conclude OH Thou Heart-searching God and righteous Iudge of all unto thee I make my Appeal and Supplication against this Jealous Dividing Rending Spirit that hath appeared in Strife and open Contention against thy Servants and faithful Witnesses and against that good order and society that thou hast been pleased to gatber us into Thou knowest the integrity of my soul before thee and that I have waited for thy Counsel how to act and behave my self in these matters and that I have not sought to exalt my self nor any Popularity Party or Interest to my self but only thy Glory and the good of Souls Thou knowest that in the first place my soul hath sought for Peace in the way of Peace and for a quiet Composure of Differences occasioned by some Self-willed and Luke-warm Professors of thy Truth whilst there was any hope or probability thereof before the opposite Party became open Adversaries And O Lord thou knowest I am not alone in this concern many others of thy faithful servants have traveled in the same Christian Spirit with me for peace and quietness and for a quiet end of Differences in Truth and Righteousness But thine and our Adversaries have rewarded us evil for good and to me hatred for my love And now O Lord behold how true love and tenderness is rejected by thy Adversaries and how thy holy spirit is offended Behold and judge the bitterness of their spirits Their Rancor and Fury their Words of Hatred Reviling and Slander against thy faithful Servants and Witnesses Their Disregard to the Honour and Reputation of thy Truth thy Name and People Their working against the Glory and Honour of thy excellent Name among us Their crucifying thy Son afresh to themselves and putting him to open shame and reproach in the Eyes of thy open Enemies and Persecutors of thy People Oh! Lord Lord look down behold and judge for these things show thy Power in putting an end as openly to these Controversies as they are openly forced out into the World by Apostates and Adversaries of thy Truth and People Thou knowest O Lord that though thou hast endued me with a Christian Spirit and with Faith Patience and Rejoycing under all my Sufferings and Tribulations for thy Name sake and enabled me patiently to undergo the open Revilings and Infamies cast upon me both by open profest and secret Enemies in all which I daily praise thy Name for thy Goodness Yet thou hast also endued me with the Spirit of Righteous Judgment Understanding and Zeal for the Glory of thy holy Name and Truth and hast raised me up in defence of thy Gospel to vindicate thy Truth and innocent People who are Lovers of Peace and Union in thy Son Christ Iesus And now O Lord I humbly pray thee preserve thy Lambs and tender Babes and open the Eyes and unvail the Understandings of all whom the Enemy has deceived and prejudiced who are mistaken in their Iudgments and not guilty of willful Opposition and Hatred That they that have not sinned out their day nor become judicially hardened may yet find a place of Repentance and Mercy in returning to thee with Humility true Contrition and Brokenness of Heart that thou maiest heal their Backslidings and love them freely O my God! in these my Labours and Endeavours as I have eyed thee and thy Counsel and thou hast been with me for which I praise thy Name So I recommend all to thee to manifest the real intent and end of all and to plead and justifie my Cause it being thy own Cause and the Cause of thy whole Heritage Amen Amen saith my Soul ADVERTISEMENT FIrst Note That where in pag. 158. of this Treatise mention is made That G. F 's intention and sence is by another hand spoken to That and much more is yet reserved in Manuscript against W. R's abusive Books Secondly That whereas in pag. 205. it is said It being now above six Weeks since the Letter was left at Ely c. and yet no Answer It is now above three Moneths since and yet no Answer received from F. B. being now at the Printing hereof towards the latter end of the 11th Moneth 1682. Thirdly That this Treatise has been long in the Printer's hands and not hastened in the Press because of these Additions in the three last Chapters to Francis Bugg Thomas Crisp John Pennyman and Jeffery Bullock for the Answer to William Rogers's 7 th part of his Christian-Quaker was writ in a short time after it was out Fourthly It is some question whether two or three of the Names in pag. 250. be right i. e. Averset Snazdale and Tysoeth by reason of their Names being badly writ in the Certificate sent up Fifthly Note That where in the Postscript after the Letter to Francis Bugg pag. 253 4. and in his Book also p. 52. he gives account of a Minister thus viz. That in the Quarterly-Meeting Book at Hadenham they shall find a Record wherein he is recorded out of the Vnity for not taking his Wife according to the Order of Friends i. e. not publishing his Intention before the Womens Meetings Which Account is excepted against upon Friends positively giving a contrary one to me Let it be farther remarked that Francis Bugg's pretended Proof appears not from Evidence of the Fact but is his consequence drawn from the Records But first his Consequence appears not only fallacious but false in Fact in his restraining the Order of Friends only to the Womens Meetings which is not consequent to the Record of the Quarterly Meeting dated the first of the 10th Moneth 1675. and cited by F. B. p. 61. for Proof for the extent of that Record is For the consent of Friends at two Mens Meetings and two Womens Meetings c. 2 dly Neither can his Account be true if there was not then a Womans Meeting established in that part of the County but that the complaint of the Monethly Meeting was That the Person concerned did not publish his Intention above once to the Mens Meeting and refused to bring the Woman to any Meeting at all before the time of their Marriage 3 dly Since the said Exception was writ I have met with a Certificate under the Hands of several Persons of Credit i. e. Phillip Taylor William Brasier John Prime and Jacob Baker who do confirm the matter excepted against Francis Fugg's said Account whereby they declare it to be his false Insinuation and a manifest misrepresenting of Friends in those parts and a malicious Falshood For they affirm That there was no Womens Meetings established in that part of the County where it fell in course for the said Person to publish his Intention of Marriage and that because he refused to bring the Woman to any Meeting at all to manifest her consent and intention of Marriage with him And his proposing it but once to the Mens Meeting and that in her absence before he took her to Wife This they looked
Iudgment fixed UPON THE Accuser of our Brethren AND THE Real Christian-Quaker VINDICATED From the Persecuting OUTRAGE of Apostate Informers Chiefly from W. Rogers F. Bugg T. Crisp John Pennyman and Jeffery Bullock their Malicious Confused and Unjust Opposition and Imputation of Apostacy Imposition Popery c. in their abusive Books and Pamphlets herein specified Beginning with W. R's Seventh Part. By that Contemned Servant of Christ George Whitehead Psal. 109.3 They compassed me about with words of Hatred c. vers 4. For my Love they are my Adversaries but I give my self unto Prayer Jude v. 13 Raging Waves of the Sea foaming out their own Shame c. London Printed and Sold by Andrew Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holloway-Lane near Shoreditch 1682. An Introductory Epistle To my beloved and tender-hearted Friends called Quakers who are lovers of Peace and Unity in our Lord Jesus Christ Greeting in the holy Spirit of Life IF I did not feel the Lord my God laying a real necessity upon me to be publickly concerned in this Controversie and that for the sake of simple Hearts and poor Lambs to warn them against such grievous Wolves as seek to prey upon them rend and tear them and that the weak of the Flock may not be hurt scattered or perverted by those that speak perverse things to draw Disciples after them I would chuse rather to sit down mute and silently bear the Revilings Outrage and fierce Despisings of crooked Spirits than spend time in Controversie with them or against them But the Lord has laied the necessity and knows best my Conscientious concern and for what end and to what effect and for whose sakes And in discharging my Duty I neither consult Events nor fear Effects but leave all to God for I feel his divine Power and Counsel In whose Name and in the Patience Forbearance Long-suffering and Bowels of our Lord Jesus Christ my Soul hath had a share in deep Travail and Exercise with many more of his faithful Servants my Brethren for a quiet Composure of this Breach 1st With Respect to Truth 's Reputation 2dly With respect to that Compassion that 's to be had on some where a difference ought to be made for the regaining and delivering them who have been at unawares taken captive by the Enemy I have no self-Interest nor end but the Churches Peace and the Salvation of Souls and Prosperity of the Lord's Work in the Earth God doth bear me Record I have not been awanting in Christian Endeavours private and friendly with divers principally concerned in this Opposite Rending Self-Separating Spirit Christian Patience and Forbearance have not been awanting in the Exercise of my Spirit and Testimony But when all our Christian Endeavours on these accounts have been rejected by some Conceited Exalted Pufft up Luciferian Spirits Despisers and Mockers that have of late time lusted to be Contentious and at open War and Defiance against many of the faithful Ministers and Servants of our Lord Jesus Christ who have kept their Garments and Stations in Truth and Uprightness and whom they have most grosly abused in Print in their Books and Pamphlets On this extream Occasion and Offence given against the Truth and Gods Heritage I find my Spirit stirred and moved within me by and in the same Long-suffering tender Spirit and Power of Christ Jesus my Lord saying Why should God's Heritage lie under their publick Lyes and Defamations without open Rebuke and to withstand oppose weaken and repel these their Wicked Attempts and Insolent Abuses and to vindicate the peaceable Christian People called Quakers in their blessed Society Order and Church-Discipline c. from the cruel Envy Scorn Outrage Madness and Confusions of certain Persons turned Apostate Informers Treacherous Hypocrites False Brethren and Deceitful Workers Betraying Judases Devils Incarnate for Christ called Judas a Devil who having lost their First Love to Truth and gone out from us are become Degenerate without Natural Affection Dogs that are without Wolves and Raging Waves of the Sea that foam out their own Shame whom the strength of Truth is turned against in Judgment and God in ten Thousand of his Saints is coming to execute Judgment upon them as the Patience of Christ in his Saints comes to be fulfilled towards them and their Iniquity ripened for open Discovery and Condemnation as they have not spared publickly to defame the Innocent But they that are at unawares betrayed deceived or only mistaken and not willful contentious are to be had Compassion of and distinguished from the other And in Righteous Judgment will the great Judge of all decide the Controversie with all them who would be counted true Jews and are not Christian-Quakers and are not but of the Synagogue of Satan and Antichrist whose Works the Day of Christ our Lord will yet more clearly declare and fully manifest and the Day and Time hastens blessed are they that watch and keep their Garments that their Nakedness appear not Amen Ingenuous Reader Note that the Contents of the ensuing Treatise are mostly placed before each Chapter respectively in several Sections directing to the Passages therein And also please to take notice That William Rogers who is first concerned in this Treatise is not ignorant what great Labour and Pains I have taken with him more privately to inform his Vnderstanding and allay his Heat by divers large Answers in Manuscript unto his Gain-saying Accusing and Reviling Letters and Papers amounting to much more than what 's herein contained in Answer to his seventh Part of his Christian-Quaker but instead of any fair ingenuous Reply or acknowledgment of the Truth from him he hath slighted me and my Christian-Labours and Endeavours sometimes casting Dirt upon me yet giving the GO-BY to the greater part of my Writings seeming rather desirous to be some-body in Print against us as one affecting Popularity though in a perverse Work the more publickly to manifest his Revengeful Spirit in Abusing Scandalizing and casting undeserved ODIUMS upon those whom his Spight and Malice is most bent against and I expect no better Treatment from him and such exalted Spirits I expect the Hatred of Scorners for rebuking them and for this my Christian Conscientious Labour Howbeit I doubt not but this shall have its Effect for the clear Information and Advantage of many simple honest Hearts And I can say Surely my Judgment is with the Lord and my Reward is with my God Isa. 49.4 Several Testimonies and Answers are already extant in Print against William Rogers's wicked Books as by Thomas Ellwood his ANTIDOTE and divers others Surely it would be more reputable for him to desist and lay aside his daring Confidence and evil Attempts against the Servants of Christ and ingenuously and humbly submit to the Truth for our God nâ— doubt will finally and signally rebuke that Rebellious Exalted Spirit of Strife and Contention To him who is the Righteous Judge of all I freely commit my Cause with my Friends in
Comparisons against him and thy rendring him a Persecutor of his Brethren agree with his being Dear W. P. This Noble man c as thy Brother F. Bugg and consequently thy self have rendred him being in thy Book pag. 73.74 As for their not mentioning any particular Doctrine or Vitious Life that others might know the matters alledged against them what wouldst infer that therefore the Pope's Bull against M. Luther was more reasonable or just That 's a mistake for thou confessest a Judgment to be given against that jealous rending and separate Spirit from which thou hast not cleared them but rendred them the more Guilty if thou beest their Representatives as impowered by them to write in their Vindication according to thy own reflection on us And was that no Reason then to give others notice and warning against such a Spirit Is Schism no Sin or not reproveable But how Unjust is thy Comparison I ask thee if thou darest say that Pope Leo that Atheist was in the same Sense Religion Gravity and tender Exercise toward M. Luther that in thy own Narrative thou hast rendred these Friends in that were concern'd in dealing with J. S. and J. W. at Drawell And I ask thee further If ever thou readst any such Acknowledgment Submission or Condemnation made by Martin Luther to the Church of Rome as the said J. S. and J. W. with thy own assistance made as satisfaction to their Brethren and the Church of God in general Though afterward thou comparedst it to a Rattle to please Children And hath a Christian Society no Power to reprove and judge a dividing self-separating Spirit in whomsoever it be that makes Rents and Schisms as well as Heretical Doctrine and Vitious or Scandalous living Mark them that cause Divisions and Offences and avoid them c. If thou grantest the Principle and such power in a Christian Society or Church what will thy attempts to Unchristian and Unchurch us avail unless thou canst prove us guilty of Vitious Lives and Heretical Doctrine Which if thou canst not then hast thou and thy party assumed a Power to judge of Spirits wherein you fairly give away your Cause and overthrow much of your own opposition to the Churches Power and Determination in such cases And your Judgment to Unchristian us or our Spirits being but your Imposition we shall as little value and the day will yet farther discover whose Spirits are Unchristian and whose Spirits are Christian. And 't is not thy boasting either of the Numerousness or Scores of thy party p. 23. that will decide the Controversie nor wouldst thou accept of such a Plea on our parts but doubtless esteem it no Christian Proof or Argument but an Imposition and begging the Question But seeing thou layest so much stress on thy Numbers and Scores I must tell thee that if they amounted to as many as the third part of the Stars which yet they are far short of that followed thee or owned thy Work of opposition strife they would be but wandring Stars and have lost their Habitations and Glory and are darkned whom the Dragon's Tayl has drawn and cast down to the Earth But blessed be the Lord our God the greater part of the Stars among us his People called Quakers have kept their Station and Splendor in the Firmament of his Power and in living Union Concord and Love wherein they live above that Spirit of Enmity and Discord which thou and thy party are in and which the Lord will yet farther discover and deliver those who are at unawares betrayed thereby yet have some secret Breathings unto him and that they may come into clearness of Judgment so as on the Restoration and increase of the number of the Faithful and Upright And by the spreading of the Gospel day thy Numbers shall decrease and many will come to see thee more and more in thy dark and mischievous attempts and how insuccesful and disappointed thou wilt be therein And those that come to be recovered and many Thousands that shall be gathered to the Lord and us his People shall be found better and more worthy than thy self and those that go out and separate from us § 3. W. R. is pleased to make a Charge and draw severe and seditious Inferences upon our Advertisement and conclusion of our Introduction especially against the Pen-man for vindicating the People called Quakers in their Church-Order and Discipline and writing in the Name of the People called Quakers when vindicated from his Scandals But he has very unfairly and dis-ingenuously left out the distinguishing expressions in the first as Peaceable Christian Conscientiously Christian Society p. 23. in the passage of ours viz. We the peaceable Christian People called Quakers are Conscientiously vindicated and cleared in our Christian Society Where 's then his exception against our vindication and writing in the Plural in the Name of the peaceable People called Quakers But that 1. We could not write in the Name of such as encouraged the publication of his Treatise entituled The Christian-Quaker in five parts who yet are a part of the People called Quakers saith he 2. Nor in the Names of such as are disaffected with laying Marriages before Womens Meetings And these are numerous and called Quakers quoth he To the first Answer No How should we write in their Names who encouraged the Publication of his said Treatise against us if any such were for they keep very obscure as not willing to be known in such encouragement It is a Book of Envy Strife and Discord and they no Peaceable Quakers who encouraged it 'T was the Peaceable People called Quakers that were concerned in our Vindication And therefore W. R. saith true as 't happens The Pen-man could not write in the Name of such as encouraged the Publication of his Book Whence it follows they were not of that Peaceable sort which he vindicated nor W. R's Book a work of Peace or in the least tending thereto but a great Abuse and Scandal to and against the very peaceable People called Quakers Secondly Nor are they who oppose our Godly Women's Meetings and laying Marriages before them so peaceable and clear in their minds in that point as we could wish they were and they should be better informed and hear Instruction However they also are concluded by W. R.'s words not to be of that Peaceable People called Quakers intended in our Vindication in that he saith The Pen-man cannot be understood to write in their Names when 't is most evident he did write in the Name of The Peaceable Christian People called Quakers Though W. R. as one in some wise Conscious leaves out the word Peaceable that he might with the greater colour draw his Charge and severe Inferences upon the Pen-man c. But such kind of slighty mean shifts will stand him in no stead when we strictly look into his Fallacious dealing And granting him that we cannot represent nor be understood to write in the Name of such
Quakers so called as encouraged the publication of his persecuting Books and Pamphlets against us nor of such as either oppose our Womens Meetings or laying Marriages before them or are disaffected there-with nor in the Names of the several Scores he tells of who gave Testimony in Writing against Charles Marshall and Sixty five more The greatest part whereof being known to be Faithful men of Sincerity and service in the Lord's work Nor in the Names of such as he saith appear Neutral in the present Controversie and yet own the same Principles which he and his party do Where is then their Neutrallity is it in having no concern of Conscience outwarly to appear on either party as W. R. saith Then they are only Neutrals in appearance but secretly of his party and Principles some whereof are very perverse and unpeaceable as well as unsound Now I say we grant that we of the Second day's Meeting did not represent such kind of Quakers as those of W. R. his party nor could they impower us in our writing for and representing the peaceable People called Quakers or that peaceable sort of Quakers who are for Unity Love Concord and Peace in the Church of Christ among us nor was it our intention to represent personate or vindicate such pretended Quakers as are in a Spirit of discord and strife causing and making Divisions Rents and Schismes in the Church first disturbing and troubling then reproaching the Society they sometime owned but only those of a peaceable Mind and Spirit and therefore his not knowing that we can represent any under that Name more than our own Second day's Meeting is a false insinuation for there are many Thousands of the People called Quakers yea of the most sincere and peaceable minded besides our said Meeting whose real sense and judgment in the matters treated on in our Book against W. R's great Book we have represented and who really do and will own the same Where now hath W. R. shown the Pen-man guilty of great Impudence in writing in behalf of the peaceable People called Quakers The word Peaceable in our Advertisement left out by him doth really distinguish it with respect only to the peaceable sort which are they that live in Love and Unity who may properly be termed The PEOPLE called Quakers as united in one Society and become one People and not dividing separate Spirits who are gone out from us And though in our Introduction we say the terms We and Vs are used sometimes in the Name of the People called Quakers when vindicated from his Scandals I say so still And this intends no other than the Peaceable People as before explain'd in our Advertisement and not any such pretended Quakers as W. R. his party and Abettors who are unpeaceable and turbulent to the Society and People among whom they sometime walked And therefore his roaring and clamouring out great Impudence Pride and height of such towring lofty spirited Persons as the Pen-man c. are but empty Clamours and Abuses as is also his Jealousie That the Pen-man counts himself one of the Representatives of Christ's inward Government who alone is Lord over the Conscience Whereas the Pen-man never so accounted of himself nor ever assumed to himself any such Government or Lordship over the Conscience as is peculiar to Christ alone but only accounts himself a Servant of Christ and a Subject under his spiritual Government And therefore W. R's still proceeding in his roaring and bitter Exclamation against him as That he would represent in Print as if the People called Quakers without râ—â—triction a Lye still were Persons impowering such an imperious Map of Pride and Drollery as the Pen-man shews himself to write in their Names The matter is answered before but yet I may further add as the Envy and Malice of this Adversary appears swelling high so his confidently repeated Falshoods and Abuses are numerous for we would neither so represent in Print nor yet did the Pen-man so much as pretend to be impowered to write by the People in general or without restriction and yet both in Charity and Christian duty might vindicate all them as the peaceable People caâ—â—ed Quakers who are really peaceable in their Spirits and Conversations And though there be some called Quakers who are unpeaceable in both such as W.R. and his party yet that cannot unpeople the other who are truly peaceable but rather unpeople themselves who are unpeaceable from being of that People Such our vindication of a peaceable People from the unpeaceable proves none of us Impudent nor any imperious Map of Pride and Drollery notorious Falshood c. as most unjustly rendred by an imperious proud Adversary For hath it not been frequent with us to vindicate the People called Quakers intending all those that might properly be counted a People in Peace and Unity and that from the general Aspersions and Calumnies both of open and secret Enemies And in this Controversie we vindicate them as that peaceable People who are sincere and faithful to God lovers of Peace Unity and good Order and whom W. R. and his party in their dividing and perverse gain-sayings are not able to unpeople nor justly to render themselves that People As for him and those of his party who promote his malicious persecuting defaming Books c. We cannot look upon them worthy to bear so much as the Name Quakers muchless to be deemed that People under the Title of Christian-Quakers whilst in their Unchristian spirit of strife and discord And they will yet more manifest themselves to be further remote from that peaceable People called Quakers if they Repent not and the peaceable and faithful who love unity and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ shall remain a people and live when all such spirits as lust to envy and contention shall be confounded scattered wither be driven back and come to naught in their evil Designs and wicked Attempts the Breath of the Lord shall scatter them for no Weapon formed against his Heritage shall prosper But alas our Adversary is still in a great fude and fret for our writing in behalf or in the name of the People called Quakers reiterating his Falshood again without Restriction p. 24 25. he should have said Peaceable People called Quakers But he goes on at an outragious rate on this subject confessing He wants words to represent the Action in as ugly a dress as it deserves And therefore when he hath as falsly asperst the Pen-man and set him out in as Vgly a Dress as he can so that the Devil and William Rogers have done their worst hitherto he supposeth a Comparison in the case against him but very unjustly in these words viz. Suppose a company of men never chosen according to Law should meet at Westminster and call themselves the Representatives of the People of England and accordingly in the Name of the People of England proceed to act as such Wouldst thou not abhor and detest the Action
And how canst thou think that we can do less than detest thy insolent Spirit by offering to write in the Name of the People called Quakers without Restriction when they gave neither thee nor any of thy Brethren such Authority Had the fear of God been before thine Eyes thou couldst not have attempted to have done so Wickedly p. 25. Here it is probable he thinks he hath given the Pen-man a deadly Blow but when the Devil and William Rogers have done their worst it comes to little Execution but to manifest his Envy and Folly He only shews his Teeth but cannot bite nor fasten for there is no just paralel in the case there is no such kind of Treasonable proceeding justly chargeable upon the Pen-man as is inferred in the Comparison The Pen-man did not call himself the Representative nor write in the Name of the People or of all those called Quakers without Restriction as he falsly saith nor pretend an Election or Authority from them so to do the matter is distinguished and answered before and yet the Pen-man might lawfully represent the Innocency of all true peaceable Quakers both as to Principle and Practice when abused and calumniated either as Vnchristian or Popish Imposers c. without Conviction like as this Adversary hath frequently misrepresented them And this may be done charitably freely and voluntarily in their Name and Vindication and in true Unity from a right knowledge of their Innocency declared Sense and Principles And hath not this been the Practice of many faithful Servants of Christ among us ever since we were a People to write both in the name vindication of the People of God called Quakers or of the Innocent People called Quakers c. as the Lord hath laid a necessity upon them and yet not to include those who are unfaithful or scandalous to Truth or any who are turned into Envy and Strife though they go under that Name Nor yet have they sought or needed to seek Commission from the whole People to write in their behalf being required of the Lord to write And did not many of the best reformed Protestants and Martyrs write in the name and behalf of the Protestant Church and Religion as the Book of Martyrs and other Histories and their own Writings shew of which numerous Instances might be given And did not the the Apostles of Christ often write in the Plural both in the name and behalf of themselves and the rest of true Believers and Fellow-members under the terms We and Vs and Our c. especially in that of 1 John 2.19 They went out from Us but they were not of Us for if they had been of Us they would no doubt have continued with Us see chap. 3.14 and 4.6 Here John wrote in the Name of his Brethren and Fellow-members and distinguished themselves from those that went out from them as we have our selves as a peaceable People from you that are gone out from us into a Spirit of Enmity Discord and Self-separation § 4. But W. R. since thou countest it such a horrid Crime such great Impudence Pride ugly Action Insolence c. to write in the name or on the behalf of People or Persons or in their Vindication without being impowered authorized and chosen by the same Persons or People Now observe well upon thy own principle and way of arguing what a Reckoning I have with thee Let us seriously enquire of thee Have all those Persons in whose behalf and Name thou hast written in the Plural under the Terms We Vs c given thee Authority or chosen thee to write in their Name and behalf Did John Story John Wilkinson and now the person in Cambridgshire whom thou and Francis Bugg contend for against the Record about his Marriage all give thee Authority or chuse thee to write on their behalf and to expose their Names in Print as thou hast done in thy state of the Controversie on their behalf Did they give thee Authority to write in their names and behalf as those Other Friends in Truth thou tellest of and representest Either they did or they did not if they did then they may be entituled to and are justly chargeable with thy work how perverse and abusive soever it be If they did not chuse nor authorize thee to write in their behalf and name then thy own Judgment returns upon thy own head as one guilty of great Impudence Pride towring lofty Spirit notorious Falshood ugly Dress c. to write in the name and vindication of Persons and to represent them who never gave thee Power nor chose thee to thy work Didst not thou pretend to write on behalf of thy self and other Friends in Truth concerned as in the Title-page of thy great Book and now to use the words Vs We or Our with respect to such as encouraged the giving forth thereof as in thy Advertisement to thy seventh part When now divers noted Persons who have appeared of thy party refuse to stand by thy Books and we know none of them that dare say they gave thee any such Authority or chose thee to be their Representative to write in their name and behalf as thou hast done against many faithful Friends whom the Lord is with and will stand by against thy crooked Spirit and Opposition but rather those thy Friends in Truth pretended on enquiry if they own and will stand by thy Books as it has been often asked them particularly at Devonshire-house in 1681. have answered That William Rogers must answer for himself if he hath done more than he can answer or wronged any They will not stand by him 'T is his own Act he must look to it c. Thus upon a pinch they leave him in the lurch to shift for himself they 'l not stand by him openly however they own him not for their Representative though he hath represented them and written as in their Name Person and Vindication as also represented them as Encouragers of the giving forth of his great Book falsly stiled The Christian-Quaker c. But to deal more closely and positively with thee in this matter how camest thou to expose Edward Burroughs Name in Print and to represent him as a Person of thy Principle and Judgment by a confused unsound whimsical Paper which thou hast printed in thy great Book with Edward Burrough's Name put to it and represented it as his Testimony and even in thy Title-page sayst it was given forth in the year 1661. by Edw. Burroughs and since the same is reprinted over and over by thy busie informing Agent Thomas Crisp as E. B's Vision but I am perswaded thou and he have grosly abused and mis-represented that Servant of the Lord E. B. by rendring him the Author of such Absurdities as are contained in that same Paper about the Shepherd and his Dogs c. particularly in that passage of the Shepherd's gathering the Sheep with the many Goats that did push trouble and hurt the Sheep with
of proposing the Marriage twice before consumated Is this that Rome at home which Thou and F. B. would have Friends to Fly for I take thee and F. B. to be in great Union now in your work seeing you appear so joyntly together in Print and to charge Friends with Imposition Immorality c. as thou hast done But he deals partially as thou hast done in not manifesting the occasion of Friends dissatisfaction he charging them with Excluding the aforesaid Person what in them lies out of the Vnity Excommunicating c. In which he placeth the Controversie but about manifesting his intention to Marry and then crys Behold the Crime But shews not what it is in the manner of circumstances of it Thus partial and covered you are in stating matters But the said Meeting would not hear his Letter What great Crime was that To this thou sayst viz. Should the Supream Power in this Nation have treated our Friends so as not to hear our Addresses many Goals might at this day have remained full of honest Friends who have been discharged from their sore Imprisonments There 's no parallel in the case between Friends tender Addresses to Authority for Relief of Friends in Distresses Goals c and F. Bugg's â—â—â—lecting abusive Letter to Friends in vindication of an Irregular Practice unwarrantable and tending to a corrupt fleshly Liberty as that of Proposing the Marriage but once to the Meeting c. Howbeit 't is a marvel thou wilt grant us so much Truth as that our Addresses have at any time had so good effect with Authority as to obtain the enlargement of so many honest Friends out of their sore Imprisonments This is more than some of thy Party have owned However considering thy Concession herein 't is the worse requital in thee to villifie and abuse such in Print as have been most industrious with the supream Power in the Sufferers behalf as to my knowledge thou hast very evilly requited and treated some such rather like a revengeful Persecutor than a Helper of the oppressed So thy Charge of Immorality on the Quarterly Meeting in the Isle of Ely for not hearing F. B's Letter and instancing the Parliaments admitting us to represent our Agrievance c. are still both unjust and no ways parallel For if we had given the like occasion against the Parliament that thou and F. B. have against us they might very well have rejected our Applications as Persons insolent to and contemning of Government should we have rendred them no more rightly in Government than you have our Meetings for a Church of Christ how should they have accepted our Addresses As if we should have told them they were a false usurping imposing apostate Parliament they might justly have rejected our Addresses § 6. Moreover 't is a shameful Lye and Abuse for thee again to recite the Paper from Barbadoes As one part of the fruits of the pretended establisht Government p. 27. since that Paper was so far from being own'd as any part of the fruits of that Government establisht which was by Christ we affirm among us that we have both plainly manifested our dislike thereof and the Persons concern'd in it in Barbadoes have themselves retracted it as is since publickly evinced in Print yet thou art so unconscionable as to render both G. Fox my self c. as shewing no dislike to the said Paper p. 28. Oh shameless Prevaricater and Abuser Thou canst not but otherwise understand divers Passages in our Letter about it to Barbadoes which clearly bespeaks our real dislike of it as thou confessest G.F. c. would seem to discourse a little of something amiss c. 'T is evident G. F. c. dislike some part of the said Paper c. p. 29. Seem to dislike the latter part thereof p. 4. But little indeed thou makest of that part of our discourse but art rather willing to expose us unjustly to publick Censure on those words of ours which appear most friendly tender and obliging and falsly to represent us as shewing no dislike to the said Paper Adding also another gross Untruth and self-contradiction in the case viz. That the Pen-man is espousing a cause contrary to antient Testimonies c. p. 30. And further sayst G. W. smoothed up the Barbadoes Meeters with this Expression We know you aim at the best things p. 82. What smoothing was this when we had plainly shewed them their Mistake We are sure then 't was not to smooth them up therein And may not some aim at good yea the best things and yet be mistaken in some cases What Absurdity then have I committed in telling them whom I believed had a good meaning though otherwise mistaken they aim'd at the best things Thou hast put my Name with G. F's at length with an c. instead of A. Parker's to two or three â—ines thou hast cited in the conclusion of our Letter to Barbadoes as an instance wherein we shew no dislike to their Paper because we call our selves Their dear Friends c. Is this thy More anon to shew that I would now be as a Lord over my Brethrens Consciences and Estates p. 25. For I presume 't is me thou intendest and if so 't is false and abusive O righteous Judge of all and Heart-searcher plead thou my Innocency and rebuke this Spirit of Envy Falshood and Slanders that 's risen upon against thy faithful Servants Whereas our charitable tender and friendly Treatment of them in Barbadoes rather shews that we were not willing to reject exclude or unfriend Persons for one or two Mistakes than to seek Lordship over them or theirs who otherwise were so well meaning as that we had cause to believe that God would rectifie their Judgments and set them to rights in all their Undertakings So that 't was enough for us to shew our dislike or disunion with them in that particular thing wherein they were mistaken or erred CHAP. IV. § 1. The great ends of Christian Religion and Society being eyed a more easie condescention and concurrence follow in lesser matters Things necessary for good order not doubtfully recommended Our consistency in the condescention proposed and how explain'd and clear'd from W. R's mistaken Objections § 2. W. R's judging and censuring a Person and that falsly whilst unheard in defence of himself condemned by himself as a grand Mark of Apostacy and he proved guilty thereof in fact § 3. W. R's Charge of false Suggestion Prevarication and Forgery reflecting on himself proved notoriously false by divers Instances recited out of his own Book shewing his general Opposition to outward orders form and discipline c. relating to Church-Government And then unsaying that opposition again by his finally granting both outward Order Methods Forms and Discipline under Christ's Government How far binding on the Conscience of others enquired into And he must grant Liberty of Conscience in preaching and exhorting to things just honest and needful or else
draw the outward Jew off from the observation of their outward Ordinances to the Word and Law in the heart and because the new Covenant was not to be like unto the old he therefore appeals To every Ingenious and Impartial Reader whether it can consist with the tenor of the new Covenant for ANY to attempt the establishment or giving forth of outward Orders Prescriptions Sentences or Decrees to be a Bond upon the Consciences of those who have believed in the Everlasting Light especially those of the Gentiles stock his Chr. Qua. part 1. p. 73. How now William Is not here general Opposition c. detected and answered in our said Treatise Accuser c p. 88 89. Another Instance is where W. R. saith viz. We have no ground either from the Word of the Lord the appearance of Christ or from the Scriptures of Truth since Christ's appearance in the flesh to expect that any should be invested with Power from on high to establish such things relating to the Conscience i. e. outward Orders Prescriptions Sentences Decrees as before much less that the Children of Light under the new Covenant should be led by the eternal Spirit and Word in the heart unto such Conformity his Chr. Quaker part 1. pag. 75. What sayst thou yet William to these plain Instances out of thy own great Book Surely hadst thou but taken a more strict and serious notice of them as plainly cited in our Treatise thou wouldst not have charged any of us with false Suggestion or Forgery in representing as if thou hadst wrote against outward Orders Forms Discipline This is no Forgery nor Prevarication William Peruse thy great Book a little better with our Observations upon it in our said Treatise Consider in calmness if thou mayst not be ashamed thus to evade and deny thy own words and of thy clamour and saying That not a word is cited nor yet can be out of any thing thou hast written that may carry such an import viz. as if thou hadst wrote against outward Orders Forms Discipline c. in a general way p. 41. Thou writest That in one Book which thou denyest the plain import of as well as the matter in another saying and unsaying Be ashamed therefore and also of thy roaring and belching out such Slanders and Falshood also as The impious prevaricating Pen-man doth not quote any sentence of mine confuted c. p. 42. What hast thou done less than wrote against outward Orders Forms Discipline c What means thy saying before That we have NO GROUND either from the Word of God Christ or Scriptures to expect that ANY should be invested with Power from on high to establish such things as before Is not here general Opposition both to such things and to such a Conformity Please to review another instance or two of thy Opposition as before viz. 1 st Where in the Title-page of the 3d part of thy Christian-Quaker where to the inward Government of Christ thou opposest visible persons being invested with power from Christ to execute outward Laws Prescriptions Orders Edicts or Decrees in an outward Form of Government visible c. See now how general thy opposition is and detected in our Treatise Accuser p. 117 118 119 to p. 137. 2 dly The comparison before-cited between the Pope who is a visible man in accounting himself invested with Power to execute outward Laws Edicts and Decrees on the one part and the Pen-man and some of his Brethren on the other part herein thou sayst thou placest not much difference between them c. p. 18. of thy 7th part Who can here reasonably understand thee otherwise than that thou opposest the Doctrine or Principle it self as well as the Pope viz. That any visible man is invested with Power from Christ to execute outward Laws Edicts and Decrees under Christ's Government lest thou shouldst resemble the Pope For we may rationally take it for granted in those things doctrines or principles wherein thou comparest the Pope any of us thou wouldst be lookt upon as of a contrary mind and judgment that thou mightst not be thought like the Pope in any thing whereof thou condemnest others as either like him or as not much differing from him otherwise thy comparisons or similitudes do condemn thy self as well as others whom thou smitest at And so if thou countest it Popery or resembling the Pope to say That a visible man or men are invested with power from Christ to execute or put in practice any outward Laws Edicts or Decrees under Christ's Government then we must take thee as saying and as we have understood thee That no visible man or men are so invested with Power from Christ to execute outward Laws c. Which still shews thy oppositions and objections before rehearsed and clears thy opponent from the foul Imputations of Impious Prevaricator down right Forger Impious Prevaricating Pen-man c. and thy self a notorious Slanderer therein as well as shews thy inadvertency and overly shuffling and foully slubbering over matters under debate and controversie and with what blunt and dull tools and weapons thou art toiling and fighting Howbeit we may hear W. R. a little further in his attempts to clear himself and prove his charge of false Suggestion Impious Prevaricator c. he alledges chiefly two things viz. 1st That he owns the Government of Christ in his Church knowing that 't is his right to govern his Church which W. R. also confesseth The Pen-man signifies he understands by Church-Government Observe by the way this is general and not an Answer sufficient to clear him 't will not do his business Against whom did he alledge this when we never questioned Christ's Government in his Church But the Pen-man and his Friends viz. the peaceable People call'd Quakers own Christs Government both in the inward and in the outward parts of it both as he governs and rules immediately by his Spirit and instrumentally by his faithful Servants invested with power and wisdom from him as before explained which I find not that W. R. hath owned with any consistency or clearness but has appeared very inconsistent opposit and frequently contradictory both to us and to himself in the matter saying and unsaying first in one Book then in another as is fully evinced in our Treatise entituled The Accuser c. as from p. 83 to p. 91. and from p. 204 to p. 227. and also in this 2 dly He alledges that he has testified That the Apostles labours were to establish the Churches in the Faith and in the Power leaving them so established to be in the practice of THAT FORM which the Power either had or should lead them into Moreover saith W. R. My proceedings in the Marriage of two Daughters within three years last past and frequent concern amongst Friends in taking care that no proceedings in Marriages may be permitted in any such private Methods as may be scandalous to Truth shews my practice and principle to
be otherwise And indeed I can in Truth say That I never had a thought entred in my Breast that OUTWARD ORDER Methods Forms and Discipline were not to be exercised and proceeded in under the Government of Christ according as the Spirit of the Lord should direct and guide p. 42. Thus far W. R Observe He has here given a very fair and ample concession to Truth in words viz. 1st To the Apostles labours for the Churches establishment in the Faith and in the Power 2dly To the practice of that Form which the Power should lead them into 3dly To his care in the Marriage of his two Daughters and others that NO Proceedings in Marriages may be permitted in any such private Methods as may be scandalous to Truth 4thly To outward Order Methods Forms and Discipline that they are to be exercised and proceeded in under Christ's Government according as his spirit directs and guides Are they so A fair confession Had he alwayes kept to this method and language and so been consistent with himself the Controversie had been in a narrow compass But though he seems seriously to say That he never had a thought entred his breast that outward Order Methods Form and Discipline were not to be exercised and proceeded in under the Government of Christ I query on his contradiction how they should be exercised and proceeded in under Christs Government in his Church if so be it cannot consist with the tenor of the new Covenant for any to give forth outward Orders Sentences Decrees c Or if Christ doth invest none with Power from on high to establish such things relating to Conscience as outward Order Methods Forms Discipline c Or if no visible Persons be invested with power from Christ to execute outward Laws Prescriptions Order c How then are outward Order Methods Forms and Discipline to be exercised and proceeded in under Christ's Government And who are to exercise and proceed in them if not visible Persons May not they declare and practise outwardly what they have received from Christ inwardly How then shall the Law go forth of Sion and the Word from Jerusalem But if he grants that some persons are made instrumental under Christs Government to give forth good outward Methods Forms Order Discipline c. but not to be a bond on the Consciences of others who have believed in the everlasting Light This appears contradictory again William was thy proceedings in the Marriage of two Daughters and thy care that Truth might not be scandalized no bond upon thine or their Consciences How are outward Methods Forms Order and Discipline then to be practised and proceeded in under Christ's Government Must they be so practised exercised and proceeded in by Believers without Conscience or without Obligation or being binding upon their Consciences Strange Doctrine loose and confused and not consistent with any Religious tender Conscience towards God or Christ which requires all to be done in his name and to his glory But after all our Opposers variations inconsistencies and whirlings he is fled to this Refuge or rather Subterfuge viz. That his writing shews dislike to Man's Pretence to establish outward Orders relating to matters of Conscience as the Order of the Gospel or to take upon him the giving forth of any outward Rules c. relating to Faith and Discipline in the Church with intent that they should become a Bond upon others to submit thereto further than from a Recommendation unto the Conscience a service may be seen therein according to the measure of Light given c. pag. 41. Observe 1 st This censures only MAN's PRETENCE to establish outward Orders relating to Conscience c. 2dly Man's taking upon him to give forth any outward Rules in Faith or Discipline in the Church with intent they should become a Bond upon others to submit further than from a Recommendation to the Conscience a service MAY be seen therein according to the measure of Light given c. Whereupon 't is to be noted first That this does not oppose the Spirit of Christ making use of man or men as instrumental to establish or give forth outward Orders Rules c. relating to Conscience Faith or Discipline in the Church to be submitted unto 2 dly Nor such outward Orders Rules c. as a service may be seen in according to the measure of the true Light given But only a dislike to MAN's PRETENCE TAKING VPON HIM therein Which I understand is intended as without the true Spirits Guidance Which appears still to be an Abatement and Extinuation of his more general reiterated Opposition and Noise against ANY giving forth outward Orders Prescriptions c. or being invested with Power from Christ to execute outward Laws Orders c. under Christs inward Government because the new Covenant and its Law is inward For now he only opposeth Man's Pretence and Taking upon him in these cases and who must be Judge that he is but a Pretendor and an Actor in his own will if the Rules Directions or Laws he declares or gives out be in themselves Honest Lawful and Just yea Convenient and Needful not of Man nor by the Will of Man Were not this to judge of Spirits without outward evidence or proof against them But if our Opposer would place the Controversie against some Rules Orders c. among us as being in themselves either unjust unlawful or dishonest and could make sufficient proof thereof that would both greatly narrow and soon determine the Controversie For that can be no good nor true Spirit that gives forth bad or unjust Laws otherwise we have no reason to give credit to him in his bitterly smiting with words of hatred against any Men or Persons among us whilst speaking ministring or acting things just lawful or honest and needful as bound in Conscience to declare and advise others to practise and which he must grant them Liberty both to speak and act or else hee 'l miserably interfer with his pretended Liberty of Conscience Seeing whatsoever things are honest just and of good report are to be thought on and practised That W. R's great Book aforesaid as it is against R. B's Book for Church-Government is against Church-Government so far as it relates to an outward Form of Church-Government outward Order Rules Methods c. And this is no Prevarication as now he renders it as is evident from divers passages before recited and by himself frequently contradicted § 4. Also 't is a manifest falshood where W. R. saith That the Prevaricating Pen-man doth not quote any Sentence of his confuted by his asserting in a Paper dated London 26th of the 3d Moneth 1673. That God hath in his Wisdom afforded those Helps and Governments in the Churches which are not to be despised being in subjection to Christ the one Head and Law-giver c. This was signed by W. R. among other Friends pag. 42. If no visible Persons be invested with Power from
't is Conscience obliged not a blind affection So 't is not to impose a blind Submission though some's want of perswasion may probably proceed from their being hardened through Rebellion as R. B. intimates Anarch p. 67. And their contradiction in that case will not excuse them from being guilty of disobeying God because it is from his Spirit the sentence proceeds and 't is their duty both to see receive submit to what 's justly required The intent of the Spirit of God in giving forth Judgment or Sentences through his Servants to end Controversie c. doth not bespeak or intend any design of such Imposition as to enforce any upon a blind Submission or Obedience in such a hardened Condition for the Spirit of Christ strives with them to open their Eyes and enlighten their Understandings that they may see and know in their own Consciences first their Duty and then submit in what is according to the will of God being the judgment of his Spirit which makes its way with its own evidence to the Consciences and Hearts of Persons if not wholly harden'd through Rebellion against God's Spirit in themselves For the Testimony of the Lord is sure making Wise the Simple The Commandment of the Lord is pure ENLIGHTNING the Eyes Psal. 19. 3 dly Then what power or freedom can any Minister or Servant of Christ have to leave any liberty for a believer to refuse submission to the judgment of the Spirit of Christ in his servants or believers where Christ leaves none or to grant that he may not see it his duty to submit and thereupon to refuse when the spirit of Christ who knows the Creatures capacity gives the Judgment and requires Submission There 's no just ground nor pretence for such Indulgence which tends to Rebellion and Ranterism but rather for the Servants of Christ to be faithful and stedfast in their Testimony and Judgment which they know is both in it self Just and proceeding from his Spirit Whether it be by others received or rejected He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches which doth many times speak through Instruments as formerly And further 't is neither a false sence nor wicked construction to say That our Opposer being for a Liberty for Believers to refuse to submit on account of not seeing it their duty Therefore that Believers who are members of Christ's Church may refuse submission to their Brethren in things that are in themselves Just and Reasonable according to the Law of Truth in the Conscience on pretence of not seeing it their duty c. I do sincerely profess I do not find a more natural construction that our Opposers own Words being without distinction will bear all material and precedent Causes and Circumstances of this very point in Controversie considered For first The Submission pleaded for by R. B. among Believers and in the Church was to the Judgment and positive Sentence proceeding from the Spirit of God or Christ in his Church and Servants Secondly Our Advâ—rsary's opposing the Church of Christ's having Power in any cases of Conscience to give positive Sentence or Decision which may be obligatory on Believers rendring this a Government over Believers contrary to the Principle of Truth and Liberty in Christ Jesus See Accuser c. from p. 62 to 81. When no other Submission is pleaded for nor any other intended by us than to such Judgment or Sentence as originally proceeds from the Spirit of Truth which is agreeable to the will and mind of God Now doth not our Adversary's opposition tend to divide Believers and the Church of Christ as well as from a true sight and performance of their Duty in cases wherein the Spirit of Christ gives the Judgment which must needs be just and reasonable For to the Question Whether the Church of Christ hath Power in ANY CASES of Conscience to give positive sentence which may be obligatory upon Believers R. B. Answers affirmatively SHE HATH Anarch p. 48. To which W. R. replyes This Government over Believers is contrary to the Principle of Truth and Liberty in Christ Jesus Doth not this plainly imply that in NO CASES of Conscience a Believer is bound to submit to the positive sentence of the Church of Christ or other Members thereof but that a Believer may refuse Submission On the account of not seeing it his Duty to submit This is W. R's great pretence and supposition and this in ANY CASES of Conscience without distinction The terms of the Question and Opposition before cited being general Which supposed Blindness and Discord in Believers I cannot grant him against any true or sincere Believers who are faithful to Christ in their measures of Grace received such will neither want a sight of those Dutyes or things the Spirit of Christ teacheth and requireth of them nor submission one to another therein but in humbleness of mind submit themselves one to another in the fear of God Ephes. 5.1.21 Here the Younger submits to the Elder and all one to another being clothed with Humility for God resisteth the Proud but giveth Grace to the Humble 1 Pet. 5.5 This Humility and Submission was among the Primitive Christians and was very commendable among them and none but the Proud oppose it And farther the Sentence Judgment and Determination proceeding from the Spirit of Christ in the midst of his Church is Binding in Heaven and Earth and he that will not hear the Church where Christ is in the midst is to be accounted as an Heathen Man More-ever our Lord Jesus Christ knows how much or how little a burthen to proportion and lay upon his sincere and true Followers from the greatest to the least of them suitable to their Capacities He knows our Weaknesses and is touched with the feeling of our Infirmities and hath raised up a Spiritual fellow-feeling of one anothers states and conditions that we might bear each others Burthens the strong to bear with and help the weak and so fulfill the Law of Christ. But seeing our Opposer at length to acquit himself gives us this Concession pag. 45. viz. I do say a Believer in Christ ought to submit to any reasonable just Judgment answering the Truth in the Conscience when it relates to him let it spring from whom it will I shall say the less in this point But William hast thou been always of this mind If thou hast thou art very inconsistent in thy writing and greatly wrongest thy self by Self-contradictions and then what signifies all thy opposing R. B. for pleading a consciencious Submission in Believers to the positive judgment or sentence which as he saith proceeds from the Spirit of God in some or other of their Brethren in the Church of Christ What amounts all thy work of Opposition and Gain-saying unto Now a Believer in Christ ought to submit to any Reasonable just judgment let it spring from whom it will And sure all judgment proceeding
being present in his Church This thy Libertine plea tends to divide the Church of Christ and to leave Believers who are Members thereof in a liberty both of denying submission and in an ignorance or blindness concerning what the spirit of Christ in his Church may require of them which I cannot grant thee that any sincere Believer is either so to be left in such a liberty of REFVSAL nor yet remains in such Ignorance for he that will not hear the Church where Christ is in the midst is to be accounted as an Heathen man Therefore thy Plea tending to divide and make Believers Heathen is contrary to our Principle and Testimony received from the beginning which is That Life answers Life The Spirit of Truth receives its own in men every living true Member in some degree feels what proceeds from its Life in other Members though all Christ's Members are not come to the same measure and degree of growth strength and understanding yet there 's so much inward sence and nearness in his Life and Faith as preserves them from Confusion Rebellion and Opposition to one another or to any thing the Spirit of Christ saith unto the Churches by any of them Thy putting and supposing Cases against us that are not thy arguing from Generals to Particulars from Principles to Persons from a Plea for the Church of Christ and its obliging Judgment proceeding from his Spirit to reflect upon particular Persons as the Pen-man and his Brethren John and George and Stephen c. p 45. are empty trifling and impertinent and as vain and silly is the Laughter and Scorn which thereupon thou supposest and wouldst stir up against the Pen-man and his Brethren all grounded upon a false bottom namely thy uncharitable and false sence and censure against the Pen-man viz. That he is thirsting after such a sort of Subjects that may be willing to follow his Track though they know not whether it be right or wrong Which is so utterly false if thou intendest me that such a desire never entred into my Heart my Soul abominates such a Principle as to lead People on in such blindness Again I do not make the reason of my Discourse depend on a meer supposition nor yet on a bear affirmation that I and my Brethren are the Church thou and thine not we are now on the defensive part and thou art not able to unchurch us we may give testimony of our Faith and to our sence of the presence of Christ with us and among us of our continuance in Love Unity in him and against thine and others Apostacy and thou not able to confute us The reason of our Discourse in the present Controversie depends not on Persons but on undeniable Principles and Practices agreeable both to divine Testimony Revelation undeniable Evidence amongst men And wherein any of us have been moved of the Lord in his holy zeal to give positive Judgment either concerning Spirits Persons or Practices that appear not yet so evident to some as to us the day will make further discovery and declare it and the Lord will appear witness and evidence in the case And thou shalt then find that thy Scorn and the Laughter and Scorn thou hast supposed and sought to stir up against us will be turn'd into sorrow on thy part and thou mayst be ashamed of thy scorn and laughter and of comparing our Treatment with the Papistical Parties towards the Protestants and telling of following the Pen-mans Papistical Track p. 46. All grounded on thy false sence before-cited though to me all thy Scorn Laughter false Comparisons and Rattles thou knowest what I mean are all but like the Crackling of Thorns under a Pot. It 's observable that in thy Epistle to the Reader c. thou art for taking up a Lamentation for the Apostacy of your Brethren as thy pretence is Now thou art for Scorn and Laughter against them thou so censurest yea to the Presbyterians Laughter and Scorn thou art exposing R. R. and for those Instances he gives for Deconesses in the Gospel-times p. 33. though this be a Truth which many Protestant Authors have confirmed besides Paul's own commendation of their Sister Phebe whom he called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministra A Servant of the Church at Cenchrea Rom. 16.1 2. There were Women-Deacons who in their places did service in the Churches with respect to the Sick and Impotent c. But to return one while thou pretendest to pray for the Pen-man That the Lord would mollifie his hard heart p. 42. another while art for causing Scorn and Laughter against him Thus but in pag. 46. Thus thy hypocritical Lamenting Praying and thy Scorning do much resemble thy confused Work And what such things are they thou insinuatest against the Pen-man and his Brethren Of which thou sayst Thou couldst soon lay a new Foundation to prove him and his Brethren guilty of such things as by his Rule would tend to Confusion Rebellion and Ranterism and what not p. 46. What things are those We expect no mercy nor favour from thee thou hast rendred us as obnoxious I think as of thy self thou canst And this thy general and dark way of smiting with what things thou couldst prove the Pen-man and his Brethren guilty of as tending to Rebellion and Ranterism without mentioning what things is very unfairly to raise great suspicion against us and to render us highly Criminal Odious and Obnoxious some-what like the Treatment we had in those Abusive Scurrillous Atheistical and Slanderous Pamphlets stil'd The Quakers Quâ—bbles How now William Is this thy Conscience thy Charity thy Christianity thy Love pretended and the end of thy feigned Lamentation and Praying for us thus to abuse us and cast dirt upon us after this general implicit and suspicious manner Is not such deceitful injurious and contradictory Dealing rather contrary to common Morality and Civility amongst men Thy Prayer conclusive of thy second Chapter pag. 46. is mixt with as much Falshood and Envy as the other stuff is with Scorn in these words viz. The Lord preserve us all from following the Pen-man's uncharitable Papistical Track lest thereby we should not only merit the Indignation of God but justly be accused by men of understanding of so much Delusion Weakness or Wickedness as considering our antient professed Principles and Practices might render us unworthy the favour of a true Protestant a derision to the Heathen and a scorn to Fools themselves I am sure this Prayer appears not without Wrath and doubting 't is not offered in Charity nor with Holy Hands 't is more like a Cain's Sacrifice 't is to slay the Christian and Protestant Reputation of him and those thou writest against to render him not only one that has merited the Indignation of God but one in a Papistical Track unworthy the favour of a true Protestant and so obnoxious to the outward Penal Laws seeing by thy Words If you should follow his Track
Contradiction to many Friends about the Tree of Knowledge that God forbad Man to eat of The Question was put concerning thy self thus viz. What kind of Preacher would he make if he should tell People The Tree of Knowledge is good for Food the Tree of Knowledge is not good for Food This Question thou takest to be grounded on a down-right Falshood for sayest thou I never asserted that the Tree of Knowledge was good for Food and that it was not good for Food neither have I written any thing to shew my own sence either way p. 50. No! That 's strange and a gross and manifest Untruth and Shuffle I am sure And I may ask thee if thou hast not belyed thy own Conscience in these Words How darest thou now utter in Print that thou hast not written any thing to shew thy own sence either way i. e. Whether the Tree of Knowledge be good for Food or not good for Food Hast thou not in the first place written to shew thy own sence That it is good for Food by thy plainly opposing the contrary Doctrine as preached by divers among us viz. That the Tree of Knowledge was not good for Food Hast not thou plainly objected against this Doctrine Instancing That a Father may command his Child not to eat an Apple his Rebellious eating no Argument to prove the Apple in it self not good for Food And we know not on what Foot of Truth any one can assert that the Tree of Knowledge is not good for Food And to prove the Tree of Knowledge in it self good for Food thou also didst cite John 17. This is Life Eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Thence infering so that Knowledge is the way to Life But did God forbid the knowledge of himself and of his Son to Man in Innocency when he forbad him to eat of the Tree of Knowledge Didst thou not here plainly enough shew thy sence That the Tree of Knowledge was good for Food And doth not this imply that the Serpent was more kind to Man in moving to eat of it than his Maker was in forbidding him There 's no need of thy adding as in it self for the Tree is it self With what Conscience then durst thou adventure not only to say Thou never assertedst that the Tree of Knowledge was good for Food but also that thou hast not written any thing to shew thy own sence either way Oh wonderful I somewhat admire at such a manifest gross Untruth that thou shouldst undertake in several Pages with several Objections to oppose a Doctrine as thou didst that of the Tree of Knowledge not being good for Food And now to flam us off with telling us That thou hast not written any thing to shew thy own sence either way Hast thou not here play'd Legerdemain to write so plainly in opposition to another's Position and yet tell us Neither hast thou written any thing to shew thy own sence either way For shame leave off such Impertinent Scribling and spend thy time better in the Creation But yet what reason for the Question viz. What kind of Preacher wouldst thou make if thou shouldst tell People the Tree of Knowledge is good for Food the Tree of Knowledge is not good for Food For the first thou hast shewn thy sence plainly however thou wouldst now smother it The latter appears deducible from thy finding out a Salvo or Plea for some that may declare That the Tree of Knowledge is not good for Food for thou wouldst not be understood to reflect on all that have used that Expression because thou questionest not but many have so express'd themselves to shew that if we should feed upon or admire any excellent Qualification or Endowment and not have the Eye of our mind Chiefly unto the Giver we might then come to a loss See the Second Part of thy Christian-Quaker p. 28 29. Thus hast thou excused the Doctrine before opposed by thee viz. That the Tree of Knowledge is not good for Food § 4. As for G. F's Epistle against the envious Spirits and Persecutors of those who could not observe their outward Things Traditions c. thou dost much insist on these Words viz. They that do so viz. set up outward things gather People to themselves not unto God c. If these be truly cited G F. best knows his own Intention and in point of Justice ought rather to have been enquired of as to have been his own Interpreter than to have been brought forth in Print under the disguise of a prejudicial Interpretation and straining his Words and turning his sence besides whatever was intended in them or by him And what hast thou got by the said Citation thou hast so much insisted on If thou strainest the Litteral sense thus That no outward things are to be set up nor outward Order practised in the Church of Christ. Thou wilt therein farther interfer with thy self having already granted outward Form and Order c. to be in the Church of Christ yea even the case of Marriage as what care thou tookest about the marrying thy two Daughters c. But G. F's intention and sence in the words of his said Epistle is by another hand fully spoken to and therefore I forbear enlarging on them However thy construction That out of G. F 's Mouth he and his Brethren may justly be compared to Cain for persecuting their Brethren for no other cause than for not submitting to outward things c. p. 50. This Construction I look upon to be very gross and reproachful and that it proceeded from a persecuting spirit that is a false and unjust Judge And as false and malicious William is thy dark smiting in telling of such sort of Preachers i. e. among the People called Quakers whose Pride and Insolency might prompt them at this day to say Though you are our Witnesses that we have often declared that our Commission from God was to turn People from the Power of Satan to God that so they might all come to be ordered and governed by the appearance of the Power in themselves yet we did NOT mean but that when we had gathered any into the Truth we should be those who ought to have the RULE over them and that such should observe our Traditions or follow us Without giving a Reason why and though they might in Truth be submitting themselves one to another in the Lord according to the Apostles Counsel yet all of them must submit to us and reverence honour and obey us c. pag. 50 51. Thus far thou William But that any Preachers among the said People called Quakers have so said or preached after this exalted imperious and inconsistent manner I must take leave to deny till I have better proof from thee than thy quoting thy self or thy saying that in the 48 49 pages of the 3d part of thy Treatise entituled The Christian-Quaker 'T is so written which is
thy own Book making thy self thy own Authority proof for thy self and then thy saying 'T is as naturally deduced from R. B 's discourse in his Book of Government and then quotest thy self again for Proof bidding us see pages 41 to 49. in thy said 3 d Part. But still we deny thy Credit in the case thou art no sufficient Proof for thy self against us 't is a meer begging of the Question The Pride and Insolency thou wouldst now fix upon R.B. he utterly denyes as also That those whom we have gathered to the Truth should observe our Traditions Without giving a Reason why He also denys that this is either naturally deduced or justly deducible from any discourse of his in his said Book And I must tell thee William this looks like one of Tho. Hicks's Abuses and gross Forgeries in his Dialogues seeing it has always been our Principle to give convincing Reason where scruples or doubts are first to remove them and clear Peoples understandings so far as the Lord enables us before they proceed to act in any Religious Performances and we being the Servants of our Lord Jesus Christ we utterly abhor and detest setting up our selves as Lords over God's Heritage or seeking to have the Rule and Dominion over them or their Faith and we may each of us conclude and say with his Servant Gideon I will not Rule over you the Lord shall Rule over you Judges 8.22 23. 'T is not Man but the Lord we must exalt § 5. Thou W. R. still proceedest falsly and perversly in saying viz. That Jealousies have entred the breasts of thousands that though these our travelling Brethren exalted the Spirit of God in man as the only sufficient Rule for man and declared that the Scriptures were not a sufficient Rule to man yet instead of leaving us to the Rule which they have declared to be sufficient they strain that which they have declared not sufficient to make it as much as in them lies a Rule for them to rule over their Brethren p. 51. To all which I say 1 st We have no cause to believe thy story that such Jealousies have entred thousands 2 dly All travelling Brethren approved among us exalt the Spirit of God in man as much as ever 3 dly Such do not make the holy Scriptures however truly own'd in their place any such Rule as for them to rule over their Brethren such being called to feed the flock and not be as Lords over Gods Heritage nor as seeking Dominion over their Brethrens Faith but to walk in the Humility of Jesus Christ as Ensamples to the flock Thy thoughts therefore to the contrary concerning those who gave forth our Treatise entituled The Accuser c. are utterly wrong and thy quoting thy self in thy said third Part is as feeble and impertinent as before in thy Forgery against R. B. c. § 6. About the Tree of Knowledge again thou W. R. again proceedest thus viz. p. 51. The Pen-man thus saith By all this opposition to the Doctrine That the Tree of Knowledge is not good for Food William Rogers seems to account it good for Food Nothing said by me or cited as my words by themselves shews either opposition or assent to such Doctrine p. 51. That 's a manifest untruth again and before detected Many of thy own words cited in our said Treatise do plainly shew thy assent to such Doctrine and that thou accountedst the Tree of Knowledge good for Food especially in thy opposing the contrary Doctrine Review the Passage in thy own Christian-Quaker part 2. p. 27 28 29. with our Answer Accuser c. pag. 109 110 111 112 113 114. and pag. 222 223 224. If nothing said by thee or cited as thy words shew either opposition or assent to the said Doctrine and that thou hast not written any thing to shew thy sence either way as thou hast declared how hast thou pursued thy charge of Apostacy and Innovation Didst thou not bring in that Doctrine That the Tree of Knowledge was not good for Food among other things to prove thy charge of Apostacy and Innovation against us and this as to Doctrine opposed by thee But now wilt not own either opposition or assent in any thing said or written by thee to shew thy own sence either way Oh William where 's thy Conscience in writing not only thus insignificantly but thus evasively and prevaricatingly And how hast thou by such Impertinency distinguished or proved thy self and party The Christian-Quaker and those against whom thou writest The Apostate and Innovator either in Doctrine or Practice when thou hast attempted it in Doctrine Thy attempts and opposition signifie nothing thou hast not written any thing to shew thy sence either way Then thou hast produced nothing to prove nothing To thy saying viz. If we had learned from the Scriptures that the Serpent had said 'T was good for food yet it would not have shewn me erronious in my Assertion unless the words as in it self had been added which are not pag. 51. Thy Assertion What Assertion hast thou made in the case when thou hast not written any thing to shew thy sence either way either of opposition or assent to such Doctrine if therein we may believe thee But how inconsistent with thy self art thou as between shewing no sence and thy Assertion in the same case And what if the word as in it self are not added for the Tree of Knowledge being good for Food as in it self as thou hast plainly enough implyed What would that have added to the verity of thy Assertion or to the weight of the Doctrine whilst the Controversie relates to the Tree of Knowledge whether or no it be good for food it relates to it self and not to another for that Tree is it self However thou mayst intend as in it self to be in its own Nature without respect to the Command The matter in Question is not Whether the Tree of Knowledge be good in it self but whether it be good for such an end and purpose as for Food i. e. for the Soul of man either before the Fall or in the Restoration Both God's Prohibition and Experience teach the contrary viz. That 't is not good for Food though otherwise Knowledge rightly so called be good as in its own Nature But the Knowledge of Good and Evil is a mixt Knowledge not Food for an innocent Soul 't is the pure unmixt Knowledge of the good only which springs from divine Life that is its Food The words Tree of Knowledge are an allusion and is Mysteriously to be understood only in the Light of Christ. To thy saying 'T is hard to know with what sort of Spirit the Pen-man most immediately concerned in the Accuser c. is at unity with For 't is evident he doth not give the Devil his due neither doth he give God or good Men their due pag. 52. Is it hard to know How camest thou then so severely to censure and judge
many yet are thou art secure in a Corner studdying and scribling against them to calumniate and defame them in Print as men of no Conscience towards God fitly qualified to say any thing right or wrong a Lying Spirit entred c. Such is thy Treatment to the Prisoners of Jesus Christ to add Affliction to their Bonds and to make void their Testimony and Suffering for his Names sake And not only thus but thou art cruelly mocking flouting and deriding at them telling a story against one of these suffering Friends of Bristol which thou sayst occasioned Derision and Laughter and that by a Lying Spirit entred them thou sayst they may become a derision both to Professor and Prophane and a scorn to Fools themselves p. 80. No doubt thy scornful and malicious Work against them though otherwise under Persecution and Suffering and against many others fearing God is to make them as ridiculous and as much the Subjects of scorn and derision as thou canst but 't will all return upon thy own head thou wilt reap the fruit of thy own doings Thy pretended Love Christian Charity Lamentation for thy Brethren c. in thy hypocritical Epistle directed to the flock of God go but a little way it seems but that and other Instances of thy Insincerity and Dissimulations are numerous § 6. And with what Sincerity or Conscience couldst thou not only pretend an inclination toward an accommodation of the Controversie but also propose to our second day's Meeting for thee To read thy Answer viz. thy 7th part when in Print amongst us and after so done to leave it with us and to pretend thy end was that if the Meeting should that day propose any expedient answering the Witness of God in thy Conscience to stop the Publication thereof thou shouldst then answer the same by forbearing a further Publication thereof as in thy Letter dated London the 17 th of the 2 d Moneth 1682 pag. 80. I do still question with what sincerity or conscience thou couldst make such Proposition and pretend such an end in it to that our Meeting when thou hadst already prejudged the same Meeting in Print as being Apostate Innovators c What capacity could such be in to answer the Witness of God in thy Conscience if apostatiz'd from it in themselves And what ground couldst thou have to expect such a change in them from Apostacy as that Now when thou proposedst the reading thy Book they might be in a capacity to reach thy Conscience as thou sayst p. 82. Besides can any in reason suppose thee real or sincere in thy Proposition for an expedient to stop the Publication of thy Book of about twelve Sheets when already Printed Was not the design of thy Proposition rather for a pretence to excuse thy self and for a flourish over us as thou hast made an empty one and what hast thou got by it And was it not manifest that thou wast still at least jealous of our said Meeting as being Apostate in thy not being free then to answer our three Questions which were very proper to try the reality of thy own Proposition and thy end pretended thereof in order to our hearing thy said Book read The Questions were these viz. Question 1. Whether thou art sensible thou hast done evil or hurt to Truth in the Publication of thy great Book entituled The Christian-Quaker distinguished c Quest. 2. Whether thou hast any better thoughts of our Second day's Meeting now than thou hadst when thou wrotest that Book as not now to esteem the said Meeting Apostate c Quest. 3. Whether thou lookest upon the said Meeting now in a capacity to answer the Witness of God in thy Conscience To which thou only gave us this return viz. I am not free to answer at present Our Reason for the Questions was That we might not spend our time in vain or to no effect in hearing thy Book read which we should do if we should undertake it and have no assurance of thy having any better thoughts then of our said Meeting than to deem it Apostate Or if thou didst not then look upon it as capable to answer the Witness of God in thy Conscience To which thou not being then free to answer we might very well then not be free to hear thy Book read among us nor be so imposed upon as to spend our time upon such uncertainty having no probability of thy performing thy own Proposition with respect to the end proposed whilst not prov'd sincere or Christian on thy parts Therefore thy Reflection upon our said Meeting and supposing us like a Company of lazy or guilty Priests for our refusal to suffer the reading of thy said Book amongst us is both very unjust and scornful and bespeaks thy Lording Imposing Spirit thus infamously to upbraid us for not implicitly giving up to spend our precious time to answer thy prejudicate will and humour upon thy reserved dark uncertainty And also as a farther aggravation of thy Injustice and Prejudice thy taking our said Meeting 's Treatment of thee on this occasion to be an Evidence of our affection to sit on the Seat of Vnrighteous Judgment This also is thy unrighteous Conclusion and false Judgment upon our affection and is no ways naturally deducible from our forementioned Treatment of thee I have omitted many other Instances of thy abuse of Truth and Friends leaving the righteous God to reckon with thee for all thy injurious dealing and hard speeches as thou seemest to refer the Pen man to such a Reckoning pag. 46 63. The Lord awaken thee out of this hardened gain-saying state and deliver them that are betray'd by the Enemy and preserve his Heritage in love and peace over this scornful exalted conceited crooked quarrelsom apostate Spirit The Lamb shall have the Victory CHAP. VII A Letter in Two Parts Which was sent in Manuscript to Francis Bugg Except two Passages left out in favour to him unless he will further expose himself to danger thereby IN the first part his fraudulent dealing against Samuel Cater about the 15 l. Fine His Abuses against him and others His Conceitedness Pride Scorn and Shallowness are detected and reprehended In the Second part of the Letter relating to Francis Bugg's Book is evinced 1. His unjust Reflection on the people call'd Quakers and his being turned Informer 2. His Judgment in espousing and presenting false Doctrine against the divine Light of the Son God in man 3 His unjust Charge and the collection thereof against certain Persons among us by name who are the Servants of Christ and against our faithful Womens Meetings 4. His Instances for Proof of his Charge and Contempt no proof thereof 5. His Opposition to our Testimony for Mens and Womens Meetings in the Church of Christ and his scoffing and smiting thereat no proof of his Charge nor of their having No Relation to Scripture 6. His upbraiding our sober and faithful Womens Meeting as an Idol and comparing it to
decide and that thou mayest see that there are others can see and discover thy Ignorance and shallow Conceits as even in this thy Objection against Deaconesses concluding That only R. R. hath found out some History or Popish Author which says there were Deaconesses as well as Deacons In this thou hast shewn as well a great deal of ignorance of History as scorn and contempt yea not only Ignorance in that but Presumption too and as little Learning to be sure in other respects to place the proof of Deaconesses so indifferently upon some History or Popish Author as if there were so little difference or distinction but that if it be some History then it may as well be said some Popish Author however thou knowest not whether it be some History or Popish Author But to correct such Ignorance and Presumption there are Histories and Authors which are not Popish yea divers Protestant Authors which affirm Deaconesses to have been in the Primitive Christian Churches and they were called Diaconissae and even in Rom. 16.1 Paul himself called Phaebe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. a Deacon which is a Word borrowed of the Greek in Latin Ministra in English A Servant or Minister I hope thou wilt not call Paul a Popish Author writing so to the Romans And on Rom. 16.1 1 Tim. 5.9 Deacon is said to be a Title of Office or Administration given sometimes to Women vide The Christian-Dictionary by Thomas Wilson Bagwell and Andrew Simpson to which also agrees Edward Leighs Critica Sacra and T. C's Greek Lexicon on the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given to Sister Phaebe in Rom. 16.1 We have William Cave's Lives of the Primitive Fathers for the three first Ages of Christianity and that even in the time of the Emperor Trajan there were Deaconesses that suffered that were examined upon the Rack see fol. 21. As also I find in a Book entituled A Brief of the Bible's History by Enoch Clapham Printed 1608. who writ against the Romish Idolaters fol. 162. And in fol. 171. He thus affirms For the Deacons all almost easily grant that there were two sorts of Deacons or Church-Servitors the first of Men Acts 6.3 c. 1 Tim. 3.8 The second of Women 1 Tim. 5.9 c. Rom. 16.1 That the first had the charge of gathering the Benevolence of the Saints especially every first day of the Week 1 Cor. 16.1 That the second attended the Sick Impotent it is by many held Thus far this Protestant Author besides many other Protestants that might be cited in this very point some whereof I told R. R. of who says He has many others he has not produced and Challenges you to bring one approved Author to shew that Women had no Service in the first Churches And though the Rhemists grant there were Diaconissae or Deaconesses I do not find that Dr. Fulk doth oppose them in that but about their being concerned in the Sacraments and in their Superstitions Nunneries denying Marriages c. as the Papists would have them For as to Deaconesses and their Services in the Christian Churches there is great concurrence of History and antient and modern Writers as well Protestants if not more as Papists And therefore thy placing it upon some Popish Author does greatly manifest not only Ignorance but rather Presumption Pride and Contempt against faithful Women's service in the Church of Christ And I can assure thee that I had not these precedent and other Citations from R. Richardson but mostly from my own search and observations on the Authors themselves though R. R. may be better credited in his Affirmation on Knowledge than thy self in thy ignorant Negation 13 th Again I take notice of thy Charge against me in thy said printed Letter to our Meeting in London p 178. where scornfully writing against and reflecting on G. W. his preaching and disputing for Womens Meetings in Huntingtonshire Thou goest on in these words viz. Where he took too much upon him and behaved himself more like a Lordly Bishop or Popish Prelate than an humble Minister of Christ and by me at this time is and stands impeached as an Enemy to Christian-Liberty a Vsurper over the Conscience the which I stand ready publickly to assert maintain and vindicate p. 178. Thus far thou in thy insolent Reviling and Abuse boasting of thy pretended Impeachment against me But I have met with no lawful nor due Impeachment from thee in any Gospel judicial way Thou writest thus against me to the Friends of our Second day's Meeting in London but they cannot own nor receive any such pretended and proof-less Impeachment against me upon thy bare Accusation nor that thou hast any Jurisdiction to impeach me as by thy unjustly comparing me to a Lordly Bishop or Popish Prelate and rendring me an Enemy to Christian-Liberty an usurper over the Conscience But this is but like thy accusing me as a Cheat at having gone up and down to cheat the Country after thou hadst flatter'd and fawn'd in another Letter and intreated my assistance for the ending of the Controversie as one that could do much in the matter but now revilest me all to nought boasting how ready thou stands Publickly to assert maintain and vindicate And what But that G. W. took too much upon him in Huntingtonshire and behaved himself more like a Popish Prelate c. An Enemy to Christian-Liberty And what worse Marks and Characters of Infamy couldst thou have cast upon me and what more severe Excommunication or Bull couldst thou have exhibited in Print against me How like an exalted malicious prating Diotrephes how like a Pope how like the Accuser of the Brethren hast thou acted Thou accusest scornest and railest but provest nothing of matter charged And can any reasonably think thou hast thy Proofs in readiness against me out of Huntingtonshire of these black and infamous Characters thou hast cast upon me Thy own bare Accusations are no Proofs to be sure The Lord rebuke this thy envious dark Spirit And he will rebuke it But Francis art not thou thy self against Christian-Liberty of Conscience and an usurper over the Womens Consciences so far as thou canst in thy perverse and ignorant opposition against Womens Meetings who have a Conscience towards God and our Lord Jesus Christ therein VVhat Liberty of Conscience dost thou allow them therein or to me in preaching and discoursing in Huntingtonshire or elsewhere thus to send out thy Roaring Bull against me in Print without first either enquiring of me or hearing me and my Accusers if there be any besides thy self face to face What kind of illegal Precipiancy art thou guilty of and yet none more ready to make a great clamour against Excommunications Orders Edicts c. than thy self Oh Imperious Proud Conceited Person Blush and be ashamed of such Abusive Inconsistent and Self-contradictory Work Be ashamed of thy assuming such Power of Excommunication to thy self over thy Elders Antient Friends and Brethren who are
thus one while calumniatest and revilest and another while flatterest and prayest for the same Person one while judging and condemning the said Person as Antichristian Imposer Innovator c. another while counting him Noble Man A Dear Man c. Thou exclaimest against Religious Societies Excommunicating Condemning a Person as out of the Vnity when it was but that They have no Vnity with him in his SO doing i e. in his irregular Proceeding out of Unity and Order with them in proposing his Intention of Marriage but Once to the Meeting and that in the Womans absence whilst thou thy self art like an exalted Diotrephes yea like a Pope with thy printed Bull Excommunicating Condemning Deriding and Contemning the Servants of Christ by Name in Print as William Penn George Whitehead Stephen Crisp Alex. Parker Thomas Salthouse John Burnyeat c. for proceeding and giving their Christian Advice Sence and Judgment according to their Consciences and inward Perswasions relating to good Order in the Church of Christ. Thus inconsistent art thou conceited proud Scorner and false pretender to Liberty of Conscience who hast given more black Characters and made a worse to speak ad hominem Record even in Print against these and divers other faithful Servants of Christ than only for a Meeting to Record in Manuscript their having No Vnion with a particular Person in his Irregular Proceeding in this or that particular act for thou hast recorded these before mentioned Servants of Christ by name as Antichristian Imposers Innovators c. and compared them to the Popes Council in Print and that in thy Book intended for the Magistrates as by thy Epistle appears pag. 3. Thus inconsistent and contradictory to thy self art thou in thy pretended Plea for Liberty of Conscience whilst thou art Defaming Condemning and Excommunicating many of the Servants of Christ among us for the exercise and testimony of their tender Consciences in their Christian Advice and Admonition which is all one as to seek to stop their Mouthes from preaching exhorting others c. And this is not all thy Inconsistency and Confusion the fruit of thy Malice and Treachery but thou hast presented such a one as Henry North Knight and the Magistrates with such abominable Lyes and Abuses as if like a malicious Informer and Incendiary the Devil and thou designed not only the perpetual Reproach of the People called Quakers but an Aggravation of their Sufferings and Persecutions against whom the chief ground of thy Book also is a gross Slander and great Lye viz. That their way of Compelling and Antichristian way of proceeding to bring to and force an Vniformity Epis. p. 4. And thus raging against our Friends in these terms viz. These Tyrannical Proceedings have been used by our New Spiritual Lords Epis. p. 6. with much more Infamy Slander and Scorn cast upon us in thy Book for which the hand of the Lord will be upon thee Thy Envy and Wickedness is judged of the Lord take heed how thou persistest in it lest he make thee an Example In thy sixth Chapter thou art according to thy wonted course of Malice and Scorn inveighing against our Womens Meetings falsly charging them with usurped Authority unlimited Power and Rule placed in their Meetings by G. F. and others which is a gross abuse and slander Also thou art inveighing against presenting Intentions of Marriage before them by both the Persons p. 118 119. And this is not all the Fruit of thy perverse opposition but in the same Chapter p. 123. after divers Citations thou bringest a comparison or instance of eating Flesh or Fish as being indifferent and free and then addest that These with ALL other outward Works be Things Indifferent and may be used and also left I must tell thee Francis that this Position makes void all Christian-Discipline good Order Church-Government leaving all loose and uncertain And we are sure thou hast here asserted corrupt Doctrine tending to practical Ranterism it self for here thou makest no exception thy assertion is general not only of eating of Flesh and Fish but of ALL other outward works that they be things Indifferent that may be used and also left See now if this be not sordid Ranterism this loose gain-saying Spirit leads into both to thy own contradiction where thou pretendest for Church-Discipline Order and Government as in thy Title page thou seemest to grant were in the Primitive times i. e. among the Primitive Christians as we understand But what Discipline Order or Government in the Church canst thou Conscientiously plead and be consistent with thy Position viz. That all outward Works be things Indifferent c How contrary to the Apostles Doctrine also is this for all good Works which God hath ordained we should walk in these are not indifferent to be used and also left outward works of Righteousness Justice Goodness Charity c. commanded of God are not Indifferent to be used and also left Solemn contracts and engagements in Marriage are not Indifferent Persons may not break solemn Contracts due and orderly Proceedings Men may not leave their Wives when they please as an indifferent thing But this Libertine Spirit that gave out and printed the said Ranters assertion in placing such Indifferency upon ALL outward works or things as that they may be used and also left hath thereby cast off all Bonds Limitations outward Discipline Order and Government of Truth relating to Conversation We have much more in reserve against thy Book which at present I do forbear adding for brevity's sake and refer the Reader to R. Sandiland's single Answer Entituled Righteous Judgment placed upon the Heads of malicious Opposers and persecuting Apostates against thy malicious Book and also to Tho. Elwood's Antidote against the Infection of William Rogers 's Book miscalled The Christian-Quaker c. Your Envy Confusions perverse in-and-out ways and hard Speeches are judged by the Lord and his Hand is against you therein and I question not but God will more signally determine the Controversie against that proud contentious Spirit of Envy Scorn and false Jealousie And Truth lives and shall live and reign over it all CHAP. VIII § 1. Thomas Crisp being joyned with William Rogers as a busie Agent in Division as also his abuse of George Whitehead by part of an old Letter from B. F. The reason of their being linked together in this Treatise B. F. his late Testimony on G. W.'s behalf against T. C. § 2. Notice taken of a few Passages in Thomas Crisp's Pamphlets The reason thereof particularly about Tythes His unsound Proposition His Injustice unto and abuse of John Crook in impertinently quoting his Authority in the case contrary to John's Principle and Testimony § 3. How dis-ingenious Tho. Crisp is in his Authorities and Citatioâ—s about Tythes And how like his Brother John Pennyman against our plain Language Of J. Pennyman's furious roaring Letter against G. F. c. containing the like unjust Reflections with W. R. T. C. c.
And as for those Papers so long since given forth by me not discerning what spirit did then influence me for so it is that the actions of men are many times influenced both by good and evil Spirits though they perceive it not how much soever the Notion of Spirits ridiculed by the Atheistick Philosophasters and wild Wits of this age I did many years since recall them and make it my request that any that had them in their custody might make no further ill use of them and to have found the contrary since has been no small grief to me especially to see so often repeated these personal Reflections by me used against G.F. and G.W. whom I truly honour in the Lord for their works and labours of Love However I would not have any malicious Persons from hence take occasion to think much less to say or represent that I have hereby revoked or do in the least intend to inervate any of the words in that or any other Paper so far as they are assertive of a just and equal Liberty of Conscience For I do firmly believe That there is no Principle maintained amongst Mankind that stands upon fâ—â—â—er Foundations that is more becoming the Rulers of this World in their respective Dominions nor more agreeable to the Life and Spirit of Christianity than is that of Liberty of Conscience Neither let any man on the other hand think or say That I do hereby in the least hinder the Church of Christ from judging condemning and testifying against things and Persons by the Spirit of Christ for preaching things which those persons erring from the spirit of Christ may judge not only to be allowable as their Christian Liberty but even look upon to be their very duty For as the Principle of Liberty of Conscience is in it self most reasonable and christian so is this latter of denying All Iudging upon any account most unreasonable blind and foolish And they that cannot see that these two Principles of Liberty and Judgment are not only consistent but very harmonious with each other are to be pitied for their weakness and half-sightedness of which perhaps God giving life and ability I may at another time say more In the mean while I wish heartily that all that profess and name the Name of Jesus the Prince of Peace would seek peace and ensue it Benjamin Furly Now Tho. Crisp and the rest concerned see by these Lines how far B. F. hath distinguished the point in Controversie and cleared himself upon a better understanding concerning the said Letter and against the perverse use thou hast made of it in Print to reproach me withal § 2. And since thou hast causlesly aspersed me with it and so far censoriously exposed me in Print as thou hast done when I sought no occasion against thee nor designed Controversie with thee and seeing thou art grown so hardy and confident as to make thy self such a publick Agent and Advocate for W. R. and his Party in the Controversie I have not yet done with thee but am concerned further to take notice of a few Passages in thy Pamphlets which I look upon as very corrupt and perverse and contrary to our antient and constant Testimony born among us on behalf of Christ. The first is in thy Pamphlet stil'd Several Testimonies 3 d Edition which is also printed in others of thy Pamphlets in these words viz. pag. 26. I fear you take more care for the strict Observation of your own Orders and Traditions than the Truth in the Heart for if any use not your Language or observe not to do just as others in Tythes or other CIVIL RIGHTS which the Laws of our Land require and ought to be observed unless God by his Spirit in the Heart doth forbid or any do really for Conscience sake refuse But if one cannot do so must he therefore judge his Brother That may be required of one that may not be required of another for Growth or Measure may differ Rom. 14. AND J. Crook saith We read of Cain and Abel two men performing the same Action attended with the same Formalities c. and yet the one accepted and the other rejected In like manner may two Persons be found in contrary Actions Postures Gestures and yet both accepted of God for if I should lay a Bond upon my self therein I transgress the liberty of the spirit either as to time constancy or place or if another should lay a Bond upon me or put a Yoke about the Neck of the Disciples this is no more justifiable than the former To the first part being thy words I must tell thee thy Proposition is unsound and inconsistent with our antient Testimony as well as Contradictory in its self Vnsound in that it bespeaks thou art not principl'd against the Payment of Tythes in this Gospel day and hast not retain'd a true or certain Judgment against them in thy esteeming and accounting of them amongst Civil Right but Rites in thy other Pamphlet which ought to be observed and implying that a Brother is not to be judg'd for observing or paying them I am sure this is contrary to the Testimony born and received among us from the beginning And to thy granting that God by his Spirit in the Heart may forbid them or that for Conscience sake some refuse them as if the Spirit of the Lord did allow one Brother to pay Tythes as a civil Right and forbid another or that from a different Growth or Measure of Grace one Brother may be required to refuse the Payment of Tythes and another Brother not so required and therefore not to be judged for the Payment of them being both under the same Profession and Dispensation Is not this Inconsistent Babylonish yea and tending to apparent Ranterism to render the Spirit and different Measures thereof so contrary and opposite in its requirings in a matter so eminent weighty as that of Tythes wherein our manifest Testimony hath been so positive and the Sufferings of many so deep and heavy for not paying Tythes and whereof the very first breaking forth of the Light and dawning of the Gospel Day did convince many Thousands when their Eyes were first opened to see the Corruption of that Ministry which is upheld by Tythes and forced Maintenance therefore T. C. thou art gone from the Light that first convinced thee in thus confusedly arguing for Tythes and thy Proposition is loose and fallacious and there 's no such contradiction in the different Measures of Grace and Spirit received from God as thou absurdly implyest If ever thou knew'st or wast sensible either that Tythes were ended by Christ or that the Ministry upheld by them is none of Christ's Ministry thou couldst never suppose that any measure or degree of his Grace or Spirit would allow or lead any who have been really convinced of the Evil thereof in the payment of them if thou wert not gone from the true sence and measure thereof in
I take notice of such confused muddled blind dark and mad Stuff as his appears to be To which I Answer First Because neither the Truth nor us as a Religious People and Christian Society may lie under any Dis-repute Blemish or Derision thereof in the Eyes of those that know not nor rightly understand the Christian Doctrine Discipline Church-Government and wholsom Order among us seeing the said J. B. has been for many Years conversant among the People called Quakers and born the Name of a Quaker he saith this twenty Years and more Though he IS NO QVAKER but turn'd an open Enemy to them Secondly Because the said Jeffery Bullock in a great measure runs parallel with and resembles William Rogers and his party in his opposition and gain-saying of that Order and Church-Government that is among us falsly accusing us with Men's Inventions Imitations Traditions laying aside the Spirits Government c. as in his ONE BLOW c. Thirdly Because four Persons of William Rogers's Party of Chippinham in Wiltsshire have given their approbation in a Letter to the said Jeffery Bullock of his Books particularly that called One Blow more against Antichrist's Ministers and have declared that several Friends have good Vnity therewith Which I do not believe And not only so but this in opposition and contempt to others whom they abusively revile in these Words viz. But here are also a company of called Friends which are very much for Foxonians Orders which may be called mens Inventions that do make it their work to Defame and Calumniate all them 〈◊〉 do not conform thereunto Some of which thou and most of which we are in our Hearts perswaded are Servants of the living God amongst which thou hast a share of being villified to be a bad man although to us it s no manner of Invitation for us to give Credit thereunto c Barnadiston and another hath been here their envious Darts fly very swiftly and secretly If thou pleasest to send half a Dozen of thy Books c. With other Aggravations in the said Chippinham Letter shewing not only their approbation and owning of Jeffery Bullock and his Books but also their bitterness of Spirit in villifying and reproaching others although I understand they have been a little ashamed of their approbation of his Books yet not that they have repented of the bitterness of their Spirits nor condemned those villifying Reproaches and bitter Expressions in their said Letter as Foxonians Orders Barnadiston and another their envious Darts fly very swiftly c. What scorn bitterness and rancor do such Expressions bespeak Christ never taught them to give such Names to Friends as Foxonians nor would they take it well to be so dealt by nay they would think much if they should but be called Johannites and their reviling Giles Barnardiston who was a peaceable innocent man and of good Report doth bespeak a great Prejudice and Enmity to have entred their Spirits which they should plainly have condemned their Letter is all perverse but I do not understand any sincere or tender Retractation or real Condemnation thereof given out by them Fourthly Notice is here taken of Jeffery Bullock's Pamphlets to manifest the great Absurdity that opposit dividing Spirit leads into and to warn others against it And why these Persons should so hastily approve of Jeffery Bullock's Books or say that several Friends have good Unity therewith I know no reason being in several things so Corrupt Erronious and Atheistical as they are except it be with respect to the Oppositions therein contained against the Church-Government Order and Methods among us in opposing whereof Jeffery Bullock was these men's Elder Brother Concerning which take a view of some Passages in his said Pamphlet viz. One Blow more in his own Words § 2. Jeffery Bullock saith And you my Brethren also ought to have Preached up God's invisible appearance by his Spirit in our dayes to be the end of mens Inventions Imitations and false Doctrines But instead thereof you have preached up false Doctrines and also set up your own Inventions among the Quakers so called p. 5. Answer His charge of false Doctrines and mens Inventions we utterly deny as slanderous God's invisible and spiritual Appearance and the Testimony thereof still lives among us in as high esteem as ever against false Doctrines and mens Inventions But herein J. B. resembles the rest of the Opposers in the work of the false Accuser of our Brethren Jeffery Bullock My Brethren I fear you are not past the Doctrine of the Church of Rome nor yet of the Priests and Professors of England a false Fear There is as great necessity of Preaching up Salvation to us Gentiles by God's invisible Appearance who is a Spirit and also his Spirit to be the end of all mens Inventions Imitations Traditions c. pag. 6. True but misapplied Therefore I would have G. Fox and the eleven Elders who are preaching up false Doctrines and also setting up their Inventions among the People called Quakers as Rules c. p. 7. Answer Herein he is a false Accuser still like the rest and he 's far louder in his Charges than in 's Proof False Doctrines and Inventions of men both of the Church of Rome and elsewhere we utterly deny J. B. My Brethren your visible Church-Government is altogether Antichristian because that every Member of the Church in God is to be both ruled and governed by the measure of Gods Spirit in them and it is none of George Fox 's nor yet the eleven Elders that is to be a Rule for the Quakers to walk by p. 9. Answ. His charge of Antichristian and Inventions we utterly deny and testifie against as Antichristian and he and the rest of his backsliding Spirit and approvers of him and his Books are never able to make his Charge good However here its plain that he opposes visible Church-Government because of the inward Rule by the measure of God's Spirit wherein he argues Erroniously and contrary to the Apostles Doctrine and Primitive Christians Practice Both the inward Rule and outward Order and due Methods among them all springing from God's Spirit within were not to draw them from a dependance on that Spirit but to shew forth Obedience in Practice and Example to the holy Spirit and pure Religion and therein to help one another for which purpose the Holy Ghost made Overseers and Elders The Elders that rule well are worthy c. He that ruleth with Diligence c. I left thee in Creet to set in order those things that are lacking c. But there were such Apostates then as despised Dominion and spoke Evil of Dignities even of those Instruments and Ministers Helps and Governments whom the Lord ordained and raised up and dignified in his Church and such are these Opposers now in the same Spirit of Opposition and Contempt § 3. J. B. And she i. e. the Church hath no need of your visible Government because she is the
Kneel before the Lord our Maker And Acts 21.5 And we Kneeled down on the Shore and prayed see also 1 Cor. 11.4 § 5. Having thus manifested the Heads of Jeffery Bullock's Opposition to outward Order and visible Church Government c. and how blind and irrational he is therein Inconsistent Erronious and Antichristian in his Judgment Now take a view of the Doctrinal part of some of those Doctrines he opposeth and what Doctrines he asserteth J. B. The second false Doctrine by you Preached and also Printed is That the Seed Spirit Word or God is both in Prison Bondage and Captivity and to be quickned raised c. and that the Blessing is to the Seed p. 2 3. of his ONE BLOW Answ. Herein he hath dealt unfairly and fallaciously he hath not produced any Book of ours or our Friends wherein this Doctrine is Printed nor proved where any of us have thus asserted in these very Words though much of his opposition in his Pamphlets depend hereupon We deny the Doctrine that the Word God is either in Bondage or Captivity in the Sons and Daughters of men but only that there is a Seed of God and of Christ that is oppressed and suffers in many by reason of Transgression a Seed of God is commonly our phrase and terms in this case God is greater he is above all he is God and Father of his own Seed and Birth in man which is a tender Seed a lowly and innocent Seed of the nature of Christ Jesus as Mediator who hath planted of his own Seed in man from the beginning even of his own Life Soul and Image c. who was The first born of every Creature who said My Father is greater than I Aâ—â— from this Seed comes a holy Generation in them that believe in his Name and Power Read also the Parable of the Sower which was the Son of Man and of the Seed that fell some on good Ground some on stony Ground and some in High-way Ground c. And also how the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Grain of Mustard Seed as also the Parable of the Pearl hid in the Field c. And further the Seed of God and Christ may suffer and yet not be in Bondage nor Captivity nor hath the Devil or Sin power or dominion over Christ or his Spirit in man as J. B. falsly infers against us but over the Soul and whole Creature in Sin for whom Christ laid down his Life and took it up again who gave his Flesh for the Life of the World And every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him shall have everlasting Life and I will raise him up at the last day saith Christ John 6.39 40 44. and ver 54. Christ Jesus is not brought into Bondage or Captivity in man though he condescends to suffer and bear Affliction for his own Seed and Generation to bring them forth for his own Arm can bring Salvation to him he can take unto him his great Power when he pleaseth Though he was oppressed and afflicted and his Soul was Sorrowful nigh unto Death when he bore the Sin of many in the dayes of his Flesh when the Iniquities of all did meet upon him when he suffered on the Cross and he is also such an high Priest as can be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities suffer with us and be afflicted in all our Afflictions many are also said To pierce him grieve his holy Spirit crucifie to themselves the Lord of Life afresh and to tread under Foot the Son of God c. These are certain Allusions and Elegancies intimating Christ's suffering and also his being offended and grieved by the Contempt Despight and Enmity of the Rebellious And yet Christ cannot be properly said to be in bondage or captivity in the Sons and Daughters of men for as in himself he that was dead and is alive ever lives in Dominion having power over all Flesh that he might give eternal Life to all that come unto him truly believe in him 'T is properly said of the Souls of Man and Woman in the Fall that they are in Bondage and Captivity that they are in Prison and Thraldom till Christ bring them forth and deliver them Psal. 142.1 Bring my Soul out of Prison that I may praise thy Name And be sure he that brings the Soul out of Prison does condescend to visit it in Prison He that brings up the Soul out of the horrible Pit does first descend or reach so low to fetch it up or else it would alwayes remain thâ—re § 6. J. B. Antichrist's Transformations pag. 9. The Seed is not to arise in man And p. 25. I disown the arising of the Seed or God in man Answ. A sad Doctrine and State That 's because the Enemy is arisen to such a great hight in thee that thou dost not own the arising of the Seed of God in thee What Fruit canst thou bring forth to God if thou dost deny the arising of his Seed in thee 'T is evident thy Heart is bad Ground stony Ground and thorny Ground in which the good Seed hath not taken Root so as to spring up and bring forth Fruit unto Perfection for in the good Ground or honest Heart it takes Root downward and brings forth Fruit upward And they that take heed unto the Light of Christ in them where it shines but as in a dark place they come to see the Day dawn and the Day-Star arise in their Hearts And is not Christ Jesus the bright and Morning Star But thou as an enemy to the Seed of God disownest the arising of his Seed in thee Howbeit that His Light doth ARISE The brightness of his RISING He shall grow up Truth shall SPRING out of the Earth The Sun of Righteousness shall ARISE The Day spring Let God ARISE and his Enemies be scattered c. The Word of God grew So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed These are Scripture Terms and Language though little heeded by thee We shall see more of thy absurd and erronious Disownings and Denyings anon concerning the very Christ of God and the Soul c. But how comest thou to deny the arising of the Seed in man when thou hast espoused and cited what G. B. writ as thou sayest against that Paper of Orders c. seeing he herein plainly saith The Revelation of God is to his Seed and his secrets he reveals to it for which he made the World and for whose sake it is continued And now the SEED IS RAISED to reign over all Thus far G. B. thy authority But how shamefully hast thou contradicted him in this matter in thy disowning the arising of the Seed in Man § 7. J. B. You do preach both Salvation and Justification and also Condemnation to us Gentiles by the man Christ the Son of God as other Professions do and this Doctrine I would have you to prove because you preach Salvation by Christ the
Light within You Preachers do say in your Declaration that the Son of God is come and hath given you an understanding the which Doctrine I do deny ONE BLOW p. 20. Answ. Thou that canst not reconcile or see the consistency of Salvation by the Man Christ Jesus AND by his Light within art gone from his Light into Imaginations Why hast thou not better observed the Gospel preached by the Angel of the Lord to the Shepherds concerning Jesus Christ the Son of God Luke 2.11 For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord see also Mat. 1.21 Read also good Old Simeon's Testimony which he gave of the Lord 's Christ Luke 2.26 27 28. And also read Verse 30 31 32. For mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation which thou hast prepared before the Face of all People a Light to lighten the Gentiles and the Glory of thy People Israel The true Christ of God is but one though he hath appeared in divers manners both in the Flesh and in the Spirit he is the Light he is the Way to the Father he is the Saviour he is the one Mediator betwixt God and Man even the Man Christ Jesus the heavenly glorious Man the Man that was promised to be for a hiding place who in the dayes of his Flesh said I am the Light of the World And He that is with you shall be in you As he was the eternal Word the Son of God the Life that was in him was the Light of men John 1. both before his coming in the Flesh and ever since and therefore he was that true Light that enlightens every man that cometh into the World he was given for Life and Salvation This our one Lord Jesus Christ is our Light Life and Salvation he is also Judge of quick and dead that MAN by whom God will judge the World in Righteousness he that believeth not in his Name is condemned already and This is the Condemnation that Light is come into the World i. e. the Light of the Son of God and Men love Darkness rather then Light John 3. see also 2 Thes. 1.7 8. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming Fire taking Vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel c. Then such shall know him their Judge and Condemner unto their deserved punishment see Verse 9. J. B. You Teachers do hold forth to us Gentiles Christ the Son of God to be our Way to the Father The which Doctrine I would have you to prove One Blow p. 20. Answ. What defidence and unbelief hath entred thee Christ the Son of God testied John 14.6 I am the Way the Truth and the Life No man cometh unto the Father but by me and no man cometh unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him Wherefore in that no man cometh unto the Father but by the Son the Son is the way to the Father and the Father's drawing or teaching reacheth unto man before he come to the Son or Father that he may be drawn and come to both No mans knows the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him Therefore Christ the Son of God is the way to the Father out of Adam in the fall if thou l't believe him and 'T is by one Spirit through Jesus Christ the Mediator that we have access to the Father § 8. J. B. In his gross Errors detected or many of the Doctrines of the leading Quakers disowned as coming from an Antichristian Spirit p. 1. he saith John Webb's Doctrine was That God's appearance in the Sons and Daughters of men is to beget and bring forth that innocent Birth and Babe immortal c. This Doctrine doth signifie that God's appearance is to his Son Christ Jesus and for the begetting and bringing of him forth in the Sons and Daughters of men the which Doctrine I do deny Answ. First God's appearance in the Sons and Daughters of men is not to bring forth a nocent Birth nor a Babe that 's mortal but an innocent Birth and a Babe immortal Except a man be Born of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And whosoever is born of God doth not commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him Secondly This innocent Birth which God by his Spirit brings forth in the Sons and Daughters of men who truly believe relates to them and their souls as begotten and born of the immortal seed by the living word so that this Birth is not Christ Jesus for he is that incorruptible Seed and Word of Life which begets forms and brings forth the Soul of man into his own Nature and Image and so he renews his own Image in man that believes in his Power and so Christ may be said to be formed in us as in a mysterious and elegant way of speaking the property and effect being put for the cause for Christ in himself hath all Power in Heaven and Earth given to him and it hath pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell in him J. B. That God's appearance is in and by his Son Christ Jesus to us and that all are to hear the Son in them by whom the Father speaketh to them and that the Son in us is our way to the Father The which Doctrine I do deny His gross Error p. 1. Answ. Here thou hast denyed sound Doctrine which is according to Christs own Doctrine i. e. He that seeth me seeth the Father also who hath shined in our Hearts to give us the Light of the Knowledge of his Glory in the face of Christ Jesus And my Sheep hear my Voice saith Christ And God hath spoken to us by his Son Thy denying God's appearing and speaking by his Son and his Son to be our way to the Father Herein thou hast not only denyed Christ's own Testimony but the blessed advantage we have by him as MEDIATOR J. B. Another of their Doctrines is That the Quakers ought so to wait upon God as that they may feel the Life in them to flow from Vessel to Vessel whenas they are met together to wait upon God This was Charles Marshalls Wife's Doctrine p. 2 ibid. Answ. This is neither false Doctrine nor gross Error as thou imaginest but sound Doctrine Hannah Marshall knew better than thy self herein for they that truly wait upon God both receive an encrease of Life from him who is the Fountain and feel Life to flow from Vessel to Vessel He that believes as the Scripture saith out of his Belly shall flow Rivers of living Waters This spake he of the Spirit which they that believe should receive And the true Believers all drink into One Spirit And there is among such a spiritual and effectual Communication of Faith and Virtue in the living Communion of the holy Spirit all which thy dark Imaginations have deprived thee of J. B. These Doctrines
of the Quakers are false Doctrines and Antichristian because that God's Appearance is not by his Son Christ Jesus to us p. 3. Answ. Thou art guilty of Antichristian Doctrine and Anti-scriptural also in denying God's Appearance to be by his Son Christ Jesus The Mediator for what God is to us for our Salvation and what good we receive from him for our Souls and what we are unto him in our Obedience as acceptable to him 't is all IN and Through our Lord Jesus Christ the Mediator J. B. That God who is a Spirit should be held in Bondage and Captivity by his Creation or by the Power of Darkness is contrary to Right Reason So that it must needs follow by plain Argument that not only the Creature but the Power of Darkness too hath had Dominion over God contrary to sound Doctrine and is Blasphemy pag. 5 6. GROSS ERRORS Answ. This thou hast often unjustly and slanderously repeated upon the Quakers and herein I testifie against thy Abuse and dare Challenge thee to prove out of any of our Writings that 't is the Quakers Doctrine That either God is held in Bondage or Captivity by his Creation or that the Power of Darkness hath Dominion over him We utterly deny the Assertion and Expressions as Blasphemous but do say the holy Spirit is grieved and the Seed of God burdened by the Iniquities of the World which suffering is in Condescention on Christ's part and not for want of Power or Dominion over the Devil or Wicked men for he bruiseth his Head hath Power to subdue condemn and punish them and his own Arm to bring Salvation to him J. B. Another of their Doctrines That all are to come to the Son of God Christ Jesus whom they say is in them and that he is the only Way to the Father which Doctrine I do deny because it is God who both was and is a Spirit which hath first appeared in and to the Sons and Daughters of men after sin c. Therefore every one is to be first turned to God in their own particulars and NOT to the Son of God p 8. Gross Errors Answ. This Erronious Denyal and Doctrine of thine against coming to the Son of God as the only Way to the Father is but the same reiterated over and over The Father and the Son are not divided in the work of Regeneration I and my Father are one saith Christ No man cometh to the Father but by me But 't is no marvel that thou hast denyed Christ the Mediator to be the way to the Father and so opposed his Mediatorship for thy Denyals and Oppositions appear more Gross Erronious and Antichristian against Christ himself and the holy Scriptures in thy Antichrist's Transformations 1st In thy not owning Justification or Condemnation by Christ that dyed without the Gates of Jerusalem which thou confessest to be the ground and main Difference that arose between some of the Quakers and thee p. 10. 2dly In thy asserting That Christ's Soul dyed p. 19. And so thy holding the the Mortality of the Soul in general 3dly Thy asserting That the Book of the Scriptures both was and is the fruit which the Tree of Knowledge bears p. 22. 4thly Thy affirming That there is Two Christs p. 23. Thus thou arguest § 9. J. B. It is no where written in the Scriptures that we shall either be justified or condemned by that Christ which dyed without the Gates of Jerusalem but it is written By Grace ye are saved and by Grace ye are justified and 't is also written By the Light of the World ye are condemned and not by Christ that dyed without the Gates of Jerusalem Antichr Transf p. 17. Answ. Here again thy erronious Blindness is apparent who seest not how consistent being saved and justified by that Christ who is the very Christ of God to whom all the Prophets gave witness AND being saved and justified by his Grace both which the holy Scripture testifie Isa. 53.11 By his Knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justifie many for he shall bear their Iniquities This was a Prophecy of the same Christ that suffered and Mat. 1.21 She shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his People from their Sins and verse 23. Behold a Virgin shall be with Child and shall bring forth a Son and his Name shall be called Emanuel which being interpreted is God with us And Luke 2.11 For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And that Grace by which we are saved is that Grace of God which comes by Christ see also Tit. 2.11 12 13 14. Where the saving Grace of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity c. are testified of and therefore Salvation by that Christ through his Grace are not Inconsistent J. B. Now if Salvation be by that Christ that dyed without the Gates at Jerusalem then are all the Gentiles perished that were in the World before that Body came into the World Antich Trans p. 18. Answ. Thy consequence is erronious for that very Christ the Son of God was and is Mediator and Saviour from the beginning his outgoings were from of Old he was spiritually in being by his Life Light Spirit and Grace before he took upon him that Body prepared of the Father to do his Will John bore witness of that Man Christ saying He that cometh after me is preferred before me for he was before me John 1.15 And again vers 30. After me cometh a man which is preferred before me for he was before me Therefore the Man Christ Jesus was before he came in the Body or Flesh He was that spiritual Rock which all Israel drank of his Life was the Light of men from the beginning and all the generations of the Righteous did spiritually pâ—rtake of the benefit of Christ as Mediator both before and after his Coming in the flesh they vertually pertook of the Sacrifice of the Lamb of the vertue of the Blood of the Covenant for Remission and were saved by the Life of this Mediator by Faith they pertook of the spiritual Advantage of his suffering and sacrifice who was as a Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World and as in the fullness of time his coming and suffering in the flesh and his tasting Death for every man and his giving himself a Ransom for all were for a Testimony in due time of God's great kindness to Mankind So Christ's coming in the flesh an eminent Dispensation from God ordained and decreed in great love to Mankind So that thereby a greater and more eminent discovery and breaking forth of his Light and Glory in the Gospel Day and Dispensation was manifest in due time which Glory the holy spirit of Christ in the holy Prophets testified of as that which should follow his sufferings and in him are all
Nations and Families of the Earth blessed and saved who believe and walk in his Light J. B. All the World was freed from their Offerings for sin by that one Offering reconciled to God by the death of his Son But we must be redeemed justified and also saved by a measure of the same Life that dwelt in the Son in which Life the Son of God offered up his Soul and Body to be crucified to the Death a Sacrifice once for all Then NO Salvation to the Souls of the Sons and Daughters of men by him that dyed without the Gates at Jerusalem p. 19. Anti. Transformations Answ. An erronious Inference still and most blindly reiterated for if we must be saved by that Life that was in the Son of God how darest thou deny Salvation to the souls of Mankind by him that so suffered and dyed seeing we are reconciled by his Death who dyed and rose again and Death has no more dominion over him And hast not thou confessed that we are reconciled by his Death so we shall be saved by his Life Well by whose Life by the Life of the very same Christ of God who as concerning the flesh was put to Death And was his Death then no ways conducing to our Salvation How are we then reconciled by it Is Reconciliation no degree of Salvation Surely thou art under great Contradiction and gross Mistakes in this matter To thy Objection That Mary saith her Soul did magnifie the Lord and her Spirit did rejoyce in God her Saviour p. 21. And that God said Look unto Me all ye Ends of the Earth and be saved p. 23. This is no proof that his Son Jesus Christ was No Saviour for God saves by his Son God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself God works by the Mediator and Jesus Christ who is the Saviour and the Redeemer is both truly God and Man Inseparable But how comest thou off in answer to the Objection made against thee viz. If no Salvation by that Christ that dyed without the Gates of Jerusalem then thy Doctrine implyeth two Christs which we do not profess nor preach nor own for in words thou over and over tellest us of that Christ that dyed without the Gates and that he was the Son of God the Christ of God c. What sayst thou to this Review thy following words J. B. viz. Now that there are two Christs it is plain according to the Scriptures for there is both the true Christ and Antichrist p. 23. Rep. Oh sad and lamentable How absurdly blindly and erroniously hast thou answered here The Objection or Question against thee was not about Antichrist but about the True Christ who is the very Christ of God who was crucified at Jerusalem and is in his Saints by his Light Life and Spirit whom thy Doctrine tends to render Two Christs and so to divide the True Christ but we testifie he is but One As to us there is but ONE GOD the Father of whom are all things and we in him and ONE Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him 1 Cor. 8.6 And of this ONE Lord Jesus Christ the true Apostles testified as One and the same Christ though he variously appeared according to what is written of him 1 Cor. 15. 3 4 5 6 7 verses of his Death and Resurrection and how he was seen of many And last of all he was seen of me also saith Paul as of one born out of due time v. 8. This was ONE and the SAME CHRIST still § 10. J. B. Now Christ he neither came of David nor yet of Israel according to the Flesh not as to his outward appearance as he was a visible Man but he came of David and Israel both according to the Spirit And this is the Spirit whom God hath exalted both as a Prince and a Saviour Anti. Trans p. 23. Answ. This is a gross Mistake and Contradictory to plain Scripture see Rom. 1.3 4 5. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the Flesh and declared to be the Son of God with Power according to the spirit of Holiness by the Resurrection from the dead by whom we have received GRACE and Apostleship for obedience to the Faith among all Nations for his Name see also Rom. 9.5 But thou sayst He neither came of David nor yet of Israel according to the flesh quite contrary to the Apostle's testimony Which shall People believe thee or the Apostle Surely not such a blind muddled confused dark and dull Soul as thou art I wish thee with the Light of Christ within on the holy Scriptures to recollect thy self better that thou mayst repent and condemn and call in thy muddled confused distracted whimsical and mad Pamphlets that would be the safest way for thee upon all accounts for thou hast no matter of Religion to suffer for thy hope being in this Life only according to thy Principle of the Soul's Mortality J. B. He that dyed without the Gates at Jerusalem he was the Christ of God being one with the Spirit of God but it was the Womans part that dyed that was his Soul and Body Now Christ as he was a visible Man and made of a visible Woman made under the Law he INTERNALLY DYED as to his SOUL and BODY Antichrist's Transformations pag. 19. Answ. Oh poor Jeffery Whither art thou run in thy whimsical Conceits and distracted Imaginations one while to DENY Jesus Christ the Son of God to be the Way to the Father another while to DENY Salvation by him another while to DENY the Immortality of his Soul and here most erroniously to AFFIRM That his Soul dyed and that he internally dyed as to his Soul Oh! Antichristian and Antiscriptural Doctrine For though he was put to death only as to his Body his Soul dyed not with it for he said Father into thy Hands I commend my Spirit Luke 23.46 see Acts 7.59 And to the penitent Thief To Day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Luke 23.43 Therefore his Soul or Spirit dyed not with the Body he did not internally dye he dyed only as to the Body being put to death as concerning the Flesh and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures and Death has no more dominion over him And although it be said He hath poured out his Soul unto Death This concerned the travail of soul and sorrows of death which he was under the sence of when he said My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death Matth. 26.38 whilst yet his soul was living and immortal in its own being praying and making intercession unto the Father For pouring out the Soul or Heart sometimes in Scripture imports an earnest supplication to God and travail in Prayer Psal. 42.4 I pour out my Soul in me And Psal. 62.8 Pour out your Heart before him God is a Refuge for us The soul of Messiah was poured out
in Prayer and Supplication to the Father whilst in great sorrow and deep suffering for Mankind even when he bore the Sin of many and made intercession for the Transgressors Thus his soul was poured out and made an offering for Sin that he might see his Seed and the effect of his Souls travail and be satisfied and through all Reign with the Father in the same Glory which he had with him before the World began So that the Messiah reigneth in Life Glory and Immortality blessed forever and his Saints shall reign with him for evermore But thy Error ends not here in asserting that Christ's Soul dyed seeing thou hast publickly opposed the Immortality of the Soul in my hearing and the hearing of many more and hast affirmed The mortality of the Soul of man that it dyes with the Body And so denying future States Beeings and Rewards of mankind Thou knowest Jeffery I have laboured with thee at sundry times and before several endeavoured to Convince thee of thy Atheistical Error in this very point and many are my Witnesses therein But thou hast appeared wilful dark and pertinacious in thy blind dark and confused Imaginations whereupon I have exhorted thee and do exhort thee to give over Preaching and telling People of saving their Souls by the Word and of raising of our Souls out of the Grave of Sin and Death by the Light and Power of God within when thou dost not believe any Immortality of the Souls of Men more than of a Beast as I have told thee to thy Face when the Beast dyes there 's an end So what gross Hypocrisie is it in thee so often to Preach in Friends Meetings at Sudbury in opposition to our Friends and to pretend as if thou hadst such a great Regard to Peoples Souls that they might be saved raised up and delivered from Sin in this Life when thou hast nothing further to propose to them than only a Hope in this Life a Happiness in this Life a Portion in this Life which is so short and uncertain that the dayes of Man here are compared but to a Shadow and to a Cloud that vanishes and as being swifter than a Post or than a Tale that 's told and swifter than a Weavers Shuttle c. So that if we have hope in this life Only we are of all men most miserable But I cannot take thee as a Person consistent with thy self in this thy Atheistical Doctrine of the Soul's Mortality no more than in other things for thou art manifestly inconsistent and contradictory to thy self in this matter for in thy Pamphlet i. e. GROSS ERRORS thou hast confessed That Christ's Soul never was captivated p. 4. And That the Blessing is to God's invisible Creation within the Sons and Daughters of men as that cometh to be begotten by a measure of divine Life into a true and living Faith the which invisible Creation sayest thou or the Souls and Vnderstandings of men and women over the which Death that power of Darkness hath invisibly reigned p. 3. And That Ministry which is sent of God it is to the Souls and Vnderstandings of Men and Women That so their Souls may be turned to the Light or measure of divine Life which hath appeared to their Souls p. 4. As also thou sayest That God's appearance is both to the Souls and Vnderstandings of the Sons and Daughters of Men even whilst they are altogether Children of the Vnrighteous Nature and Spirit for that very end that so they may be quickned and also raised up and so come to be changed they being made partakers of the Divine Nature pag. 7. Query How then dost thou affirm that such Souls are Mortal This change in such Souls does not only bespeak their Immortality but their being Immortally happy Is not that Soul or Birth immortal that 's capable of partaking of the divine Nature or that doth partake thereof Can that Soul dye with the Body or end in Mortality No no the very Souls of the Wicked and impenitent workers of Iniquity shall live in Torment where the Worm dyeth not and the Fire is never quenched Christ's instance of Dives and Lazarus doth really intimate the two different states hereafter see Luke 16.22 23. c. How grosly Erronious and Contradictory art thou in this point and farther to thy own confutation addest viz. Thus the Sons and Daughters of Vnrighteousness come to be made the Children of Righteousness they being changed and also lifted up by the Spirit of Life from under the power of Death into the Kingdom of God with him to reign over the Power of Death even as the Son of God did in the dayes of his Flesh p. 7. How now Jeffery These passages relating to the Soul's conversion and their being made partakers of the Divine Nature and being lifted up into the Kingdom of God are some of thy better sort of Preaching but thy Doctrine of the Soul's mortality or the Soul 's dying with the Body doth allow the Souls of the Children of men even of the Converted but a very short share and uncertain time in the Kingdom of God if but in this Life only O Jeffery give over thy troublesom hypocritical Preaching in our Friends Meetings for shame and never pretend such a concern for the Conversion and Salvation of Peoples Souls whilst thou holdest this Atheistical Opinion That they are all Mortal Keep at home and give over such Hypocritical Preaching for 't is neither Conscientious nor Religious § 11. Now concerning the Scripture thy Doctrine followeth J. B. in his Antichrist's Transformations p. 22. saith viz. For the Book of the Scriptures both was and is the Fruit which the Tree of Knowledge bears And in his Testimony against the Quakers false Doctrine as he falsly calleth it page 19. He saith thus viz. The Book of the Scriptures is part of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge I say that the Book of the Scriptures is the Fruit that the Tree of Knowledge bears Answ. This Doctrine is not only Unscriptural but a dark erronious Imagination and Whimsie of thy own Thou knowest not whereof thou affirmest and hast plainly contradicted thy self herein by confessing not only That the Scriptures are opened by the Spirit of Truth but that They were given forth by the Word of Life p. 22. and 29. Thou farther proceedest like a whimsical self-opposing and contradictory Person in these words viz. Let all that read your Book and also the Letter that was given me which I disowned which Letter is printed in my first Book and they may easily perceive that the Line of your Testimony is in the Letter and Book of the Scriptures and not in the Light and Law written in the Heart Thus in thy Testimony p. 19. Here thou hast at one dash confuted and overthrown thy own Work and knockt down thy own evil cause at one blow Thou hast undertaken to detect the Quakers Errors and many of the Doctrines of the leading
Quakers as Erronious Antichristian c. And To give a Testimony against the Quakers false Doctrine as thou falsly callest it even in the Titles of thy Pamphlets but now confessest our Testimony is in the Letter and Book of the Scriptures Thus hast thou denyed and opposed that Testimony which is in the Book of the Scriptures and not only So but most erroniously opposed the Light and Law written in the Heart thereunto when as they do agree and the Scripture cannot be broken Therefore Repent of thy vain and Antichristian opposition Another Contradiction is in thy following words viz. J. B. Your Paper to the Churches is not to be owned by the Churches inasmuch as it was written from a sight or a sence and not in and from the Spirit of Revelation Now whatsoever is written declared or given forth in the sight or in the sence is not to be owned Antichrist's Transformations p. 2. And p. 25. ibid. I disown that to be any true Ministry for God who in their Declarations do exhort both Friends and other People to come to a sence and to wait in a sence and continue in a sence for God is not a sence neither is his Spirit a sence But in plain contradiction â—ereto p. 9. Lazarus was raised and so must we be raised by the same Voice Spirit and Power must we come both to FEEL and Witness Christ the Light within to be our Resurrection and our Life by FEELING and Receiving his Power revealed from Heaven c. Observe Here thou hast confessed to the Truth of Feeling and witnessing Christ Feeling and receiving his Power c. contrary to thy opposing and denying what 's written in the sense and exhorting Friends c. To come to wait and continue in a sence whereas there is a spiritual sence and feeling of divine Life there are spiritual Sences to be exercised by the holy Spirit to discern between good and evil There is a spiritual seeing tasting and handling of the Word of Life but thou hast lost these Senses thou art out of they right Senses which makes thee so Sensless and Nonsensical in thy scribling and full of rambling confused Whimsies Delusions and dark Imaginations which are the effects of thy Disobedience to and Apostacy from the Light of Christ within which convinced thee long ago § 12. And now I would have thee observe thy manifest and practical Contradiction to a Passage in conclusion of thy Gross Errors Postscript The Passage is this viz. J. B. It is an Antichristian Spirit in all which leads People under what Profession soever to think of themselves above others or to be in a better state than others or to separate themselves from others although their Souls may have seen by the Light within them beyond others yet these ought not to separate themselves from others for they have been Children of Darkness as well as others for if they do separate themselves from others then this holds forth a certain Testimony that they do think of themselves above others and also to be in a better state than others are in so that this is all Antichrist's work Answ. Why dost thou then separate thy self from others that is from the Church of England for by this Proposition thou oughtst not so to separate nor to frequent the Quakers Meetings nor to preach in them whether thou thinkest thy self in a better state than those of the Church of England or not or that thy Soul hath seen by the Light within beyond them as doubtless thou thinkest thy self herein above them On this Proposition of thy own thou oughtst not to separate nor to preach in the Quakers Meetings And if thou didst not think thy self to see with the Light within beyond them of the Church of England there were no reason for thee then to separate from them Behold thy Practical Contradiction and Ranterism in thy Proposition or Doctrine against separating from others on the account of seeing with the Light beyond them which is to maintain a confused mixture and society in Worship between those that see with the Light and those that see not with it between the Seeing and the Blind the Children of the Light and the Children of Darkness for thy opposing a Separation from others is without distinction and yet thou art in a Separation from others Why separatest thou from the National Worship and makest thy self a Preacher at the Quakers Meetings in Sudbury when they disown thee thy Preaching and Corrupt Erronious and Antiscriptural Doctrine As Thy Denying Christ the Son of God to be our way to the Father Thy Denying Salvation or Condemnation by the same Christ that suffered Thy Denying the Immortality of the Soul of Christ Jesus or of any other Souls of Mankind and affirming That his Soul dyed and that he internally dyed as to his Soul c. And thy asserting The Book of the Scriptures to be the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge And thy Denying the Arising of the Seed of God and Christ in man And thy Denying to come to a Sense and to wait in a Sense in thy self and opposing preaching from a sight and sence as in thy Antichrists Transformations p. 2 25. Thy dark and erronious Doctrine and Preaching in these things the True Christian Quakers utterly deny with many other dark erronious Positions Whimsies Contradictions and blind Oppositions Falshoods and Abuses foolish and unlearned Questions in thy Pamphlets here omitted as also thy Hypocritical Preaching in pretence For the good of Souls For the quickning of Souls For the raising up of Souls For the converting of Souls That Peoples Souls may partake of the divine Nature and be lifted up into the Kingdom of God c. Which though this be the best sort of thy Preaching and in the best words thou hast yet while thou denyest the Immortality of the Soul and concludest They all dye with the earthly Tabernacles and so a total end of all This thy gross and Atheistical Error is enough to evince thy abominable Hypocrisie and Irreligiousness in the best sort of thy Preaching And therefore give over thy preaching in our Friends Meetings hold thy Tongue lay thy hand upon thy Mouth keep at home and seriously bethink thy self and remember from whence thou art fallen and then condemn retract and call in thy Erroneous and Antichristian Pamphlets Remember I have herein given thee the safest Counsel in Love and Friendship to thee and to thy Immortal Soul which shall remember me when thou art awakened under the hand of thy Righteous Judge who is the Judge of all to whom I can sincerely appeal and commit my Christian and faithful Endeavours concerning these Controversies and Differences with thee and the rest concerned in this Treatise you being all concerned in one Spirit of Opposition Prejudice Strife and Enmity though thou hast exceeded the rest in thy Doctrinal part in presumptuously attempting such an Antichristian Confutation of the Quakers Doctrines And with my solemn
Moral under the Gospel men may be commanded by the Magistrate as HEARING is an act purely Moral A man may be commanded to hear the Gospel preacht without being forced to give his assent to it The Light of Nature guides the Magistrate to instruct his Subjects in whatsoever he thinks for their eternal Good And the Light of Nature obligeth every man to hearken c A man that is only commanded to hear and receive Instruction is dealt with as a rational Creature and forced to nothing The Judgment is still left in himself Thus F. Bugg's De Christiana Libertate or Liberty of Conscience pag 91 92. Whereby he has plainly given away and betray'd the cause of all conscientious Dissenters For what place is left for Liberty of Conscience to dissent if the Magistrate may thus enjoyn the Subjects to hear what he thinks is for their eternal Good and they be thus obliged to hear when he thinks 't is for their good to hear the Parish Priests By this Proposition when the Magistrate commands Fr. Bugg to his Parish Church and hear the Priest he is oblig'd so to do by his own Proposition and reserve his judgment in himself whether to accept or reject what he hears Thus he may be in a freedom fitted to act in ALL FORMS But then let him not esteem himself a Christian Quaker but another sort of a Latitude Christian whose Religion and Principle before cited will not oblige him to suffer any more as a Quaker * The substance whereof is answered fully before to W. R. * For tho John Perrot placed his opposition to the Putting off the Hat in Prayer very high as on express Commandment from the Lord God of Heaven as against a Custom Romish Tradition and Triffle in the Apostacy as in his Paper which Richard Hubberthorn answer'd Yet he had more smooth and taking Expressions to temper and gloss his matters withal as The Spirit of the Lamb is Poor Low Humble Patient Content Temperate Chaste willing to Suffer full of Thanks-giving in all things and of Pity Mercy Forgiveness Love unto all not holding Prejudice against any and ready to lay down Life for all Now all that will follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth must be of this Mind c. as in a Paper of John Perrot's Now here was a more likely shew and resemblance and pretence of Christianity than these Lofty Scorners do appear in though he profest greater things than he possest his Spirit was not in that Lowliness nor was he constant with God His fall should be a warning to many * But it seems T.C. was one then so called and if she was instrumental to induce him to Marry by a Priest contrary to his Perswasion or Profession she had also cause to Repent it and may yet see more cause to Rue it because of his Apostacy * First * First * Their Names I forbear exposing at present to this monstrous Birth they have adopted from Jeffery Bullock But if they shall again suffer or encourage the reading of any such Unchristian disingenuous and malicious Books or Pamphlets as W. R's 7th part by any of their Party in Friends publick Meeting as I understand was once done at Chippinham which was a turbulent irreverent and mad Action then they will more manifestly deserve to have their Names exposed both in relation to that and to Jeffery Bullock and his Books c. * That 's a Whimsie where proves he that Or that the Light of the Moon is Antichristian Matth. 13. * Nâ— marvel if Giles Barnardiston's Wife did say that she trembled to hear the Blasphemy that thou heldst as thou sayest Antichristâ—s Transfor pag. 21. * Nâ— marvel if Giles Barnardiston's Wife did say that she trembled to hear the Blasphemy that thou heldst as thou sayest Antichristâ—s Transfor pag. 21. * These precedent words except that of his Soul are true but not the subsequent * What Scripture hath he that saith His Soul was the Woman's part that dyed The Scripture says otherwise That 't was according to the Flesh he was made of the seed of David Rom. 1.3 * What Scripture hath he that saith His Soul was the Woman's part that dyed The Scripture says otherwise That 't was according to the Flesh he was made of the seed of David Rom. 1.3 Isa. 53. Psal. 90.4 6 9. 102.11 103.15 144 4. See Joâ— 7.6 16.22 Isa. 40.6 James 4.14 His Concessions manifestly Contradictory to his Doctrine of the Soul's Mortality Contradictions