of the Fathers first Book p. 194. Whilst they beat down one Error they seem to run into the contrary Error In like manner as those who would streighten a crooked Plant are wont to bow it as much the contrary way that so having been worked out of its former bent it may at length rest in a middle posture Now if our Friends have formerly met with those in the Priesthood whose crooked expressions did need streightning they are not to be wondred at or condemned in their Christian endeavours for that end And whether there were such or not I will now joyn Issue with the Snake and shew from a much narrower compass than the extents of the Snake's Challenge which is That there never were in any place such Priests I shall at present only give some few instances out of the Book Great Mystery which the Snake does so often quote which take as follows P. 16. John Timson did affirm that the Holy Scriptures alone is to be the object of Faith P. 38. Tho. Collier did affirm that the Scriptures shall be our Judge one day which we call the Letter P. 111. Jeremy Ives did affirm it to be an Error to say the Letter of the Scriptures was Carnal P. 247. Christopher Wade affirmed The Written Word is the Sword of the Spirit P. 261. Roger Atkinson affirmed That the Letter of the Scripture was God Ibid. Richard Stoakes affirmed That the Scripture is God P. 280. Edw. Price affirmed The Scriptures is the Power of God and that all Men shall be Iudged by them Now Reader upon the Issue joyned in this little space whether appears the Arrant Lyar G. Whitehead in saying There were in the North where most of these did live Priests who had so affirmed of the Letter of the Scriptures or the Snake in saying That neither there nor any where else were such Priests For it cannot be allowed I suppose That the Written Word and Letter of the Scripture as above affirmed is either God or the Power of God or the Iudge of the World or Spiritual or the Sword of the Spirit These and the like crooked Expressions of some in the Priesthood it was the necessary work of our Friends to oppose and straiten according to the Authority of Holy Writ not that we then did or now do charge all the Men with whom these so affirming have held fellowship to have the same Sentiments tho' this be the Practice of the Snake against us notwithstanding his distinction in the Title page of his Libel Ibid. p. 88. How comes it that since they are such bitter Enemies to the Letter they yet make a Conscience of saying Thee and Thou instead of You in the Singular because these were old English words in the first Translations I need not ask How comes it That envy and prejudice is Blind and Ignorant We are not bitter Enemies to the Letters of which the Books of Scripture are composed No Sober Reader that which we have opposed and for our so doing have the Authority of the Scriptures is that Men should only from them gather some account of the dealings of God with the Holy Men in past Ages and from their Declarations therein nay sometimes contrary to them make to themselves Creeds and herein Copy after those to whom our Saviour says Ye search the Scriptures in them ye think to have Eternal Life but ye will not come unto me that ye may have Life This we have opposed and directed Men to the Spirit of God in them to which as they are obedient they will find it to open the Scriptures to them and give comfort in the reading of them Thee and Thou instead of You in the Singular are as well Modern English Words as Old from the Essential difference that there is between the Signification of One and Many and upon this account it is according to the best Information I can get that there is hardly any Nation whose Language does not differently express that different Signification And that which engages us Conscientiously to this Practice is not that they are Old English Words but that the same Holy Spirit in us at this day leads to that same Simplicity of Language which it did lead the Servants of God into in former Ages And in all Ages of the World it hath been the Language of the Holy Spirit to Man And accordingly before our day at the beginning of the Reformation Erasmus and others whose Language was not Old or Modern English did reprove that Vanity of Mind which did practice and acccept the contrary Ibid. p. 88. Is there any Immorality or Iniquity in these Letters Y. o. u. more than in T. h. o. u Foolish Question Which may serve to please and tickle the Wanton But Sober Reader I doubt not thou wilt perceive the Vanity of the Querist The Alphabet which with us according to its various joynings does serve to express the thoughts of our Minds cannot have Immorality or Iniquity in the Letters Yet whosoever in evil Mind by joyning them does express words either Blasphemous Profane Hypocritical Unjust as this Snake or any other way bad in their Signification of these Men do pronounce accordingly And thus it is if any to shun the Cross of our Lord Jesus tho' in this small matter of the plain Language and to please the vain Mind contrary to the Convictions of the Spirit of Truth in themselves shall say You instead of Thee and Thou such will find that disobedience their Burden In p. 89 90. Snake has gathered many instances from G. F's Writings wherein he saith This is the Word of the Lord which the Snake puts in opposition to G. F's Answer to Christopher Wade Great Mystery p. 246. They the Scriptures are not the Word of God But this soon vanishes for upon Examination of Christopher Wade's words they seem to imply as if he affirmed of the Scriptures that they were the Eternal and In-dwelling Word of God and therefore and thereupon G. Fox opposed him and asserted Christ to be the Word of God p. 247. Great Mystery which is true and from him the Eternal Word the Servants of God have often said to the People Hear the Word of the Lord. And the meaning of it both in the Prophets and since is only this Hear from the Eternal Word a Declaration of his Will Ibid. p. 91. They knew that the Holy Scriptures could not be discarded openly and above-board nor all at once That the World has been long in the possession of them and of a just Veneration of them and therefore would not part with them nor accept of any Fox 's Inspirations instead of them That the World hath been long in the possession of the Books of Scriptures we well know but for want of being in possession of the Holy Spi-the Power of God they have erred not knowing the Scriptures and therefore could not have a just Value or Esteem for them And God who knoweth the Sincerity of
Life is thus prefer'd Reader I cannot here omit by a serious Appeal to thy self on the great Injustice and Falsehood of this Adversary And if thou art one who by Conversation with us or our Books hast any knowledge of us thou dost know the Charge of this Adversary is false And I do truly declare that our Value and Esteem for the Books of the Old and New Testament is much greater than for any other Book exstant in the World and this G. W. doth freely own and hath declared as much So also in this particular I will shew his falshood and perversion of G. W's words in the place quoted which the Snake has injuriously curtail'd They are these That which was spoken from the Spirit of Truth in any is of as great Authority as the Scriptures or Chapters are and greater intending as received and proceeding immediately from that Spirit and spoken in the sense thereof as Christ's words were of greater Authority when he spake than the Pharisees reading the Letter and they in whom that Spirit speaketh not and their speaking we deny So that according to G. W's words that speaking or reading of the Scriptures which is deny'd to be of Authority is when spoken or read by such in whom that Spirit speaketh not that gave forth the Scriptures and we have good Authority for this for thus our Saviour Mat. 22.24 denyed the Sadduces when they spoke and repeated the Law mentioned Deuteronomy 25.5 and thus he also denyed the Devil Mat. 4.6 when the Devil repeated the Prophesy of the Psalmist 91.11 and thus also he deny'd the Pharisees of which are divers Instances Ibid. p. 110 111. Mary Tucker a Quaker Servant to W. Reyman a Barber now living in Queen-street Cheapside but formerly in Bread-street where this Mary then his Servant took the Bible and in the open Day publickly burnt it against the Church in Bread-street to shew her Zeal About 40. Years since one Mary Tucker then Servant to W. Reyman not in Zeal but discomposure of Mind did one Morning early before her Master or Mistriss were stirring burn the Bible For which act she was not only reproved by them but also by sundry of our Friends and disowned and among others concerned herein to reprove and disown this Mary Tucker E. B. as W. Reyman does testify was one which by the way Reader is another Evidence that E. B. had the Scripture in great Authority and Esteem As it is also no small mark of the Snake's Injustice to relate a Lye and say that no Censure was passed upon this Mary Tucker when he might have been informed to the contrary by W. Reyman the place of whose aboad he knew so well But we find he is rather willing to relate a Lye than either know or knowing speak the Truth not only in this Instance of Mary Tucker And the Censure past upon her which he might with little trouble have been informed of so much as this Snake hids in the City And in the Instance of Solomon Eccles p. 124 125. foregoing but also in divers other before and hereafter to be given wherein he hath affirm'd egregious falshoods not from any necessity he was under to depend upon false reports but from a base Inclination in him to shun the Truth and to hate Justice For had not this been his hinderance he might with the trouble of a few Lines and the small additional Charge of the Penny-Post to W. Reyman of Queen-street N. Marks of Cheapside R. Scoryer of Wansworth hereafter to be spoken c. have discharged these out of his Libel and by such other not chargable nor troublesome further than it is so to him that we should be in the right means he might have spared the rest Ibid. p. 111. Pursuant to this their Principle in their Disputes among themselves they appeal to their own Writings instead of the Holy Scriptures Pursuant to this Snake's Practice he hath affirmed a notorious Lye I dare him to give any Proof that may be allowed by Impartial Men that ever we did so appeal It can be no more Proof to quote a Book wherein G. Keith hath said so of us than it is for the Snake to quote Julian Porphery or Celsus for Proof that the Primitive Christians were in the wrong or to quote his own Opinion for Proof that the present Government is so But if the Snake will confute the Answer made to that Book of G. K's which he quotes that may be considered and reply'd to SECT VII His Charge of Idolatry refuted and the Quotations restor'd from his Perversions THat our Belief concerning the Light or Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ in Man is according to Scripture I have before shewn and how that by a sincere Obedience to it it will lead to God and Christ whence it comes and to have true Agreement and Unity with the Declarations from the same Holy Spirit which are recorded in the Scriptures of Truth and also with all the Manifestations of the same Holy Spirit wheresoever and in whomsoever appearing For as God is one so the Holy Spirit leads all that obey it into Unity and Oneness and to account worthy of double Honour the Elders that rule well especially they who labour in the Word and Doctrine 1 Tim. 5.17 And in this Section I shall shew that what is by this Adversary called The Quakers Idolatry is not so but only owing to his perversion for as Truth leads to give Honour to whom Honour is due So it also leads to account of no Man above what we ought Ibid. p. 112. They think it not Honour enough to stand before the Throne of God But G. Fox places them upon the Throne p. 31. I suppose Great Mystery for he mentions not the Book The Quakers are in the Power of God and in the Authority of the Lamb above all Houses and are upon the Throne I shall first here detect the Snake's Evil Practice in mangling this Quotation by giving it as it is in the page quoted and afterwards speak to the Doctrine of it To the first The Priest G. Fox's Opponent had said That the Quakers scorns to creep into Houses meaning when persecuted To which G. F. replies This doth not agree with the rest of his Company who say they do Creep into Houses The Quakers are in the Power of God and in the Authority of the Lamb and into Houses creep not but are upon the Throne but you that be in the Form that Deny the Power creep into Houses These Reader are his words and their sense is as plain and nothing but Envy and Ignorance I suppose the first in the Snake could cavil at them or it For who knows not that the word Throne in Religious Matters is a metaphorical expression denoting Spiritual Power and Dominion Christ promised Mat. 19.28 That they who followed him in the Regeneration should sit upon Thrones And to him that overcometh will I grant says he to sit with me in my
every True Son of the Church an Enthusiast Yet in p. 98. he says Enthusiasts indefinitely have no Principles they have no Rule but their own Fancy which is strongest in Mad-men Reader Is it not very Comical to see this Adversary dealing his Blows with so much blindness and malice thus to wound himself while he thinks he is hitting of others which is a very great Argument that whatsoever Inspiration he may pretend to believe to be in the Church yet that he has little benefit from any because of his repeated Contradictory Assertions in the same thing But besides the propense Malice herein Legible it 's like he used less guard and caution and car'd not how he put upon us since he declares his Assurance p. 32. That the Simplicity of our Quakers has depriv'd them of every one of these helps which others might have to detect him But be that as it will let me here add one Observation to shew yet plainer if plainer can be whether this blindness has led him He would have us believe nay he says p. 319. We are assured that it the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost will lead us to all Truth that is requisite and necessary for our Eternal Salvation Now if the Snake does here speak both the Churches Sense and his own I will shew that notwithstanding he has writ a Section of Tythes as payable to her yet he has absolutely cut them up by the Root while he doth positively affirm that Teaching does cease nay that it 's inconsistent with the Sufficiency of the Light within But if this Light within or Inspiration of the Holy Ghost Leads us to all Truth requisite and necessary for our Eternal Salvation as both himself and as he says the Church do confess I think it hath Sufficiency enough for all the wants of Men. For Proof that this Sufficiency supersedes all Teaching and necessarily Tythes which are the Reward of it turn to p. 166 167. where speaking against us upon this very Head of the Sufficiency of the Light within he saith Teaching does in its own Nature cease when Men are sufficiently Taught therefore to those who hold the Sufficiency of the Light within outward Preaching must be wholly Inconsistent How far this agrees or contradicts what I have above quoted from him in p. 319. the Reader may easily Judge Now again to Quotations and the first is from p. 38 of W. P's Preface to G. F's Journal and is this We have seen the Fruit of all other Ministries by the few that are turn'd from the evil of their ways And let the Snake think as he please it will always be one good Mark to Judge of a Ministry by its Fruit those that are turn'd by it from the evil of their ways It was the end of the Commission which God gave to his Apostles to turn Men from Darkness to Light and it is the end of the Commissions which he gives at this Day and where this end is not Answer'd there Fruit is not brought forth His Objection p. 320. is besides the Point where he says Mens being evil may proceed from their own perverseness For I know none that doubts it But what is to the present Case is That Men's continuance in Evil is often too much owing to the deadness of the Ministry they are under as in Hosea 9. And there shall be like People like Priest Ibid. And to Justifie rather the Ministery of Theudas Acts 5.36 37. who got above 400 to follow him No it is to Justifie rather the Ministry of Peter from the Holy Spirit Acts 2.41 by which there was at one Sermon added to the Church about 3000 Souls Ibid. p. 320. quoted from p. 21. of the Preface before mention'd where the Snake has given a notable Stroak of his Art in I will give the Quotation first as he has made it and then from the Preface it self They the many Ministers in the World declare of Religion say many things true in Words of God Christ and the Spirit of Holiness and Heaven c. but which of them all ever directed a Man to a Divine Principle or Agent plac'd of God in Man to help him c. Thus the Snake has given it but in the Book it self it is thus They declare of Religion say many things true in Words of God Christ and the Spirit of Holiness and Heaven that all Men should Repent and mend their Lives or they will go to Hell c. But which of them all pretend to Speak of their own Knowledge and Experience Or ever directed Men to a Divine Principle or Agent plac'd of God in Man to help him and how to know it and wait to feel its Power to work that good and acceptable Will of God in them Thus he So that when the Snake Answer'd the Question as himself had split it and said p. 321. Not one of them as I know of He did but Answer one half of it But if he will Answer the Question as it lies above in W. P's Words and say Not one of them Ministers but have so directed Men as is above-mentioned there may Thousands be able to Confront him and say his Answer is false In like manner he abuses a Passage in p. 39. of the fore-mention'd Preface Where W. P. directing his Words to those in the Ministry saith For even those that have receiv'd the Word of the Lord had need wait for Wisdom that they may see how to divide the Word aright which plainly implieth that it is possible for one that hath receiv'd the Word of the Lord to Miss in the Division and Application of it which must come from an Impatiency of Spirit and self-working c. What the Snake carps at in this is the Word Miss and among other things says p. 321. Hâ—w did he know they cou'd Miss but by their having Missâ—d I Answer Very well For as the Apostle does not Charge Timothy with having miss'd when he gave him that Caution 2 Tim. 2.15 to which W. Penn has respect in them Words which plainly implieth c. So I think the Snake will not be so hardy as to say That either the Apostle or Timothy had miss'd in the Division of the Word Ibid. p. 322. Will they give no body leave to miss but themselves We give none leave to miss in the Division and Application of the Word W. Penn hath truly said as above it is froâ— an Impatiency of Spirit and Self-working And if the Snake will not allow of that to be missing it is easie to know that himself does miss exceedingly Ibid. p. 324. The Snake makes a Quotation from p. 83. of G. F's Journal which is but a Repetition of what he has before quoted in p. 28. and which I have already Answer'd in p. 76 77 fore-going and therefore need not here repeat it Ibid. p. 325. But when p. 29. of his Preface before-mention'd Mr. Penn wou'd persuade us that this Fox had outward Revelations and
Spirit through the Flaming Sword into the Paradise of God c. And I do Testifie there is no other way to come into it than by obeying the Teachings of Jesus Christ and this Obedience is so far from raising any mad Joy as the Snake does Blasphemously call it that it is Impossible for a Man to have more evident Demonstration of any thing in the World than he may have of his future Happiness if he grows up in Obedience and Faithfulness to Jesus Christ the way that leads to it Ibid. He tells as a wonderful opening to repeat his Cant which the Lord gave to him thus p. 5. About the beginning of the Year 1646 as I was going to Coventry and entring towards the Gate a Consideration arose in me how it was said That all Christians were Believers both Protestants and Papists And the Lord open'd to me that if all were Believers then were all born of God Here was a mighty Discovery And after all the Snake's Prophane Banter of Wonderful Opening and Mighty Discovery It is a great Truth and it was a wonderful Opening in John the Apostle where he testifies 1 John 5.4 Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World and this is the Victory that overcometh the World even your Faith This Divine Truth when it was again opened to G. F. by the Openings of the same Holy Spirit did well deserve to be mentioned by him to shew the Unity and Harmony that there is in its Discoveries the same may be said with respect to that other Opening from the Lord mentioned by the Snake p. 334. which G. Fox mentions p. 5. of his Journal That being bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not enough to fit and qualifie Men to be Ministers of Christ. Which is agreable to what the Apostle testifies Gal. 1.11 12. But I certifie you Brethren that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after man for I neither received it of man neither was I taught it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. What the Apostle does here certifie the Primitive Christians concerning his Commission it pleased God to open to G. Fox was the way and means by which all that were truly his Ministers came to be such And tho' the Snake would suggest and insinuate as if the contrary was never the belief of any one Man in the World It is false nor can those who receive their Ordination from Men either after the mode of the Church of England or otherwise say they neither received it of Man nor were taught it but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Ibid. p. 335. He tells p. 6. at another time it was opened in me That God who made the World did not dwell in Temples made with Hands And this at the first seem'd a Strange Word because both Priests and People use to call their Temples or Churches Dreadful Places and Holy Ground Thus G. Fox upon which the Snake adds a Prophane Lie It seems Fox did not know before but that God dwelt in a Church as a Man does in a House so as to be lock'd up and to be no where else when he was there No Snake there seems no such thing of G. F. but if the People who continue to call them Dreadful Places and Holy Ground do know no better their Superstitious Ignorance if it be as described by the Snake will much of it be laid to the Priests Charge who have so blindly led the People But if none of all this Gross Blindness there is yet a Reprovable Misapprehension not grounded upon any Example or Authority from the Gospel-Day so far as it 's recorded in the New Testament That is calling their Churches Dreadful Places and Holy Ground from a supposition that after their Consecration there is a kind of Inhabitation or more Immediate and Powerful Presence of God in them by vertue of it This Reprovable Misapprehension as Peoples Minds did continue under it so they were therein liable to let it increase to a Superstitious Reverence And God in the Calling Forth of his Servant did in this as in other things open his Understanding and let him see according to the Testimony of the Proto-Martyr Acts 7.48 The Most High dwelleth not in Temples made with hands And he there further shews that Consecrations of Houses are vain Nor indeed is there from the Authority of the New Testament any Holiness to be attributed to Place The Doctrine there deliver'd is 1 Cor. 3.16 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and agreeable to this is 1 Cor. 6.19 2 Cor. 6.16 Ibid. And such are all his Discoveries all his New Light even this Fundamental Distinguishing Principle of the Quakers of the Light within The Discoveries before-mentioned I have shewn to be agreeable to the Scripture and the Snake hath been so far from offering to prove them otherwise that he would have it supposed they are the Concessions of every Man in his Right Wits Where is then the Objection Why they are Truths of Common Notice or in the Snake's Prophane Railery they are Notable Discoveries the Commonest Notions in the World which G. F. has here taken for Supernatural Revelations and because the Snake supposes them to have been the Common Knowledge of Mankind therefore he Concludes they were no Openings from the Spirit of Truth in G. Fox But this is a false Conclusion because he may find in Holy Writ that the Supernatural Revelations Discoveries and Openings which it hath pleased God to give to particular Persons have frequently been such Truths Thus the Apostle Paul had a Supernatural Revelation in answer to his Petition My Grace is sufficient for thee 2 Cor. 12.9 And I would know of the Snake who then there was that had received the Christian Faith that did not believe as much And had the Corinthians been as Blasphemously Prophane as this our Adversary they might have queried in his words p. 335. Why so sottishly Ignorant as to take the Commonest Notions in the World for such Wonders such Supernatural Revelations But how common or mean soever this Snake may judge many of those Truths to be which the Holy Spirit hath and doth at this day reveal and discover upon the Spirits of those who are obedient to it in the Openings which it gives of the Scriptures I must needs say that were it possible for a Man Distinctly to remember and repeat the whole Old and New Testament so that all the Truths therein contained were of easie and common notice to him yet the advantage he would thence reap would be nothing in comparison to the advantage he may reap from having but some of the Truths therein recorded opened upon his Spirit by the Holy Spirit which did at first Dictate them And the Reason is because men cannot be made Holy by Imitation but only by Regeneration which as it is the work of the Holy Spirit so that work is began in what the Scripture calls the Day of Small Things The first
the Socinians I do still confess That as the Reasonable Soul and Body is One Man so He that is God and Man is One Christ. And whether this will give Satisfaction to an Implacable Adversary or no I value not knowing my Conscience Clear in the Sight of Him who Judgeth Righteously which I am sure this my Unjust Judge and False Accuser is not who presently after he has stiled me Honest George unjustly Brands me with Infamy as Sophistry Delusion Depths of Satan Mystery of Iniquity Equivocation Jesuitical Confession c. Oh! Rank Malice Bitter Envy c. As for my Confession in the 7th Art alledged against me it stands good and true viz. We own no such saying as that the Holy Doctrine or Divine Precepts of Scripture is either Dust Death or the Serpent's Meat but truly profitable to us by the Assistance of God's Holy Spirit given to us c. And this was in direct Opposition to F. Bugg's saying These Quakers who pretend to own the Precepts and Doctrine of the Bible to be Holy and Blessed yet say 't is Dust and Death the Serpent's Meat c. Apol. Introd p. 18. to his New Rome We do not believe any of these Quakers ever so said of the Precepts and Doctrine nor do they own any such Saying I wholly disown it But then to beg the Question What was it you called Dust and Serpents Meat Was it nothing else but the Ink and Paper Did any Body ever say That these were not Dust Or Is that any part of the Controversie betwixt us Snake p. 177. Here he yields the Point he grants the Ink and Paper to be Dust. I said Will decay and turn to Dust but so will not the Word the Gospel nor the Holy Doctrine contain'd in Scripture And it has been confess'd by F. B. and others That Holiness is not ascrib'd to the Paper and Ink or Inky Characters that will decay but to the Holy Doctrine and Precepts which will not decay but be permanent and endure and therefore are called the Holy Scriptures with respect to the Holy Matters therein contained That the Books and Writings in Ink and Paper will wear out so will not the Word is evident Jehoiakim King of Judah could burn Jeremiah the Prophet's Roll or Book writ with â—nk by Baruch but not the Word of the Lord nor properly the Words thereof for the same Word caused all the former Words to be written again after the Roll was burnt Jer. 36. If then the Books the Paper and Ink be combustible or will decay and turn to Dust but not the Word nor the Doctrine where 's then the Controversie indeed when the same thing is granted on both sides He quotes Gr. Myst. p. 302. as saying Paper and Ink is not Infallible that will come to Dust unto which the Word Christ and the Spirit is preferred in the same place quoted And in the said Gr. Myst. p. 78. by Letter he there means Paper and Ink but the Scripture the thing it speaks of is Spiritual the Word is Spirit And further p. 127. the Scripture or Writing it self without the Spirit that gave it forth is a dead Letter in it self The Spirit is that that gave forth the Scriptures For my part as I am not in the least conscious to my self of the least Contempt of Holy Scripture nor yet of the Bible for I have always preferr'd it to all other Books extant in the World and more affected Reading therein than any other Book even from my Childhood and often bless Divine Providence for preserving to us the Scriptures So I know of none among us guilty of contemning them Neither is what 's said from any Contempt of Scripture no more than it is of the Earth and the Heavens to say They shall wax old and perish but the Word that made them endureth Psal. 102.25 26. Heb. 1.11 12. But say what we can in this Case to clear our selves of any Contempt to the Holy Scripture this our uncharitable Judge and Accuser will not believe us He 's bent to asperse he has swallow'd down so much of the sour Leven of the Malice of a few false Brethren Persecutors and Apostates from whom he derives much of his Authority and thus scurrilously and most falsly imposes upon me viz. And therefore George notwithstanding all thy meally Modesty it is it is indeed George it is the very Doctrine of the Scriptures which you blaspheme as Dust and Death and Serpents Meat on purpose to bring Men off from trying your pernicious Heresies by those Sacred Oracles Ibid. This is a pernicious Abuse and Calumny against my self and others of us to out-face us against our very Sense and Consciences and in good Conscience I Testifie against it it never entred into my Intention or Thoughts so to blaspheme the Doctrine of the Scriptures as to term or deem it Dust Death or Serpents Meat the Lord rebuke this lying envious Spirit Neither do I vilifie the written Doctrine and Precepts of God in comparison of our New Light as he falsly calls it p. 177. but reverently esteem them The Man makes no Conscience of Defaming us Neither do we quarrel with the Law and the Testimony nor yet with Writing or Scripture as 't is in Ink and Paper but distinguish between the Writing and the Things written which is no contempt to either We are thankful to Divine Providence for both the Scripture or Writing and the Holy Doctrine and Divine Precepts therein written for they testifie unto Christ our Light and our Light to the Truth of them And to what he saith If any do not teach the same i. e. according to the Law and the Testimony or written Word it is because there is no Light in them Isa. 8.20 And then puts this Emphasis upon it No Light George Mark that Your false Pretences to the Light within are here over-rul'd Ibid. I deny that our Pretences to the Light within is either false or are here over-rul'd if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Morning to them If he 'll see the Note from the Hebrew in some Bibles he may see no Morning in the Margin over against no Light Then let him Mark that But is there no Light in the Creation before Morning either inward or outward pray Did not the Light shine in Darkness before it shined out of Darkness And had not the Believers a more sure Word of Prophecy whereunto they did well to take heed as unto a Light shining in a dark place until the Day dawned and the Day-star arose in their Hearts 2 Pet. 1.19 And are not many reproved by the Light in them for telling Lies and speaking contrary to the Word c. And therefore there was some true Light in them before the Morning appeared to them And though my Accuser says Ibid. These and such-like Texts detect and explode the miserable Ignorance and Blasphemy of these Pretenders to Light For which we have
altho' the Snake hath to excuse this made an Advertisement p. 346 347 348. yet he hath not clear'd himself of it in that by a most wilful perversion he saith p. 347. It lies still against Mr. Penn and the other Foxonian Quakers But besides Perversions of this Sort his Curtailing Quotations his Changing and Placing of Words and Sentences so that they might speak his Sense not ours is most notorious and such as does at once destroy both the Charity of a Christian and the Honour of a Man Thus making a Quotation from G. F's Answer to the Westmerland Petition he pretends to take these words You will own Our Writings when in that place as I have shewn p. 83. the words are You will own Them so that the words Our Writings are his Addition Thus also he makes a Quotation from Edw. Burroughs's Works p. 862. Every True Member of the Church here he gives a Dash and then goes on and leaves out these words which next follow hath its particular Measure of the Infallible Spirit of Christ c. as I have shewn in p. 93. and thus he hath done by G. Whitehead W. Penn T. Ellwood F. Howgill and others whose Writings he mentions which I have detected as I have met with them And besides this his base Practice of Clipping our Words and Coining and passing upon his Reader his own words for ours in pretended Quotations which are herein detected He also in Relations of Fact hath been equally injurious to Truth and Us. Thus in p. 148. He pretends to give an account of the Practice of one of our Schools to tell what they do and what they do not read and says Never a Chapter out of the Bible that is Beastly Ware with them Dust and Death and Serpents Meat Yet this is false as I have shewn by Certificates under the hands of Persons who well know the Practice of that School and have testified p. 225 226 227. That the Scriptures are in that School daily read by the Scholars and that there hath not been the least appearance of Slight or Disesteem shew'd to them either by the Master or any other belonging to the said School And to what I have thus prov'd notoriously false he had the Face to call upon the Publick to take some care in it which if himself had done he could not have told that Untruth Thus in p. 110. He does in the last degree of Confidence say We never heard of any Censure they have pass'd upon those many much grosser Contempts of Scripture which daily are found among them particularly of Mary Tucker c. When on the contrary his general Slander Contempts of Scripture which are daily found among them c. is no other than a general Falshood and the particular Story I have shewn p. 171 172. to be as falsly cast on us For that there was Censure past upon Mary Tucker for her gross Contempt of the Holy Scripture both by her then Master for it is now near 40 Years since W. Reyman And also by Edw. Burroughs and other of our Friends who did then deny her for that Action And of this he might easily have heard who did so well know the place of W. Reyman's abode But the meanness of his Soul follows that of his Fortune to supply his Teeth he turns Broker or Pedlar to Renegades and licks up their Spittle to use his own Phrase only that he may have the Pleasure of throwing it at us having added to its Filthiness from his own foul Mouth Thus by a strange Contradiction he can receive Information from T. C. against J. Naylor who yet hath professed so much respect to that deceased as to conclude to be buried by him which shews that while they are lashing of J. N's Memory or the faults of such as have been long since deny'd by us it 's only with design that they might reach our Backs This is the Aim and great Design in order to which the Charges which we have heretofore Answer'd over and over are now new vamp'd and chang'd by this Snake in a fresh Dress and given forth as a new discovery which tho' it be a plain proof of his Disingenuity yet is there little New in it for that Charges of these sorts have been made by our Adversaries in their Books Printed against us as well during the Days of the Common-wealth as since And though there hath been hardly any in their Writings against us but have shewn themselves to have some Rancour and Enmity Yet I think none have gone the length of this Snake herein as well in his Prophane Jesting and playing the Buffoon on the Subject of Religion some Instances of which I have Collected p. 19 20. whereby he hath shewn himself fitter for a Stage-Play than a serious Controversie as in the management of it he hath discover'd nothing more than a Persecuting Spirit by ill and false Practices endeavouring to expose us for our Christian Principles while himself for his own Principle or rather Humour is Incognito I say Humour because he was formerly as much the other way towards the late King even to Rudeness and Sedition as he hath since manifested himself to be against the Present Government Insomuch that if we fetch his Parallel from Scripture it must be Ishmael both in Scoffing and having his Hand against every Man by which his ill Practices and Un-Christian Attempts and Designs he hath given true Evidence and Reason to conclude concerning him in the Words of the Prophet Isa. 57.20 But the wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose Waters cast up mire and dirt Reader I shall not be so tedious in the Preface as here to touch upon the several kinds of Ills he hath done towards us they being somewhat spoken to in the Introduction What remains is That I account it in some sort an Act of Supererogation to consider him at all after the Answer which hath been already given by G. W. to the first Edition and what hath been occasionally Answer'd in former times The Substance of his whole Book being no other than a Repetition of former Calumnies from several Adversaries which as he has collected or epitomiz'd into one Volume so if thou herein finds fit Collective Answer it may in some degree ease thee of the trouble of an exact and distinct Inquiry into all our particular Answers If herein it be serviceable in that the Calumnies of the Adversary are wip'd away his Falsities refuted and Truth set in it's Native Light so far God shall hereby be Glorify'd and both my trouble in Writing and thine in Reading of it will be answer'd J. W. THE CONTENTS Sect. I. INtroduction Wherein also the Preface and Introduction of the Snake are considered p. 1. Sect. II. Shewing that we do not make our Souls of the same Person and Substance with God nor Aspire to an Equality with him p. 49. Sect. III. Concerning Perfection p. 69. Sect. IV. Concerning Immediate
Ordinances c. When the Apostle Paul decry'd the abrogated Priesthood and outward Ordinances did he thereby carry on the design of the Devil From the Rise of Popery all along the Apostacy to the time of the Reformation beginning did the Devil labour to beat down the Priesthood and outward Ordinances or to keep them up Ib. Knowing that Religion must needs fall with them What Religion must that be This shews the Religion the Snake contends for is built upon the Priesthood and outward Ordinances else it could not necessarily fall with them He has another Notion of Religion than the Apostle James as well as another Religion and according to him James 1.27 must be read Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this To keep up the Priesthood and outward Ordinances for if they fall Religion will fall with them Such as is his Religion such the Government also and Order he contends for viz. a Government that depends upon saying You to One calling Men Lord or Master who are not so taking off the Hat and Bowing For not to do these things is with him Pref. p. 15. a dissolving of all Government and order the Relations of King and People Husband and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants Which Notoriously False and Childish Assertion deserves to be Hiss'd out of the World For in the Instances of Government disolv'd in the Relation of King and People pray Reader consider have they been dissolv'd and run down by Thee and Thou not saying Master or Lord by not pulling off the Hat or Bowing or have they been run down and dissolved by Men who Practiced contrary to these things The Author of that Treasonable Piece in answer to Dr. King now Bishop of London-Derry in Ireland can say You to One can call Men Lord or Master who are not so can pull off his Hat and Bow yet has given a fair Specimen of his design to dissolve the Relation of King and People by running down the present Government And for the Instances of Relation between Husband and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants never was one of these Relations dissolv'd or run down through Obedience to the Precept of our Saviour but always by the Iniquity and Disobedience of those in these Relations who have Dispised the Precepts and cast off the Yoke of Christ. Ibid. That the Quakers at first left their Houses and Families to run about and Preach and cried down Riches when they had none Is notoriously false For the Quakers never left their Families to shift for themselves but always took due care of them which is evident in this in that their Families have not offered themselves to the care of the Parishes where they dwelt but on the contrary have defrayed their own Charge and paid their Lot in the Assessments for the Poor of the Church which our Adversary pretends Membership in But if I should examine how many Priests have spent their exactions in Pride Luxury and voluptuous Living and have left their Families to shift for themselves or to the Alms of their dissenting Neighbours the Number would not be very small Nor did the Quakers ever cry down Riches but the immoderate desire after and abuse of them This we practised then and the same now Pref. p. 24. The Quakers dispute against these viz. the outward Sufferings and Death of Christ and place the Merit and Satisfaction in the allegorical Sufferings and Blood of their Light within inwardly shed c. This Assertion of the Snake is not allegorically but litterally a Lye for we acknowledge the satisfaction made by Christ to his Father but we do deny that groundless and dangerous Notion of his having paid and his Father exacted that strict and rigorous Satisfaction by undergoing the self-same Punishment and Pains that the Damned suffer in Hell We own the Merit of his outward Death and Sufferings but dispute against the misapplication of that Merit to ungodly Men continuing impenitently in their Sins We own and believe that Men by continuing impenitently in their Sins do press as with sheaves the holy Spirit and by such their despite to the Spirit of Grace do grieve the good Spirit of God which he hath shed abroad upon the Hearts of Men in order to their Regeneration But have never said or believed that the Satisfaction made by Christ to the Father and the Merit thereof consisted in any allegorical Suffering and Blood of the Light within inwardly shed We own and believe that Men through obedience to the Spirit of Grace may come to have their Consciences sprinkled from dead Works to serve the living God and may thro' the Blood of the everlasting Covenant be made perfect in every good Work to do the Will of God through 〈…〉 But have never placed or believâ—◠〈…〉 thereof did consist in such allegorica◠〈◊〉 and Sufferings as the Snake does insinuaâ—â—â—â—ainst us no more than the Apostle in theâ—â— and other places of holy Writ where he directs Men to the word Christ in Them can be supposed to undervalue the outwaâ—d Death and Sufferings of Christ at Jerusalem And to place the satisfaction he made to the Father and the Merit of it to consist in these his spiritual appearances by the holy Spirit in the Hearts of Men. Pref. p. 29. George Fox was much more inconsiderable than Aâ—â—onia Bourignon and got none at the beginning to follow him but from among the poor and most ignorant of the Herd who have since swell'd to a rich numerous and a potent People overspreading these three Nations and stocking whole Plantations abroad And their Succors have taken Root both in Holland and Germany O! Excellent beginning tho' not enough desired increase Yet both beginning and increase doth in his shew the Servant like his Lord against whom it was objected John 2.48 Have any of the Rulers or Pharisees the Rich Great or Learned believed on him but this People who know not the Law and are cursed Herein the Snake shews his unity with those Blasphemous Opposers of Christ and also gives a Testimony for us that in beginning and increase we are like the Primitive Times of increasing Christianity Which tho' it is beyond the common Rule of Judging yet it is certainly true that by the things which are not God will bring to nought things that are And the mean and low who keep so in his Fear them he will exalt and them who seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and the Righteousness of it shall not fail to have all convenient things added for being Lord of Heaven he is the same over Earth and disposes it at his pleasure This many have experienced after all the fleecings and tearing to pieces of Estates and Families which we have suffered by the cruel hands of such who pretended love to our Souls So that we have none to whom to attribute our Riches Numbers or Might but the Secret Hand of divine Providence which first gave us being
Enthusiasts both born in the Year 1650. for then it was Muggleton says he got his Inspiration If Muggleton did come forth in the Spirit of Deceit in the same Year that G. F. came forth in the Spirit and Power of the Lord What can be inferr'd from thence Theudas and Judas of Galilee came forth with their Impostors not much differing in time from our Saviour's coming in the Flesh Yet to correct the Snake's Lying Chronology the Reader may please to know that G. F. did come forth in the Power and Spirit of the Lord some Years before the Date the Snake assigns Ibid. p. 6. It will be proper in this place once for all to obviate a Prejudice which some may take at a little Railery I am forc'd to now and then in answer to such Sensless Arguments and Pretences as deserve no otherwise to be Confuted The Sober and Judicious Reader will no doubt but be Prejudic'd against such prophane Railery and manifest Contradictions as frequently appear of which these Lines are one Instance In pag. 34. foregoing We are the most subtle in Distinction of any Hereticks and it is not usual for such who Distinguish Subtilly to Argue Senslesly But Contradictions of this sort are frequent with our Adversary who throughout his whole Book as the Sober Reader may hereafter Observe doth frequently Contradict himself that he may Bely Us Mistake our Principles that he might have the Glory of a Triumph and Pervert and false Quote our Books that he might have the Reputation of Great Discoveries Of all which having gone through his Introduction remains next in order to be spoken SECT I. Our Principle of the Light of Christ in Men shewn to be Scriptural and our Books herein agreeable thereto THE Light preached and testified to by us ever since we were a People is no other than Jesus Christ the Son of the Father's Love who in due time was born of the Virgin Mary dwelt on the Earth and was in all things like unto Us Sin only excepted Who was Crucify'd under Pontius Pilate died was buried and rose again the third Day and ascended into Heaven This Jesus Christ while he dwelt on Earth preached himself the Light and Way to the Father and speaking of himself to his Disciples John 14.17 said He Dwelleth with you and shall be in you And of this Jesus Christ John Testifies He was the Word in the Beginning with God and that this Word was God and that in him is Life and that Life the Light of Men and that this Light Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World John 1.1 4 9. This is that Glorious Truth testified unto by us which is not Notion except to those only who have barely an Historical Knowledge hereof For to those that do reverently attend its discoveries it is no more Notion but a Home-felt Truth With this Testimony it was that it pleased God to send forth his Servant George Fox who tho' despised mean and unlearned in the accounts of Men was of God made an Apostle in this Age and hath been instrumental in his hand for the directing of Thousands to the Light of Christ in Men. Upon which Light as Men come to attend it will fully teach them their Duty to God and enable them to perform it it will discover to them a System of Principles truly Orthodox with more certainty than Council or Synod can not taught by it for he is indeed a Wonderful Counsellor And this not in Notion not meerly Historical No! But in Practice according to their Obedience to it It will first fully and truly beyond any Casuist shew unto Man what is his Sin and if Man dispise not this Discovery but close with it it will beget in him a loathing of his Sin and then procede to work in him a repentance from Dead Works which if unfeigned it will go on to sanctify him and when Man by this Light Spirit or Grace is sanctified it will then witness to his Spirit that he is justified So will Man truly come to be redeemed This in short is the substance of what hath been by us declared concerning this Divine Light Christ in Men and which is not more than is witnessed of it in the Holy Scriptures in the words whereof our Friends have frequently given their belief in this as in other Articles and that with good reason for the Spirit of God in his Church in this Age can well agree with the Language of the same Spirit in and to the Churches in the former Ages And here I may fitly observe that too nice expressing and minute particularizing of Articles of Faith has been frequently one ground of Heresie and Schism and occasioned great disturbance in the World and indeed it 's no wonder that when Men forsake that teaching Grace which brings Salvation they should set up that Earthly Wisdom which in matters of Faith breeds confusion Ibid. p. 7 8. And this Notion of the Light within as a Ray only or Illumination from the Holy Spirit the Ingenious Mr. Penn has let us see in some of his late Books to draw us insensibly off the Scent of the Quaker Notion of the Light within This Adversary that he may scratch more undiscernedly he Hypocritically flatters W. Penn of which as we pass shall meet with divers instances But it is false that W. Penn hath in any of his Books explained our Belief of the Light within in terms contrary to what G. Fox or other our Ancient Friends have done He being a Scholar might use other terms but not contrary he might vary from the express words of G. Fox or others but not from their sense Of this Holy Writ affords instances The Holy Apostle Paul's rethorical forms of Speech might be more agreeable to the Rules of Art but not of the Holy Spirit than those of the rest of the Holy Apostles Yet his Learning and their Illiterature were both of excellent use the minds of the Persons being under subjection to the Spirit of God This was their great Rule so that though according to the Humane helps they had had they might use various yet not contrary terms in the same Article Ibid. p. 8. And that is to make this their Light within not only an Inspiration or Illumination sent from God but to be it self the Essential God and Christ. What Christ hath promised and by the Holy Spirit hath dictated concerning God and Christ's Dwelling in Men as in these places refer'd to among many others it may be seen is so experienced a Truth as well as good an Authority for such like Scriptural expressions that it will stand the Shock of any capricious Gramarian who would pretend to speak more properly and distinguish more nicely than it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost to do John 14.17 20. Rom. 8.10 1 Cor. 10.4 2 Cor. 15.4.10.6 7.14.25.13.7 Gal. 2.20 Heb. 2.11 Col. 1.27.4.19.2.6 Ibid. 8. And from hence O Blasphemy to repeat it they
and Substance with God as the Snake suggests But to proceed We have found the Snake biting off the Beginning and End of G. Fox's words in the former Quotation in the next place we shall find him false quoting him But here he is pleased to give the Priest's words truly as they stand p. 13. thus There is a kind of infiniteness in the Soul but it cannot be infiniteness in it self Against this G. Fox disputes And no kind of infiniteness will serve his turn but infiniteness in himself which is the Infiniteness of God alone For he only has Infinity in himself as not being given by any other Thus the Snake's Remark and now his Quotation Is not the Soul says G. Fox without Beginning Hath this a Beginning or Ending And is it not infinite in it self and more than all the World This the Snake gives for a Quotation from G. Fox's Great Mystery p. 90. when as by the following will appear they are only Sentences standing at considerable distance in that Book and packt together in his and being so packt by him are urged to prove what G. Fox never said The place in Great Mystery is thus Is not the Soul without Beginning coming from God returning unto God again who hath it in his hand Which hand goes against him that does evil which throws down that which wars against it And Christ the Power of God the Bishop of the Soul which brings it up into God which came out from him Hath this viz. the Power he means a Beginning or Ending And is not this viz. the Power as before infinite 〈◊〉 it self and more than all the World Thus G. Fox the meaning of whose words is no other than thus Christ the Power of God and Bishop of the Soul who can only bring the Soul into acceptance with God is infinite in his Power and greater than all the World which plain sense of the place is vastly different from the perversion of this Nibler The Snake's next Quotation in p. 14. He makes from Great Mystery p. 91. and gives it thus Christ brings the Soul up into God from whence it came whereby they come to be one Soul This like the Last is miserably false quoted The place in Great Mystery standing thus So every one being turned to the Light which Christ the Second Adam hath enlightned them withal they shall see Christ the Bishop of their Souls the Power of God which is immortal and brings the Immortal Soul in to the Immortal God Christ the Sanctification who sanctifies their Bodies and Spirits and brings the Soul up into from whence it came whereby they become one Soul Thus G. Fox who herein is very plain shewing how the Work of Regeneration is began and carried on till the Soul arrive at that Spiritual Marriage-Union and Oneness for which our Saviour prayed that the Saints might witness The Snake's next Quotation p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 229. Thus Who are come up into the Bishop Christ are one Soul To which he goes on and adds tho' cut off by this Snake They know the hand of God which the Soul lives in And it is doubtless very true for whosoever through obedience to the Holy Spirit comes to be one in Christ do certainly know his Power by which that Work is wrought and in which they live The Snake's next Quotation in p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 273. thus It is not horrid Blasphemy to say the Soul is a part of God for it came out of him and that which came out of him is of him Of this the Snake says Fox does not say that the Soul came from God that is God Created it But that it came of God as a part of God his Substance Person and Essence But it is very false for G. Fox does not so say nor does his words import more than that it is created by God and the Last words which next follow and which the Snake hath bit off do shew as much For G. Fox saith it rejoyceth in him and so certainly every regenerated Soul does But for further proof that G. Fox did not mean more or other than that the Soul was created and that such was his belief see in the same Book p. 337. where speaking of the Soul his words are these God breathed into Man the Breath of Life and he became a living Soul who hath all Souls in his hand and the Soul is Immortal and Christ the Bishop of it is Immortal and God hath it in his hand which goeth against him that doth evil whose hand is Immortal But Man transgressing the Command of God the Soul lies in Death So Christ is the Bishop of the Souls and they that come to know Christ their Souls rejoice in God their Saviour Luke 1. Here G. Fox hath very fully and expresly declared his Judgment in words unexceptionable to the Cavils of the Snake and contrary to his false insinuations Now in that I have brought another Quotation in the same Book to put out of doubt G. Fox's meaning in the former I have herein used a rule which the Snake lays down p. 195. viz. To hear G. Fox explain himself in other places of the same Book The Snake's next Quotation p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 100. where he hath only taken these words which I take to be wrong printed of a passage Is not this of God's Being when in the Book it self it is thus And is not that which came out from God which God hath in his hand taken up into God again which Christ the Power of God is the Bishop of is not this Divine Life of the Soul of God's being By the context of which words it is plain G. Fox means no more than as is above observed from p. 337. The Snake's next Quotation p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 248. Whence the Snake does but not fully give the Priest's words which in that Book are these Priest It is a false thing to say Christ's Person is in Man To which the following answer at which the Snake cavils is made by G. Fox which is as much as to say None are of his Flesh or of his Bone nor eat it nor had his Substance From which words I think nothing is plainer than that the Answer is Scriptural and the sense of it Spiritual as see Ephes. 5.30 32. John 6.63 The Snake's next Quotation in p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 207. in which he hath not given the Priest's Words nor but part of G. Fox's Answer but I shall give both for the greater evidence of Truth Priest God hath a Christ distinct from all other beings whatsoever whether they be Spirits or Bodies G. Fox God's Christ is not distinct from his Saints nor their Bodies for he is within them nor distinct from their Spirits for their Spirits witness him And God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself who is the head of every Creature and there is not
any Creature but it 's manifest in his sight and he is in the Saints and they eat his Flesh and sit with him in heavenly places This Reader is so plain Scripture that it would raise an inquiry how envy it self cloaked with pretences to Christianity should carp at it The Snake's next Quotation p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 88. Christ is the Elect. The Reader may easily suppose G. Fox said more but the Snake thinking from these to draw some unsound sense left the rest behind him In which he being abundantly mistaken I shall not trouble the Reader with a larger Quotation but only observe that the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah 42.1 saith of Christ Behold my Servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my Soul delighteth And the Holy Apostle speaking of Christ saith 1 Pet. 2.6 Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture behold I lay in Zion a Chief Corner Stone Elect and Precious The Snake's next Quotation in p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 310. That they who are of the Faith are the Flesh of Christ the Flesh of him who suffered Here he has false quoted G. Fox's words which are these No Man knows that is savingly the seed Christ that was offered the Sacrifice of the whole World but as he knows it within through the Faith and who are of the Faith they are of Abraham They are of the Flesh of Christ the Flesh of him that suffered The Apostle says as much and says true Eph. 5.30 I have now done with all the Snake's Quotations in his second Section in which Reader I doubt not but thou wilt observe the great injustice of the Snake in several kinds as first in false quoting G. Fox's words which is a practice so base that it is impossible it can consist with a fair pretence of being herein concerned in Love to the Souls of those he would pretend to preserve or reduce No it is a practice directly opposite to all pretences of Humane Justice and it cannot be less but rather more to pretend to do it for God's sake Next his Injustice is not less in perverting the sense and meaning of the places which he truly quotes by cavilling at and giving expositions quite contrary to the plain sense of the Writer For it is very plain that the whole scope of all the Passages hitherto quoted are such as have relation to the Spiritual Vnion and Oneness of Christ with his People Which both Christ himself and his Holy Apostles have very frequently held forth to us by Similies which fall under the notice of sense that thereby mankind might more readily come to apprehend them Thus Christ said I am the Vine I am the Door and except ye eat my Flesh and drink my Blood c. And the Apostle we are of his Flesh and of his Bone with abundance more such like expressions which if in a litteral sense were to be expounded Such exposition would be plain perversion and against it our Saviour hath given a Caution The words that I speak they are Spirit and they are life John 6.63 Snake p. 15. I will tell you before I go Mr. Penn's excuse for G. Fox in all these particulars He lays it upon George 's extream Ignorance For Proof of this the Snake quotes W. Penn's invalidity of J. Faldo's Vindication p. 353. where W. Penn's words are only these He G. F. observes no nicety of expression in his Writings and it is therefore disingenuously done of any to make this ill use of his plain and vulgar phrases See Reader how apt this Man is to tell lies for W. Penn lays it not on nor does not say it was his extream Innorance But W. Penn lays the fault upon J. Faldo's extream disingenuity as I now do upon the Snake's Snake p. 15. An indifferent Man would rather have said Ne Sutor ultra crepidam That this Fox should rather have kept to his original Trade Here Reader see this Man's contempt by a Profane Jest upon the meanness of G. Fox's Calling What would he have said to Amos the Herdsman Peter James and John Fishermen and the rest of those Holy Men whose mechanick Occupations were no hinderance to the High Offices in the Church to which God called them It is not unlikely that from men Spirited as this Snake their Entertainment was Ne Sutor c. But this need not trouble us since we find that G. Fox where he speaks of the Soul as in the places before severally quoted doth speak so distinctly of it as that he neither declares it to be God or Christ nor doth he confound the Being of Man with the Infinite Being of his Creator as is falsly charged by this Adversary G. Fox hath frequently said to this purpose and it is very true that the Spirit of Man is illuminated with a divine Light from God through the mediation of Jesus Christ But he hath never said that the Spirit of Man was God No he could not so say but by wilful perversion this Adversary as some former ones perverts as well as mis-quotes him and will not have him to mean as his words plainly speak For when he speaks of the Soul of Man both with respect to its original Life as breathed from God and degenerated through disobedience and also with respect to his spiritual Restoration by the Power and Spirit of his Creator and hath thereupon shewn how that the Soul through disobedience to the Power that Created it became estranged and at enmity to it and that this enmity and wall of Separation could not be broken down and the Soul brought into the Love and Favour of God but by Christ who in Holy Writ is declared the Bishop and Shepherd Our Adversaries have then often perverted his words and would have them to mean which they cannot That the Infinite Essence and Being with other the like terms of the Life of God or Christ were the Soul of Man But these perversions are our Adversaries and as of G. Fox So of all owned by us it never was believed by us that the Soul of Man was the same Person and Substance with God as is most falsly charged by this Snake I come now to the Snake's third Section Of the Quakers aspiring c. which he says p. 17. is in effect proved already but yet he bestows nine pages upon it of which great part is taken up in Quotations which I shall consider in their order The first in p. 17. is from Great Mystery p. 282. For Christ says he makes no distinction in his words but saith Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is And as he is so are we and that which is perfect as he is perfect is in equality the same In this Quotation that the Snake might bring the parts of it together as near as well he could he hath made a break for another Text which G. Fox used viz. And be ye merciful as he is And after all his carping it is the Doctrine preached
p. 23. Fox having produced so particular a Charge of Gross and Abominable Blasphemies against himself and Partners did it on purpose that he might the more exactly and in terms most express and plain Renounce and Disown them The end for which G. Fox did in that Book entituled Saul's Errand c. set down the Petition of some Priests and others of the County of Lancanster to the Council of State together with the Crimes mentioned in their Schedule was indeed that he might fully answer them in shewing the Quakers Belief in opposition to those false Charges And this is done in that Book in terms so express and plain as leaves no room for doubt unless to such whom nothing will satisfie For to each particular Objection he gives a distinct Answer and that in Scriptures quoted for that purpose But this same Adversary seems to be dissatisfied with such Answer as no doubt he would have been with that of our Saviour to the Captious Jews Mark 11.33 and 12.17 and with many others of the like kind which he may be pleased to say are not in terms sufficiently express and plain Ibid. p. 24. Nay he down-right owns and justifies the greatest part of them as their preternatural Convulsions and Quakings Foamings and Swellings of their Bellies which seiz'd them at their Meetings even Little Children who could not counterfeit It is an unaccountable degree of Impudence for a man with so much assurance as this Snake does to say G. Fox owns and justifies Preternatural Convulsions Foamings and Swellings of Bellies and that of Little Children When G. Fox has not in that Book one such word That I may not herein impose upon the Reader as the Snake has done I will here give intire G. Fox's Answer to that Objection and then the Reader may find whether I or the Snake be the Lyar the page the Snake quotes is p. 5. of Saul's Errand which is thus Answ. The Meetings of the People of God were ever strange to the World for it was as though some strange thing had happened to the Saints as we read in the Scripture Psal. 71.7 1 Pet. 4.12 Which shews they are in the same Generation wondring and stranging at the Work of the Lord despising and casting Scandals Slanders and false Reports upon them And where the Works of God are now Acts 13.41 they think them strange things now as was then who are alive in the Flesh. It would be a strange thing now to see one fall down as Paul fell down and trembled and as Daniel fell down and trembled Dan. 10.9 And to see one as Habakkuk his Belly to tremble and his Lips to quiver Hab. 3.16 And as David to lye roaring all the Day long who cryed till his sight was grown dim and his Flesh fail'd of fatness and till he could number his Bones And to see one as Isaiah to rent his Garment and his Mantle and to pluck his Hair off his Head and off his Beard and sit down astonished And would it not be strange to see such an Assembly as came to Isaiah Isa. 66.5 Which had all trembling Hearts Hear the Word of the Lord all ye that tremble at his Word work out your Salvation with fear and trembling Before their faces the people shall be much pained all faces shall gather blackness Joel 2.6 The Prophets and Ministers of God have all one Spirit according to measure and did encourage those that did tremble Wherein it shews that you have not the same Spirit but seek to persecute and fix Scandals and accuse them falsly Here Reader thou mayst see the injustice and falshood of this Adversary in so boldly asserting what there is not a word of tho' he says p. 24. The Matter of Fact Fox owns p. 5. Thou hast here G. Fox's answer from p. 5. Pray see if it be as the Snake says it is The Snake has one Hiss more In this Section with which he concludes it and that is at James Milner of whom I have reserved to speak in answer to the Snake's 21st Section As I have already hinted p. 66. Wherefore I now come to the Snake's 4th Section of the Quakers Pretence to a sinless Perfection SECT III. We do own and believe that it is our Duty to press on to Perfection which by the assistance of the Spirit of God we believe it possible to attain unto REader I have already shewn thee in Sect. 1. p. 43. what we mean and understand by the Light within viz. Jesus Christ as testified of in Holy Writ where the Apostle testifies 2 Cor. 5.19 That God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and we say that as Man through obedience to the Holy Spirit comes to witness a being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ he will more and more witness a growing into that Holy Oneness that Spiritual Union and Communion which our Saviour hath prayed his Disciples might witness as is already shewn Sect. 2. p. 64. tho' misinterpreted by our Adversaries to be an aspiring to Equality c. with God And all who in their several degrees of growth in Grace do witness the going on of this Work of Reconciliation must witness a going on to Perfection And I cannot see any absurdity in this Scriptural Doctrine For if I through the Power of Christ have witnessed a Being by him set free from one vile Affection or one inordinate Lust. Have I not good reason to hope that he that hath began this good work is able to finish it and so of the rest of Humane Infirmities which cannot be overcome but by the assistance of a Divine Power which being altogether Perfect in it self will lead on to Perfection all who are obedient to it Yet this Plain and Scriptural Doctrine professed by us from the first hath met with great opposition and perversion as now by this Snake Snake p. 25. After having shewed the Quakers claim to an Equality with God to be part of him of one Soul Being Person and Essence with him It may seem a saying less and going backward to say that they pretend to a sinless Perfection How idle and false is it in the Snake to say we pretend to be one Person with God when we reject the word Person as too gross to be applied to God or Christ or the Holy Spirit But after having shewn the falsity of that Charge as is plentifully done in the foregoing Section I shall go forward to shew also as is above hinted that the Sinless Perfection we contend for is only in the Holy Spirit and no further ours than we come into obedience to it and through obedience to it 't is possible 2 Pet. 1.4 To be partakers of the Divine Nature But because our Modern Quakers are abated somewhat from the Loud Blasphemies to which they at first pretended c. Here Reader Is an Instance of the Hypocrisie and Confusion of this Man He had charged us Sect. 1 2 3. that at our first setting up
send them forth in the Work of the Ministry their Degrees of Immediate Revelation are much higher than that Degree of Immediate Revelation which I have above spoken of And in these higher Degrees of Revelation God may give One to Prophesy or foretell things to come and send Another with a Message as shall seem good in his Sight and all this by the Immediate Revelation of the same Holy Spirit which reproves the World of Sin tho' in a Higher Degree and by the Higher Degrees of this Immediate Revelation it may please God by his Servants for God hath not in his revealed Will declared that he would not to work Miracles But as his Ministers at this Day have no New Gospel to Preach so it is not necessary that the Work of the Ministry should be commonly attended with such external Credentials if so I may call Miracles Ibid. p. 28. And to this G. F. pretended even to Outward Visions and Revelations as in his Blasphemous Journal particularly upon a High Mountain in Yorkshire where he tells of his receiving Commission to Preach That G. F. had Visions and Revelations some of which might be Outward and did receive a Commission from God to Preach he hath given more â—nd better Proofs than the Snake hath that G. F's Journal is Blasphemous For of this I find no Proof but the Snak's own confident averring of it But among the Proofs of G. F's having received Commission to Preach none of the smallest are the many who instrumentally by him were turned from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan to the Power of God To which Power of God as they did attend and grow up in they were the Living Seals of his Ministry And for the Visions and Revelations which G. F. hath declared he had there are none of them that are repugnant to the Holy Scriptures but are consistent with and agreeable to the special Manifestations of God to his Children mentioned therein which nothing that is Blasphemous can be Nay further God hath promised Joel 2.28 That in the pouring forth of his Spirit He would give Prophecy Dreams and Visions and that it is fulfilled in the Gospel Dispensation the Holy Apostle Peter hath testified Acts 2.16 Ibid. p. 21. Fox does plainly distinguish betwixt the Ordinary Experiences of the Inward Operations of the Spirit of God upon our Hearts and the being sent Immediately from God with such a Message as the Prophets and Apostles had And this plain Distinction of G. F's is warranted from Scripture it being wholly in the degrees of Operation but the Holy Spirit which does so diversly Operate is the same The Faith of the Woman cured of a Bloody Issue Mat. 9.20 was begotten in her by a degree of the Operation of the Holy Spirit and by a much greater Degree of the Operation of the same Holy Ghost Philip was bid Acts 8.29 Go near and joyn thy self to this Chariot And abundance of Instances of these kinds might be produced in Holy Writ which do as plainly distinguish as any of us can betwixt the Ordinary and Extraordinary Inward Operations of the Holy Spirit upon our Hearts yet both truly and properly Immediate Ibid. p. 29. These are his Words And shew plainly what he meant by Immediate Revelation and how it distinguish'd him from the Professors Yes Snake it is very plain what G. F. meant by Immediate Revelation when he asked Four or Five Priests Journal p. 83. Whether any one of them could say he ever had the Word of the Lord to go and speak to such or such a People viz. that this is a Higher Degree of the Inward Operation of the Holy Spirit than that by which it Reproves the World of Sin This Higher Degree of Immediate Revelation none of those Priests could say they had had and therefore might well be deem'd such of whom the Prophet says They run and the Lord never sent them And to G. F's Question foregoing the Priest made no proper answer when he said He could speak his experiences Because every operation of the Holy Spirit does give some experience to the Heart in which it works And if a Man thereby reproved of Sin be obedient to that reproof he shall witness a forsaking that for which he was so reproved And this is a good Degree of Experience But this Experience barely is no call to the Ministry To which those whom Christ doth Choose Prepare Fit Furnish and Qualifie as it is by a higher Degree of the Inward and Immediate Operations of His Holy Spirit so it does distinguish them from those who can only speak of Experiences as is above declared Ibid. p. 29. And he Vouches this by a company of Vile and Sensless Miracles to which he pretends in his Journal How shews the Snake that the Miracles mentioned in G. F's Journal are Vile and Sensless They are not therefore so because an Enemy says it And yet he has given no other reason And now having gain'd what he meant by Revelation and Immediate Revelation I will shew you that he attributes it not only to his own Worthiness but to the Quakers in General They are says he in his Great Mystery p. 242. in the same Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation from Heaven that the Apostles were in There is no dificulty to gain either what G. F. did mean or any of us do mean by Revelation it being in short this 1 Cor. 2.11 The things of God knoweth no Man but by the Spirit of God And whosoever doth know and understand the Gospel of Christ which is Rom. 1.16 The Power of God unto Salvation must receive that knowledge and that understanding by Immediate Revelation from the same Spirit from which the Apostles had theirs The Apostles have declar'd that themselves did receive their Knowledge of the things of God by it and that without this Spirit no Man can know them Yet we do not from hence say nor hath G. F. said that the Gospel of Christ is not to be understood but by the same Degree of Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation which the Apostles were in or that himself or any other Quaker as the Snake does falsly suggest are in that same Degree in which the Apostles were The Apostle Peter was in the same Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation when he gave Testimony to the Divinity of our Saviour Mat. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God in which he was when he said Acts 2.22 23. Ye Men of Israel hear these Words Jesus of Nazareth a Man approved of God among you by Miracles Wonders and Signs which God did by him in the midst of you as ye your selves also know him being delivered by the Fore-knowledge and Counsel of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain c. But I suppose the Snake will hardly affirm he was in the same Degree of Power c. And after all it is false in
the Snake to say that G. F. said this of his own Worthiness as he floutingly stiles him or of the Quakers in General for G. F. does neither mention himself in Particular nor the Quakers in General But after the words before quoted by the Snake adds That understand the Gospel Instead of which words he hath falsly added as above Ibid. p. 29. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 241. Are not ye in the Presumption and Usurpt Authority to Preach or to Teach that have not the Immediate Revelation as the Apostles had Yes Doubtless they do run when they are not sent of God to Preach the Gospel Who before they Teach others the Things of God are not themselves taught them by the holy Spirit Ibid. p. 29. quoted from Great Mystery p. 213. Thou canst not know the Scriptures but by the same Degree of the Spirit that the Prophets and Apostles had The Snake hath here altered the Form of G. F's Words which as they stand are Thou canst not know Scripture c. And it is plain that by the Error of the Press all is left out for it ought to be Thou canst not know all Scripture c. And to shew plainly that G. F. did so write and intend I will produce p. 212. where speaking to the same Adversary upon the same subject he thus saith every Man that hath a Measure of the Spirit of God in the least Measure or Degree it is infallible and so far they may Teach infallibly and know Scriptures but they cannot know all Scriptures but as they attain to the full Measure of the Spirit of the Prophets and Apostles Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 97· They the Quakers says the Snake but says G. Fox who are come to the Lamb They witness Immediate Revelation They are come to that the Apostles was in the Spirit of Christ the Spirit of God They witness Immediate Revelation And 't is very true for who are come to Christ do witness his Spirit and the Apostles were in his Spirit Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 153. But the rest of the World have never heard the voice of God nor the voice of Christ and have not the same Infallible Spirit a◠the Apostles had and no Immediate Revelation nor Inspiration as they had In this one Quotation here is a twofold falshood First Forgery next false Quoting For the Forgery it is this These first words But the rest of the World are not G. Fox's next he has left out a whole Sentence in the middle of the Quotation which is relative to and explanatory of the rest That the falshood and injustice of this Adversary may appear clearly to the impartial Reader I here subjoin the place as it is in the page quoted The Spirit of God in the Apostles being witnessed it opens the Scriptures is the Key lets to see what hath been since the days of the Apostles and rul'd and reign'd and had the Dominion The Wolf in Sheeps Clothing which have deceived the Nations such as have led the World and brought them all upon heaps and have never heard the Voice of God and have published it to the Nation in Print nor the voice of Christ and have not the same Infallible Spirit as the Apostles had and no immediate Revelation nor Inspiration as they had Thus far G. Fox whose words are sound For first it is certain that the Spirit of God does not only open the Scriptures But will also discover the Devourer and Wolf This discovering Knowledge our Saviour hath testified is in his Followers in that A Stranger they will not follow And it is as certain that Men guided by this Devouring Spirit have often brought heaps of Confusion And lastly I take it for granted That such who publish to the Nation that they have never heard the Voice of God nor Christ have not the Holy Spirit nor its immediate teachings and it is no wonder they have it not for God hath said that his Spirit should not always strive with Man and he who resisteth the Day of small things and through the Crowds of Temptations and Vanities will not hearken nor hear the fault is his own Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 321. Revelation is now witnessed in our days as it was in the Apostles but not amongst you who have inwardly ravened from the Spirit of God which have Apostatized from the Apostles And so you be in the Diabolical Devilish that expects not that now which was in the Days of the Apostles This Quotation which the Snake hath jumbled together only with the small distinction of a break Is as it lies in the Book Great Mystery two Answers to things severally asserted by a Priest Josias Dorker at Bransprith Castle Durham The first part of the Quotation to the Break is part of G. Fox's Answer to this following Assertion of the Priest's Immediate Revelation or Inspiration is not to be expected in these days To this false Assertion the words of G. Fox quoted above by the Snake are a proper Answer because as G. Fox in the same Answer shews tho' left out by the Snake according to our Saviour's words None knows the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him which Doctrine whosoever shall deny are most certainly ravened from the Spirit of God and Apostatized from the Apostles But Secondly This Priest Dorker did affirm it to be needless and also Diabolical that is to say Develish to expect any such thing now To this the Latter part of the Snake's Quotation is also part of G. Fox's Answer which Answer is true As for Diabolical and Devilish they are the Priest's own words and were fittly by retorsion given to the Priest And it is a great indication that Men are in that Spirit themselves which is Devilish when they call Good Evil and Evil Good and tell the World that that is needless or not to be expected now which is the Covenant of the New Testament And here Reader is another Mark of that foul Hypocrisie and Envy which is in this our Adversary who pretends to quote the Offices and Services of the Church of England for proof that Inspiration is believed and prayed for and which he would have taken as an Argument that himself does so believe and pray Yet here he is angry with G. Fox for telling the Priests that they were ravened from the Spirit of God even then when they told the People Inspiration was not now to be expected How will the Snake winde this into any agreement Himself says Inspiration is to be expected and prayed for The Priests whom G. Fox answered said It is not to be expected nor prayed for Nay they said more that it is Diabolical to expect it now See Reader the Confusion of these Our Adversaries of former and later times Who no doubt pretended to be true both now and then tho' quite
contrary now to what they were then But if the Doctrine be true now how comes G. Fox to be blame-worthy for asserting it then and telling them then that such who denyed it were ravened from the Spirit of God And after all the Daubing Hypocrisie of this Snake let him shew if he can that such who deny this Doctrine which is essential to Salvation do not thereby shew themselves ravened c. Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from p. 30. of G. Fox's Answer to the Westmoreland Petition If ever you own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles you will own our Writings which are given forth by the same Spirit and Power The Liberty which this Adversary takes to himself is very great sometimes supplying to our words what he is pleased to think they want as at other times to bite and curtail them And to shew thee Reader what Supplements he gives to our words take the place as it is in G. Fox's Answer c. If ever you own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles you will own them which are given forth by the same Spirit and Power And it is very true for whosoever shall write from the movings of the Spirit and grace of God upon his heart tho' in the least manifestation thereof them Writings so written cannot fail of being acknowledged in their Degree By all who through the Spirit of God are led to own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles And the Reason is plain because every Member partakes of the same Spirit by which the whole Body and Church of Christ is kept living And it is impossible for the Holy Spirit in one Member to contradict the same Spirit in the rest of the Body Thus Reader thou may plainly see that that Sinless Perfection maintained in our Books which the Snake carps at misrepresents and wilfully lyes against is no other than the Perfection of the Holy Spirit and which is no further Ours than we walk in obedience to that Spirit by Obedience to which the Apostle hath testified 2 Pet. 1.4 That by escaping the Corruption that is in the World through Lust we may be made partakers of the Divine Nature It were a foul and false imputation upon this Doctrine of the Apostles to suggest that he hereby advised the true Believers to pretend to any such equality of Perfection as that of God who in his Wisdom and Power c. is Infinite God hath promised to his People I will dwell in them and walk in them 2 Cor. 6.16 And all who do witness this Holy In-dwelling of God must of necessity say and confess that he is able to give a perfect Deliverance and Freedom from Sin But have not nor cannot say That they are God or they are Christ because of the In-dwelling of the Holy Spirit never did any of us so say as falsly suggested by the Snake which in reply to the foregoing quotations doth I think evidently appear Wherefore I now proceed to his 6th Section of the Quakers Infallibility SECT V. Shewing that Infallibility is by us placed in the Holy Spirit and only is ours as guided by that THis Section therefore is like opening the Jugler's Box and you may expect to see Rarities The Snake is the Jugler and this Section or rather his whole Book the Box. The Rarities which the Reader may expect to see will no doubt be agreeable to such a Jugling Undertaker Before I come to open his Box this Section I will shew thee Reader his Jugling Artifice on the Lid of it Ibid. p. 31. This Section may seem needless as being included in the former That it is included in the former is true for who claims to be equal of the same Being and Substance with God Such doubtless claim to be infallible as he And then why this needless Section Why the Jugler doubting to put the matter of Charge upon that Issue multiply'd this Section tho' needless and drew it to a length near twice that of all his foregoing Sections that he might indeed Jugler like blind the Readers observation in the length of it And with respect to us the Jugler might hope it should by its length be admitted as Billa Vera rather than any should examine its Contents and detect its Lyes But to begin with the Snake's first head of Distinction Ibid. p. 31. 1. This their Infallibility was palm'd upon them by the Church of Rome That the Snake may not palm this Story upon the World without proof I do on the behalf of the People called Quakers deny the Assertion and put our Adversary upon the Proof of it which if he cannot do he is hereby registred for a Lyar. Ibid. p. 31. Of which They were so greedy that they swallow'd it down by wholesale and would have none of those Cautions with which the Church of Rome used to defend themselves As we did not receive from the Church of Rome or any other Society of Men our True Principle of the Infallibility of the Spirit or Grace of God so neither did or do we want any of those Cautions which the Romanists may have and use in their claim of Infallibility That this may appear more plain to the Sober Reader I will shew the vast difference between us and them herein The Papists how much soever they differ among themselves in placing of Infallibility in their Church as whether in the Pope and in him Simply or in him in Cathedra or with his Conclave or him in General Counsel or in such Counsel without him or in the Church diffusive yet they do all agree herein that this Infallibility is possessed by Original Grant made by Jesus Christ to one or other or all of them in the Person of the Holy Apostle Peter and doth descend by Ordination in a continual Succession not alienable This I doubt not will be allow'd to be the declar'd sentiments of some of that People in this point and which do abundantly differ from what hath been always professed by us herein which in Brief is to the following purpose viz. First We have constantly said that the Holy Spirit of God is Infallible and that through the Mediation and Intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ a Manifestation of this Infallible Holy Spirit is given to every Man to profit with Secondly We have constantly said that whoever is obedient to the Convictions and Leadings of this Infallible Holy Spirit as they are tendred to their Souls during the day of their Visitation shall thereby be Infallibly lead into all Truth necessary to Salvation both in Principle and in Practice for it doth not only Teach sound Doctrines but also teacheth to deny all ungodliness and hath no fellowship with the Vnfruitful Works of Darkness Thirdly We have constantly said that of such as through their working together with the Grace of God are thereby become Strong in the Lord Of these I say As Christ doth now Prepare Fit Furnish and Qualify with and by his Holy Spirit those whom
he makes Choise of to send forth and imploy in the work of the Ministry So they who are so sent forth have or may have if they diligently attend to the Voice of this Infallible Holy Spirit speaking in them a certain Infallible Knowledge and Assurance of the Truth of what they so deliver And they who hear have or may have if they duly attend to that measure or manifestation of this Infallible Holy Spirit which they have received a like certain Infallible Knowledge and Assurance of the Truth of what they hear But tho' they who so minister and they who so hear have or may have this Infallible Assistance Yet this Assistance continues no longer with any than they to whom it is so given do continue faithful to it and herein is one remarkable difference between the Law and the Gospel the Law in its Offices went by Succession to the several Ages of the People of the Jews and was not alienable from them but fulfill'd and so ended by Christ Thus the Office of the Priesthood descended in that Tribe in which it was appointed at the giving of the Law so that in the execution of their Office they had the benefit of the promises made to the Priesthood at that time tho' some of them were wicked Men an Instance whereof is John 11.51 in Caiphas of whom it is there said He spake not of himself but being High Priest that Year he prophesied But in the Gospel Dispensation it is not so the Gifts of the Holy Spirit not being limited either to Person or Office in the Church nor can Man witness any Union with it or infallible Assistance from it but through obedience to and perseverance both in the Principles which it teacheth and that Holiness of Life which it leads into This thus briefly stated will plainly and truly shew the Inquiring Reader the great difference between us and the Romanists in this great Article of Infallibility Ibid. p. 32. But the Simplicity of our Quakers has deprived them of every one of these helps The Quakers as I have now shewn have no need of those helps because their Simplicity is Godly Sincerity which had the Snake had he would not have bely'd us as he does in the following words Ibid. p. 32. For as they place Infallibility in every single Quaker so they confine it not to matters of Faith but extend it to all Persons and Things To know all Mens Hearts and all things in the World by their Inward Light without being told by any Which are Abominable Lyes and Slanders as will be further manifested in detecting his Perversions and other Abuses of those quotations which he makes from our Friends Books to prove this Assertion Under the second head the Snake makes divers quotations Ibid. p. 33. he quotes from Great Mystery this Objection of the Priest's That is another Error of the Quakers that say he who is not Infallible in his Judgment when he gives Counsel and Advice is no Minister of Christ. The Snake has fairly as above put the Objection but hath falsly quoted G. F's Answer which is truly thus Now he that is not Infallible in his Counsel and Judgment and Advice is not he in Error And are not the Ministers of Christ the Ministers of the Spirit And is not that out of the Error which is Infallible in Counsel and Judgment And are they Ministers of Christ that are fallible And is not the Power the Gospel Infallible Which is briefly thus The Ministers of Christ ministring from the Gospel the Power of God which is Infallible are in such their Ministry Infallible This every Eye not blinded with Prejudice and Envy may by the context perceive to be the sense of the place But this Adversary hath here given a fair mark of his Prejudice and Envy in that he would rather false quote G. F's words by leaving out sentences in the middle of the Quotation than by setting it fairly down let it speak for it self Which practice of the Snake is base and cowardly as well as unchristian He hath posted himself Knight Errant like to Demand Reparation in the name of the Church of England And from this assumed Post he descends to call G. F. Valpoon one of poor Vnderstanding c. yet meanly and in very poor Manner false quotes his Books that he may be sure of a Triumph plainly enough intimating that G. F's words are sound till he has mangled them and which being restored do plainly shew that the Infallibility of which G. F. speaks is that of the Holy Spirit from which Holy Spirit so far as any do Minister so far and no farther are they Infallible in their Ministry Ibid. p. 33. quoted from Great Mystery p. 89. They can discern who are Saints who are Devils and who Apostates without speaking ever a word Tho' the Snake injuriously stop here G. F. goes on and in his next words shews who they be that can do so They that be in the Power and the Life of Truth Which does very plainly shew that G. F. did not attribute this Knowledge or Discerning to the Quakers or any Man but to the Power and Life of Truth where it is manifested And if the Snake will take upon him in his own name or others to deny and disown that any of the Church of England have the word of God or Christ in their Hearts or will say that Christ is not Eternal Infallible and Able to Judge of Persons or things which is the Doctrine that he opposes let him do it in plain terms Ibid. p. 33. quoted from Great Mystery p. 96. Thou not being Infallible thou art not in the Spirit and so art not a Minister and art not able to Judge of Powers that is not Infallible nor Magistrates nor Kingdoms nor Churches Here as I have just now observed the Snake breaks off too soon having purposely left out the very next following words which are these For who is in the Infallible Spirit is in the Spirit that Christ was in c. which words do very fully shew wherein the Infallibility of the true Ministry does stand And do as fully shew the injustice of this Adversary in the curtailing of them Ibid. p. 34. Quoted from p. 7. of E. B's Preface to Great Mystery The Snake says That E. B. says this Infallible Spirit was given to every one and then thus quotes him To us says he every one of us in particular And this Light gave us between Truth and Error and between every false and right way and it perfectly discover'd to us the true state of all things The Snake in this Quotation has treacherously abused and mangled E. B's Words and perverted his Sense I will desire the Reader 's patience to read what I have transcribed from E. B. his clear sense and true Gospel Doctrine will I hope answer the pains thou shalt be at in doing it And for the detection of the Snake in this his nibling practice I will
distinguish what he has taken as above in a different Character Pref. p. 7. of Great Mystery First The Lord brought us by his Power and Wisdom and the Word by which all Things were made to know and understand and see perfectly that God had given to us every one of us in particular a Light from himself shining in our Hearts and Consciences which Light Christ his Son the Saviour of the World had lighted every Man and all Mankind withal which Light in us we found sufficient to reprove us and convince us of every evil Deed Word and Thought and by it in us we come to know Good from Evil Right from Wrong and whatsoever is of God and according to him from what is of the Devil and what is contrary to God in Motion Word and Work And this Light gave us to discern between Truth and Error between every False and Right Way and it perfectly discovered to us the true state of all things And we thereby came to know Man what he was in his Creation before Transgression and how he was deceived and overcome by the Devil and his estate in Transgression and in Disobedience And how he is drove and banished from the presence of the Lord and the Sorrow and Anguish which he is in and to undergo And also by the Light in us we perfectly came to know the way of Restauration and the means to be restored and the state of Man being come out of Transgression and restored These things to us were revealed by the Light within us which Christ had given us and Lightned us withal What Man was before Transgression and what he is in Transgression and what he is being redeemed out of Transgression and also the Light which shined in every one of us as to it our Minds became turned and our Hearts inclined the perfect estate of the Church we came to know Her estate before the Apostles days and in the Apostles days and since the days of the Apostles And her present state we found to be as a Woman who had once been clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her Feet who brought forth him that was to rule the Nations but She was fled into the Wilderness and there sitting desolate in her place that was prepared of God for such a season which season in the very end thereof when the time of her sojourning was towards a full end then were we brought forth If any have an Ear they may hear So that all these things concerning Man and concerning the Times and Seasons and the changing and renewing of Times and all things that pertain to Salvation Redemption and Eternal Life needful for Man to know ALL THIS WAS discover'd revealed and made known to us by the Light that was in us which Christ had lighted us withal Thus E. B. The Snake's next Quotation is from E. B's Works p. 862. and his quotation is thus Every true Member of the Church hath certainty and infallibility of Judgment and discerning who are out of the Truth and in the way of Error and are Hereticks In this as in the last he hath abusively mangled E. B's words which are these Every true Member of the true Church hath its particular Measure of the Infallible Spirit of Christ whereby he is certainly persuaded of the way of Truth in which he walks and knows and believes the Infallibility of the Truth he professes and is certain and secure of the way of his Peace and Assurance in God which he hath received and believed and hath also certainty and infallibility of Judgment and discerning who are out of the Truth and in the way of Error and are Hereticks Such are infallibly known and discerned by the Spirit of God in the true Church of Christ. See here Reader the great perversion of words sound as can be deliver'd and which I dare the Snake to deny if he can for if he does he must of necessity thro' away all that Enthusiasm to which he says the Church in her Offices does pretend Ibid. p. 34. Quoted from E. B's Works p. 861 862. So both the Law-makers and the Judges of the Law must be infallible in Knowledge and Judgment in this case of Heresie otherwise the Law made for that purpose and the Judgment given by that Law are both false and unjust and not according to God and his Truth but are to be justly Judged and Condemn'd of the Lord God in his day and season This the Snake says dissolves our Laws Damns the Law-makers and infers necessarily the Quakers Opinion of their own Infallibility To this Charge let the Snake himself answer whether or no his refusing Swearing Obedience to the Present Government dissolves the Law which requires it of him Damns the Makers of that Law and does infer an Opinion of his own Infallibility Ibid. p. 35. Quoted from E. B's Works p. 198. where I have look'd for the words quoted by the Snake but find no such if he be mistaken in the page when that is rectified it may be answered Ibid. p. 35. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 107. Thou sayst that the Holiest Man is not able to give an Infallible Character of another Man Hast thou not in this discovered thy self to be no Minister of Christ or of the Spirit who cannot give an Infallible Character of another Man how canst thou minister to his Condition How canst thou see them that be turned from the Darkness and that be in the Darkness and distinguish the one from the other and an Holy Man from an Vnholy Man that canst not give an Infallible Character of any Man's Estate Ibid. p. 36. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 94. Have you given your selves a Name of a Church of Christ and is there not a Spirit of Discerning among you have you not manifested there that you are Harlotted from the Church of Christ the Apostles were of and how can you minister or teach People if ye do not discern their estates how they stand before God how can you commend your selves to every Man's Conscience in God's sight How can ye present the Souls of Men to God and see not their states how they are in his Sight How came ye to have fellowship in the Spirit How can you or any minister to the state and condition that people be in and see where they are and doth not see how they stand in God's sight From these two long Quotations he draws two Inferences or Conclusions which I will briefly repeat and then reply to them Here the Quakers have excluded all from the Church of Christ from having any fellowship in the Spirit who have not this Infallible Spirit of Discerning every Man's Heart Secodly It is evident they did not discern Keith and Bugg whom for many years they own'd as true Quakers thought them principal Pillars whom now they vilifie as Apostates Therefore by their own Argument all the Quakers are Harlotted from the Church of Christ have no fellowship in the
Spirit because none of them had this Spirit of Discerning To the first That all are excluded c. Every Member of the Church of Christ must necessarily have a measure of the Spirit of Christ else they are none of his Rom. 8.9 And this Spirit of Christ the Holy Ghost as in its fulness it is Infallible so every even the least measure or manifestation of it is Infallible To the second This Infallible Holy Spirit being of the THREE in the Godhead searcheth the Heart and trieth the Reins Jer. 17.10 But tho' this Holy Spirit can discover unto one the Heart and Thoughts of another as of Ananias to Peter Act. 5. Yet as that is not usual so neither is it necessary nor is it that which we pretend to nor hath G. Fox in the fore-quoted places pretended to it But that which G. Fox means and which we pretend to is That such who minister in and by that Holy Spirit which hath an Infallible Discerning of the Hearts and States of all the Persons ministred to This Holy Spirit doth direct the ministry accordingly that it may be suitable to the states of the Auditory Which they who pretend not to be led guided and assisted by that Infallible Holy Spirit in their Ministry cannot pretend to And as to his Objections that the Quakers did not discern G. Keith F. Bugg and other wicked Apostates There was a time when those Men I in Charity think were truly Quakers as they pretended and to have discerned them Apostates before they were such had not been true discerning There was a time when Demas walked with Paul was owned by Paul to be a Fellow-Labourer with him in the Gospel Col. 4.14 Phil. 2.4 There was a time when through the Love of the World he forsook the Apostles 2 Tim. 4.10 so I may say of these and others there was a time when they walked with us and now is the time when through the Love of the World and other things they are departed and fallen from that Unity and Fellowship they once had with us Ibid. p. 37. quoted from Great Mystery p. 105. We says he the Pope and you the Protestants whom he calls Professors are apostatized from the Infallible Spirit that the Apostles was in in which we are come For who witness these conditions that they were in that gave forth the Scriptures they witness Infallibility an Infallible Spirit which is now possessed and witnessed among those called Quakers Glory to the Highest for ever I shall first detect the Snake's base practice of mangling this as other places by setting down G. F's words as they lie in that Book and then shew plainly their Scriptural meaning The first viz. the Quotation And we say the Pope is not Infallible neither though he be your Father the Ancient Yet we say he and you are Apostatized from the Infallible Spirit that the Apostles was in in which we are come with which ye are seen and judged so not to have the Spirit of Christ Jesus not to have the Spirit of the Prophets and Apostles not to be led by the Spirit of Truth into all Truth not to be in the Spirit not to speak as ye are moved of the Holy Ghost But to be such as ravened from the Spirit of God inwardly and have gotten the Sheeps Cloathing ye and the Pope and so have devoured Nations for this many hundred years so have all been like ravening Wolves For who witness these conditions that they were in that gave forth the Scriptures they witness Infallibility an Infallible Spirit which is now possessed and witnessed among those called Quakers Glory to the Highest for ever This the Snake says Ibid. p. 37. Is Dreadfully Astonishing but gives no reason why it is so but that his practice is astonishing there are several reasons to prove it First In so basely picking and mangling Books that they may thereby be suborned to speak what the Writer never intended Next In his wilful perverting the plain and known sense which they carry and which their Writers had And upon Sober Inquiry what in this can be astonishing That the Pope is not Infallible I suppose the Snake will allow And that the Spirit of Truth doth see and judge such who apostatize from it the Scriptures teach And if the Snake doth account it astonishing that the Quakers should possess and witness according to Holy Writ the manifestation of the Holy and Infallible Spirit of Christ he shews his Ignorance therein tho' all who are truly sensible of these manifestations can in deep Humility of Soul give Glory to the Highest Yet to him must be applied that of Hab. 1.5 For it is a Work that God hath wrought in this day whether he will believe it or not Hitherto Reader pray Observe that tho' the Snake as quoted p. 88. foregoing hath said we placed Infallibility in every single Quaker confine it not to Faith but extend it to all Persons and Things in the World by their inward Light Yet the Charge is notoriously false and that the colourable pretence which he had for this his false assertion was owing to his own false quoting curtailing and mangling of our Books of which I have shewn eminent instances since that assertion of his in p. 88. And that our Books in the instances produced speak according to Scripture I shall leave with the Impartial Reader to Judge only adding that the Forms of Speech Try all things Teach all things Know all things and Judge all things which are frequently found in the New Testament cannot without great perversion be applied otherwise than to that Trying Teaching Knowing and Judging which are the proper effects of the Operations of the Holy Spirit in the Hearts of all that are obedient to it And that in order first to their own Salvation and then to the Service of God in his Church In this sense G. F. E. B. and others have used these Forms of Speech in this sense the Woman of Samaria testifies of the Messias our Saviour John 4.25 He will teach us all things In this sense our Saviour promised John 14.26 That the Holy Ghost should teach us all things In this sense John the Beloved Disciple testifies of the Believers 1 John 2.20 Ye know all things And in this sense the Apostle testifies of the Spiritual Man 1 Cor. 2.10 He judgeth all things And in this sense the Beloved Disciple 1 John 4.1 adviseth to try the Spirits whether they be of God Now these forms of Speech in these and many more places all things are truly as E. B. p. 137. foregoing hath said All things that pertain to Salvation Redemption and Eternal Life needful for Man to know all this was discovered revealed and made known to us by the Light which was in us which Christ had Lighted us withal Ibid. p. 37. But I was much more surprized to find the otherwise Ingenious Mr. Penn laugh at his Adversary for not being Infallible It is no surprise to find
the disingenious Snake both to laugh Scornfully Lye and Flatter because he acknowledges not for his Guide the Holy and Infallible Spirit of God But that W. P. laughs not as is falsly said we will now see Ibid. p. 37. W. P. in a sheet of his Entituled A Winding Sheet for Controversie ended catches up Hen. Hedworth for saying he had been mistaken in the good Opinion he had before of Mr. Penn 's Judgment and Conscience How can he chuse says Mr. Penn who denys Infallibility But if mistaken before why not in the Quakers now And so ad infinitum being fallible Judgment and Conscience in respect of Matters Spiritual in Articles of Faith can only be certainly and knowingly judged of by the Spirit of God and what Man soever shall judge of these things without the assistance thereof must of necessity be mistaken for the reason which the Apostle has given 1 Cor. 2.11 For the things of God knoweth no Man but the Spirit of God And if Hen. Hedworth did by Opinion not the assistance of the Spirit of God judge of W. Penn's Judgment and Conscience no marvel if he were mistaken and if by the same medium he would Judge of the Quakers he was equally lyable to be also mistaken in them and so ad infinitum in all his natural Guessings about Spiritual Things and so must this Snake also Ibid. p. 38. Quoted from p. 3. Sect. 2. of W. P's Winding Sheet c. He vindicates what G. F. had asserted of the Quakers Infallibility for having repeated these words of G. F. which were put as an Objection against him How can ye be Ministers of the Spirit and not be infallible And how can they but delude the People who are not infallible He makes this reply I Answer says he G. F's words stand immoveable for ever And he gives this strange reason to support himself and G. F. For says he He that is a Minister of the Spirit is Infallibly so and in that Ministry is Infallible otherwise the Spirit 's Ministry is Fallible I have here been large in transcribing the whole Quotation that the Reader may see whether the Wild Consequences which the Snake does falsly suggest can naturally follow from the Doctrine aforesaid His Consequences are these Ibid. p. 38. That if any Man who is Lighted by the Sun stumble or miss his way the fault is in the Sun which shewed him a false Light what else can be the meaning of that saying If a Minister be not infallible then the Ministry of the Spirit is fallible To make God himself Fallible rather than we should be Infallible O wretched false and perverse consequence of this Snake But truly and easily following is this Consequence If a Man who is Lighted by the Sun stumble or miss his way the fault is not in the Sun that shewed him a true Light but the fault is in his neglecting of it And according to this the meaning of that saying If a Minister of the here the Snake has basely and falsly left out the word Spirit be not infallible then the Spirits Ministry is Fallible The meaning is this God the Holy Spirit is Infallible and those whom he qualifies fits and prepares for his Ministry such are Infallibly assisted to be Ministers of the Spirit But if any who have been so assisted depart from the assistance of the Holy Spirit such in their Ministry are not Infallible tho' the Spirit is Ibid. p. 38. Quoted from Winding Sheet p. 4. Sect. 3. He roundly checks his Opponent H. Hedworth saying I bestowed 32 pages to prove G. F's Spirit to be Infallible for that belongs simply to God alone and then those that are Led by it which was my Question in which sense he is and all such persons are Infallible as he himself confesseth c. Here says the Snake H. Hedworth is made Infallible too But that is false for the words are plain that those that are Led by the Holy Spirit are infallibly Led By this G. F. might be infallibly Led by this any other may be infallibly Led This Hen. Hedworth hath confessed this is what W. P. saith but he could not say H. H. was infallible Because he had quoted him in p. 37. denying of infallibility Ibid. p. 39. Nay the Devil himself is infallible at this rate for he has his Knowledge as well as Being from God Knowledge is Light And if that Knowledge which comes from God be infallible then while the Devil follows that Light or Knowledge he must be infallible And if this be all the Infallibility which the Quakers ascribe to themselves it distinguishes them not from Wicked Men or Devils Profane perversion The Almighty God by his Almighty Fiat did create the several Species of Beings and Creatures and furnished each according to the order in which he placed them To Angels and Men he gives Knowledge and Understanding in their several Degrees by which they might answer the end of their Creation But some Angels and all Men have fallen yet have not thereby lost all that Knowledge which by the Degree of their Beings they had But in their fallen estate employ what Knowledge they have to other purposes than those for which it was given Hence the Devil goes about seeking whom he may Devour 1 Pet. 5.8 And the Devil did follow his Knowledge when in Mat. 4.5 8. he tempted our Saviour And did know that had our Saviour worshipped him he had been conquered Yet the Devil was not herein infallible Nay the Devils believe and tremble from the Knowledge which they have of the Eternal God and their own Eternal Damnation How profane Reader must it be to suppose that this their Knowledge makes them infallible that is guided by the Holy Spirit of God Which none can be unless obedient to it But the Infallibility which does distinguish us from Wicked Men and Devils and which we say is possessed by us Is no other than this That whereas all Men are fallen short of God's Glory and are by Nature Children of Wrath. Man cannot be restored out of this estate but by the benefits of the Propitiatory Sacrifice of Christ outwardly slain by which Sacrifice our High-Priest who was touched with the feeling of our Infirmities hath put Man into a capacity of accepting his Mediation And in order to our reconciliation with God hath given to every one a manifestation of the Infallible Holy Spirit in which he did the Will of the Father To this manifestation such as are obedient are infallibly led in all things that concern Salvation Redemption and Eternal Life which neither Devils nor Wicked Men can be because disobedient to it See Reader how much the Jugler this Snake plays in endeavouring to obtrude under a shew of reason a most dangerous notion and directly contrary to all Revealed Religion which doth agree that the Light and Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son is able as our Saviour saith to lead into all Truth
Stranger when I was in Prison with these words Thy Name shall be no more James Naylor but Jesus This I judge to be written from the Imaginations and a Fear stroke me when I first saw it and so I put it in my Pocket close not intending any should see it which they finding on me spread it abroad which the simplicity of my Heart never occasioned So this I deny also that the Name of Christ Jesus is received instead of James Naylor or after the Flesh for the Name is to the Seed to all Generations and he that hath the Son hath the Name which is Life and Power the Salvation and the Unction into the which Name all the Children of Light are Baptized So the Name of Christ I confess before Men but not according to Men which Name to me hath been a Strong Tower in the Night and in the Day And this is the Name of Christ Jesus which I confess the Son and the Lamb in the Seed where he speaks in Male or Female but who hath not this in himself hath not Life neither can have by Idolizing my Person or the Person of any Flesh but in whom the Heir is born and hath spoken or doth speak there he must not be denied the Mouth to spake by who is Head over all and in all his own God blessed for ever And all those Ranting Wild Spirits which then gathered about me in that time of Darkness and all their Wild Actions and Wicked Words against the Honour of God and his pure Spirit and People I deny the Spirit the Power and the Works thereof and as far as I gave advantage through want of Judgment for that Evil Spirit in any to arise I take shame to my self justly having formerly had Power over that Spirit in Judgment and Discerning where-ever it was which Darkness came over me through want of Watchfulness and Obedience to the Pure Eye of God and diligently minding the Reproof of Life which condemns the Adulterous Spirit So the Adversary got advantage who ceases not to seek to devour and being taken Captive from the True Light walked in the Night where none can work as a wandring Bird fit for the prey And if the Lord of all my Mercies had not rescued me I had perished for I was as one appointed to Death and Destruction and there was none could deliver me And this I confess that God may be justified in his Judgment and magnified in his Mercies without end who did not forsake his Captive in the Night even when his Spirit was daily provoked and grieved but hath brought me forth to give Glory to his Name for ever And it is in my Heart to confess to God and before Men my Folly and Offence in that day Yet was there many things formed against me in that day to take away my Life and bring Scandal upon the Truth of which I am not Guilty at all as that accusation as if I had committed Adultery with some of those Women who came with us from Exeter Prison and also those who were with me at Bristol the Night before I suffered there of both which Accusations I am clear before God who kept me at that day both in Thought and Deed as to all Women as a little Child God is my Record and this I mention in Particular hearing of some who still cease not to reproach therewith God's Truth and People that the Mouth of Enmity might be shut from evil speaking though this touch not my Conscience And that Report as though I had raised Dorkas Erbury from the Dead carnally this I deny also and condemn that Testimony to be out of the Truth tho' that Power that quickens the Dead I deny not which is the Word of Eternal Life And this I give forth that it may go as far as the Offence against the Spirit of Truth hath gone abroad that all Burthens may be taken off with the Truth and the Truth cleared thereby and the True Light and all that walk therein and the Deeds of Darkness be condemned and that all that are in Darkness may not Act in the Night but stay upon God who walks in the Light who with the Workers of Iniquity hath not fellowship which had I done when first Darkness came upon me and not been led by others I had not run against the Rock to be broken which so long had born me and of whom I had so largely drank and of which I now drink in measure to whom be the glory of all and to him must every Tongue confess as Judge and Saviour God over all blessed for ever And this further is given me to say to every particular Person to whom this Writing shall come Whatever is thy Condition walk in the Light which lets thee see it there is thy Counsel and thy strength to be received to stay thee and recover thee Art thou tempted to Sin Abide in that which lets thee see it that there thou mayst come to feed on the Right Body not on the Temptation for if thou mind the Temptation it will overcome thee but in the Light is Salvation Or having Sinned art thou tempted to despair or to destroy thy self mind not the Temptation for it's Death that Sin hath brought forth feed not on it nor mind it least thou eat Condemnation for that 's the Wrong Body The Body of Christ is felt in the Light in which is Life from Death Grace and Truth to Feed on which will overcome for thee being followed but if thou follow the Temptation Fear and Condemnation will swallow thee up If there appear to thee Voices Visions and Revelations feed not thereon but abide in the Light and feel the Body of Christ and there wilt thou receive Faith and Power to judge of every appearance and Spirit the Good to hold fast and obey and the False to resist Art thou in Darkness mind it not for if thou do it will fill thee more but stand still and Act not and wait in patience till Light arise out of Darkness to lead thee Art thou wounded in Conscience feed not there but abide in the Light which leads to the Grace and Truth which teaches to deny and put off the Weight and removes the Cause and brings Saving Health to Light Yea this I say to thee in the Name of Jesus Christ that tho' thou has made thy Grave as deep as the nethermost Hell or were thy Afflictions as great as Job's and thy Darkness as the Depths of the Sea yet if thou wilt not run to vain helps as I have done but stay upon the Lord till he give thee sight by his word which commands Light to shine out of Darkness from thence will he bring thee forth thy Eye shall guide thee and thou shalt praise his Name as I do this day glory for evermore and this word is nigh thee which must give thee Light tho' Darkness Comprehends it not And hast thou Gifts Revelations Knowledge Wisdom or
Infallibility of all and every one must be a Deceit because the Infallibility is asserted to belong to every one of them FestÃna Lentè may be a useful Caution to one that makes such hasty and false Conclusions The Infallibility of all and every one is the Holy Spirit and if every one that make profession of it should fall from it and turn from the Grace of God into Wantonness or Delusion yet the Holy Spirit would be no Deceit I will give that Memorable Instance of the two Prophets mentioned 1 Kings 13. where both of them had true Prophesies yet by giving way to Error both fell the first ver 24. lost his Life And of the last it 's said ver 18. He lyed Yet it cannot be but falsly and wickedly concluded that because the Prophesy of one of them was false and the other thereby led into Error therefore the Infallible certainty of all and every one of the Prophesies of the Prophets in the Old and New Testament was a Deceit Nay from hence Holy Writ does not conclude against but confirm the Prophesies of them two Prophets which they delivered in their Obedience to God This brings me to his 8th Head of Distinction of Prophesies which he says are false VIII But here in this place let me give two or three instances to shew their false and wicked pretence to Infallibility And I will not travel far for an example But I will be as merciful in exposing them as I can I will see the Instances before I make the like Conclusion The first instance is of as he calls him a Quaker Glover in Cheapside The Snake did tell us he would not travel far for an Example This is some small hint that he Sculks about the City But if in his next he will be more particular as to his place there is a Poor Man formerly the King's Messenger would gladly speak with him but at present to return to the Mercy of the Snake in Exposing Mercy when properly spoken I know what it means but when it proceeds from an Adversary so Profane Unjust and Hypocritical as is this Snake it cannot have fewer alias's added to it than hath his proper name it may be alias this or alias that but that it is not Mercy in the true Signification of the word will in a few words be seen The Snake calls it Mercy in that he spares names but that it is no such thing may be seen by this he calls one p. 51. Prophet John and there was no such Person of that name and the true reason why he forbore others was because he might err as much in them But be all this as it may the Relation and Story is false and to shew that his Mercy is rejected the Quaker Glover speaks for himself and subscribes his name The Glover replies for himself thinking it no favour to have his name conceal'd under a true state of the Case and minds his Author it is not safe nor warrantable to publish by hear-say for his account is almost in every part false containing at least twelve plain mistakes at best A natural consequence of being over officious and medling in other Mens affairs which he is the readier to let him know that if he will please to appear Face to Face and hath two Ears may be better inform'd by him who is willing to joyn Issue with him in his great many more instances as he saith Nat. Markes Reader I have transcribed this out of G. W's Antidote which he wrote in Answer to the first Edition of the Snake that I might not want an Answer to a Story pompously tho' falsly set out in 3 or 4 Pages His second Story of Prophesies is p. 54. of Solomon Eccles who he says did denounce concerning John Story that he should Dye within one Year and that he meant it of a natural Death The Snake who Glories in the miscariages of them that fall does apply this to the whole Body tho' it can be with no more Justice or Strength of Argument so apply'd than the Lye of that Prophet 1 Kings 13.18 which he spake in the name of the Lord can be apply'd to all the Faithful Prophets in the Messages which from the Lord they did in faithfulness deliver But further S. E. did himself find his words his Burden and did under his own hand condemn that Hastiness Anger and Darkness of Spirit in which he does confess he spake those words and it is not unlikely but the Snake hath either seen or heard so much and if he hath either it is a manifest Lye in him to lay that to the Quakers which they then did deny and which also the Person offending did truly and justly take to himself His Words are these in Babylonish Opposer c. p. 8. As I was sitting waiting on the Lord on the 29th instant these things rose in my Heart that I should acknowledge my Offence to all the Brethren in London and thereabouts and Bristol and to all the Brethren North and South that had been witnesses against the Spirit of Separation and am to let you know that it doth truly Repent me and sorely Grieve me that you that do bear a faithful Testimony for God should have any Prophesie thrown at you which I spoke to John Story in an angry Spirit I do therefore acknowledge as I have signified in my last Paper about two Years ago that I have had little rest Day nor Night at times ever since I spoke these words to John Story That it was the word of the Lord that he should dye that Year which were mine own words and soon became my Burden and were spoken in the Dark and Darkness was upon my Spirit and so under a strong Temptation which I was suffered to fall into I not standing in the Counsel of God for which I bore God's Indignation But I soon saw I should have gone to him in a meek Spirit to beseech him to be reconcil'd to his Brethren But I do judge and condemn that hasty Spirit that set a time for his dying and called it the word of the Lord. And do desire this may go as far as where-ever it may have a service for Truth Solomon Eccles. His Third Instance is p. 55. A Prophecy of W. Penn 's against one Tho. Hicks So sure as the Lord liveth and I testifie to thee from the Lord 's Living Spirit If thou desist not and come not to deep Repentance the Lord will make thee an example of his Fury and thy Head shall not go down to the Grave in peace Ibid. p. 55. Now Tho. Hicks did go down to the Grave in Peace and no Visible Example of God's Fury was shewn upon him And which the Snake has not mentioned Tho. Hicks did desist and did not as I have heard as the Snake falsly says he did p. 56. remain to his Death an Opposer of the Quakers which was the terms of the Denunciation So that the Quakers may
as it is not contrary to the Scriptures So it does not cut them off from being useful as before declared viz. for Doctrine Reproof Correction c. For tho' the Holy Spirit is as infallible now as ever and it is the same Holy Spirit manifested in the Hearts of Men at this day by which the Holy Men did write the Scriptures yet the manifestations thereof to them being in greater degree we justly give them the priority this with respect to the Writings of any faithful Servant of Christ at this day But with respect to the Holy Spirit that being as I have just now said as infallible now as ever it must of necessity also follow that whosoever through obedience follows the guidings of it must have as sure because the same rule as the Prophets and Apostles had And this is no more contradictory than the Parable of the Talents Matt. 25. In which our Saviour shews the different proportions of Trust of the same Treasure And the one Talent had it been imployed in the same way which the five were it would as certainly have gained Profit Thus they who through obedience improve their Talent and are in the Apostles Phrase 2 Cor. 6.1 Workers together with Christ they shall witness a growth in his Grace and who do so grow have the same sure rule of the Holy Spirit to read and understand the Scriptures by even the same sure rule which the Prophets and Apostles had when they writ them Hence it is that he that hath and obeys the least measure of this sure Rule the Holy Spirit in himself will easily and readily acknowledge and consent to the further Degrees of the revealed Will of the Holy Spirit recorded in the Scriptures of Truth Ibid. p. 85 86. But because the Scriptures are often brought in crontradiction to the Quaker-Light therefore they have made it their business to depreciate and undervalue them nay sometimes to run them down as hurtful and pernicious That Light of Jesus Christ which we profess cannot be in contradiction to the Holy Scripture and therefore when so brought it hath been by such who as our Saviour saith Matt. 22.29 Do err not knowing the Scriptures nor the Power of God Nor did we ever depreciate undervalue or run them down The Charge is false as will more manifestly appear by the instances he brings Ibid. p. 86. To make them false in many things that we may believe them or trust to them in nothing To make their Authority Doubtful by disputing their Pen-Men and raising all the evil Suggestions that can be against them The Quakers Refuge Printed 1673. p. 17. States this as truly owned by the Quakers The Book Quakers Refuge does not State this as owned by us that the Scriptures are false in any thing Nor does it raise evil Suggestions nor dispute the Pen-Men of them That there have been very many Questions raised concerning them and the Pen-Men of some Books or Epistles the many Treatises on them Subjects are sufficient Evidence But it not being profitable here to remember them I pass them by in Silence Now several of these Questions the Author of The Quakers Refuge numbers up and concludes p. 17. It is not the Subject of my Argument at this time But that which he therein declares to be the Subject of his Argument is The Authority of the Holy Spirit in Judging or Discerning the Mind of God in the Holy Scriptures This he saith Is as truly stated as owned by us and he declares it to be the concern therein under most Serious Consideration This Reader is the true import of the Author's words which the Snake hath as Injuriously perverted as before I have detected him p. 144 145. perverting W. P's words and the Advantage he will get is much the same because I must hereupon shew thee Reader that what seems to be the occasion of the Snake's Cavil and Perversion is because we assert the Authority of the Holy Spirit in Judging or Discerning the Mind of God in the Holy Scriptures Which Truth as it obtains upon the minds of Men will rather incline them to wait for the sensible experience thereof in themselves than to depend implicitly upon the guest Opinions of any who deny the possibility of such certain guide at this day Ibid. p. 87. Whitehead says that there were some Priests in the North in and before the Year 1653. when those Books which Bugg quoted were Printed who were thus Ignorant And that this was the reason for those expressions in the Quaker Books First this had been no reason for these Barbarous Expressions if it had been so But Secondly I will joyn Issue with G. W. upon it that there never were such Priests in the North or any where else that were so Ignorant No George This is an Arrant Lye without all doubt did any Man ever think or say that the very material Paper and Ink and Letters wou'd endure for ever That there were in the North c. Priests Scandalously Ignorant herein I will presently shew and if they were reproved herein in such manner as they might account contemptuous The Expressions are not therefore Barbarous because so called by the Snake as I may also shew from Authority of Holy Writ and the Practice of them esteem'd by the Snake the Fathers as that expressions which seem contemptuous are not therefore so being in their end directed to rectify the evil Practices of Men related by John Daille To the First viz. the Authority of the Holy Scriptures we know that the Sacrifices Oblations and Offerings mentioned in the Levetical Law had a Divine Sanction and the promise annexed Lev. 18.5 Ye shall therefore keep my Statutes and Judgments which if a Man do he shall live in them I am the Lord. These tho' they had the Promise of this Life yet the Jews thro' their Disobedience made these their Sacrifices not delightful to the Lord their Oblations were Vain and their Incense an Abomination and New Moons and appointed Feasts his Soul hated Isa. 1.11 13 14. And by their continuance in Disobedience while in performance of the Letter of the Ceremonial Law the same Prophet 66.3 tells them from the Lord He that killeth an Ox is as if he slew a Man he that Sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dogs neck and he that burneth Incense as if he blessed an Idol These in the Judgment of our Adversary must be very Barbarous Expressions of these Ordinances and which there was no reason for tho' the People were departed from that true use to which they were at first appointed Tho' this be an abundant Testimony that through Mens misuse of things appointed by God to a determinate purpose he hath been pleased to shew and declare his dis-esteem of them Yet I shall not to confirm this Testimony for it needs it not but for the Readers Satisfaction also shew the Practice of the Fathers herein as testified by John Daille in his Right use
our Hearts he knoweth that our earnest Endeavour since a People hath been to direct to the Holy Spirit to which as the World comes to be obedient it will certainly raise in them a just value and esteem for the Scriptures and a love and desire to be conversant in the reading of them by which through Faith they may receive comfort as we can abundantly testifie we have found And therefore the Insinuation is false and envious that we have ever sought either openly or secretly to discard them or to set up the Inspirations of any instead of them Ibid. p. 91. They have taken upon them not only to abrogate the most express Ordinances of the Gospel But to set up and institute new ones as Womens Preachings directly contrary to 1 Cor. 16.35 and the Prelacy of the Womens Meetings an Invention never heard of in the World till G. F. Cobled it out 'T is false that we have abrogated any Ordinances of Divine Institution And it is also false that we have set up and instituted new ones For under the Law and in the Apostles days there were Women Prophetesses and Fellow-helpers in the Gospel As for the Prelacy of Womens Meetings we know of no such thing but for the good ends of looking after the Poor and seeing after such things as are Comely Decent and of Good Report do they meet as the Holy Women in ancient times did And as it is no discouragement to us so it will not be of weight with the Sober Reader that this practice is profanely said by the Snake to be Cobled out by G. Fox Ibid. p. 92. The Scripture remains of no Authority with them because if what the Scripture command be a-new required by their Spirit they are bound to obey it because required by their Spirit But if the Scripture command the thing they are by their Principles not bound to obey it unless it is required by their Spirit a-new None may at this day upon the Authority of Scripture walk naked as Isaiah 20.2 3. nor go to the King's Chappel as Amos 7.13 nor do any of these special and particular things which many of the Prophets by the Special Command of God did do unless they are thereunto commanded and required by the same Holy Spirit which did require them This is what Edward Burroughs had formerly said and which W. Penn repeats and maintains though very falsly quoted by the Snake who injuriously quotes W. P. in his Reason against Railing p. 150. in the following manner That what was a Commandment to any Servants of God in Old Time That such are not Commandments to us unless required by the same Spirit a-new But W. P's words as they lye in the Book and Page quoted are thus From our asserting that what was a Commandment to any Servant of God in Old Times is not so to us because so to them that is such as Going to Pharaoh as Going Naked Going to the King's Chappel as Moses Isaiah and Amos did as also those Elementary Types Shadows and Figures appointed for a season and to pass off That such are not Commandments to us unless required by the same Spirit a-new It is not a little his endeavour unrighteously to infer that those Moral Perpetual and Eternal Holy Precepts here W. P. mentions the Laws of the First Table are not binding upon us c. Here Reader behold the subornation of the Snake who by a most unjust practice bites out so much of a Quotation as is not for his purpose and brings the remainder to speak against the sense of the Writer Ibid. p. 94. Thus it being Objected to G. F. that one of his Quakers had pretended to an Immediate Call from Heaven to commit Theft Robbery and Sacriledge in taking out of the Church an Hour-glass c. It is false it was not objected that any Quaker did commit Theft or Robbery or Sacriledge Nor does it appear by the Priest's words that the Hour-Glass was taken away That which appears from the Priest's words is That some Quaker had signified to the Priest that the Glass which he made the limit of his Carnal Preaching ought to be removed and that the Holy Spirit was only that by which they that spake from the Lord ought to begin and end their Preachings and G. F's answer is to the same purpose So that herein the Snake is egregiously abusive by perverting both the words of the Priest and G. F. and also in his false and scandalous insinuations concerning what he calls the Communion Plate Ibid. p. 95. Have they not by the same Light rebelled from Episcopacy Not unless it be prov'd by the Holy Scriptures that Episcopacy at this day be in the same Spirit and Government which the Apostles were in Ibid. p. 95. It is true indeed the Church cannot subsist without Government But it is as true that the Quakers pretence to the private Light in particular Persons as a principle over-ruling Scripture and all outward Ordinances is Inconsistent to the Government either in Church or State It is false that we have ever pretended that the Particular Manifestation of the Light of Christ in any of us did over-rule the Scriptures or Ordinances There cannot be Contradiction in the Spirit of God By the movings whereof it was that the Scriptures were given forth 2 Pet. 1.21 Nor do the Movings of the same Spirit privately working in particular Persons at this day over-rule or contradict what it did give forth as above And as the Light and Spirit of Christ is thus agreeable to it self So it is well consistent with the Government of the State in that it leads all that obey it to be loving and peaceable not Seditious or Tumultuous It leads to give Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's This it hath taught us to be our Duty and our Practice hath been agreeable of which the whole Kingdom are our witnesses And it is not less consistent with the Government in the Church when the Government in the Church hath its beginning and foundation from it as described p. 135 136. foregoing But it cannot be consistent with Government in the Church when the Church is not govern'd by the Spirit of him whom she says is her Spiritual Head Ibid. Or any Security from all the Dismal and Enthusiastical Murthers Rapines and Outrage of the Zealots among the Jews who went upon the same principle The Holy Spirit of God which by the coming of Jesus Christ is given to Men is the Principle that we profess and is the most effectual Security that can be against wickedness and violence of all sorts because where that is obeyed it will finish Transgression and make an end of Sin Now did the Zealots among the Jews go upon the same Principle No no more than the late Horrid Assassines in Communion with the Snake and with him in Separation from the Church could be said to do Murthers Rapines and Outrage are the
make the Quakers Blood to be the Blood of Christ by which we are saved To which false and scandalous Charge the Man himself Thomas Speed who writ that Book being yet Living he answers for Himself and Us as follows For the satisfaction of all Persons whom it may concern I do make this my following Solemn Declaration viz. 1. I never knew nor ever heard of any Person or People of what Perswasion in Religion soever that were of so sordid nonsensical and sottish an Opinion that the Blood of any tho' the most righteous of Mortals was the Blood of Christ the Son of God by which Men are saved 2. I do and ever did with utter detestation abhor any such blasphemous Principle as to assert that the Blood of the Quakers or any other sort of Men is the Blood of Christ by which we are saved Which in the Power of Truth I do openly and boldly assert to confront the Snake in the Grass who herein appears to to be the Child of the Father of Lies who was a Murtherer from the Beginning Bristol the 10th Month 1698. Thomas Speed The next and last Quotation which the Snake makes Ibid. p. 120. in this Section is from p. 22. of the Book last mentioned of T. Speed's which is a Reproof and Testimony against false and flattering Titles given to men Upon which the Snake bids See what Tender Consciences are here who at the same time wipe their Mouths and excuse all the bloody Blasphemies before-mentioned And I Reader may here in fit place desire thee to see and consider not how Tender but how hardned and feared is the Conscience of this our Adversary who hath against knowledge and against the true and plain meaning of our words and upon bare hearsay frequently in this as also his other Sections accused us falsly of matters which we never did spake or intended which will also be further manifested in the ensuing Sections to which I now proceed SECT VIII Concerning Our Belief in the Holy Three that bear Record in Heaven IT hath been an Objection often made sometimes foolishly sometimes enviously but always falsly That we deny The Holy Three mentioned 1 John 5.7 which bear Record in Heaven Because we cannot but think the word Person too gross to express them We own their Distinction in all the Instances of it recorded in Holy Writ and have a thousand times declared our sincere Belief in Almighty God the Creator of all things and in Jesus Christ his Eternal Son by whom all things were made and in the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son Yet this because it is not given in the Terms of Athanasius or the Nicene Council has been unreasonably refused as insufficient This refusal were the less strange and unreasonable were it not in Persons who pretend the Scriptures to be their only Rule of Faith c. But as it is the refusal of such Persons it is certainly a violent contradiction in them to damn as Heretical an Article of Faith deliver'd in the very words of that Rule But be their Fault in this matter what it will we are not therefore to be moved from believing That the Holy Spirit by which it was dictated as is acknowledged did and does know all the weaknesses of men and the Designs of Satan and has accordingly fenced the Article from his Subtilty and explained it to our Capacities And I take it to be a great aggravation of the former contradiction in this Adversary and our other Opposers herein that they would upon less Evidence of Truth and a Determination not Infallible which they will not affirm either that of Athanasius or the Nicene Council to be infallibly press their Exemplifications made to the Article That such Practices are wrong all Parties in their turns as their several Interests and Necessities have pressed them have declared and many excellent Arguments by divers Men have been urged against it I shall content my self only with some part of what Jeremy Taylor late Bishop of Down and Connor in Ireland hath said on this Subject in that excellent Treatise of his Intituled Liberty of Prophecying p. 47. For it is says he most considerable that altho' in reason every clause in the Creed should be clear and so inopportune and unapt to variety of Interpretation that there might be no place left for several Senses or Variety of Expositions Yet when they thought fit to insert some Mysteries into the Creed that called the Apostles which in Scripture were expressed in so Mysterious Words that the last and most explicit sense would still be latent yet they who if ever any did understood all the Senses and Secrets of it thought it not fit to use any Words but the Words of Scripture particularly in the Articles of Christ descending into Hell and sitting at the right Hand of God to shew us that those Creeds are best which keep the very words of Scripture and that Faith is best which hath greatest Simplicity and that it is better in all cases humbly to Submit than curiously to inquire and prey into the Mystery hid under the Cloud and to Hazzard our Faith by improving our Knowledge If the Nicene Fathers had done so too possibly the Church would not have repented it And indeed the experience the Church had afterwards shew'd that the Bishops and Priests were not satisfied in all circumstances nor the Schism of Arius appeased nor the Persons agreed nor the Cannons accepted nor the Article understood nor any thing right But when they were over-born with Authority which Authority when the Scales turned did the same Service and Promotion to the contrary Thus he and as I doubt not but the Truth and Reason of his words will weigh with the Impartial Reader so his Character of Bishop ought to be of some weight with the Snake Snake p. 121. The Quakers and Socinians acknowledge a Three but deny a Trinity which is to confess the same thing in English and to deny it in Latin For Trinitas is only Latin for Three But the meaning is they would not have the Three in Heaven to be Three Persons Though they cannot make sense of what Three they are if not Three Persons What the Socinians acknowledge is not my business to inquire But for our selves We acknowledge the Three mentioned in Holy Writ which bear Record in Heaven and we need not the Pedantry of the Snake to Translate the word into Latin And the sence we make of the Three so bearing Record is the same which is declared by the Holy Ghost and when the Snake shall shew that the Holy Ghost hath declared them Three Persons We will not fail so to express them Ibid. p. 121 122. And the Quakers who own the Divinity of Christ are under greater difficulties than the Socinians who deny the Divinity of Christ. For if Christ be God and that there is but one Person in the Godhead it must necessarily follow that God the Father
meer say so As the story may prove false so till it be shewn that it be not so it needs now no further Answer than that it is none of our Doctrine nor approved of by us Ibid. p. 126. And G. F. says That if there be any other Christ but he that was Crucify'd within he iâ— the false Christ quoted from Great Mystery p. 206. This Christ that was Risen and Crucify'd within Devils and Reprobates make a talk of him without It is Reader horrid Injustice in this Snake so fouly to pick and pervert a Man's words as he here does G. F's as if he did by these words deny that Christ Jesus who was Crucify'd at Jerusalem which that he did not I produce both the Priest's Words and his Answer and offer them to thy consideration Great Mystery p. 206. Priest It is a Scripture of the Devil 's making to apprehend this Crucify'd Christ within G. F. Now I say if there be any other Christ but he that was Crucify'd within he is the false Christ And the Scripture holds forth this and the Devil never made it but he and his Messengers are against it And he that hath not this Christ that was Risen and Crucify'd within is a Reprobate tho' Reprobates and Devils may make a talk of him without Thus G. F. and his Words are sound and as himself says according to Scripture for it is not another but the same Christ who was Crucified by the Jews and is now by his Spirit in the Hearts of Men reconciling them unto God and in as many as obey he is Christ in them the Hope of Glory And them who rebel do crucifie unto themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to open shame Heb. 6.6 Rev. 11.8 Ibid. p. 126. And he G. F. disputes against those who say that the Man Christ that was Crucified his Body is now in the presence of his Father or that Christ is absent from them the Quakers as Touching his Flesh Great Mystery p. 210 211. G. F. does warrantably dispute against and oppose those Priests who declared Christ was absent from his People because he is present with them in Spirit And as G. F. in the pages last above quoted doth say That the Apostle declares of Christ that he is the Head of the Church and are of his Flesh and Bone and sit with him in Heavenly Places and Christ saith they must eat his Flesh and he is in them If the Snake will oppose this Scriptural Doctrine let him do it Ibid. p. 136. The Snake makes his Quotation from Great Mystery p. 254. They that profess a Christ without them and another within them here is two See Reader the falsity and perversion of the Snake in this Quotation by the following true one Great Mystery p. 254. They that profess a Christ without them have a Christ without them and another Christ within them here is two For if it be not the same Christ that ended all Types and Figures and Shadows if it be not him that is within they have not the Possession the Substance nor the Comfort of the True Christ. What plainer can be spoken to shew that is the same and not another Christ who suffered at Jerusalem and thereby ended the Law and is now by his Spirit in the Hearts of his People Ibid. p. 126. Robert Gourdon was the first among them that I find who taught the Orthodox Faith in this Point of the Divinity of Jesus Whether owned or not the Snake finds not because he seeks amiss and I am sure he did not seek right when he pretended to find R. Gourdon the first amongst us For R. Gourdon tho' once in Unity or Fellowship with us Apostatiz'd and with this Snake became an Adversary to us But the Orthodox Faith in this Point of the Divinity of Jesus hath been Testified by us ever since a People And from this R. Gourdon the Snake according to his usual Injustice transcribes in p. 127 128 129. divers false and abusive charges but takes no notice of the Validity or Invalidity of the Answers of our Friends to that Adversary's Book He is indeed so triflingly just as to say p. 127. Against this wrote G.W. with three other Quakers but what they said or how far they did disprove R. G's false Charges the Snake takes no notice wherefore I shall take no further notice of what he so quotes from him than to acquaint the Reader what relates to S. Eccles Quaker Challenge p. 6. is answered before in p. 188 189. as are also many of the other Bits of Quotations which here as mentioned by the Snake have neither Book nor Page to distinguish them Ibid. p. 129 130. The Snake borrows from himself out of Satan Disrob'd and saith of W. P. that he will not have the true Christ to be a Person but only a Principle c. and refers to that Book wherein he says it is more at large discussed with the Defences of Thomas Elwood I shall not run back to that Book Satan Disâ—ob'd it having already been somewhat spoken to by G. Whitehead since which there hath been no additions to it But so far as it lies here I shall reply and shew that W. P. in that Book of his Christian Quaker from which the Snake does so charge him will have and does acknowledge and confess to Christ both as God and Man which will fully refute what the Snake hath alledged To this purpose Reader consider the following Quotations from W. P's Christian Quaker From p. 104 to 114. W. P. there makes a Confession to Christ's Redemption Remission Justification and Salvation distinguished into nine several Heads or Parts of Discourse It would be too tâ—dious for my Reader to have transcribed them 〈◊〉 hither tho' all worthy of notice wherefore I shall only transcribe the first and seventh Heads or parts of Discourse which are as follows P. 104. First We do confess that tho' the Eternal Power Life and Light which inhabited that Holy Person which was born at Nazareth Bethlehem it should be was and is chiefly and eminently the Saviour For there is no Saviour besides me saith God Hos. 13.4 Yet that it was instrumentally a Saviour as prepared and chosen for the Work which Christ had then to do in it which was actually to the Salvation of Some and intentionally to the Salvation of the whole World then and in Ages to come suitable to that Scripture Lo in the Volume of the Book it is written I come to do thy will O God a Body hast thou prepared me c. Heb. 10. P. 107. Seventh But there is yet a further Benefit that accrueth by the Blood of Christ viz. That Christ is a propitiation and redemption to such as have Faith in it For tho' I still place the stress of particular Benefit upon the Light Life and Spirit revealed and witnessed in every particular Yet in that general Appearance there was a general Benefit justly to be
and Orthodox p. 25. q. 18. Seeing the Apostle speaks of purifying the Heavenly things themselves Heb. 9.23 It would seriously be enquired into and the Lord waited on to know what nature these Sacrifices must be of which cleanse the Heavenly things whether they must not of necessity be Heavenly If so then whether was it the Flesh and Blood of the Vail Heb. 10.20 or the Flesh and Blood within the Vail John 6.53 Whether was it the Flesh and Blood of the Outward Earthly Nature first quoted or the Flesh and Blood of the Inward Spiritual Nature last quoted Whether was it the Flesh and Blood which Christ took of the first Adam's Nature or the Flesh and Blood of the second Adam's Nature Thus he and is very sound according to the Doctrine of our Saviour who saith John 6.53 Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood ye have no Life in you Of this many of his Disciples said John 6.60 This is an hard saying And therefore our Saviour expounds it to their weakness v. 63. It is the Spirit that quickneth the Flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life From all which this is the Sum of I. P's Question The Soul of Man is of Heavenly Extraction which being fallen through Sin is not to be cleansed therefrom but by the Spirit of Christ which is shed on Mankind and univerâ—â—lly tender'd to them by Jesus Christ having offer'd up as a Propitiatory Sacrifice his Body and through the Vail that is to say his Flesh hath opened to the Kingdom in the Apostle's phrase A New and Living Way Ibid. p. 131. The Snake makes a Quotation from C. Atkinson's Sword of the Lord drawn p. 5. Your Imagined God beyond the Stars and your Carnal Christ is utterly denied To say this Christ is God and Man in one Person is a Lie Here the Snake hath made a false Quotation that it might not fail to answer his purpose which yet when set in its true Light speaks quite otherwise it standing thus in that Book Your imagined God beyond the Stars and your carnal Christ which you would make appear through your Heathenish Philosophy is utterly denied and testified against by the Light which comes from Christ. Now if the Snake's God and Christ can only be made appear through Heathenish Philosophy this he says is utterly deny'd And it is certainly true that the Light which comes from Christ does utterly deny all Vain and Carnal Imaginations The words from the break are a position of his Opponents to which he does not barely reply It is a Lye but adds He is not divided from what he was before the Foundations of the Hills were laid c. Ibid. p. 131. quoted from Great Mystery p. 250. The Devil was in thee says G. F. to his Adversary Christopher Wade Thou sayest thou art saved by Christ without thee and so hast recorded thy self to be a Reprobate Ibid. p. 132. From Great Mystery p. 183. Such as have Christ in them they have the Righteousness it self without Imputation the end of Imputation the Righteousness of God it self Christ Jesus Thus the Snake first picks up bits to make Quotations and then packs them on heaps that by this his false and confused jumbling of things together they might speak his own mind not the mind of the Writer As to the first where he brings in G. F. saying to Christopher Wade The Devil was in thee c. It was because he had given Testimony of it as this Snake has done by stuffing as G. F. says his Book with Lies And tho' the Snake may think it is no complement yet I can tell him it is Truth in much plainness and agreeable to the Sentence of the Lip of Truth to the Jews when he told them Ye are of your Father the Devil John 8.44 and the lusts of your Father ye will do c. So that where we find Murderous and Lying Works it shews them to be of the Devil As to the latter part of the first Quotation Thou say'st thou art saved by Christ without thee c. It does plainly contradict the Doctrine of the Apostle and upon the Authority of that G. F. or any other may safely declare that such who know not Jesus Christ in them are Reprobates and if Chr. Wade declared himself such G. F. was no more to blame than any other may be if the Snake now do the same To the last Quotation from p. 183 it is near all of it Scripture for Christ is declared the Righteousness of God and is the end of Imputation to all that believe which as G. F. there says Is owned and this Imputation is within for he that believes is born of God Ibid. p. 132. Quoted from Saul's Errand p. 14. Christ says he that is The Light within is the Substance of all Figures and his Flesh is a Figure To shew the Reader this more clearly it being not long I will give it intire as in that Book from whence the Reader may judge of the Orthodoxy of the place and the Malicious Parenthesis of the Snake It was a Query propounded to G. Fox Whether Christ in the Flesh be a Figure or not and if a Figure how and in what To which he answers Christ is the Substance of all Figures his Flesh is a Figure for every one passeth through the same way as he did who comes to know Christ in the Flesh There must be a Suffering with him before there be a Rejoycing with him Christ is an Example for all to walk after and if thou knowest what an Example is thou would'st know what a Figure is to come up to the same fulness Thus G. F. and is according to these and other Scriptures John 13.15 1 Pet. 2.21 Rom. 8.17 Heb. 2.9 Ibid. p. 132. The Snake in like manner minces the words of E. B. only quoting from p. 149. of his Works The very Christ of God is within us leaving out what follows We dare not deny him and we are Members of his Body and of his Flesh and of his Bone as the Ephesians were Eph. 5.30 Ibid. p. 132. He does pick from Isaac Penington's Question to the Professors p. 27. Doth not the name Christ belong to the whole Body and to every Member of the Body as well as to the Head And has left out what follows which are the Scripture Proofs Are they not all one yea all one in the Anointing was not this the great desire of his Heart to his Father John 17.21 23. That they all might be one even as the Father and Christ are one And so being one in the same Spirit 2 Pet. 1.4 one in the same Life one in the same Divine Nature even partakers of God's Holiness Christ is not ashamed to call them Brethren Heb. 12.10 nor is the Apostle ashamed to give them the Name of Christ together with him c. Heb. 2.11 The Snake
of Richard Scoryer's And we do also certify that some Part or Portion of the Old or New Testament is daily Read in the said School beginning at Genesis and so Reading on in the said Scriptures untill both the Old and New Testament are Read throughout Wansworth 22 d August 1698. Law Ball Edm. Phillips Tho. Darking Steph. Webb Nich. Lesow Sam. Webb Thus Reader thou here hast this Story to a Demonstration proved a Lye as is also done in divers others foregoing and may be hereafter done in other Instances And if this our Adversary had not a natural propensity to tell Lyes he could not thus err from Truth For hiding and sculking as he generally does in the City he might with small pains have gone by Water to Wansworth 5 Miles or with less cost have sent a Penny-Post Letter to many Persons of that Town who could have better inform'd him herein if he had not been both Hypocritical and Unjust in that he pretends care to our Souls while he wilfully tells Lyes with purpose to destroy us This his practice leads me to observe of him that he is fitter to all the purposes of Destruction and Hate than to that one great purpose to which he falsly pretends viz. to promote the Vnity of the Church 〈◊〉 indeed pretends Great Charity Real Kindness and Good Wishes for the Generallity of us yet tells Lyes of us which in their end and design are to raise Persecution by influencing the Government against us if they would but take the Alarm from him But as it hath pleased God who hath the Hearts of all Men in his hand to incline the Government to give us some security against the evil practices of ill designing Men by affording us a Toleration in the matters of the Worship of our God so we are truly thankful to God and the Government herein and are at no time backward to give an account of the Faith which is in us and our agreeable practice however misrepresented by this Incendiary in Religion Ibid. p. 148. I will end this Section with shewing that the Quakers have in their Blasphemies against the Divinity of Jesus and Humanity of Christ only lick'd up and improv'd the Ancient most Anti-christian Heresies And I may fitly end this Section with shewing that whatsoever the Marcionites Manichees Eutychians and Saturnians might hold as to the Divinity and Incarnation of Christ yet we have always said and believed according to Scripture that Jesus so fore-named by the Angel and born of the Virgin in Bethlehem of Judea was truly and properly Man and in all respects Sin only excepted like unto us and that in this Man Jesus the Godhead dwelt Bodily and that through the Power of the Godhead in him he did open and consecrate a New and Living Way for Men to Salvation and Eternal Life through the Veil that is to say his Flesh And this Truth the Apostle does not deny when he allegorizes Eph. 5.30 The Spiritual Union and Fellowship of Christ with his Followers under the terms of being Members of his Body Flesh and Bones and in a like acceptation are very many other such expressions in Scripture to be understood yet is it not thence to be concluded unless falsly as this Snake does that they are Heretically agreeing with the Cerdonites the Eutychians and Manicheans Ibid. p. 149. But lastly because I must not stay here to deduce and compare all their Heresies those Ancient Heretickâ— the â—bonites and Naâ—areens from whom our Modern Socinians and from them the Quakers do derive their Doctrine did mightily undervalue the Scriptures Some of them pretended to mend the Scriptures and did boldly Adulterate them and set up other Scriptures against those received by the Church And this the Quakers have done beyond any that went before them The Snake does p. 336. Demand Reparation in the Name of the Church of England insinuating his real or assumed Power and if I should now do the like for or in the name of the People called Quakers I may be as much to seek for Reparation from him for this his abuse as I am to seek for proof in this Charge However I do at least demand a proof where ever the Quakers pretended to mend the Scriptures or did boldly Adulterate them or did set up other Scriptures against those received 'T is no Proof of this Charge to say p. 150. We have cannonized our own Writings If that were true it 's no proof but it is false We may have said and said truly that Writings given forth from the movings of the Spirit of God in any are given forth from the same Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures But we have always readily offered and submitted our Words and Writings to the Testimony of the Holy Scripture because tho' the Spirit of God in his People at this day is the same Holy Spirit which was in the Holy Apostles yet they had greater Manifestations of it So that tho' it is both now and then the same in kind the Degree of Manifestation differs But to return I do as above demand proof where ever we have pretended to mend the Scriptures or have boldly Adulterated them or set up others against them As Euseb. Hist. l. 5. c. 28. Theod. Haerit Fab. l. 2. c. 5. do mention instances of some that did and as he says we have beyond any that ever went before us yet gives not one instance The Snake's Ipse Dixit is no Proof and if he cannot give better it will at least be a fresh Proof both of his Impudence and Lyes SECT X. Concerning the Satisfaction of Christ in Opposition to the false Charges of the Snake herein IN the Section immediately foregoing the Divinity and Incarnation of Christ is largly treated of and I have therein shewn that we own and believe both as declared fully and truly in the Holy Scriptures and also that our Books rescued from the perversions of this our Adversary do speak according to that acknowledged Rule It remains that in this I now shew that we have always owned in like Scriptural sense that Jesus Christ in Life Doctrine and Death did fulfil his Father's Will and did offer up himself a most Satisfactory Sacrifice for the Sins of Mankind in opposition to the false Insinuations of the Snake herein who says p. 151. Herein the Quakers are direct Socinians for they positively deny the Satisfaction Under which cloudy Charge he insinuates as if we did deny what the Scriptures do declare herein Which is false and he might with equal Sincerity have said the Church of England do deny The Satisfaction For to come nearer The Satisfaction which is positively denied by us is as positively denied by the Church of England which is that rigid and strict Notion of Satisfaction which some had Doctrinally but unscripturally laid down in the terms following viz. That Man having transgressed the Righteous Law of God and so exposed to the Penalty of Eternal Wrath it 's
Numerical Body that was the Natural for so the Natural and Spiritual Body are the same But suppose J. Faldo's relative It to hold I do utterly deny that this Text is concern'd in the Resurrection of Man's Carnal Body at all I will recite it with the 5 following verses as they are in our English Translation Here W. P. at length gives the 44 45 46 47 48 49. Verses which I omit for brevity and then continues I say this doth not concern the Resurrection of Carnal Bodies but the two States of Men under the first and second Adam Men are sown into the World Natural and so they are the Sons of the first Adam but they are raised Spiritually through him who is the Resurrection and the Life and so they are the Sons of the second Adam the Lord from Heaven a quickning Spirit The very words of the Apostle undeniably prove this to be the Scope How else could the first Adam's being made a living Soul and the second Adam a quickning Spirit be a pertinent Instance to prove Natural and Spiritual Bodies Upon which follows that the Natural was first that is the first Adam and then that which is Spiritual which is the second Adam the quickning Spirit the Lord from Heaven who came to raise up the Sons of the first Adam from their Dead to his Living from their Natural to his Spiritual Estate But perhaps it will be objected that the 47. v. The first Man is of the Earth Earthly And part of the 49. v. We shall also bear the Image of the Heavenly Seem to imply a Bodily Resurrection but let the whole verses be considered and we shall find no such thing The first Man is of the Earth Earthly the second Man is the Lord from Heaven Who sees not that this is rather spoken of earthly Mindedness than of the earthly Body of Adam It was mentioned to shew the great Disparity p. 371. that is between the Nature and Qualification of the first and second Adam The following verses puts this Interpretation out of doubt As is the Earthly such are they that are Earthly and as is the Heavenly such are they also that are Heavenly For those words We shall also bear the Image of the Heavenly I cannot see how they should relate to the Resurrection of the Carnal Bodies of Men for the Image of the Heavenly is a renewed State to God through the Operation of the Spirit and Power of Christ The first part of the verse clears it And as we have born the Image of the Earthly we shall or rather let us bear the Image of the Heavenly as Ambrose and Theophylact read it and 6. or 7. Copies besides have it which is as much as to say As we having born the Image of the God of this World by becoming his Children so may we bear the Image of the true and living God by being redeemed from a vain Conversation having our Consciences sprinkled from dead works and being born again of the Incorruptible Seed by the Word of God which lives and abides for ever Thus far W. Penn both with respect to the Resurrection of Carnal Bodies and in his Defence of his Interpretation of the 1 Cor. 15. to all which he adds from p. 374. to 380. some Testimonies from H. Moore T. Collier Farellus H. Hammond and Jerome were not all these Members of the Catholick Church against the Gross conceit of his Opponents of a Carnal Resurrection To which I may subjoyn that what efforts so ever our Enemies shall make against us concerning the Identity or Numericalness of Bodies in the Resurrection with those of Flesh and Bone which we lay in the Grave We shall content our selves with answering them not in the modes of Philosophy but in the Language of Holy Writ and esteem it our Duty as well as Wisdom in a Question so Mysterious not to be wise above what is Written And when our Adversaries can produce any farther declaration herein which they shall prove to be of equal Authority with what is so already declared we will not be backward in our hearty acknowledgement of it Snake p. 162. When I urged to a Quaker-Preacher towards a proof of the Resurrection of Bodies That Text Matth. 27.52 53. He made Answer that that was not meant of the Litteral or Earthly Jerusalem that any Dead Body arose there But of the Spiritual Jerusalem which John saw coming down from Heaven And others told me they heard the same exposition in a Quaker Sermon at one of their Meetings That any Quaker-Preacher so acknowledged by us did so tell the Snake I find cause not to believe on his bare word knowing his readiness both to pervert words rightly spoken and to tell false Stories of things that never were as is before shewn And what others told him we are little concern'd for but if it may be worth his while to produce better proofs and be more clear in his Charge he will not want an Answer Ibid. p. 162. Here we have Spiritual Graves Spiritual Dead Bodies Spiritual Jerusalems Spiritual Resurrection and Spiritual Christ whenever any Text pinches them Pray what Text pincht the Prophet when speaking from the Lord Ezek. 37.13 14. Ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your Graves O my People and brought you up out of your Graves and put my Spirit within you c. Did any Text pinch our Saviour When he bid his Disciple Matth. 8.22 Follow me and let the Dead Bury their Dead Or the Apostle Eph. 2.5 6. Even when we were Dead in Sins hath quickned us together with Christ by Grace ye are saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus Nor was John the Divine more pincht when in the Apocalyps he saith 3.12 The Name of the City of my God which is New Jerusalem which cometh down out of Heaven from my God Thus would I be large herein I am not pinch'd for Examples which do abundantly shew that Sin and Iniquity hath been term'd a Grave and they who are securely a sleep herein have been accounted Dead and when they have witnessed the Power of God to break that false security they have seen that Grave and Death they were in and many in this State have cried to God that he would make them partakers of his Resurrection from their Sin and Death which came by it God in Mercy and great Compassion hath heard and answered and hath raised and is raising many who through the Spiritual Power of Christ in them are measurably made to sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus This without being pinch'd we freely own before God and Men and do as freely own that there are in Scripture spoken of Outward Graves and Dead Bodies an Outward Jerusalem and a Resurrection of Bodies to General Judgment and that Christ hath a Body glorified in Heaven yet is Spiritually in his People Ibid. p. 163. These
Divinity but the Incarnation of Christ is denied by them Again Great Mystery must prove that Popish Emissaries set up Quakerism in England And it must also prove that the Quakers Damn all the Christian World but themselves Again Great Mystery must prove that the Quakers are pure and sinless And it must also prove that they are Venemous and Nasty These with many other no less Contradictory and for which the Book affords no true Ground does the Snake by the help of a prolifick fancy draw Ibid. p. 195. G. F. in his Great Mystery p. 89. says That the Quakers have a Spirit given them beyond all the Fore-Fathers since the Days of Apostles In the Apostacy G. Whitehead would fain come off of this and thus endeavours to excuse it in his Charitable Essay Printed 1693. p. 5. in these words The very intent and meaning of G. F's words herein was not beyond all the Fore-Fathers without exception but beyond all in the Apostacy And indeed it is very plain that G. F's meaning must be so because the natural import of his words shew as much But the Snake says Here it would have been incumbent upon G. W. to have named those whom he or G. Fox did believe were not in the Apostacy Why so incumbent To what purpose should they be named who were not in the Apostacy The prophet shews not any Incumbency there was to have the Seven Thousand named whom God said he would spare and for whom he testified that they had not bowed their Knees unto Baal 1 Kings 19.18 Ibid. p. 195. Let us hear G. Fox explain himself in other places of the same Book you will best know his meaning from himself A Wonder The Snake has once spoke Truth But it mightily contradicts himself for in other places speaking of this very G. Fox whom he here supposes capable to explain himself He says he was a Fool one of such an immoderate degree of Dulness and lack of Vnderstanding as could hardly befall any thing in Humane Shape But to proceed let us hear G. Fox as quoted by the Snake from Great Mystery p. 217. He says That since the Days of the Apostles all the World went after him i. e. after those who as he there expresses it did inwardly raven in Sheeps Clothing And now says he are People but coming from them to a Rock This the Snake calls hearing G. Fox explain himself but is in Truth nothing less because the Snake has miserably cut assunder and disjointed G. Fox his words and by the help of i. e. he has put a meaning of his own upon them To prove which I shall only give the place as it is in Great Mystery by which we have the Snake's word we shall best know his meaning which with the occasion of them is as follows G. Fox his Opponent had said False Prophets and Christs and Deceivers many shall come if it was possible to deceive the very Elect. To this G. Fox says Yea Christ said they should come to his Apostles which before their decease did come and went forth from them which Christ said should inwardly raven and get the Sheeps Clothing And since the Days of the Apostles all the World went after them as thou mayst read in the Revelations and now are People but coming from them to the Rock and now shall the Everlasting Gospel be preached to them that dwell upon the Earth over the Heads of the Beast and False Prophet and they shall be taken and the Lamb and the Saints shall have the Victory This is what the Snake blinded by the Dim suffusions of Malice says is to condemn all the Christian World but our selves But whether it be so or not we will now examine by Scripture and there our Saviour tells us Mat. 24.24 that false Christs and false Prophets should come And the Apostle 2 Thes. 2.7 testifies The mystery of Iniquity doth already work c. and so great was the increase of its workings in the space of fifty years for it was hardly more from Paul's writing to the Thessalonians to John's writing the Revelations that John in the Revelations 13.3 says all the world wandred after the Beast I would here ask the Snake Did John the Divine herein condemn all the Christian World Did he condemn all those who at the writing of that Book did yet persevere in true Faith and Obedience to Christ Surely he did not Why then must G. F. using the Apostles words and having respect to the same Apostacy of which the Apostle speaks be so understood They cannot be justly so understood because their natural import as used by the Divine and from him by G. Fox is all the World that is all that were entred into the Apostacy which was foretold by our Saviour should come and declared by the Apostle Paul was come in its beginnings and which John testifies was more generally come at his writing of the Apocalyps To the same purpose with the Quotation last made by the Snake he makes about twelve more from several places of the same Book in all which the Snake would pervert G. Fox his words to be meant of such who were not in the Apostacy but offers not one Argument to shew that those to whom G. F. did speak were not so To which it may be convenient here to observe that as the Apostacy from the Spirit and Life of Christianity had its beginning very early even while several of the Apostles were yet alive and was more generally overspread before the death of John So it did by general confession continue for many Ages after Nay it is not yet quite done away for all those who do resist and withstand the Spiritual Appearance of Christ in People and do endeavour to keep them from witnessing that Faith of which he is the Author and Beginner and which gives Victory over the World may be and are truly said to be in that Apostacy which did overspread the Nations through their forsaking the right way of the Lord. And to such who are in that Apostacy to tell them of it and admonish them to come out of it is not to Damn them No it is the Office and Duty of those to whom God giveth the Ministry of his Word as to the Prophet Isaiah 58.1 Cry aloud and spare not lift up thy voice like a Trumpet and shew my people their Transgression and to the House of Jacob their Sins And this the Prophet did do very sharply many times yet he did not therefore Damn them nor include every particular of the People and House of Jacob under his Charge no more hath G. F. or any other of our Friends For fuller evidencing of this past all the little tricks by perversion insinuation or false quoting of the Snake I shall for conclusion to this Section subjoin somewhat out of a piece writ by Isaac Penington which was first Printed 1660. and reprinted in his Works 1681. p. 313. and bears for Title An
there wants not Examples of the like practice in the Reformation I will content my self to instance but in two Martin Luther and William Fulk who for the sharpness of their Style hardly come behind any Martin Luther being called before the Emperor Charles the Fifth to answer for his Books Having divided them into Three Sorts one of which was those he had sharply written refused though upon deliberation given him to retract or unsay any word therein as we read in Sleidan Yea he defends his Eagerness as being of an Ardent Spirit and one who could not write a dull Style and affirm'd he thought it God's Will to have the Inventions of Men thus laid open seeing that Matters quietly handled are quickly forgot Milton's Apology p. 24 25. And William Fulk comes not much short of him herein for it being objected to him that he had ill treated Allen Stapleton Martial Staphylus and Bristow who were Papists he defends the Treatment and further says I call not only Martial but all Papists shameless Dogs and Blasphemous Idolaters who maintain and make Vows to Images which travel to them and offer up both Prayers and Sacrifices of Candles Mony Jewels and other things Fulk 's Confutation of the Papists Quarrels p. 9. printed at the end of his Edition of the New Testament 1633. And upon a search neither strict nor tedious it were easie to heap up Instances of this sort which as I am not inclin'd to do so neither would I have mentioned these had not the meer necessity of Teaching this Adversary the practice of such whom that Church will own to which he is a Pretender But now this Snake who denies the soundness of such reproof as I have before shewn from Scripture and from the Reformation and will needs have it proceed from a Spirit Venemous and Nasty and that it is the effect of Fury Spight and Envy and proceeds from the wicked and hateful Ebullitions of a Distorted Soul May yet nay doubtless is when speaking of himself be in the right For it is not impossible but he may know what Distortion of Soul what wicked and hateful Ebullitions they were in him From whence proceeded his Fury Spight and Envy in the several Appearances which it has made against the Government against Vs and against Others It was a Venemous Libel which was writ in Answer to Dr. King now Bishop of London-Derry in Ireland It savour'd of no small Envy to endeavour to run over to our Enemies nor did it savour of less Nastiness to run away from the Messenger who by the force of some Sweet and Kind Expressions which were the Covers of Hypocrisie in the Snake was prevail'd upon to let him go and ease himself upon the occasion of a Violent Loosness which in Jesuitical manner he had before told the Messenger He feared would carry him off The Officer not mistrusting the meaning of the words carry him off had no fear upon him from them till it was too late and had found that his pretences to a Violent Loosness and which received some colour from the fear he was in had afforded him an opportunity which had indeed carried him off And now for the Libel The Snake in the Grass O! The Fury Spite and Envy which his Love and Good Nature or rather Wicked and Hateful Ebullition of his Distorted Soul hath vented as Valpoon Fool Blockhead Monster Deluded Wretch George Magus and G. W's plain words he calls Rank Sophistry Equivocation Jesuitical Confession Diabolical Suggestion and of all that differs from him he says they are like the Spawn of the Viper and that the Devil enter'd into the Herd of our Swine the Beasts of the People These are a few of the many Instances which this Libel affords which whether they are Kind and Sweet Expressions natural to Love and good Nature or Furious Spiteful Envious and Grating vented from the Wicked and Hateful Ebullitions of a Distorted Soul Let the Impartial Reader Judge But notwithstanding this his practice he objects to G. F. p. 199. That he calls William Thomas a false Prophet and that he said to Christopher Wade The Devil was in thee And of this what greater Proof need any Man give than false Doctrine and Lyes which G. F. hath shewn they had uttered Ibid. p. 299. You be in the Diabolical Devilish says he to some Priests in the Bishopwrick But the Snake has not told the Reader that the words Diabolical Devilish were not G. F's but the Priest's and G. F. did only shew that they themselves were in that which they had said the Quakers were in Is there no Venom in Diabolical Devilish when spoke first by Priests And yet much Venom when their own words are justly returned to them Ibid. p. 200. The Snake does from an Adversaries Book take upon trust a great many names which he gives without further Proof or attempting to shew that they are the words of our Friends or that if they were they were improper as spoken No that would have been a difficult task But it is easier for him to pronounce like one of Liberal Education Much of this is owing to the mean Education of these Scribes which furnished them with such Mechanick Ribaldry and Billingsgate And why owing to that Pray don't beg the Question since I have shewn before that sharp and severe Expressions have been the Immediate Dictate of the Spirit of God And that some not of meaner Education than possibly the Snake have used the like If they were proper as it may be the Snake will grant because properly applyed these may be so too if the Snake cannot shew that they were improperly apply'd let the Education of the Speakers be what it will Ibid. p. 202. You have seen the Venom Fury and Nonsense of this Quaker-Spirit c. And why pray the Venom Fury and Nonsense Names are no Proof and other than Names the Snake has not given Ibid. p. 202. That it may appear Vniform and all of a piece After all the Deformity and Distortion which the Snake from a likeness of it to his own Mind and Soul shall endeavour falsly to fix upon our Principles they will still when set in their true Light have a perfect Symetry and Proportion of Parts and agreement to the Truths recorded in Holy Writ Ibid. p. 202. These and such like were sent to John Wiggans from the Quakers in Letters open c. A good token there was nothing sent but what was true and if true A good means to have Truth Published and if read by others as the Snake says it was no hurt while Truth That which would have been of great Moment if I may inform the Snake after a Collection of these Characters Descriptions or Epithets given in these Letters said to be sent to John Wiggans would have been to have shewn that they had been Falsly and Nonsensically given but of this not one Syllable Ibid. p. 202. And this shews the true Picture of the
Quaker-Spirit No it can't because it is not only Cloudy but it is Dark and False to say that words are Furious Venemous or Nonsensical and not give any Proof that they are so It is no help to the Snake to say as he does There needs no Argument to Discern betwixt Perfume and Stench Because that if the Nose can Discern as his Philosophy expresses it without Argument yet the Mind is not established but by Arguments drawn from true Judgment and Reason and none such nay none at all does the Snake offer The Snake for Conclusion to this Section has brought in two texts from the Psalms which he does improperly apply to the Quakers as he has before falsly charged them with Venom Fury Spite Envy and Nonsense And till he can prove that the words spoken by our Friends which whether these quoted were so or not remains to be proved being only taken from Adversaries were in their Original from Fury Spite and Envy and in their delivery Nonsense The Texts of Scripture are but abused by him as a Text in the same Book Psal. 91.11 was by the Devil when he repeated it to our Saviour Luke 4.10 and it will be answer sufficient if after the Example of our Lord we answer in the words of Scripture Psal. 101.7 There shall no deceitful Person dwell within my House he that telleth Lyes shall not remain in my sight SECT XVI Of Fighting and Loyalty I Have hitherto shewn the falsity of the Snake's Charges and his perversions of our Words Doctrines and Principles and how Unduly and Unrighteously he would endeavour to inferr from them Meanings and Consequences which neither are nor ever were ours but which we Abominate as destructive of and contrary to those Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Religion which the Spirit of Truth teacheth and leads into and which we do sincerely Believe And what is thus already in the foregoing Sections made appear will be further manifested in this and the following Sections for that in these as in those he hath not shewn what we are but what he would have us appear to be under the disguise which himself has put upon us In the pulling off which disguise there is at least this accidental Help and Advantage that the disguise in which he has represented us is exceedingly unlike our true Features I call it an accidental Advantage because if his Malice could have been satisfied in accusing us with only an abundance of improbable things they might have found some unthinking People who might have been misled into a too easy belief of them But as that could not be satisfied but by charging us with a number of Absurd and Impossible things So all that shall consider the ground and nature of our Principles and the nature of his Charge will with little difficulty be satisfied of their Contrariety and Inconsistency And tho' from this Consideration the sober Reader might and would have ground sufficient to determine the Question in this particular Yet for the detecting his particular Charges Perversions and Abuses I shall as in the former follow him through them And for his more full and plain Confutation herein I will briefly hint our Principles as Influencing Men with respect to Fighting and Loyalty The first of which the Snake most falsly does Charge us to approve and use and that in the last we are short and defective And first as to Fighting We say the end of the coming of our Lord Jesus as is prophesied of him Dan. 9.24 was to Finish the Transgression and to make an end of Sin And in the Room thereof to establish Truth and Righteousness in the Earth And as many as do witness the Power of his Coming by the Operation of his Holy Spirit in them do know that the work thereof is to take away and cleanse from all the Fleshly Lusts that War against the Soul 1 Pet. 2.11 which the Apostle makes to be the ground of Outward Wars and Contentions James 4.1 and as the Holy Spirit in all those in whom it does effectually work does destroy and purge away the very root from whence unjust Wars do proceed so it prevents in them the occasion of all outward Wars And this our Saviour did Teach in that Sermon of his upon the Mount Matth. 5.21 22. Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time Thou shalt not kill c. But I say unto you whosoever is angry with his Brother c. vers 38 39. Ye have heard it said an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth But I say unto you that ye resist not Evil but whosoever shall Smite on thy right Cheek turn to him the other Vers. 43 44. Ye have heard it hath been said thou shalt love thine Neighbour and hate thine Enemy But I say unto you Love your Enemies c. And if Anger Resistance and Hate be taken away What then can remain to occasion Wars Surely nothing From a sight of this Gospel Dispensation it was that the Prophet in the Holy Vision did foretel the peaceable practice of those who should come under the peaceable Government of Jesus Christ They shall beat their Swords into Plow-shares and their Spears into Pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation neither shall they learn War any more Isa. 2.4 And they who thus are redeemed out of the Grounds and Occasions of Wars by the workings of the Holy Spirit in them Such if they continue obedient cannot any more take the Sword into their hands Hitherto with respect to those who are in and under the Administration of the Gospel of Peace concerning whom we have from the first since we were a People declared that God hath taken the Sword out of their hands But tho' God hath thus disarm'd his peculiar People of the outward Sword that he might bring them to have a full and entire Dependance upon him for their safety Yet he hath never disarm'd himself of the outward Sword and as he is as well Soveraign of the World as of the Church and ought to have the command of all Mankind so he may put the Sword into the hands of those who are not yet brought under the Administration which I have above spoken of and he can make them Instrumental in his hand to Chastize his and his Peoples Enemies Thus Cyrus who many years before he was born was by name foretold of by the Prophet Isa. 44.28.45.1 is there called in the Word of the Lord Cyrus is my Shepherd he is the Lord 's Anointed These Titles were given with respect to the Services which God had fore-appointed he should do viz. be instrumental in the delivery of Jacob his Servant his Elect. In like manner and to the like purposes the Prophet Jeremiah in the Word of the Lord does in three places call Nebuchadnezzar the Lord's Servant but neither of these were of the peculiar People of God but it pleased him to appoint the Sword into their
be known which is also a very great Truth that we have towards all Governours utterly denied all Fase Dealing and have dealt faithfully and plainly with every one without favour or partiality reproving and blaming every one for their Faults shewing every one their Dangers and warning every one by the Fall of others that went before them to beware of shun and turn from those Evils which brought ruine upon the former But they never joined with fell in with acted with sought or accepted Places of Profit or Trust from any of them which the Fawning Priests and some Professors did and therefore as with very great Truth and Boldness they might and did say all that the Snake has quoted above So with like Truth and Boldness they say more which the Snake has cut out least while he remember'd their Faithfulness his relucting Mind should object his own past Treachery The words as they stand in the place he quotes from are these Treason Treachery and False Dealing we do utterly deny False Dealing Surmising or Plotting against any Creature upon the Face of the Earth and speak the Truth in plainness and singleness of Heart If the Snake could for himself in truth say so much it would be a brave Testimony I come now to a Book of George Bishops Entituled The Warnings of the Lord to the Men of this Generation Printed 1660. Under the Title of which Book because of Directions to two Places at which it was then sold the Snake says they did industriously spread their Treasons But I would know of him why a Warning to Peace Love and Vnity and Caution against Persecution and such this Book is may not at least be disposed of at as many publick Places as his Defamatory Libels or as his Seditious ones was at private Places But now from the Manner of its Disposal we come to the Matter of the Book The Snake begins with p. 27. of this Book and quotes thus p. 228. Beware of falling under this Spirit or of thinking the Breach between you can be healed for I declare it to you from the Lord That it is irreconcileable it cannot it will not be healed Thus far the Snake quotes and by a dash strikes out about three following Lines which are these Yea the day will come and now is wherein it will be said we would have healed Babylon but she would not be healed let us depart every one to his own place And now upon a Consideration of these Lines what more can be the meaning than that that separation and distance which was between the Spirits and Interest of the Conquerors and Conquered was irreconcileable And the Breach of their Contention was such as could not be healed with the peaceable and quiet possession of those who were then uppermost viz. in the Year 1659. which some might then either foolishly hope or wish But now the Snake after his Dash at which he left out the Lines above-mention'd continues his Quotation thus Therefore in the Power and Dread of the Almighty stand and bear over it viz. that Spirit of Persecution which would vainly hope a Reconciliation Crush it to pieces for that Spirit of which G. Bishop is here speaking had persecuted and afflicted and in many ways made Men to suffer for their Tender Consciences Stamp it to Powder i. e that Spirit of Persecution But the Forgery of the Snake is remarkable here for that after the words last above-quoted he puts an c. and then goes on as if what followed in his Quotation did follow in the same order in the Book from which he quotes it but it is far otherwise for the Lines which he here makes to follow do in that Book precede the beginning of his Quotation eleven or twelve Lines and by the like packing and transposing of Lines which this Snake uses a Man may make the Decalogue or the Lords-Prayer speak to answer any purposes which the wicked Projector shall design Ibid. p. 229. Yet in their Declaration to Him the King after his Return p. 7. they Gravely tell Him We are a People that follow after those things that make for Peace and Vnity and which the Snake has left out it is our Desire that others Feet may walk in the same and here the Snake goes on do deny and bear our Testimony against all Strife and Wars and Contentions c. that is says the Snake when they were beaten and cou'd fight no longer First It is notoriously false that the Quakers did Fight or bear Arms in the Year 1659. or any other Year to the opposing of the Restauration Nor indeed was the Restauration brought to pass by Fighting but there was more immediately the Hand of God in it in that without outward Strength the Powers which then were crumbled and broke to pieces as they were often by our Friends foretold they should having in their several Days and Times of Trial been found to encrease that Yoak which was the Original Pretence of their First Opposition to the King And that it was always our Principle to follow after those things that make for Peace and Unity and have desired that others might walk in the same and did bear our Testimony against all Strife and War and Contention c. George Bishop does in this Book of his the Warnings of the Lord testifie where in p. 10. speaking to O. Cromwell and shewing him in what and how far he had regard to him He saith in behalf of Liberty of Conscience which Oliver had before declared to be a Natural Right yet was herein so far darkned as not to establish this Right which once was in his power to have done and therefore G. B. enumerates some of the Sufferings of our Friends to him herein and at the same time tells him what was the nature of that Dispensation which the Quakers were come to which he tells him in these words We who through the unspeakable love of the Father are come to Witness the end of the Wars the Son of God made manifest in the Flesh whose is the Kingdom and the Glory and the Dominion for ever even his Immortal Seed raised and raising up in us by which we are brought to testifie against the World and all the Deceivers therein and against the Fashions and Customs and Works and Deeds thereof that they are Evil as by his Light we have been shewn and by his Blood redeemed therefrom in our own particulars c. And in p. 14. G. B. enumerating some Instances of those whom the Spirit of Persecution had overthrown and the pretences on which they went as Haman to Ahasuerus the Informers against Daniel and the Three Children and the Pretences of the Elders Chief Priests and Scribes against our Saviour as also their pretences against the Apostles under which they would cloak their wickedness hath these words This is what that Spirit viz. of Persecution suggested throughout all Ages on Record in the Scriptures of Truth and with this
of God in the Consciences of them that without prejudice and with an equal mind do read them But if he denies the Thesis viz. That God can speak and make known his Mind now to Men Immediately by the same Spirit in and by which he spake to the Holy Prophets and Apostles Let him shew when and where God hath imposed that Silence upon himself and bound himself to speak no more in that Immediate manner by his Spirit to Men. Ibid. p. 246. And from the same Mouth of the Lord Tho. Ellwood denounces that they who pay Tythes c. How knows the Snake that Thomas Ellwood did not say he delivered it from the Mouth of the Lord Yet what he there delivered is true But if T. E. did not deliver it from the Mouth of the Lord but laid it down as a plain proposition deduced from Scripture and this abdicated Snake positively says he did From whose Mouth did the Priest denounce that Lye Unless from the Mouth of him who is the Father of them which is the more likely in that he wrongs T. E. in the Quotation also which he gives thus T. E. denounces That they who pay Tythes thereby deny Christ to be come in the Flesh which is a Mark of Anti-christ But T. Ellwood's words are They who pay Tythes do therein uphold a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ and thereby deny Christ to be come in the Flesh which is a Mark of Anti-christ 1 John 4.3 The Snake by leaving out those words do therein uphold a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ hath conceal'd from his Reader that part of T. E's proposition on which the remaining parts depended which he hath also done in p. 254. and repeated the same again with some addition in p. 273. to make the more noise for the proposition consists of three parts 1. That they who pay Tythes do therein uphold a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ. 2. That by upholding a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ they deny Christ to be come in the Flesh. 3. That to deny Christ to be come in the Flesh is a mark of Anti-christ for proof of which Tho. Ellwood quoted 1 John 4.3 Now if the Snake can without nibling and taking T. E's words by piecemeal disprove them or the Authority on which they are built it may answer his purpose otherwise the Conclusion is Firm. Ibid. G. Fox in his decretal Epistle bearing date the 3 d. Month 1677. commands Severely that the Friends Testimony against Tythes be kept up with Vigor And yet none of these words Command Severely nor Vigor are in that Epistle which this Scoffing Snake calls Decretal The Quotation he gives out of that Epistle begins thus For any to cry against the Priests in words and yet to give them means and put into their Mouths he has left out here that they may not prepare War against you as not willing to publish that their Unchristian Practice is a Contradiction And is it not so Then he goes on And therefore take heed for if the Lord God do bless you with outward Creatures and you do bestow them upon Baal 's Priests the Lord may justly require the Outward Things from you again Here the Snake stops and covers with a what follows in the Epistle thus Who i. e. the Lord saith that his Christian Ministers should freely give as they have freely received of Jesus Christ. This the Priests don't love the People should hear of no by no means giving Freely is what they care not for And if for a Reason they offer and say they have not freely received though it be Truth yet it will be of no great Advantage But it seems by the Snake's quarrelling with this Quotation that he would have God's Creatures bestowed upon Baal 's Priests for which I should want a reason had I not this viz. That he himself might hope to get a share of them But we have not yet done with G. F's Epistle The Snake goes on with the Quotation thus So all the Preachers for Tythes and Mony and the Takers and Payers of Tythe must be testified against in the Lord's Power and Spirit Here he leaves off again dashing out several lines which mention the Spoil that had been made by the Tythe-mongers upon such as refused to pay them and the Judgments that have come upon those Persecuting Spoilers And therefore said G. F. in the next words In the Power of the Lord maintain the War against the Beast that is that Persecuting Spirit in the Priests and do not put into his Mouth c. To pervert this passage the Snake has printed it Beasts in the Plural that he might make way for a false and wicked Comment of his own that is says he as well Payers as Receivers of Tythes and that adds he is the whole Kingdom King and Parliament Whereas by those words and do not put into his Mouth c. which the Snake has left out it is very plain that G. F's words in that place related to those that exacted not to those that pay'd Tythes But as he hath perverted this Quotation to render the Quakers Obnoxious to the Government by insinuating as if they set up an Outward Authority against it So he craftily but falsly says G. F. concludes his Epistle abovesaid with these words Keep your Authority and Dominion Whereas that is not the Conclusion but after those words Keep your Authority and Dominion it follows in the Power and Spirit and Name of Jesus Which shews the War before mentioned was a Spiritual Warfare to be maintained by a Suffering Testimony and this also shews the Malice and Falshood of this Adversary Ibid. p. 247. There they wou'd perswade us that all they have said against the Payment of Tythes was only meant by them against the Payment of them to the Popish Clergy But by no means against the Right of the Church of England to their Tythes as settled upon them by the Civil Government This is false and the words he quotes from that Paper Signed on the Behalf of Friends and their Yearly Meeting do not say or imply it There is not in them any acknowledgment of any Right the Church of England hath to Tythes He goes on and quotes from that Paper We are not convinced that it can be against the Fundamental Laws of the Land either to deny Tythes What when the Law enjoyns them The Law and that made in the same Reign and not much after that which was the first express Statute-Law for Tythes enjoyn'd owning of the 6 Articles viz. Transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Altar Auricular Confession c. Was that a Fundamental Law of the Land The Martyrs that then chose rather to suffer Death in Flames of Fire than keep it did not think so Again are not all Acts of Parliament though made in Popish Times Fundamental Laws of this Realm Tho' such as were made about Religion for if they had either the Popish Religion must have yet
false Prophets did also speak in his Name and say Thus saith the Lord when he sent them not Ibid. p. 281. This is the Prince of the Spirits of Delusion and this Prince they worship for God who mistake his Inspirations for God's Very well I say so too but that the Quakers are they who mistake his Inspirations for God's is Gratis Dictum 't is saying but not proving as more particularly will appear upon the several Instances which the Snake brings The first Instance in this Section is what he calls a Prophetical verse of George Whitehead's with which he says G.W. pursued George Keith after he was denied by us He gives it in these words Thus saith the Lord Because thou hast poured out great Contempt and Reproach upon my Servants and People I will assuredly pour out and bring great Contempt and Confusion upon thee Of this the Snake says p. 282. Copies were given out amongst the Friends that they might admire these Prophetical Gifts and if any thing unfortunate should in all George Keith 's Life-time befall him that it might certainly be esteemed as the Consequence of this Curse What Proof is this that what he calls G. W's Prophetical Verse did proceed from Rage Malice or Folly Or that G. Whitehead hath therein mistaken the Inspirations of the Prince of the Spirits of Delusion for God's See Reader how forward the Snake is to give hard words and how backward to prove them That G. Keith hath with great Contempt and Reproach treated the Quakers is very certain and not only so but hath Contemptuously and Reproachfully spoken many things of that way of Truth which they profess and which himself did also for many years profess with them which practices as it is an apparent mark of Confusion in him so it nâ—â—essarily draws after it Contempt upon the Actor from all Observing Men. So that the Prophetick Verse as the Snake calls it of G. W.'s carries with it many evidences of Truth which plainly shew he did not therein mistake the Inspirations of the Prince of the Spirits of Delusion for God's And which is further seen in that there is no proof given by the Snake that it did proceed from Rage Malice or Folly in G. W. as is falsly and maliciously suggested by the Adversary And as there can nothing more unhappy fall out to G. K. in all his Life-time than to continue and go on from one degree of Confusion to another so that Confusion is not the Consequence of what the Snake calls George Whitehead's Prophetick Verse But that Verse was the Consequence of Confusion began in G. K. Ibid. Mr. Penn did own before the Yearly Meeting That the Glorious Power of God which he felt did so transport him that he was carried beyond himself and knew not whether he was Sitting Standing or Kneeling when he pronounced that Sentence of Apostacy concerning G. K. This was like St. Paul's whether in the Body or out of the Body he could not tell Well! Suppose it is like it I would ask the Snake whether he dare affirm that at this day it is altogether impossible for the Spirit of God to influence any to that degree of Extasie or Rapture If he will deny that or which will answer the end of our Present Inquiry if he will allow that but deny this to be so it will then be necessary for the Snake to produce the marks by which he proves it to be what in p. 283. he hath so confidently said it is viz. the Violent Transports of Passion But if the Force of this Mad Spirit of Malice had not govern'd the Snake he might have seen that while he does acknowledge what he there says W. P. does speak of himself to be like the Apostle This was like says he St. Paul whether in the Body c. and calls W. Penn's words The force of this Mad Spirit of Enthusiasm He does then Intimate that the Apostles words proceeded from the like force And how far this may expose Religion and the whole Scriptures to Loose and Atheistical Wits may concern some to see who are more truly concern'd for the honour of both than he who while he is inquiring How great is the force of this mad Spirit of Enthusiasm Observes not how great is the force of the mad Spirit of Atheism in himself But further I do own with the Snake that this Extasie or Rapture of W. P's is like that of Paul Whether in Body or out of Body he knew not That is they are a-like in Kind but not Degree W. Penn's as the Snake says did relate to the Posture of the Body but the Apostle's was much higher even so as to forget the Body Ibid. p. 283. And he is thus far towards it that he must either make out his own Inspirations to be from God in as High a Degree as those which were given to the Prophets and Apostles or otherwise that he has no Authority to inscribe the name of God upon them as they did The Snake does here as before allow the Inspiration to be the same but falsly supposes W. Penn under a necessity to make it out to be in as High a Degree which he is not because the Operation of it on W. Penn the Snake says was not in so High a Degree as on the Apostle And while the Snake does falsly suppose that the Inspirations from God at this day must be made out to be in as High a Degree as those which were given to the Prophets and Apostles Or else his name is not to be inscrib'd on them Besides that the Snake does hereby overthrow what in Pref. p. 31. he calls The greatest Flights and Extasies of Devotion and which he there advises to let Rise as High as they can the Higher the better He does also overthrow all that Enthusiasm which he says the Church of England owns for these he hath acknowledged to be Revelations and in some sense immediate too Yet here he says they are not so to be inscrib'd unless they are in as High a Degree as those given to the Prophets and Apostles Which I think he will hardly presume to affirm But altho' this Adversary is thus Contradictory to himself by denying and affirming the same thing yet Truth remains unmoveable and the Inspirations of the Holy Spirit at this day in what Degree soever they are given are truly the same in kind with those given to the Holy Prophets and Apostles In that now as then God by the divers Gifts of his Spirit doth fit furnish and qualifie his Children and Servants to the several Duties and Services in his Church to which he calleth them Ibid. He must likewise justifie all the False Lying Prophesies before told or otherwise he must unherd W. P. is not obliged to defend False Lying Prophesies but deny them nor doth he Herd as the Snake scornfully speaks with any such Ibid. p. 284. Gives two Quotations one for G. F's Answer to The Westmerland
pretends to be a Lover of Souls to be really a Hater of Truth and a gross Perverter of Words Is it any Excuse for False Prophesies or Wild Whimsies to say of those who are guilty of them That they are got up into Pride and Exaltation of Spirit and that they are run out from Truth I think it is not but is on the contrary a Sound and Substantial Denial of them as it was an evidence of their Return who had so been guilty when from a sight of and sorrow for the Wickedness they had been guilty of they did Condemn their Wickedness and return into the Way of Truth which they had forsaken and when Erring Persons are so return'd it is no less than Wickedness imperiously and by way of Taunt to object to them their past Miscarriages and much more so to throw them Evils so forsaken and repented of at a Community for their Scandal Ibid. p. 289. I will trouble the Reader but with one Instance more Then we are not like to have very many for we have had yet but two And were I dispos'd to vie Numbers with the Snake I could enumerate more pretended Members of the Church of England who have in Wicked and Freakish manner pretended falsly to Revelations and Inspirations Ibid. John Toldervy has Printed a very Punctual Narrative of his Conversion to Quakerism and of the most Astonishing Possession of the Devil in which he was held after his said Conversion even to the Apparitions of Evil Spirits dancing and Singing about him and directing him what he should do and encouraging him in the Principles of Quakerism The Snake has taken up near three pages with the story of this Man of which the foregoing words are the substance which are a complex of falshoods as I shall presently make appear But first I shall desire my Reader to observe that the Snake affirms that the Astonishing Possession of the Devil did encourage this J. Toldervy in the Principles of Quakerism which is so venemous a falshood that nothing short of Envy could lead him to affirm it and that in opposition to the Authority he quotes viz. the Book Foot out of the Snare which is the Book which the Snake here calls a Punctual Narrative and also quotes in p. 290. I will give my Reader some account both of the Man J. Toldervy and his Book above-mentioned from both which it may fully appear how far the Astonishing Possession of the Devil or bewitched Imaginations in which he was was from being either owing to or encouraging of the Principles of Truth which we profess And first for the Man He was one who I shall anon give my Authority for what I say had been zealously affected in divers ways of Worship at length he made a shew of a Convincement upon his Spirit and did come to our Meetings but it was not long before he did discover himself not to have any true work of Regeneration upon his Mind but run out into very strange and wicked Imaginations for which he was soon reproved by the Quakers but he persisting they did separate from him and deny him both by Word and Writing because of his following a Bewitched Spirit The Quakers being thus discharged of him his Wild Imaginations turn'd to Envy and he endeavoured to charge his Crimes upon the Principle of the Light of Christ in Men professed by us in order to which he writes a Book Entituled Foot out of the Snare and to give it greater Grace it hath Eight Warrantees or Subscribers for the truth of it Wherein they pretend to set forth the Manner of his Separation from the Quakers In answer to this of theirs James Naylor wrote a Piece entituled as above Foot yet in the Snare in which he shews and often repeats it that J. Toldervy was denied by the Quakers and that they had Testified against him And for the fuller evidencing that the Quakers had denied him he does in p. 21 22. refer to their Book Foot out of the Sare and says In p. 33. Do you not confess that when he came to the Meeting at the place where the Quakers were shewing the holes he had made in his Thumbs and telling of those Lying wonders which he had been acting many of the Quakers being there all of them Judged him with one Consent charged him to be silent and told him that he was in Darkness and had slain the Witness of God in him Thus by their own Testimony nay by the Testimony of Toldervy himself for he was it seems the Author The Quakers had denied him of which we can desire sure no better proof than his own Confession attested by Eight Witnesses of which Tho. Brooks Tho. Jacomb Geo. Cockaine Joh. Tombs and Will. Adderly were part Having thus shewn that the Quakers did deny and therefore not chargeable with him nor his Actions I shall further shew from the same Authority which hath testified our denial of him as above that those his strange and wicked Imaginations were neither owing to nor encouraging of the Principles of Quakerism in him as the Snake has wickedly said For proof of this see Foot yet in the Snare p. 20. where James Naylor clearing our Principles from this suggestion saith thus quoting their own Book before-mentioned And have not you confessed p. 49. the Cause of these Distractions and Confusions in his Mind was having been zealously affected in divers ways before There was begotten in him much Fleshly Wisdom in which his Hope did rest believing it to be the Holy Spirit revealed in him and that he was covered with Deceit and could glory in that Condition Here in their own Testimony they say he was Covered with Deceit did rest in Fleshly Wisdom and believed it to be the Holy Spirit and in this he had been zealously affected in divers ways which was as themselves say the Cause of his Distractions and Confusions and all this before he came among us and staid not long when he was come But yet further James Naylor does in p. 26. quote them more amply clearing the Quakers Principle from his Delusions where they clear the Truth and say He J. T. being fully persuaded by what he learned from the Quakers of the Truth which was made known by the Light in us which Light is Spiritual and guides out of the Work of the Flesh to worship God in Spirit and Truth he was then to wait out of Thoughts and Imaginations c. And his Understanding being now thus opened he was possessed with much Joy in the Sense of that Love he had received whereupon he was resolved to give all diligence that his Calling and Election may be made sure But being naturally of a hasty and forward Mind and his Resolution in part being a Covenant of his own there was speedily begot in him an extream Fiery Zeal so that in the general he was hastily carried forth before the true Light by which in a short time he became lost in his
Visions from God This Obliges us to look more narrowly into the Matter If the Snake by narrowly looking can prove to the contrary of what W. Penn wou'd persuade us then he will look to some purpose But if he Misses in judging of Revelations and Visions and that he may as well as Miss in Dividing and Applying the Word Then while he confidently calls G. Fox a Wizard he proves himself to be Possess'd with an Evil Spirit Ibid. p. 326 327. It is desir'd that Mr. Penn wou'd now Publish his Register of Quaker Prophecies or for ever after hold his Peace By whom is it desired The Snake To what purpose That we should contradict with respect to himself the Advice of our Saviour Mat. 7.6 But besides There are already Publish'd in the Journal and other of our Books so many that if the Snake can but prove them false he will go a great length to prevent the Credibility of all others Ibid. p. 328. When Tho. Ebbit another Prophet of theirs came out of Huntington-shire to London a Day or two before the Fire to warn them of it the Quaker Sanhedrim of their Elders at London took him to task and having Examin'd his Gifts rejected him c. That Tho. Ebbit did come to London a Day or two before the Fire and go through a great part of the City and declare of that Judgment which did so speedily follow is very true And it is also true that three or four Friends seeing the Man they did Caution him That if he had a true Vision he might not go beyond it The Caution was good and useful but it is wholly false that there was any such thing as a Quaker Sanhedrim or that they took him to Task or that they rejected him for that his Prophecy Indeed there was no room to reject the Vision which soon came to pass For the Man came to Town on the Sixth Day commonly call'd Friday Employ'd that and the next Day in going about the City and Publishing his Vision And the Fire broke out on the First Day Morning following commonly call'd Sunday and was indeed a dreadful Judgment Ibid. p. 328. But now to S. Eccles who I suppose is the Prophet Mr. Penn Points at I refer the Reader for a Taste of his Prophetick Talent to what is said before of him p. 52. And for Answer to this and such Objections I refer my Reader to p. 122 where they are already spoken to Ibid. In the mean time let all Impartial Men Judge betwixt that Sober and Christian Enthusiasm which is Profess'd Taught and Pray'd for in the Church of England and that Mad and Blasphemous Enthusiasm which is set up among the Quakers c. Impartial Men Judge What could the Snake mean when he said so For he has constantly carefully avoided their Judgment and been glad to run when in danger of being brought before it Impartial Men When they shall consider That this Snake was so sure of what we mean by the Light within and that we did agree with the Church of England p. 319. that he delivers it with a seeming Gusto I am Confident I say when this shall be considered Impartial Men must say he 's Impudent in p. 328. to say The Enthusiasm among the Quakers is Mad and Blasphemous when he has not so much as attempted to prove it so since he said directly the contrary SECT XXI His Falsly Entituled Impartial Comparison shewn to be Prophane and such as does equally affect the Church of England THE Snake as he saith p. 329. began this his Prophane Comparison in p. 5. of his Introduction In Answer to which so far as he there speaks of it I have reply'd to it p. 33 34 35. fore-going and shall here go in my Reply to what he saith further on this Head Ibid. p. 332. This was the first Instance we find of a Prophet who submitted to be cur'd of his Inspiration by Physick It is Prophanely False G. F. did not Submit to be cur'd of his Inspiration by Physick G. F. does in p. 5. of his Journal speak how that in his Youth for he was then in the 21th Year of his Age being in very great Affliction of Spirit he went to several Priests that from them he might have receiv'd some Spiritual Comfort But they were so far from being Spiritual Comforters that one of them was in great Rage with him because as they were walking in the Priest's Garden he accidentally set his Foot upon the side of one of the Beds in it Another would needs give him some Physick and did endeavour to let him Blood This G. F. mentions to shew how much they were estrang'd from that Work of God then in him And he there further speaks How that his Body was as it were dried up with Sorrows Grief and Trouble that he could have wish'd he had never been born And the reason which G. Fox there gives why he could have so wish'd was because of the Vanity and Wickedness and the Blaspheming of the Name of the Lord which was among the People And the Snake by his light esteem of this concern does shew That he is of them that glory in doing wickedly and does prophanely mock with those who did occasion the Prophet's Complaint Jer. 15.18 Why is my Pain perpetual and my Wound incurable which refuseth to be healed And from this same Cause proceeded the Complaint of the same Prophet Jer. 4.19 My bowels my bowels I am pain'd at my very heart my heart maketh a noise within me And notwithstanding the mockery of the Snake it is always Matter of Sorrow Grief and Trouble to the Righteous to see and hear the wickedness of the Wicked and more especially and eminently to those whom God doth immediately by his Spirit and Power call and lay a necessity upon to reprove and testifie against it Ibid. p. 132. And as he tells us p. 8. when all hopes in them Priests and in all Men was gone so that I had nothing outwardly to help me nor could tell what to do Here the Snake cuts off the next Words of G. Fox wherein he says Then O then I heard a voice which said There is one even Christ Jesus that can speak to thy condition And instead of giving these Words which are of moment and are a sound Truth he does prophanely add In this most dismal of all Conditions quite over-run and given up to despair the blackest Fury in Hell So that it seems the Snake does by a most Blasphemous Implication account it the most dismal of all Conditions and to be quite over-run and given up to Despair to hear the Joyful Tydings to a weary Soul There is one even Christ Jesus that can speak to thy Condition But to G. F. this was Glad Tydings of great Joy and as he gave up to learn of this Wonderful Counsellor Jesus Christ who does indeed speak to the Conditions of all Men He did as he relates p. 17. Come up in
Discoveries are often small not only to try the Obedience but to encourage to Faithfulness And they who will not thankfully receive its lowest Manifestations and obey the Discoveries of the Light of Christ in the forsaking and denying vain Honours and Language are not likely to be obedient to greater Discoveries if they had them Ibid. p. 332. But G. Keith for his Christian Doctrine of a Christ without was condemn'd by their Late Yearly Meeting in their Bull of Excommunication It was not for Christian Doctrine but Unchristian Practice which G. Keith was denied as the Testimony given against him does fully shew in these words George Keith of late hath been and yet is acted by an Unchristian Spirit which hath moved and led him to stir up Contention and Strife in the Church of Christ and to cause Divisions Separations and Breaches amongst them that Profess the Truth and that the tendency of Divers of his late Writings and Actings hath been to expose the Truth and Friends thereof What has Christian Doctrine to do with such Unchristian Actions They have no agreement and this was the Cause there assigned of our denying him The Snake now gives p. 333. part of a Letter which he says W. P. sent to R. Turner of Pensilvania in which speaking of G. Keith are these words I love his Spirit and honour his Gifts and his Peculiar Learning especially Tongues and Mathematicks his Platonick Studies too all being sanctified to the Truth 's Service which is worthy to have the Preheminence Upon which the Snake says here will be a sad account of that Infallible Discerning Spirit which the Quakers do appropriate to themselves To which I shall first say that it is utterly false that the Quakers have ever appropriated to themselves the Spirit of Discerning It is only appropiated to the Holy Spirit and what true Discerning of Spirits is given to Men must be from that Fountain Now as to the Letter the words above quoted do well consist with that Spirit of Discerning because in order of Time it appears not but that that Letter was writ some Years before the Testimony of the Yearly Meeting against G. K. which I have before quoted And if G. Keith's accomplishments in Learning had continued to have been all sanctified to the Truth 's Service as it is there exprest which was the ground of that Love therein declared He could not have stirred up Contention and Strife nor caus'd Divisions Separations and Breaches which was the reason of his being denied But further If that Letter was writ when there was some small beginnings of Misunderstanding betwixt G. K. and those in Pensilvania Yet the words of that Letter referring the Love declared to his Spirit and Learning to be as all are sanctified c. they are very safe as G. K. would also have been had he kept to the Holy Spirit which sanctifies and that would both have prevented further Disturbance and removed all Misunderstanding Ibid. p. 336. I do here demand Reparation in the behalf of the Church of England But particularly in behalf of one whom they have most Scandalously Robb'd The Person wronged is Mr. Selden and the Thief is Francis Howgil A Snake turn Knight Errant the Scandal of the Church presume to set up for her Representative O Monstrum But to his Ridiculous Arrogance I do here demand c. What mighty I is this What Ratling Snake Why an Anonymous who is as fear ful of putting his Name to his Demand as he is to appear before Justice One who Jugler-like plays Tricks in the Dark Therefore sure no true Pleni-Potent of the Church not one Legally Delegated by Her And he is not less the Church's Delegate than he is John Selden's who in his time was one of the Glories of this Nation one whose Living Labours may at once endear and preserve his Memory with those who know his Works And with what Forehead one so differently qualified as is the Snake should pretend to demand Satisfaction if the Demand were just in his Behalf is no small wonder But the Demand is Arrogant Trifling and Impudent in that he says F. Howgil has stoln whole Paragraphs verbatim out of J. Selden's History of Tythes I have with what care I can examined the Charge by comparing the Books and cannot find one whole Paragraph so taken I find that F. H. does in some places treat of Tythes in the same manner as J. Selden does and the Books which are his Authorities he puts mostly in his Margin And among others which he quotes J. Selden by Name is one in his History of Tythes and upon this Subject of Tythes he is twice quoted by F. Howgil viz. p. 482 and in p. 567. which is sufficient to shew that F. H. is no Plagiary But since the Snake hath thus taken upon himself to be a Knight Errant I will direct him to a piece of Work of the sort he here speaks of and if he can get satisfaction he may pretend to be Captain of the Band of Knight Errants He may find it in John Daille's Treatise of the Right use of the Fathers first Book p. 104. In these words St. Hilary St. Ambrose and others who robbing poor Origen without any Mercy do not yet do him the Honour so much as to name him scarcely This is certain that you shall find in St. Ambrose many times whole Periods and whole Pages too taken out of St. Basil but unless my Memory fail me very much you shall never find him once named there Thus he I spare to give more such Instances till the Snake shall here have demanded Reparation in due form But now we are speaking upon the vice of Stealing it may not be improper to remind him that it had been highly necessary for him to have surveyed himself and considered with what Face he could unjustly object Theft to F. Howgil because he speaks of the same Subject in the same manner with John Selden whom he also names While himself if he had been duly prosecuted for Theft must of necessity have been hang'd if at least the Law of the Country where he stole the Virgin whom he made his Unhappy Wife be in that case agreeable to ours But as to the Punishment I shall not now enquire nor yet what Reparation he made to the injur'd Parents or Relations But as to the Fact it had the Forms of Theft in that he had not their good leave before he took her and whether the Canons do not declare the Theft of Souls the Stealing of a Wife to be in the same Class of Crimes in which himself puts Obedience to the King de Facto It may be proper for him to consider which if he find and that he squares himself in his Repentance for that by his practice in this his Repence will be as singular as his tenacious Disobedience hath been observable But of this now no more nor had there been so much nay here none at all had
the Reproaches Detractions Contempt and Scorn cast upon my self by the Author are of less value or weight as to me seeing the Rancour Envy and Foulness of the Spirit from whence they proceed And I always thought my self more obliged in Truth 's Vindication than my own Personal Reputation having long been arm'd with so much of Christian Faith Patience and Good-will to my Enemies as Patiently to endure Persecutions by Reproach and cruel Mocking as well as I have endured by Imprisonments and other Hardships And now I do not believe the Author of the Snake says true That he is very well pleas'd with the said Answer I am persuaded the contrary That he is very much vex'd by having his Falshoods in many things so much detected as they are in the Answer or Antidote His following Reason for his being so very well pleas'd with the said Answer is as notoriously false as the rest of his Lies viz. Because it confirms all the Matters of Fact to every purpose and intent for which they were produced To evince the Falshood whereof I refer the Ingenuous Reader to the said Antidote for his Impartial Perusal I doubt not but this Man's Purpose and Intent in producing the Matters of Fact alledged against us was chiefly that they should be given Credit to and that the People called Quakers their Ministers especially might lie under all his gross and foul Imputations and Defamations of being Diabolically Inspired and Possess'd Deluded Bewitched Blasphemers Rebels Traytors c. How monstrous and improbable then is it that I by opposing these Matters of Fact charg'd should write to confirm them against our selves And his following Words are most notoriously false viz. That he i. e. G. W. had not detected One False Quotation of all that I have brought out of their Books With what Conscience could this Person so confidently thus Assert That G. W. has not detected One False Quotation c. Either he has read my said Answer or he has not If he has read it he must be a shameful Man herein if he has not he must be guilty of great Folly and Injustice And farther to Detect his notorious and foul Falshood in this I 'll produce a few Instances of his many more false Quotations detected in my Answer Antidote p. 15.16 That one of the Orders given forth by their Yearly Meeting 1693. Commands that None shall carry Guns in their Ships This is prov'd a false Quotation in my Answer quoted 2. Antidote p. 17. That in the Answer to F. Bugg 's Impeachment they i. e. the Quakers would persuade us That All they have said against the Payment of Tythes was Only meant by them to the Popish Clergy but by no means against the Right of the Church of England to their Tythes This is plainly detected as a False Quotation as in my Answer 't is declared This is Partially and Wrongfully Stated Our Answer to F. Bugg plainly shews our Conscientious Dissatisfaction with Tythes in general and the forcing thereof now in this Gospel-Day by any Clergy whatsoever as not consistent with the Practice of Christ's Ministers or Testimony of divers Martyrs c. See Antidote p. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. 3. Antidote p. 25 26. That G. Fox Professed and Avowed that he was equal with God that he Profess'd himself to be the Eternal Judge of the World Which is also a False Charge and Quotation against G. F. who being charg'd by his Persecutors with Professing himself to be equal with God Positively denies the Charge as not so spoken as that G. F. was equal with God but that the Father and the Son are one and that Christ and the Holy Spirit are equal with God Saul's Errand p. 5 6. Vid. Just Enquiry p. 12. 4. Antidote p. 35 36. Abusing the Scriptures by the contemptible Names of beastly Ware c. Which is false both in Charge and Quotation and over and over detected in Answer to his Author F. Bugg 5. Antidote p. 43. That G. Whitehead in his Serious Apology p. 49. prefers not only their Writings but their ex tempore Preachments and even All whatsoever they speak upon any account to the Holy Scriptures themselves This also is notoriously false both in Charge and Quotation as is manifest in my Answer Antidote p. 43. viz. He very perversly wrongs G. Whitehead in all these Expressions for there 's not a Word of Preferring our Writings to the Holy Scriptures much less of all whatsoever we speak thereto but a preferring the Holy Spirit and its Immediate Teaching In Man to the Letter of the Scripture and Preaching in the true Sense of the Spirit with Divine Power and Authority according as Christ did to the bare reading the Letter as the Pharisees did I may further add without offence or under-valuing the Holy Scripture or Godly Doctrine therein contain'd that I verily believe St. Paul and other Apostles Preaching in the Demonstration of the Holy Spirit and Power of Christ was of far greater Efficacy Power and Authority for the Converting People to Christ than the Priests reading their Writings or making a Trade of them as they do in these Days 6. Antidote p. 59 60. That they i. e. the Quakers give to themselves and to one another the most peculiar Titles of Christ as that of the Branch and the Star and the Son of God which he says are Attributed to G. Fox and which he takes to himself Quoting New Rome Arraign'd p. 33 34. And the Quakers Vnmask'd and New Rome unmask'd Referring the Reader to those Books of Fran. Bugg's which he has Quoted upon the Margent as he saith Here this Credulous Adversary has accepted and promoted Bugg's False Quotation and Charge against us though over and over detected as his Notorious Refuted Lies which this Adversary is as 't is told him in the Antidote so shamefully credulous of and that we positively deny giving those peculiar Titles of Christ to our selves or to one another as he falsly Prates and Bugg has been over and over Charg'd therewith and cannot Prove them i. e. that we give those said Titles either to G. F. or to one another and that G. Fox is not so much as mentioned in that Epistle of E. Burroughs out of which those Titles the Branch the Star and the Sun of Righteousness are taken which are peculiar and intended to Christ and no other Serious Reader these few Instances of our Adversaries false Quotation besides many more which are clearly Detected in my said Antidote in Answer to him I hope are sufficient to evince his Falshood in Asserting That Geo. Whitehead has not detected One false Quotation that he has brought out of our Books When the contrary is evident that he has both made and accepted many false even grosly false Quotations pretended out of our Books c. And if to detect such was the only proper Answer that could have been given as he says then he had that proper Answer at least in
them in that Catalogue beginning at Page 93 of his Preface to the Snake and before that I begin at Page 7 8 9 17. of the first Edition of the Snake and was so far from passing by his said Objection of manifest Possessions by the Devil c. that I declare his great Injustice false Reflections black Characters and Charges upon the Quakers therein together with his absurd way of Arguing and Falacy to prove the same as evidently appears in my Answer i. e. my Antidote from the second to the twelfth Page thereof to which I refer the Reader for Satisfaction and how far short he is of Proof that either we or our Preachers are Possess'd by the Devil because of any of their Quaking or Trembling alleadg'd against them as both Holy Prophets and other Saints and Christians have done by the Word and Power of God and not from any Diabolical Possession And he can no more prove such Exercise among us to proceed from the Devil than he can prove the visible Possessions of many Quakers by the Devil as he falsly stiles his 21. Sect. or than his Mr. Firmin or Thomas Tillam whose Story is quoted in the same Section p. 297 298 299. could demonstrate his seeing the Devil shake the Quakers like as a Dog doth shake a Hog c. But if this Author has ever seen any visible Possessions of Quakers by the Devil I would ask him in what Shape or Form he saw the Devil at any time so visibly Possess or Act them I never heard that T. Tillam could tell when questioned about it at Colchester tho' he raised the Story as Richard Thomas of Hartford who was present can give further account II. As to all he objects in his 18th Sect. of The Quakers manifold Treasons against the King of their taking Arms and Fighting against him for Oliver and the Rump c. their vigorous opposing the Restauration of King Charles to the very last c. p. 352. Hereupon G. W. is blamed for Answering all this in a few words p. 24. of his Antidote viz. We need but answer these with Negation and Detestation as being most foul Raileries proceeding from a Spirit of Persecution and deadly Malice which the Righteous Lord will Rebuke Which I am still perswaded he will though the Snake-Author hereupon thus Reviles viz. They cannot refrain their Trade in blasphemous and cursed Prophecies which among many other odious Revilings I leave to the just cognizance of the Great and Righteous Judge of all The Man 's charging manifold Treasons taking up Arms and Fighting c. upon the Quakers I still deny as a general and gross Calumny upon that People yet supposing some before they were Quakers or so reputed and before they were in Society with that People were in Arms against the King as many of other Persuasions were and yet some were dissatisfied with Monarchy or afraid of the consequence thereof whilst they were under a Common Wealth 's Government and Principles it follows not that the People called Quakers must be concluded thereby as either guilty of manifold Treasons Fightings Murder or Regicide such absurd kind of unnatural Inferrences against the Quakers I had reason to give my Negation against as neither Just nor Reasonable but altogether the contrary And the Truth of it is I looked upon his said 18th Sect. so extreamly Malicious and so Repugnant to the Act of Indempnity even that of King Charles the Second and divers others since if any charged were culpable And much of the Substance of the said 18th Sect. being answered in my Book Entituled Christ's Lambs defended from Satan's Rage That I thought my self the less concerned again to enter into the Particulars of the said extreamly Malicious Section but to refer him and the Reader to my Treatise of Christ's Lambs c. However in my Antidote referring thereto there 's more of Answer in this case than is cited in the Snake being full of Partiality and Curtailizing in Citation as well as of Perversion and Absurd Defamation And if no authority of Bugg's be quoted at all for the charges before mentioned as he saith it is for divers others which are very false I find in his said 18th Sect. Quakers Vnmask'd p. 4. Is quoted on the same Subject And if this Quaker's Vnmask'd was John Peâ—nyman's and not F. Bugg's then 't was my oversight which I shall not excuse which might easily happen from the near resemblance they have upon the same subject J. P. begun it against us and the other follows it in divers Books upbraiding us about O. C. and his Army and the Government And the Snake in his 8th Sect. quotes F. Bugg's New Rome Arraign'd and New Rome Vnmaskâ—d p. 109.111 and note that two Years after F. B. left our Communion and joyn'd himself to the Church of England he published a Book stiled The Quakers Detected wherein he confesses to the Truth of our Doctrine and Ministry of the Light as a Dispensation of the Love of God sent as a Visitation to Mankind and to our Christian Communion Love and Conversation and that God blessed our Meetings with the comfortable enjoyment of his Presence c. But being gone from the same he complained against our Friends p. 8. as if they had Sold him into Egypt as Joseph was applying to himself his words to his Brethren Gen. 50.20 and 45.4 5. viz. But can say i. e. F. B. can say as Joseph did to his Brethren Gen. 50.20 But as for you ye thought Evil against me but God meant it unto Good now therefore be not Grieved nor Angry with your selves that ye Sold me hither Thus F. Bugg after he was turn'd into the Church of England And finding both J. P. Bugg and Crisp run much in one strain of Enmity against us and their Authorities quoted and so much valued in the Snake 't was the more easie to mistake one for another as to the Titles of their Angry Books However their work so much agreeing and resembling to take one for another in Writing quick as 't is no great Crime so 't is no great Damage to any of them supposing Quakers Vnmasked be put for Quakers Detected or for New Rome Vnmasked And so Bugg's authority for J. Pennyman's his excuses not his Partial credulity of either of them wherein they are a-like invective But a greater Injury than this is done the Quakers in Quotation I find a Pamphlet stiled Some of the Quakers Principles over and over quoted against us in the Snake Sect. 7. Which being thus quoted as The Quakers Principles some may therefore take it to be a True and Real Account of our own when that Pamphlet as I take it to be the same is but a nameless Libel to abuse us with Partial Quotations and Perversions and it is answered in my Just Inquiry Printed 1693. And that I have not endeavoured to deceive the Reader as p. 354. in that I did not perceive he took notice of my
God go forth with their Armies then What was the cause of Israel's Fleeing before their Enemies when they Fled Was it not their having forsaken the Lord that he went not forth with their Armies Psal. 44.9 But saith the Man The Clergy of the Church of England then suffer'd for their King and with him Did they so how many of them pray Did not many of them turn Presbyterian and from Episcopacy And many of them since from Presbytery to Episcopacy to save their Benefices Are such then steady Pillars or Martyrs of Jesus Christ under any Suffering Or did the Suffering of some few for and with the King prove them such Martyrs And if any Quakers have told the World they were always Loyal and True I don't believe that they as a People are justly chargeable with Lying or Dissimulation therein but that they were sincere in their Minds and Intentions and do bear no Ill-will Hatred or Treachery in their Hearts towards the King or any Man else but Love and Good-will This Adversary thus Query's But what means George by bringing me under the Lash of the Act of Indemnity What Quaker or Quakerly affected Council drew up this Answer for him p. 356. Answ. 1. I meant ad hominem to shew this pretended Loyal Person how disloyal he is in violating the Act of Indemnity in case any among us were Indemnified thereby from any former Misdemeanours Let him retort as he pleaseth I look on 't as a very unwarrantable Act in him without occasion given him by us to violate that Act and the Reason and good Intention thereof in his Strenuous Endeavours to stir up Animosities against us as a People from those old Transactions and Offences though not ours which were Indemnified or Pardon'd long since 2. And I had no Quaker or Quakerly affected Counsel as he scornfully calls it in my Lashing him with the Act of Indemnity but singly I argued Secundum Hominem to shew and check the Man's Presumptuous Folly and Envy against us as a People when we had given no real occasion of Offence or Provocation And as to his retorting viz. But if past Faults must not now be so much as remembred was it not as great an Incroachment upon the Act of Indemnity for the Quakers to upbraid the other Dissenters the Presbyterians Independents c. with their Treasons and Rebellions fighting Principles the Quakers being as Guilty in all these as themselves c. p. 356 357. Rep. The Quakers still he must needs shew his Spite and Venom against the Quakers still in general and without exception suppose any one formerly either upon some Provocation or Occasion of this kind given as by some enviously charging the Quakers with Justifying the late War against the King hath somewhat Retaliated upon them their Fighting Principles c. This is not justly chargeable upon the Quakers without Exception neither do they own those Fighting Principles nor do I allow of upbraiding others with those former Transactions of War which are Legally Indemnified unless it be upon occasion first given to stop their upbraiding others when they themselves were more deeply guilty and concern'd or upon occasion of their former Persecutions against us and putting our Friends to Death in New-England which Blood-sheding for Religion no Act of Indemnity can justly Indemnifie But First As I deny that the Quakers do so upbraid the other Dissenters with Treasons and Rebellions 2. So I deny that the Quakers themselves are guilty in all these i. e. Seditions Treasons Fighting Principles c. as we are unjustly aspersed Though his Beloved Confederate Associate G. K. in his Way cast up p. 23 52 53 54. In p. 23. He tells of Presbyterians so much using the arm of flesh and blood to carry on that which they judged a Reformation And how much Garments were rolled in Blood by the Instigation of the Presbyterian Teachers the whole Nation was a Witness so that many thousands were made Widows and Fatherless by that War they stirred up the People unto expresly contrary to the Nature of the Gospel And in p. 52. he farther chargeth them thus viz. And the Presbyterian Nonconformist Teachers have generally manifested base and unchristian Cowardize in running away from their Flocks through Fear of Suffering and exposing them to those they judged Wolves and some of them are fled beyond Sea others lurk in Corners here and there and keep private Conventicles where many times they Preach Sedition against their Lawful Prince by Instigation of whom that Insurrection happened 1666. And in p. 53. He further addeth viz. And some of them have Printed Books in Defence of the Lawfulness of making War against the Supream Magistrate in order to Re-establish the Presbyterian Government a way flat contrary to the nature of the Gospel to the express Commands of Christ. And in p. 54. G. K. goes on with a more general and very high Charge viz. And in very Truth quoth he the Presbyterian Church will never be able to purge her self of the Iniquity of the Killing of many Thousands in the Three Nations by the Occasion of a most bloody War raised up through the Instigation of the Presbyterian Teachers I am fully persuaded of it that the Presbyterian Church hath as much blood-guiltiness lying on her Head unwashed off as any People called a Church that I know of in the World next unto the Bloody Church of Rome Thus far G. Keith against the Presbyterian Ministers and Church However seeing the Snake-Author does not deny but such kind of remembring former Animosities and Offences as are Indemnified by the Acts of Indemnity must needs be to offend and incroach upon the said Acts How then does he save himself from Self-condemnation in the case for his own Presumptuous and Insolent Incroachment and Violation thereupon Is not the Snake herein as deep in the Mire as he thinks others are in the Mudd but enough of this as he says As to that great Charge of the Snake against us That the height of our Self-advancement is to be equal even to God to be one Person Substance and Soul with God c. p. 357. To this he renders my Answer also defected as not denying one of the Quotations when he has produced no Quotations out of the Quakers Writings that either say they so advance themselves to be one Person with God or one Substance with God or that they themselves are one Soul with God I asked him when did ever the Quakers so advance themselves to be One Person Substance Soul with God We positively deny the Charge and the words themselves but only as we are United or Joyned to the Lord we are one Spirit This Parenthesis of my Answer the Snake now leaves out to make my Answer deficient and his Charge seem good against us But I further Challenge him to prove where we the People or Persons called Quakers have so advanced our selves in these words namely that we our selves are One Person and
Substance with God and by consequence Essentially Equal even to God I still in good Conscience deny the Assertion and such self-advancement of the Creature unto such Equality with its Creator whatever any among us has said of the Divine Spirit or Breath of Life which made Man a Living Soul as for the Equality thereof with God and as of his Being I deny that this was ever intended of the Creature Man that he was either one Being or Substance with God or Essentially Equal with God for that were to confound Created Beings with the Increated Tho' Man as made a Living Soul and created in the Image of God had in him something of that Divine Nature and Being which gave Him his Life and Being I really think I have sufficiently and briefly answered this matter in my Antidote in divers places being a reitterated charge of Blasphemy falsly against the Quakers that they so advance themselves as aforesaid to be One Person and Substance with God A body would think the Man should have proved these very words of the Charge upon us or else not so often repeat it with aggravations as he has shamefully done in such Expressions as these viz. that he does not think that any humane Government can be secure of Men in whose Power it is to scrue themselves up to such blasphemous heights of Enthusiasm which he deems the height of Madness which I took notice of and justly reprehended in my Antidote p. 87 88. And I dare further add in order to clear our Principle of Sinless Perfection as attainable through the Grace of God in Jesus Christ That although we own an Essential Equality between our Heavenly Father His Son and Holy Spirit and not such an Equality between the creature Man and his Creator yet such a nearness and likeness between the Heavenly Father and his Dear Children as perfection of Holiness and Purity if they attain to the fulfilling of these Doctrines Be ye Perfect or as some have it ye shall therefore be Perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect Matt. 5.48 And be ye merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful Luke 6.36 And every one that hath this Hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure 1 John 3.3 And if any among us hath writ of them who are perfect in Christ Jesus being led by his Spirit as in that sense Equal I understand Equal only as like unto God or in Vnion with him being united unto him by his Spirit as he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit Our own Principle and Distinction in these matters justly considered I do not think that either my self or any Friend whose sense I explain deserves Bedlam as the Snake would infer upon me p. 358. III. It 's a positive falshood that G. Fox and the rest of us do positively assert all these things charged on him and us before in the Snake or assent to his pretended Proofs thereof p. Ibid. Where does he or we positively assert of our selves that we are One Person or Substance with God I find not these words asserted but the contrary Neither is his Reprinting all his pretended Proofs in his Second Edition of the Snake any full Reply to my Answer wherein I detect his fallaciously Imposing such Words and Terms upon us as are none of ours nor agreeable to our Principles as in the before-mentioned and many others And as positive a Falshood it is That G. Whitehead has omitted all the Proofs in the Snake that is almost of the whole Book The Judicious or Serious Reader that shall peruse my said Antidote in Answer to the First Edition of the Snake may clearly see the Contrary But because quoth he the Quakers shall not complain of being thus put off I do intend to make a particular Reply and to follow G. Whitehead through every single Point that he touches for this End especially that this being the last cast of the Quakers and all the defence they have to make I may so plainly detect it as to leave them without Excuse and by the blessing to convince all of them except those who are resolved not to be persuaded though they were persuaded but hope to disarm them c. p. 358 359. Upon all which 't is observed First On the first part of these pretences and boastings How comes G. W's Answer either to need or deserve such a particular Reply or to be followed through every single Point that he touches If his Answer or said Antidote be no Answer but the name of an Answer and nothing to the purpose but shuffling c. as he hath already given judgment p. 355. tho' before conviction it seems 't is so much to purpose that it will make him some work if he still think it worthy to prosecute his intention upon and that through every single Point too Secondly He 's Egregiously mistaken to conclude 't is either the last cast of the Quakers or all the defence they have to make neither may I take upon me the sole defence of the Quakers so called nor do I so abound in my own sense as if no other were capable of making any further or other defence For God having diversities of Gifts hath raised up many in defence of his Gospel and Truth according to their several Gifts among us blessed be his Name and I hope he will raise up more faithful Witnesses Thirdly What detection or conviction this boasting Person can make or work upon us by his fallible and lying Spirit may be easily supposed How shall we believe that he can work or effect such great matters upon us by his scoffing at us about the Light and Infallibility as the Quaker Light and Quaker Infallibility Fourthly And by what Power or Force thinks he to disarm us of our Armour of Light or our Spiritual Weapons No no Neither he nor the Devil his Master the Prince of Darkness shall ever be able to disarm any one that believes in and sincerely obeys the Light of Christ amongst us who are true Children of the Light These his empty Boastings and fruitless Attempts will evaporate and vanish like Smoak Let God arise and his enemies be scattered Let them also that hate him flee before him as Smoak is driven away c. Psal. 68.2 3. and 37.20 IV. To his Alledging G. W. in his Answer to Satan Disrob'd bestows not two leaves upon the Discourse of Water Baptism nor attempts to answer so much as one single Objection or to remove one Stone of that Foundation upon which the outward Baptism is built p. 359. This is as frivolous and impertinent as many other his Reflections are false for he may see that upon that Subject I have bestowed five leaves in the Antidote p. 116 to 126. wherein his Arguments are detected and the Invalidity thereof and the great Stress he lays upon the Type discovered and the thing opened according to Scripture but his sign of Sprinkling Infants by him