Hell broke loose OR AN HISTORY OF THE QUAKERS Both Old and New Setting forth many of Their Opinions and Practices Published to antidote Christians against Formality in Religion and Apostasie By Thomas Vnderhill Citizen of London LONDON Printed for Simon Miller at the Starre in St. Paul's Church-yard 1660. TO THE HONOURABLE THE Officers of the Armies OF England Scotland and Ireland SIRS SVpposing that possibly your heads have been so taken up for a long time with these Questions How shall we keep the Power in our own hands And What is the end of Government For you answer that last Question very well in your late Plea that you have not seriously viewed the complexions and spirits of people in the glasse of such Books as are daily dispersed all the Lands over And therefore sith you are uppermost and under God may do much good or harm as his grnce shall incline you or leave you I thought good to dedicate this small Piece to you that you may see what Spirit they are of that are the enemies of the Ministry and our Christian Religion and Assemblies who if you nurse encourage and protect in their ungodliness and blasphemy it will be under the notion of Godliness reckoning them Godly and so you 'l be like them in calling evil good And will not you thereby in Gods just account be reckoned among them and judged with them And how can you possibly please Gods enemies and not dsplease both God and his servants Gentlemen be serious God will not be mocked If you are not as bad as Infidels who are resolved to play with Religion you will bear with me if I tell you That though you seem to be much doubting what sort of people are good Christians and therefore you include all that do but say they are such to the apparent ruine of all true Religion and piety if God prevent it not by you or some other way Yet you do know That the Scripture is Gods written Word and a holy perfect Rule of faith and practice That this Scripture holds forth an Infinite God in three Persons A Mediator who is true God and true man that gave his bloud as a price for mans Redemption who was buried Rose again Ascended and now is in his humane glorified body in Heaven That there is an everlasting state of misery and happinesse A Gospel-Ministry to be continued by a mediate Call to the end of the world That the Ministers of Christ must be entertained honourably as his Embassadours And you know that he that believes in Christ shall be saved and that he who obeys not his commands shall be damned That the objects of Saving Faith and Obedience are without us though the capacitated faculties by which we act Faith and Obedience are within us and a part of us That Faith Repentance New-Obedience are the free-gifts and Graces of God which he works in those whom he will save by his holy Spirit and that the Spirit works and increaseth them in a man by the Ordinances of the Gospel That it is most equitable and well-pleasing to God that one day in seven should be set apart for Rational Souls to mind the things of eternity and have more intimate communion with God by hearing his Word and calling upon his Name That Uniformity and Unity in what is good is well-pleasing to God and beautifull and profitable unto men That it is well done in any Governour of a Family to ordain Vniformity in his Family as to what is good both in reference to Duties and the time of performing them and therefore no lesse well done in the Magistrate effectually to appoint the same to his Subjects I mean in things absolutely necessary to the salvation of souls and the well-being of the publick That it is the duty of Parents both Natural and Political to cause all their children and Subjects to learn the will of God I say most certain it is that we may presume that you that make such a great profession of Religion do know and believe these things If you do not you are no Christians and we shall have cause to mourn that ever we had such Rulers were it not for our hopes that God will sanctifie unto us the worst that you can do unto us If you do so know and believe as no doubt but you 'll say you do then let it appear by your practice by your love to and care of Gods truths Ministers and Ordinances otherwise there are many thousands of the Children of the most high God who are the excellent upon the Earth that will not believe you and you will prove that your Knowledge and Faith are but Historical at the best And how then can you scape the wrath to come Unfeignedly I dare foretell that if God will make you instrumental for the setling of us upon a holy and righteous foundation he will incline your hearts to be nursing Fathers unto his Church and enemies to the enemies thereof especially Blasphemy and Blasphemers And the more good you do the more you shall be loved and honoured and the more God shall be praised for you by all his people and in particular by him that desires your everlasting happiness and is Your fellow-souldier Tho. Vnderhill Postscript IF any enemies of the Christian Ministry and Ordinances shall take offence at my seeking to the Civil or Military Power to support Religion contrary to the Great Church-door which is erected for the letting out of the Reformed Religion and the letting in of Popery I mean this Assertion That the Magistrate qua Magistrate is not to meddle with matters of Religion My Defence is this That the contrary is my belief and my addresse is the exercising the Liberty of my Conscience And why may not I that so believe more acceptably move the Higher Powers for Religion then they against it who therein cross their own professed opinion as they have very much done of late years by the multitude of motions in Councels Books Papers Letters which they have sent or delivered unto every pretended Authority for these many years for the pulling down the Ministry and the Steeple-houses and the obtaining leave to disturb all the Ministers and Assemblies contrary unto their way Their very importuning the Magistrate to pull down the publick Ministry and worship is a yeelding the cause and an owning his Authority in the matters in question though thereby they contradict themselves while they say he hath no such Authority which if they did believe to be a truth they would move him in stead of pulling them down to let them alone as matters beyond the sphere of his calling And undoubtedly if the Magistrate as such ought not to meddle with the things of Religion then it is a sinne for him to pull down as well as build Oh the worth of a truly tender conscience how rare is it TO THE REVEREND AND Wellbeloved in the Lord the Pastors and People of the Church of Scotland
Brazen-fac't Beast Covetous Idolatrous Priests Tleeves Devilish Priests Priests of the world Foxes Ministers of Antichrist Proud Pharisees Envious malicious Priests Egyptians Sodomites Gog and Magog a Seed of evil doers children of the devil Blinde Watchmen Back-biters Raylers Seducers Taskmasters of Egypt Devouring Lions Firebrands of hell Sonnes of Belial What would not these men that use such language do if they had power to their will Many of the Quakers are no doubt inchanted and bewitched and possessed by the Devill I could instance in Glipin of Kendell and Tolderby as may appear by their severall Narratives published by themselves And of a Physitian in Lincoln who with his consent was made a Quaker for twenty four houres by a Quaker who he privately convicted to be a man in Popish Orders beyond Sea The Agreement was That at the end of so many houres he should cease to be a Quaker which so fell out but he affirmed that for that time he could not chuse but Preach and Pray at the Quakers rate but at the end of the said time he found himself exceeding weary and as indisposed to such work as ever In Colchester Gole within this last two years Parnell the Quaker would needs fast fourty daies and nights as Christ did who after he had fasted eight or nine daies suffered some food to be applyed to him but his body by fasting having lost its power of reception and concoction he dyed And after he was laid in his Grave a man Quaker how many more then one I cannot say waited by his Grave untill the end of three dayes expecting his Resurrection but James not rising the poor man ranmad upon it and so continued many weekss but at last got loose both from his madness and Quaking through Gods mercy to him These Stories following are Published by Mr. Ford and Mr. Fowler Ministers of Reading in their Answer to Speed p. 75. 1656. A Quaker acted that most abominable unnameable sin with a Mare Another poor wretch hanged himself these two you may find at large added to the relation of Gilpin of Kendall and confessed by the Prime of that way to be true what may be your thoughts of those Some Quakers killed their Mother They were taught to hearken to and follow after the Light within them this Light taught them they ought to destroy the Originall of Sin and by the said Light they apprehend their Mother to be the Originall and from thence still by the said Light they most wickedly embrued their hands in the bloud of their Mother this you may read in Mr. William Keys Minister of Stokesly his Answer to eighteen Quaeries who was with them in Prison Nicholas Kate of Harwell in this County of Berks about ten moneths since came into Newberry between eight and nine in the morning on the Lords day starke naked in a most immodest manner even beyond the Pagans and so walked through a long Street only with an inchanted belt about him which belt we have ground to call inchanted this man did not converse or live as a Husband with his wife for many moneths before this we will tell you what his Doctrines were 1. That Marriage was made by Man 2. That Christians were worse than Beasts 3. That any woman was as free to him as his Wife 4. That his Wife was no Wife of his she was a limb of the Devill 5. That he was holy and all things that he toucht were holy as his very Hatchet his pot his Knife 6. That when the fullness of time was come he should work miracles This man hath left his own Family his Land and Stock of a very considerable value entred upon by Persons whom the Countrey esteemeth Ranters his Wife a weak diseased Woman who brought him a valuable portion left to the mercies of these Persons which are cruell enough to her the Farmer Kate himself since his departure was never heard of by his wife or any of her friends if any Person can tell where he is or what is become of him they may do a charitable Christian Office to informe his much distressed Wife One of Bristoll who lately even the twenty ninth of Aprill last at Marleborough in the County of Wilts in a discourse with a Godly discreet and Learned Friend held out this Light 1. He knew no such things as the Resurrection of the body 2. That the Body of Christ was not in Heaven neither should be come thence with a body 3. He defended those that went naked but as yet he had no command to do so 4. That of late he went to bed with a woman who was not his wife and that he did it without Sin 5. That that very Christ crucified at Jerusalem was in-dwelling in him 6. That he was confident of his perfect holiness and on that account went to bed with the woman and yet afterwards excused himself saying there was a necessity for it there was no other spare bed in the house CHAP. IV. Some Observations upon the whole History 1. THat men may talk much of God Christ the Spirit and all the things of Religion and all in vain and worse then in vain even to the blaspheming of God and Christ and the holy Ghost and the infecting the minds of people And to my certain knowledge there are very many that sometimes use to express themselves about matters divine after an extraordinary rate as to sublimity and experience in shew who at other times among their Comrades like Devils incarnate will most jocularly blaspheme and jeer at the greatest things in Divinity 2. The necessity of divine knowledg of the Principles of Religion A firme knowledg and assent to Principles held forth and proved in many Catechismes or Systeme among us would arm and fortific the soul against all contrary Doctrine and against all such foolish glosses upon Scripture as overthrow the said Principles and Analogy of Faith Oh that people were convinced of the good of Catechising It s the best part of good education even for the greatest persons 3. The great danger that we are in of having the whole Nation overrun with these poysonous Weeds to the everlasting undoing of so many of our selves Wives Children Relations as shall take down the venome thereof As the coming in of darkness puts out light and sickness health so doth the coming in of error and misbelief thrust out truth faith piety and happiness The Land is sick and the disease increaseth threatning death And if it once come to be predominant England is undone And then may it be said to be so when error and ungodliness come to wield the Sword and the Scepter 4. The great danger of Hipocrasie and Formality in Religion of mens having the forme of goldiness but denying the power thereof of living under the tenders of the truth without receiving the love of it For which cause God threatens to send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye That they all might be damned
who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2.10 11. 5. The impudence of sin that with a Brazen Whoorish forehead dare hold forth its abominable Doctrines of Devils and rebellious practices for precious truths and holy workes as may be seen in this History 6. The patience of God that a Nation of the greatest provocations is not utterly destroyed That London the source of these Abominations hath not been yet made more miserable than blasphemous Cracovia 7. The nature and consequence of scisme and causeless separation from the Church and Churches of Christ Where as many as will may turn Masters and orderless no marvell if confusion and every evill work follow besides one sin many times causes God to give a man up to another and so on 8. What great need all that think they stand have to take heed least they fall Oh let us watch and pray be jealous of our selves and trust in the Lord in the use of all the meanes that he hath appointed A great reason of falling from the truth is peoples pride and selfe-confidence and want of that tenderness of Conscience and fear of sinning that puts a man upon care pains and diligent inquiry in the matters of saith and life to prevent our miscarrying 9. How wicked a thing it is and how highly displeasing unto God to call all persons whatsoever that pretend to godliness and though free from common notorious and unmasked wickedness a godly party or godly persons whenas many such pretenders hold forth such opinions as deny the Lord that bought us and maintain the works of the flesh and damnable Heresies And woe be to him that calls good evill and evill good which respects persons as well as things 10. How much it concerns all the Servants of the most high God the Disciples of Jesus Christ both Magistrates Ministers and People from this Alarm to Arm themselves as the faithfull Souldiers of Jesus Christ and by all holy wayes and meanes to set themselves against this flood of Blasphemy and Error and the Captain thereof who strives to be sole Prince of England This this with all his Armies is the common enemy he hath many Armies great Revenues he hath great experience craft and policy which never appeared so much as it would if he could perswade the Christians of these Nations that error is truth and wickedness godliness and the incouraging of them a good old Cause 11. What cause we have to fear that while persons of such corrupt minds and heads increase our Judicatures even from the highest to the lowest will be in danger of being corrupted because they are made up of the distributed people unless it were made a fundamentall Order of those Courts that none who are either by Apostacy or Education enemies to Christ and the known avowed Christian Religion shall be members thereof 12. That the Quakers have no reason in the world to cry out of perfection nor to boast of their sufferings as they do for it s as plain as the Sun that they have suffered as evill doers for being uncivill to Magistrates disturbing Gods People in their Assemblies for being busie bodies or some other known wickedness and if so all their charging the Courts Justices Constables and those that assisted or abetted them with persecution falls flat to the ground 13. What a great mercy of God it is that though there are so many thousands of them their number is not greater they being such an unruly people and so full of deadly hatred against Jesus Christ his Ministers People and Ordinances If they had power to their will they that now frequently affront and disturb a Minister and Congregation would pull the Minister out of the Pulpit and instead of being turned out of the Church would turn out the Congregation and then our bloud might be mingled with our Sacrifice And moreover would not they that scorn to petition a Parliament or be uncovered before the greatest Throne of a Nation pull them out by the eares if they were able unless all Civill power were in their hands and then what Persecutors they would be may be easily concluded from the sight of their teeth before hand 14. That it is high time for all the Redeemed ones the Sanctified ones the Children of the great God the Favourites of Heaven honest godly sincere Christians Children that will not lye to improve their interest in God through Jesus Christ for this poor sinfull divided Nation that God would not impute unto the Nation the Abominations of many and so depart from us and suffer us to relaps into Popery or Paganisme But that he would arise for the recovery of the interest of true Religion that is brought very low in England as indeed it is abroad in other Nations It s time for God to arise for men have made void his Law That God would either deliver us from unreasonable men and give us such Magistrates as shall be nursing Fathers to his Church Or prepare us so for sufferings that we may be ready to dye for the Name of the Lord Jesus his Person Natures Word Offices Ministry Ordinances thereby demonstrating as much as in us lies the power of godliness the transcendent exceilency of true Religion above the honours pleasures profits of this world and life it self that so through God blessing our very sufferings may indeere our Religion unto surviving Generations When they shall consider not only what it cost their Ancestors by way of testimony to the Truth but what it wrought their hearts unto as the Instrument of the Spirit of God making them to forgoe all for God their portion and Jesus Christ their Redeemer CHAP. V. AS to Satans design in stirring up such kinds of people I had a purpose to have done it more fully than now I shall for having taken up more Paper already than agrees with the small price I intended this Book to be sold for that so it might come into the more hands of such as I Writ it for viz. those that do not know so much as myself I shall at this time say but thus much Satans design is That he may solely rule in and over every Man and Woman in these Nations to their everlasting damnation that not one of our Children and Posterity may be saved To which end he would reduce us unto Popery or Infidelity as abundantly appears by the foresaid Doctrines which according to his will are propagated all the Land over by all the ranks and orders of his Kingdome These Opinions following are affirmed to be the Opinions of the Quakers by Toldervey who was a Quaker which he affirmes in his Retractation Intitled The foot out of the snare THat the Word of God is not the Scripture but the life or the substance whence the Scriptures are spoken That the substance the Word of life is the measure of God manifested in man the gift of the holy Spirit manifest in flesh made known in all That