Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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B03450
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The Christianity of the people called Quakers asserted, by George Keith: in answer to a sheet, called, A serious call to the Quakers, &c. Attested by eight priests of the Church of England ... and affirmed by George Keith, or the new sworn deacon.
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Field, John, 1652-1723.
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Wing F861B; ESTC R177039
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9,400
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The Christianity of the People called Quakers Asserted by George Keith In ANSWER to a Sheet called A Serious Call to the Quakers c. Attested by Eight Priests of the Church of England called Dr. Isham Rector of St. Buttolphs-Bishopsgate Dr. Wincop Rector of St. Mary Abb-Church Dr. Bedford Rector of St. George Buttolph-Lane Mr. Altham M. A. Rector of St. Andrew Undershaft Mr. Bradford M. A. Rector of St. Mary-le-bow Mr. Whitfield M. A. Rect. of St. Mart. at Ludgate Mr. Butler M. A. Rector of St. Mary Aldermanbury Mr. Adams M. A. Rector of St. Alban Woodstreet And Affirmed by George Keith or the New Sworn Deacon It 's a marvelous thing that these Men have no other way to oppugn the Quakers but by gross and horrid Lyes and false Calumnies and meer Abuses like unto the ways that ever the worst of the Adversaries of Truth have used against the True Witnesses of it saith G. K. in his Presb. and Indep Visible Churches p. 222 230. But It never yet hath been proved nor ever will That the Religion professed by the sincere and faithful People called in scorn Quakers is either Paganism or any other thing than Real Christianity saith G. K. in his Preface to his Serious Appeal MEeting with a Sheet Intituled A Serious Call wherein are several Quotations already replyed unto in a late Book Intituled The Creed-Forgers detected c. Yet seeing they are said to be Attested by the Eight Priests aforesaid and Affirmed by George Keith Exactly to Agree with the Books out of which they are taken as Cited in the Margent We therefore have examined these following and find he is mistaken and so are his Brethren the eight Priests aforesaid as those that will examine his 4th 6th 20th 21st Quotations may find but we know as to G. K. it 's not the first false Affirmation he hath made both before and since his Ordination and to gratifie his new Brethren and to shew his Enmity is licking up and casting forth again those things against us many of which were cast upon us before ever he was called a Quaker although he was about 30 Years or more amongst us and hath not yet granted that he was Erroneous in any of the Articles of Faith commonly called the Simpliciter Credenda for he saith in his Antichrists and Sadduces p. 43. Antichrist and Sadd. p. 43. I know no Principles I now hold but I am able to prove I have held them ever since I came among the People called Quakers as touching all the Articles of Faith commonly called the Simpliciter Credenda Ibid. p. 42. And indeed the greatest Mistakes that I find I have been under were my misunderstanding these places of Scripture Matth. 28.19 and 1 Cor. 11.26 For saith he I remain Constant to my former Principles Retract p. 41. with respect to these great Doctrines of the Christian Faith I do therefore saith G. K. Serious Appeal p. 6 7. make this Solemn Appeal to the more Sober Impartial and Judicious People to whose hands this may come whether Cotton Mather is not extremely uncharitable and possessed as G. K. is with a Spirit of Prejudice and envious Zeal to use R. Baxter's Phrase against the Quakers in General and me in Particular as guilty of manifold Heresies Blasphemies and strong Delusions to the rendering us no Christians in the lowest Degree or Rank while I suppose he hath some Charity to some in the Church of Rome called Papists and to Lutherans Arminians and divers others that differ widely from him yet agree in the aforesaid Fundamentals when we hold the same Fundamentals of Christian Doctrine and Faith notwithstanding C. Mather's strong Asseverations or G. K's we may now say against us as if we denied almost all or most of the Fundamental Articles of the Christian and Protestant Faith yet he shall never be able to prove it That we are guilty of this his so extremely rash and uncharitable Charge either as in respect of the Body of that People called in Scorn Quakers or in respect of any particular Writers or Publishers of our Doctrines and Principles and Preachers amongst us Ibid. p. 7. And it sufficeth me and we may say us and I hope doth to many others that according to the best knowledge I have of the People called Quakers and these most generally owned by them as Preachers and Publishers of their Faith of unquestioned esteem amongst them and worthy of double Honour as many such there are I know none that are guilty of any one of such Heresies and Blasphemies as he accuseth them And I think I should know and do know these called Quakers and their Principles Writ 1692. having been Conversant with them in publick Meetings as well as in private Discourses with the most noted and esteemed among them for about Twenty Eight Years past and that in many Places of the World in Europe and for these divers Years in America And now concerning Infallibility We affirm said G. K. p. 7. That the Spirit of God in us and all Believers in every Discovery it gives is Infallible yet we have never judged our selves absolutely Infallible nor did we ever place or fix an absolute Infallibility upon any Man but on the contrary that the Dictates and Leadings of God's Spirit in us Truth 's Defence P. 65. are Infallible and have a direct tendency to Lead Guide and Move us Infallibly And if G. K. now thinks it 's a vile monstrous Error for any to speak and write from God and Christ Immediately and Infallibly and that those that have only gotten the words and have not the Spirit of God and Christ are not under the Curse and in another Spirit than the Apostles were in let him See Serious Call And if he doth not Why doth he quote G. F. and esteem it a vile Error Note G. K. did whilst among the Quakers vindicate these very Persons in the same Doctrines which he now calls Vile Errors and thereby renders himself Insincere in pretending to be ignorant of them for his saying viz. And Thou and You all that Speak and Write and not from God Immediately and Infallibly as the Apostles did and Prophets and Christ but only have gotten the words You are all under the Curse in another Spirit Ravened from the Spirit that was in the Apostles If this be a vile and monstrous Error will and doth he Assert the contrary viz. That all that only have gotten the Words but are in another Spirit than Christ the Prophets and Apostles were in do all Write and Speak from God Immediately and Infallibly and are not under the Curse nor ravened from the Spirit that was in the Apostles If so and this be now his Doctrine he is changed from what he was when a Quaker when he Vindicated their Doctrines in the Name of the Lord and when he held as the Quakers still do all the Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Faith
Concerning the Scriptures ' Geo. Fox says as quoted The Scriptures are not Infallible nor Divine but Humane Note 〈◊〉 there are no such words in the place Cited altho' it is elsewhere notwithstanding the Attestation of the three Doctors and five Masters of Art and Rectors and G. K's Affirmation to the Truth as Cited However hear G. K. G. K 's Truth 's Defence p. 53. I Answer That not only the Old Testament but even the Writings or Letter of the New Testament may be called a Killing Letter to those that remain alienated from the Spirit that quickens even as Origen hath formerly Taught in his Commentary on Leviticus Not only saith he in the Old Testament is found the Killing Letter there is also in the New Testament the Letter which Killeth him who doth not spiritually attend unto the things which are spoken Now if any go from the Spirit that only makes the true Gospel Administration and set up the Letter or Writing of the Apostles in the room of the same these Writings of the Apostles do eventually become a killing Letter no less than that of the Law and can no more give Life or make Perfect than the outward Law could Ibid. 59. The Translations of the Scripture the which Translations are commonly called Scripture have divers Additions which Men have added without any pretence to Divine Inspiration The Letter or External Form of the Writing is not properly the Word of God 54. By the Word of God in the Scriptures is not understood the Letter but Christ 49. Thus far G. K. And will he now say Only the bare Writing or Characters consisting of Ink and Paper is properly the Word of God 47. and are Infallible Divine and not Humane If G. K. will now so assert let him Concerning Christ's Coming to Iudgment Is quoted G. W. as followeth Call What is the Glory of the Father in which Christ's Coming is Is it visible to the carnal Eye and ' where is that Coming to be Is it now to be looked for outwardly G. K. saith G K 's Rector Cor. p. 16. I do seriously and truly tell thee as I faithfully believe that Christ did locally Ascend upwards into the Heavens whence also he shall Descend at the time of the Restitution of all things And if G. K. hath Retracted this the Quakers see no cause to Retract nor yet to affirm that Christ's Coming is Visible to the carnal Eye Concerning Heaven and Hell Call There is none have a Glory and Heaven but within them And in Answer to this and what W. Penn saith hear G. K. saith Rector Cor. p. 14. This is no great Riddle nor Paradox to the least Child of the New Jerusalem Paul indeed was before in Heaven and so is every Regenerate Man Note If every Regenerate Man is in Heaven then he hath a Heaven within him or hath a Peace and Joy in him from Christ. at present Concerning doing Servile Work on the Lord's Day and the Moral Law We might wave till G. K. brought plain and express Scripture and proved by plain and express Scripture and in express Scripture Terms that the doing of any Servile Work on the 1st Day of the Week called here the Lord's Day is forbid and by express Scripture proves the 1st Day of the Week and none of the other Days is called the Lord's Day and that Christ is not the Life of a Christian or the true Christians Life and doth by express Scripture and in plain and express Scripture Terms prove that it 's an Article of Faith or Doctrine in common to be believed but he may expect some Quotations to that Head and seeing in this Sheet use is made of a Quotation out of an Appeal as it 's said out of a Quakers Book concerning the Church of England's Ministry we refer the Reader to a Sheet Intituled Mr. Geo. Keith's Account of a National Church and the Ministry of the Church of England and to the Animadversions thereon and also to the Book Intituled The Portraiture of Mr. Geo. Keith wherein it doth appear what Account G. K. gives concerning the Ministry of the Church of England and the Dissenting Ministry and let him now if he will own or deny them to be Heretical and Antichristian so far as they reflect upon the Persons of our Opposers and most Heretical From the foregoing and following Quotations it will appear what G. K's Belief was and the Quakers is concerning the Ten Articles 1st Concerning Infallibility G. K. saith G. K 's Truth 's Defence p 64. How unreasonable this Consequence is I leave unto sober Men to Judge as to Conclude because Men are * It 's supposed this should be Fallible Infallible that therefore the Dictate and Light of God's Spirit in Men is Fallible also Was not Peter Fallible in some Cases Yea Did not he fail sorely as well as G. K. when he denied his Master Doth it therefore follow that the Dictate or Light of God's Spirit in him was Fallible To say that they have no Infallible Spirit the plain English of which is that the Spirit of God and ' God himself is Fallible saith G. K. in his Presb. and Ind. Visible Churches p. 47. Concerning the Holy Scriptures and their being the Only Rule of Faith and Practice or to try Spirits c. G. K. saith Truth 's Defence p. 65. It 's no Repugnancy that one and the same thing be Superiour and Inferiour in different Respects and as it respecteth different Subjects But there is no necessity to understand the Dictate and Light of God's Spirit in divers Men to be Superiour and Inferiour when it Examines and is Examined for one equal may be a Measure or Rule to another yea one thing may be said to be a Rule unto it self according to that common Maxim or Principle Linea recta est norma sui Obliqui i. e. A right Line is a Rule of it self and also of that which is Crooked The Power of God is the Rule For none know truly the Scriptures p. 68. but they who know the Power of God and therefore that Power which is Life Light and Spirit is the more Principal and Original Rule Concerning the Trinity G. K. saith G. K 's Serious App. p. 2. The only Exception we have is against that Unscriptural Term or Phrase of Three Persons or a Trinity ' of Persons And therefore let all Men know G. K's Presb and Ind. visib Churches p. 58. to whose hand this may come That the People called Quakers never denied but on the contrary faithfully believed and do still faithfully believe whatever is Recorded in the holy Scriptures of that great Mystery to wit That God is One and that the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost is that One Only True and Living God the Creator and Upholder of all Concerning Christ and his Blood G. K. saith Ibid. p. 58. The Lord Jesus