Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A58145
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Robert Bridgman's Reasons for leaving the Quakers, (upon examination) proved unreasonable being only a demonstration of his envy. By W. Rawlinson.
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Rawlinson, William.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing R370; ESTC R217967
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22,497
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49
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Guilt with which he would bespatter W. P. will fall as Dung upon his own Face as well as the dull and apparent Sophistry which he would father upon us will a great deal of it fall to his Share to account for neither will it all vindicate his abuse of W. Penn and others And as impertinent is he in making those words he Quotes out of Judas and the Jews p. 130. a description of God and of the Soul of Man it being a part of him from W. P's there saying The new dispersed Flock of God shall rest with him in that World which never had Beginning and is without End Where do we find such a Description of the Soul in these Words The words carped at viz. That World which never had beginning may be allowed by the Ingenuous as figuratively expressed as That World is put for Eternal Life in Heaven Luke 20.35 They that be counted worthy to enjoy that World by the World eternal Life is here intended * See T. Wilsons Dictionary it being only a Transmutation as between the Cause and the Effect Behold what a weighty Reason this is for R. B. his leaving our Society But at the rate he wrangles he may even fault the very Doctrine of our Lord that because he told the Pharisees that the Kingdom of Heaven was within them that he thereby destroyed the Kingdom of Heaven without I think it is time to remind him of what he writ in 1694. in our Vindication Supposing says he there may have been some defect in Expression by which means the matter has not been left so well guarded against the exceptions of malicious Cavillers who no doubt were it not for the general Authority of the holy Scriptures would be as ready to make their exceptions against many Sentences or Expressions therein also But R. B. making God and the World without end terms Synonimous with W. P. for want of the word and before the World without end shows himseif now to be turned a malicious Caviller Would one have thought that this Man would have himself become herein so quickly guilty What he quotes out of W. P's Book called Judas and the Jews is one with this above so needs no other answer And to his insinuating that G. F. held that Notion of the Souls being a part of God is already answered by abler Pens as G. W. and J. W. so I need not say any thing thereto He returns to W. P. again touching W. P's Answer to John Faldo concerning the Resurrection of the Body if I take for granted what R. B. quotes as W. P's Answer not having the Book by me I do say W. P. answered wisely and did well to put by his Antagonist as he did for I find that those that define so nicely often run themselves into Contradictions even G. K. is scarce clear in this particular as for Instance G. K. says in his Testimony against that absurd Opinion page 3. and That which rises is the Mortal that puts on Immortality and the Corruptible that putteth on Incorruption Now Paul says It is sown a natural Body it is raised a spiritual Body it is sown in Corruption it is raised in Incorruption so that G. K. and Paul seems to assert two things G. K. says that which rises is the Mortal and Corruptible and Paul says that it is raised Spiritual and Incorruptible Would not R. B. account this an Error in a Quaker Besides W. P's words are safe for neither do I remember any Text of Scripture that says in express words of a Body having the same Matter and not the same Grosness c. but that W. P. is Sound in the Faith as well as we is clear see his Key where he thus expresses himself on our behalf as well as his own In this says he also i. e. the Quakers are grosly abused They deny not but believe the Resurrection according to Seripture not only from Sin but also from the Grave but are conscienciously not contumeliously Cautious in expressing the manner of the Resurrection intended in the Change because it is left as a Secret in the Scripture Are People angry with them for not believing or asserting what is hidden and which is more curious than necessary to be known and which the Objectors themselves cannot be positive in Thou Fool is to the curious inquirer as saith the Apostle which makes the Quakers contented with that Body which it shall please God to give them being assured that their Corruptible must put on Incorruption and that their Mortal must put on Immortality but in such manner as it pleaseth him And in the mean time they esteem it their Duty as well as Wisdom to acquiesce in his holy Will It is enough they believe a Resurrection and that of a Glorious and Incorruptible Body without further nicities for to that was the antient Hope Passing by his Inference touching the Body of Christ because of his following Query For as he says he could not obtain a plain and positive Answer thereto from several of our Friends appointed to hear his Reasons for declining our Meetings and least he should blame me too I will first place the Query and then give a positive and plain Answer with little trouble Query Whether our Lord Jesus Christ is now in Heaven above or without us in the true and entire Nature of Man glorified the same for Substance which he had on Earth and for ever to come united to the Godhead Answer Yea. What he says of finding it fully and safely expressed in the Articles of the Church of England I think it is as fully and as safely expressed in the Apology in the Quotation I have brought at the beginning I come now to his last which is touching a Letter writ by G. Whitehead to his Father-in-law and G. W's Brother-in-law he gives us some part of G. W's Letter as well as a Copy of his own Answer requesting a meeting with G. W. in order that G. W. might make good what he had insinuated against him to his Father-in-law as he says but G. W. giving him no such Meeting he was willing to expose it to the publick As to the Letters it being a private Concern between them two I have nothing further to say than this That G. W. was under a simple impossibility to offer him a Meeting for till G. W. saw his Letter in Print he knew nothing of it wherefore R. B. ought either to have taken more care in sending his Letter or when he was in London to have gone to G. W. so he has no cause to Glory as tho' G. W. declined to give him a Meeting it is nothing but an empty Flourish Having thus briefly gone through R. B's whole Paper of his wonderful Reasons for leaving us hoping I have not omitted any thing that might in the least require my notice withall both modestly detecting his Envy and also shewing the Soundness of our Faith in opposition to his false Charges whereby as I doubt not but the Impartial Enquirer will meet with satisfaction and plainly see that it is more Envy than real Matter that thus Influences our Adversaries hoping withal tho' blessed be God it is not only hopes but we see evidently that it is true in Fact that the very means our Adversaries use to revenge themselves upon us turns to our advantage for thereby the Sober and Enquiring are the more stirred up to examine into the Truth of Matters and God is daily adding to his Church blessed be his holy Name Now for a Conclusion I heartily wish R. B. may cease to envy the Children and People of God and come to true Repentance for I am heartily sorry for him So with the words that he was pleased to add to his Uncle G. Whitehead's Letter I shall at present leave him Prov. 26.26 27. Whose Hatred is covered by Deceit his Wickedness shall be shewed before the whole Congregation Whoso diggeth a Pit shall fall therein and he that rolleth a Stone it will return upon him Graithwait the 7th of the 6th Month 1700. FINIS
what a necessary work it is to yield our Love and Obedience to that Law and Light with which God instructs and enlightens our Nature and that without some Experience thereof it is in vain to pretend to any Religion Whether does he offer this as one Reason for leaving us or Digresses and gives it as Advice to his present Friends For it 's much but he may think himself notwithstanding all the pretences of Sorrow and Shame wiser than some Older and more Eminent Church-men He goes on and tells how dangerous it is To reduce all Religion and Faith towards God under a Profession and Experience of Light and Truth without any Distinction of common and special Illumination and Grace How far he intends this a Charge against us I am not like to know besides it is too general for him to expect a particular Answer let him Charge us but Honestly and do his worst We know that though there are Diversities of Gifts yet the same Spirit and there are differences of Administrations but the same Lord and there are diversities of Operations but the same God which worketh all in all 1 Cor. 12.4 5 6. Next he chargeth us by Name for having ignorantly and blasphemously opposed this Work of Faith and Reformation and that if we contradict or deny it must bespeak great ignorance or obstinacy But seeing he has been so kind as to account us Blasphemers and Ignorant I will submit to be accounted Obstinate too before he shall pass without Rebuke and do therefore Deny his Charge and Dare him to prove it He now being upon the high Rope goes on insinuating we Reject the Institutions of Jesus Christ which as he saith is evident from our Writings constantly published from our beginning yet he offers not one Quotation of them all for Confirmation If what he says were true what must we judge of him as to joyn and continue so many Years with such a People since as he says It is evident from our Writings constantly published that we reject the Institutions of Jesus Christ to which he cannot pretend Ignorance I think he is mightily to blame thus to Reproach his old Friends and all without-Book it looks like as if he had left them rather out of Humour than real Conviction for real Conviction would have demonstrated it self with a more Christian Temper When I have added a little more of his of like Nature I shall shew from our Doctrine how opposite his Charges are to what we Believe by which his Envy will evidently appear he saith How under pretence of high Attainments and further Glory a Spirit of Pride and great Uncharitableness hath possessed us is sufficiently manifest by its Fruits in Censuring and Reproaching all other Denominations of profess'd Christians whom we set at a great Distance and account as the World which lyeth in Wickedness with some more of like nature As to this latter That we account all other Denominations of Christians as the World which lyeth in Wickedness our Charity is so far reverse to that that we blieve there may be even among Turks and Jews such as belong to the Catholick-Church hear what is said Barclay's Apology p. 400. of his Works viz. There may be therefore Members of this Catholick-Church both among Heathens Turks and Jews and of all the several sorts of Christians Men and Women of Integrity and Simplicity of Heart who though blinded in something in their Understanding and perhaps burthened with the Superstitions and Formality of the several Sects in which they are ingrossed yet being Upright in their Hearts before the Lord chiefly aiming and labouring to be delivered from Iniquity and loving to follow Righteousness are by the secret Touches of this holy Light in their Souls inliven'd and quicken'd thereby secretly united to God and there-through become true Members of this Catholick-Church Is not this very opposite to his false Charge And to his other Insinuations That we reduce all Religion and Faith towards God under a Profession of Life and Truth without any distinction of Common and Special Illumination and Grace and so Reject the Institutions of Christ See p. 405. of the same Book Secondly The Church is to be considered as it signifies a certain Number of Persons gathered by God's Spirit and by the Testimony of some of his Servants raised up for that end unto the belief of the true Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Faith who through their Hearts being united by the same Love and their Understandings informed in the same Truth Gather Meet and Assemble together to wait upon God to Worship him and to bear a joynt-Testimony for the Truth against Error Thus it is evident how notoriously False are his Charges and Insinuations against us what he observes of the Disagreeableness of what we Teach or Publish I should have thought the small Earnings his Friend G. K. hath made thereof for if we consider his Eminence and the great Number of Years he zealously preached and defended our Faith even nigh thirty Years which must be granted the chief of his natural Life and yet upon his Revolt should be able to draw off no more looks almost incredible might have given sufficient Check to his Calumny As to the oppositeness of our Principles to true Christianity is another gross Calumny without any manner of Proof however we are ready to vindicate them and shew their agreeableness with the Holy Scriptures either with this or any other Adversary And for our Quibling and Shuffling with dull and apparent Sophistry I ascribe to his want of Matter and the effect of Envy What he saith of our altering the Sense of our own and our Opponents Writings with more of the same kind is all of a piece with the former and deserves no other answer the poor Man being at a loss must vent his Envy some way As to those Sounds and Echoes he speaks of what he intends thereby is a little dubious but if he has tender Ears and cannot endure great Sounds I ought to pity him for as the saying is He is gone out of hot Love into red Fire Most of his ninth Page as far as I find is filled with his Resentments for our refusing G. K's Arbitrary Summons And since he mentions a Paper writ by our Friends on that occasion Titled A word to the well-inclined I shall for answer refer to that Paper which I doubt not but will give the Impartial entire Satisfaction As to the Spreading our Books can he or any else blame us Would any Christian Society do less if they were abused and railed on in Print by their Adversaries but use all lawful means to remove the Reproach and vindicate their just Case Would he have us Dumb that his beloved Keith's Scotch Eloquence might pass without Remark Then I doubt not but Printing would be accounted a more edifying Method than building Stages and drawing Multitudes of People together What he insinuates of the Increase of our Number doth not