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world_n	john_n	light_n	shine_v	3,435	5	9.5724	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25999	The folly of a libeller made manifest being some brief observations upon a libel, lately published, and abusively entituled, The dangerous imposture of Quakerism : wherein the envious abuses of that author are detected / by Richard Ashby.	Ashby, Richard, 1663?-1734.	1699 (1699)	Wing A3940; ESTC R13633	8,177	15

THE Folly of a Libeller MADE MANIFEST BEING Some Brief Observations UPON A LIBEL Lately Published and Abusively Entituled The Dangerous Imposture of Quakerism Wherein the Envious Abuses of that Author are Detected By RICHARD ASHBY 2 COR. VI. But in all things approving our selves Ministers of God in much Patience By the Word of Truth by the Power of God by Honour and Dishonour by Evil Report and Good Report as Deceivers and yet True LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-street and at the Bible in Leaden-Hall-street 1699. THE LIBELLER's Folly Made Manifest c. Friendly Reader I Intreat thy Moderation and Patience in perusing these brief Observations which were occasioned by meeting with the abovesaid Paper which containeth several Abuses designed to Traduce and Un-Christian the People called Quakers by rendering them Impostors And this nameless Author pretends to draw his Charges out of the Journal of our deceased Friend George Fox who was a Faithful Servant of Christ in his Generation and one that suffered much for Christ's sake whom this Author has greatly defamed but refers not to any Page in his said Book only citing his Journal being in Folio of above 600 Pages wherein he shews himself very disingenuous and his concealing his Name shews that he is ashamed of his work and therefore lies Incognito And yet towards the end of his Paper tells the World he never did us i. e. the Quakers any hurt and pretends to pity us which the matter of his Paper plainly shews he is far from However I think to give a brief touch upon it He tells us he has read over G. F 's Journal whom he calls Impostor but gives no demonstration to prove it and must be extravagantly conceited with his little Libel to think his bare Ipse dixit proves it His Paper being divided into Four Parts I shall take notice of them in order as they fall Dangerous Imposture First The real Author of this Imposture was George Fox and 't is worth our taking notice of what his true Character was He was when he began to publish his Doctrine a young Man who had had a Religious Education and in the 19th 20th Years of his Age was exercised with strong Temptations to Despair and was under great Troubles and Disorders of Mind on that account such as could not be removed by those Ministers he had recourse unto Answer It would have been more pertinent for this Author to consider that G. F. when in Troubles and Distress of Mind made his Condition known to the Ministers that then were to obtain comfort but those Physicians of Souls prov'd of no value to him And if this were strictly enquired into it may justly be fear'd the Number of such at this day are great and the State of the People to be lamented who spend their Money for that which is not Bread and their Labour for that which satisfies not And it 's very obvious that among these Pretenders lies the Imposture Dang Impost Vpon this he betook himself to Retirement and Solitude night and day went alone into Solitary Places with his Bible and his own Thoughts c. Answ What Offence or bad Example could this be Nay doth it not shew apparently the contrary See the Prophet's words Lament 3.26 to 29. I hope this Author doth not reckon it a Crime that he took his Bible with him as a Companion in his Solitude this shews the great Esteem he had of those Holy Writings Dang Impost By degrees he imagined God made known his Will to him and opened to him as his phrase is That the Light of Christ within Man was to be his Instructor and Guide in matters of Religion and thorough this Imagination he sometimes gain'd Comfort and Joy and by degrees arrived at extreme Presumption and Confidence Answ If this Author means that whatever G. F. knew concerning God it was but Imagination and an effect of his own Thoughts and because G. F. says God opened to him That the Light of Christ in Man was to be his Guide c. Doth not this Author sufficiently bewray his own Folly and Igorance And shews that he is little acquainted with Scripture-Testimony to term the Light of Christ within Man an Imagination and the Knowledge that comes from it only Imaginary See what the Scripture saith 2 Cor. 4.6 For God who commanded the Light to shine out of Darkness he hath shined in our Hearts to give the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ If I mention no more this is sufficient to shew this Author's abuse Yet take the words of Christ our Lord John 8.12 I am the Light of the World he that follows me shall not walk in Darkness but shall have the Light of Life Again John 12.36 While ye have the Light believe in the Light that ye may become Children of Light And saith David Psalm 36.9 With thee is the Fountain of Life in thy Light shall we see Light And Psalm 43.3 O send out thy Light and thy Truth let them lead me let them bring me to thy holy Hill c. Now I tell Author God will scatter the Proud in the Imagination of their Hearts and take the Wise in their own Craftiness No wonder he conceals his Name who shews such contempt to the Appearance of Christ in Man Dang Impost When he affirmed That Christ was in him he did not mean that the Man Jesus of Nazareth was in him But the Word and the Light John 1.1 7 13. which was in Jesus of Nazareth was also though not in the same measure in G. F. Answ G. F. did not hold two Christs but One Lord Jesus Christ as 1 Cor. 8.6 Observe the Evangelist's Testimony John 1.14 15. We beheld his Glory the Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth And of his fulness have all we received and Grace for Grace In him was Life and the Life was the Light of Men John 1.4 Now if true Believers do receive of Christ's Fulness and of his Life then they receive a measure of the same and by vertue thereof they are grafted into him the Heavenly Vine and by abiding in him are made fruitful towards God see John 17. Dang Impost But for G. F. to affirm That Christ was in him is an excess of Error and Profaneness such as no sober Christian who knows that by this his Blessed Saviour is distinguished from and exalted above the highest Angels can endure to hear without the utmost Abhorrence and Abomination Answ G. F. and the rest of the People called Quakers never owned the Appearance of Christ in them any otherwise than as the holy Scriptures bear witness and I conclude this Man's charging us as Erroneous herein proceeds not only from the Prejudice he hath against us but also shews him to be carnal and ignorant of the Mystery of the Gospel seeing he charges this as Excess of Error

and Profaneness his Charge reflects upon Christ and his holy Apostles who assert the Spiritual Appearance or Indwelling of Christ in Men and returns upon himself and proves him in Excess of Error and Profaneness and for proof see Christ's own words John 14.20 17.23 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you I in them and they in me that the World may know that thou hast sent me c. And Col. 1.27 Christ in you the hope of Glory To which for Brevity sake I shall only add 2 Cor. 13.5 and Rom. 8.9 10. Now we do not hold the Spiritual Appearance of Christ in opposition to his being Exalted in Glory at God's Right Hand but we do believe it according to Holy Scripture-Testimony and that he is our Mediator appearing in the Presence of God for us If this Author has charged us through Ignorance his Crime is the less but if through Prejudice let him consider whose Testimonies these are above recited and see if he can clear himself from Blasphemy who hath not only charged the Quakers but Christ and his Apostles for we assert no other thing but what they have done Dang Impost This is the Fundamental Error and Prodigious Delusion that the Author of Quakerism entertain'd and set up in the World and this his Followers defend and maintain to this Day Answ I have before shewn Christ's own Testimony and the Apostles concerning the Spiritual Indwelling of Christ Surely some Eminent Judgment has befallen this Author and he is strongly Deluded and Blind in calling a Fundamental Gospel-Truth Error and Prodigious Delusion Paul saith Rom. 8.9 Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Can a Man have the Spirit of Christ and yet not have Christ When the Apostle says 2 Cor. 3.17 The Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty Thus having prov'd from Scripture That to be a precious Fundamental-Truth which he calls Error and such a Truth as our Souls Everlasting Well-being depends upon I shall pass by the rest of his First Part without farther notice For the Foundation proving false all that is built upon it falls Therefore I come to his Second Part To consider his Charges that he saith are Pernicious to Humane Society And First The Quakers deny the Lawfulness of an Oath even in Courts of Judicature Answ The Scripture-Testimonies that speak so plainly in behalf of our Christian Principle herein Mat. 5.34 to 37. James 5.12 concerning Swearing being very obvious it is very strange that this Author shou'd thus charge the Doctrine of Christ and the Apostle James as being Pernicious to Humane Society but surely the Beam is in his own Eye and he in that spirit that is pernicious to Humane Society His Second Pernicious Doctrine is Our not putting off our Hats td Superiours Answ We are perswaded our Superiours have more Charitable Thoughts of us True Honour and Respect doth not consist in putting off our Hats We honour all Men in the Lord and Magistrates in their Station believing Magistracy is an Ordinance of God and we are ready to obey Magistrates in every good Work though we cannot conform to the vain Customs of the World Remember the Caution of the Apostle Be not Conformed to this World but be ye Transformed by the Renewing of your Minds Rom. 12.2 His Third Pernicious Doctrine is Our refusing to Fight This he renders with some Agravation Answ We are concerned to Fight under Christ's Banner not with Men but with Sin and the Devil the Author of Sin and do believe if People were more concerned herein they might come to know that Scripture fulfilled namely When a Man's ways please the Lord he will make his Enemies to be at peace with him Prov. 16.7 There are many Glorious Promises in Scripture concerning the Cessation of War we believe it will be gradually fulfilled and the time is come and coming when the Swords shall be beaten into Plow-shares and the Spears into Pruning-hooks and Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation nor learn War any more as in Isa 23. Micah 4.3 The Lord hasten this time and help us to Love our Enemies and to overcome Evil with that which is Good Now if Men live in Love suppress Vice and promote Vertue surely this is the only Preservative to Humane Society because the Angel of the Lord encamps about them that fear him and delivereth them Psalm 34.7 Now I come to those Doctrines he charges as Pernicious to Christian Religion which he saith are First The denying the use of the Two Sacraments Baptism and the Lord's Supper and adds The Son of God judged it expedient to Establish these sensible Rites for Religious Purposes Answ That which is Pernicious to the Christian Religion is the want of Charity among Men and their straining things farther than they are expressed in the Holy Scriptures and then calling them Christ's Ordinances This Author had done something to his purpose if he had proved by plain Scripture where Christ did establish these sensible Rites for Religious Purposes as he would have that which he calls the Two Sacraments Baptism and the Lord's Supper to be where did ever our Lord Jesus ordain That all People must be Dipped or Sprinkled with a little Water And where did Christ ordain the use of the outward Bread and the Cup as his peculiar Ordinance for his Church to continue in the Practice of to the end of the Word If Jesus Christ hath ordained these things shew us them in his own words in the Holy Scripture for it is not Mens Arguments that makes Christ's Ordinances but the very Words of him that Ordaineth them We do believe that when Christ is injoyed in Spirit he doth in a more excellent manner discover himself to the Soul than any outward Remembrancer of him can do We do not look upon these outward Signs and Shadows to be agreeable to the Gospel-Dispensation yet where any are truly Consciencious being perswaded it is their Duty to Practice these outward things we are tender towards such and desire they may come to see thorough all Signs and Shadows unto Christ who is the Substance and feed upon him who is the Living Bread that cometh down from Heaven that a Man may eat thereof and not die John 6.50 to 58. His Second as Pernicious to Christian Religion is The denying and vilfying a Learned Ministry as unnecessary and unlawful Answ We own and highly esteem Gospel-Ministry But that which is Pernicious to Christian Religion is the exalting Humane Learning in Opposition to the Holy Spirit 's Teaching by this hath great Confusion crept in among Religious Societies which might have been prevented had that Learning which is truly Christian been minded as is set forth in 1 Cor. 2. and in 2 Cor. 3.4 5 6. Here is true Christian Learning by the Spirit of God by which the Mind of God