Book stiled ANTICHRIST IN FLESH UNMASKED c. p. 27 28 29 30. WE sincerely profess and declare in the sight of God and Men That we do faithfully believe and profess that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by Divine Inspiration And that the three Divine Witnesses in Heaven above * * Heaven above is a new word with them however this is not to be credited until they retract and by some publick Act condemn their old avowed Principles and ancient Errors which are in Print contrary hereunto as anon will more evidently appear namely the Father Son and Holy Ghost are one true and eternal God And the Divinity and Humanity or Manhood of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the eternal Word of God And that in the fulness of time he took flesh being miraculously conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary and suffered the cruel death of the Cross as an universal Offering and Sacrifice both in his Body and Blood shed thereon for the Sins of the whole World And was buried and rose again the third day was seen in his ascending and passed into Heaven and Glory And that he ascended far above all Heavens that he might fill all things And that by his Suffering and Sacrifice he hath obtained eternal Redemption for us That we are not pardoned justified redeemed or saved by our own Righteousness Works Merits or Deservings but by the Righteousness Merits and Works of this our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ being both imparted and imputed to us We sincerely believe also that the Man Christ Jesus is the only Mediator between GOD and Man our Intercessor and Advocate with the Father And the Resurrection of the Dead and eternal Judgment c. ANIMADVERSION HEREVPON Now this with much more G. W. in the Quakers Name seems with much seriousness to avouch so that had they first by some manifest Act under the hand of six or more of their principal Leaders condemned their former Errors which are laid down in Print and as contrary to this Confession of G. W's as Light is to Darkness I should have thought that there had been a great Reformation in them and should have been glad thereof But until they first condemn what they have given forth in Print as their Principles and that as they have said by the eternal Spirit of GOD I nor any Man else have any ground to believe that G. W. is at all serious or conscientious in this his Confession of Faith but rather that he continues in his wonted course to carry two Faces in a Hood For Instance once for all If G. W. c. did really believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were Holy and given by Divine Inspiration and that they are profitable for Doctrine why then do they not read them in their Meetings for the Worship of GOD But rather chuse to read the Epistles of Samuel Cater Robert Sandiland William Penn George Whitehead and others of their Tribe and therein give their own Writings the preheminence as that they have done to my own knowledg near 30 Years together For as it was our frequent practice to read the Epistles of G. Fox Steph. Crisp c. and that with great Devotion and Attention so on the other hand did I never know a Chapter in either the Old or New Testament read amongst us at any of our Meetings for the Worship of GOD with what Face then can G. W. thus appear and not blush And that it may further appear that G. W. is fallacious herein I shall recite part of one of their Epistles so sent and read in which there is not a word about the Incarnation of Christ's Death Sufferings Resurrection or Ascension or any thing of that tendency tho' it be large viz. 23 pages in Quarto two or three passages thereof I shall recite that so the Reader may perceive that they err in the object of their Faith And 2dly how they applaud their Hearers And 3dly what large Commission they give to kill cut destroy lay waste all the Heathen Philistines the Amalakites c. affirming That none know GOD but themselves So that it was no marvel they gave it such an obscure dark-lanthorn Title as This is only to go amongst Friends c. for indeed it was not able to abide the light no more than many others of their Epistles and Pamphlets are Well to the matter THIS IS ONLY TO GO AMONGST FRIENDS P. 19. And thou Oh North of England who art counted as desolate and barren and reckoned the least of the Nations yet out of THEE did the BRANCH spring and STAR arise which gives Light to all the Regions round about In THEE the SON OF RIGHTEOVSNESS appeared with wounding and with healing And out of THEE the Terrors of the LORD proceeded which makes the Earth to tremble and be removed out of thee KINGS Priests and Prophets did come forth c. ANIMADVERSIONS HEREVPON Reader observe that tho' what is here spoken if well meant and rightly applied respects Christ as prophesied of by Moses and the Prophets for said Luke Acts 10.43 To HIM gave all the Prophets witness that through HIS NAME that whosoever believeth in HIM shall receive Remission of Sins c. For read Numb 24.17 and there Christ is called the Star of Jacob viz. I shall see HIM but not now I shall behold HIM but not nigh there shall come a STAR out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel and shall smite the corners of Moab c. And ver 19. out of Jacob shall come HE that shall have dominion c. And Zech 3.8 For behold I will bring forth my Servant the BRANCH And cap. 6. ver 12. Behold the Man whose Name is the BRANCH And HE shall grow up out of HIS place And HE shall build the Temple of the LORD even HE shall build the Temple of the LORD And HE shall bear the Glory and shall sit and rule upon HIS Throne and HE shall be a Priest upon HIS Throne c. Again read Malachi 4.2 But unto you that fear my Name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing under HIS wings c. Thus I say if rightly applied and well meant these Sayings of theirs relating to the STAR the BRANCH the SON of RIGHTEOVSNESS c. alludes to Christ but Christ they could not mean for he did not come out of the North of England Neither can they prove that in Scripture the North of England is accounted desolate Neither can they prove by Scripture that the North of England out of which their great Prophet G. F. came is called Barren Neither can they prove by Scripture that the North of England is reckon'd the least of the Nations So that they did not mean Christ but their great Prophet George Fox as anon will more evidently appear in the mean time let me prove to them If they did allude to Christ
Glory Honour Power Might Majesty and Dominion for evermore Amen Now Noble Berean whether Christian or Quaker for some such I hope their are in every Society If thou doubt or question the soundness of this recited Creed pray examine and read these following Scriptures for thy Information and Satisfaction Luke 2.10.11 Acts 5.30 31 32. and 10.39 to 40. Acts 1.9 Micah 5.2 Psal 2.7 and 16.10 Zeck 9.9 and 11 12 13. Mark 1.10 Acts 2.22 to 32. Numb 24.17.19 Duet 18.15 Isa 9.6 7. Luke 24.4.51 John 20.12 Matt. 28.2 Acts 3.13 to 32. and 4.10 11 12. Heb. 7.25 and 9.24 John 17.20 21. 1 John 2.1 2. And here thou wilt find that he that was born of the Virgin the Glorious Angels call'd Christ the Lord And you will find that the holy Apostles said him that you slew and hanged on a Tree him hath God exalted to be both a Prince and a Saviour yea and Christ the Lord whose Body was not of a Perishing Nature for it saw no Corruption And that all the Prophets gave witness to this Jesus Christ the Saviour of the World Now if on the contrary you find in the Quakers Creed that they believe and say that they cannot call him Christ who thus was born of the Virgin who was by wicked Men slain and hanged on a Tree if you find them to say his Body was of a perishing Nature and if you find as you may perceive p. 78 79. of this Treatise that the Quakers Prophets give witness to G. Fox instead of this Christ that they call him G. Fox the Branch the Star the Son of Righteousness and put the North of England for the Town of Bethlehem then maist thou have cause to think that their Notions invert the Faith and seek to overturn the Christian Religion Read Try and Judge The Quakers Creed I. A Question to the Professors p. 33. NOW the Scriptures do expresly distinguish between Christ and the Garment which he wore between him and the Body in which he came between the Substance which was vailed and the Vail which vailed it Lo I come a Body hast thou prepared me there is plainly he and the Body in which he came There was the outward Vessel and the inward Life this we certainly know and can never call the Bodily Garment Christ But that Heavenly Treasure which appeared and dwelt in the Body Remark Come into the Light and see if this Creed of theirs be not contrary to the Testimony of the Blessed and Glorious Angels Holy Apostles Blessed Martyrs and true Confessors for these 1600 Years here you may see if you will but come into the Light I mean to the holy Apostles Writings wherein they differ from all Christians they cannot call his Body Christ only a Garment a Vail a Vessel What! Did the Prophets fore-tell that a Virgin should conceive and bring forth a Garment Is this their Scripture Language they so often call for in Opposition to the Trinity and Sacraments Oh horrible Blasphemy But to this agrees John Whitehead's Doctrine in their Book The Quakers Refuge fixed c. p. 37 38. viz. Nothing which was Mortal was called Christ The Quakers Creed II. A Quest c. p. 22. IF I or any one else have felt the saving Arm of the Lord revealed in us If we have felt a measure of the same Life Power and Anointing revealed in our Vessels as was revealed in his Is it not of the same Nature Is it not the same thing Is not Christ the Seed And is not this Seed sown in the Heart Now if this Seed spring and grow up in me into a Spiritual shape and form Is not Christ then formed in me If I be ingrafted into and grow up in it Am not I ingrafted into Christ And do I not grow up in him And is not this the same Christ that took upon him the Body of Flesh and offered it without the Gates of Ierusalem Is there any more than one Or is there any other than he Is Christ devided is there one Christ within and another without Remark Come and see thou searching Berean and behold the Quakers Creed They cannot as in the first Branch of their Creed call him that was born of the Virgin Christ him that by wicked Hands was slain and hanged on a Tree Christ And no marvel if the same Christ that offered up that Body or Garment or Vail or Figure as they frame it be in them as they say it is even the very same that suffered Death at Jerusalem Oh horrible Blasphemy The Quakers Creed III. A Quest p. 20. TO whom do the Names and Titles of Iesus and Christ chiefly and in the first place belong Do they belong to the Body which was took by him or to him who took the Body For that which he took upon him was our Garment even the Flesh and Blood of our Nature which is of an Earthly perishing Nature And p. 27. Is not the Substance the Life the Anointing called Christ where-ever it is found doth not the Name belong to the whole Body and every Member in the Body as well as to the Head so that the Name is not given to the Vessel but to the Nature to the Heavenly Treasure to that which is of Him in the Vessel Remark From the Premises pray observe though they propose this Branch of their Creed by way of Query yet do but turn it and you shall observe the true and natural consequences of it is 1. That the Name Iesus and Christ do not so properly belong to the Body as to the Treasure in the Body here they seperate that which GOD hath for ever joyned together See their Book viz. The malice of the Independant Agent p. 23. Confusion and whereas they say that His Body was of an Earthly perishing Nature read Acts 2.27 and 13.35 and their Error soon appears And the Name Christ say they belongs to the whole Body as well as to the Head yea and to every Member of the Body so that they having the Light the Treasure the Life of Christ in them even the same that suffered Death at Jerusalem to be in them And the Name Christ not properly belonging to that Body which suffered Death at Jerusalem as aforesaid c. The Name by their Logick belongs to every believing Quaker so that there is as many Christs by their Doctrine as there is believing Quakers Oh horrible Blasphemy Read Matt. 24.24 The Quakers Creed IV. G. F.'s News coming up out of the North p. 14. 15. 34. A Word to all you Deceivers who deceive the People and Blasphemers who utter forth your Blasphemies and Hypocrisies that tell People of a Sacrament and tell them it is the ordinance of God Blush blush and tremble you who live in the Witchery and bewitch People Page 14. So Dust is the Serpents Meat their original is but Dust which is but the Letter which is Death their Church is Dust and their Gospel is
against thee and thou art bound with two Bonds for the Church and Brethren have bound thee on Earth and thou art surely bound in Heaven And this is the Testimony of Jesus to thee neither shalt thou be able to get from under these Bonds till thou art reconciled to the Brethren O haste to to the Work abovesaid least the wrath of the Lord overtake thee before it be done and be reconciled to Geo. Fox who is Gods Friend and the Servant of the living God and great Apostle of Jesus Christ haste away to the North for thy time is short and go quickly thou and thy Brother if possibly you may bring again to the Body of Jesus Christ those ye have scattered least that their Blood be required at your hands Arise quickly and be going For this is the word of the Lord to thee That this year shalt thou John Story dye because thou hast taught Rebellion against the living God The first Day of the first Month 1677. Soll. Eccles. See the first part of Babels Builders unmasking themselves by Thomas Crisp p 15. Oh the Impudence of this Imposture and false Prophet of G. Fox In that First he avouched Womens Meetings to be the Good Ordinances of Jesus Christ which he had set up in his Church Secondly In saying that to the reconciled to the Body of the Quakers which he deemed to be the Body of Christ was the only way to find Mercy Thirdly In delivering that great Lye in the Name of the Lord. This year shalt thou John Story dye who at that time was very ill and not like to recover but it pleased God that he lived about four years after Fourthly This was he even he that burnt his Fiddles on Tower-hill Fifthly This was he yea even he that went as a great sign and notable wonder stark naked with a Pan of Coals on his Head to Bartholomew-Fair enough to deceive the very Elect as Christ said if it were possible Sixthly This is he who in his Musick Lector c. p. 22. said viz. I do affirm that if John the Apostle had said he had been a Sinner he had lyed Seventhly This is he yea even that false Prophet who writ thus of G. Fox his Master viz. A Prophet indeed it was said of Christ he was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not So it may be said of this true Prophet G. Fox whom John said he was not Quakers Chal. p. 6. Now Reader Upon our Christian Creed this is down-right Blasphemy But according to the Quakers Principles it harmonizes with their Creed which is doubtless the very reason why they never to this day condemned it by publick Censure mark the fifth Branch of their Creed which is as followeth The Quakers Creed V. THE Light Christ The Great Mist c. by G. Fox p. 254. by which all things were made and created glorified with the Father before the World began which the Scripture testifies of is above the Scripture before the Scripture was they that be not in this Christ are Reprobates in which the Scripture end and testifie of and so is Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever that the Saints came to witness within them not another Christ nor many Christs c. Remark Now who can blame Soll. Eccles upon the Quakers Creed for saying first That G. Fox was in the World secondly that the World was made by him thirdly that the World knew him not as to the first my self and Thousands more can bear him witness as to the second according to their Creed last recited the same Christ by which all things were made and Created is in them which if true then that proves sufficiently what Eccles says and as to the third see p. 1. of G. Fox his own Book call'd News coming out of the North c. which says viz. Writ from the Mouth of the Lord Cloathed with Righteousness whose Name is not known in the World risen up out of the North which if true who can blame Sollomon For though he was not a wise Man he was a Prophet I mean one of Geo. Fox's Prophets According to the old Proverb as was the Master so was the Man viz. Both false Prophets false Pretenders and great Impostors Indeed G. Whitehead in his Vindication of Solomon in his Book Serious Search p. 58. does a little complain in a little failer in Syntax but to amend it and to help Sollomon Eccles John Blackling and other Idolaters in the right wording the Matter he says Judgment fixed c. p. 19. For I affirm G. Fox doth deny the same in reference to himself as a perticular Man or Person whose Days and Years are limited only the truth of the Immortal Seed Christ in him he stands to maintain against all Opposers and Persecuting Gain-sayers and Apostates See also his Innocency against Envy c. p. 18. to the same purpose so that had Solomon said the Light in G. Fox was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not he had then acted according to their innate Principle and suitable to their Creed which had been I say equally Idolatrous and Blasphemous The Quakers Creed VI. A brief Discovery of a Three-fold Estate of Antichrist p. 15. ALL teaching which is given forth by Jesus Christ is to bring up the hearers to Perfection even to the Measure Stature and Fulness of Christ this the Scripture witnesseth and I witness the Scripture fulfilled in me G. Fox * See your Book Intituled A New England Firebrand quenched being an Answer to a Book put forth by Mr. Roger Williams intituled Geo. Fox digged out of his Burrow c. in two parts containing 488 pages in Quarto one thing is worthy of observation that where the said Firebrand takes notice of G. Fox's great Mistery Yea and may well also be ashamed of the said Firebrand which is as full of Errors almost as Leafs and yet G. VVhitehead in the second part p 236 assists G. Fox what he can with a Marginal Note c. of which perhaps more hereafter It is no horrible Blasphemy to say the Soul is a part of God c. G. Fox's Answer to the Westm Pet. p. 33. If ever you own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles Writings you will own our Writings which are given forth by the same Spirit and Power Truths Defence c. p. 21 to 24. You might as well have condemned the Scriptures to the Fire as our Queries for our giving forth Papers oâ— Printed Books it is from the immediate Eternal Spirit of God p. 92. we are elected to Salvation we have the Witness within us Praises be to the Glorious Lord God for ever who hath elected and chosen us before the Foundation of the World But thou meaning the Querist art ordained of old for Condemnation and Perdition among the ungodly ones and art a Reprobate one that hates
its Nature and Properties Now the Query is WHICH was the appointed Saviour of the Father Which was the Anointed of the Father chiefly and in the first place WHETHER the BODY prepared or HE for whom the Body was prepared c By which 't is plain that they deny notwithstanding G. Whitehead's counterfeit Confession HIM that was born of the Virgin HIM that was pierced HIM that was Crucify'd and hang'd on a Tree and by wicked hands slain to be the Son of GOD the Saviour of the World whereby they declare themselves not to be of the Prophets and Apostles Creed read these Scriptures Zach. 9.9 11 12 13. Micah 5.2 Acts 2.22 23 36. 3.13 4.10 10.43 Luke 2.10 11 12 13. Mat. 2.5 6 7. and you will perceive the Faith of the Apostles and Evangelists and the Testimony of the blessed and glorious Angels to differ as much and as clearly from this Faith and Testimony of the Quakers as light from utter darkness c. But because G. W. in his recited Book makes such a serious Pretence to own the Man Christ Jesus his Death and Sufferings c. I may recite another Passage out of their great Doctor Is Penington's aforesaid Book p. 20. Quest 7. What is Christ's Flesh and Blood which we are to partake of Is it the Flesh and Blood of the Body which was prepared for and taken for HIM wherein HE tabernacled and appeared OR is it the Flesh and Blood of HIM who took tabernacled and appeared in the Body For that which HE took upon HIM was our Garment even the Flesh and Blood of our Nature which is of a perishing Nature c. Now what is more plain than that they deny the true Christ his Humanity yea his Merits Death and Sufferings especially if you add what is in pag. 33. said by this their Champion in defence of their Faith which is as followeth viz. Now the Scriptures do expresly distinguish between Christ and the Garment which HE wore between HIM that came and the BODY in which HE came between the Substance which was vailed and the Vail which vailed it there is plainly HE and the BODY in which HE came there was the outward Vessel and the inward Life This we certainly know and can never call the bodily garment Christ * Yes we believe you are all of that mind and shall until these and other of your pernicious Errors be publickly condemned notwithstanding G. W's Pretence to the contrary c. But having before spoken largely to this Point I shall at present pass it by desiring the Reader still to peruse the recited Epistle and to consider of it for that being directed TO GO ONLY AMONGST THE QVAKERS there you may see their inside for to them their Leaders and Captains as they stile themselves unbosom themselves telling the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth of what they believe if there be that sincerity in them which they pretend to And then you shall hear a loud noise of strange Acts great Miracles viz. the Prison doors opened the Dead raised unclean Spirits cast out Yea a wonderful noise of War of Leaders and Captains and Commanders mighty hewing cutting killing going into the Field to Battel as if all the World were now at an end and that they would drive all before them * And yet are themselves got now so close into their Holes Dens and lurking places where they lie skulking to deceive the simple as that 't is impossible to get them out into the Field c. But not a word as I have observed setting forth the Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures not a word of the Humanity of Christ not a word in all the 23 Pages of the Incarnation Birth Sufferings Death Resurrection and Ascension of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ not a word of their hopes of being saved through the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness No how should they if they would speak their minds truly since they cannot call that BODY which suffered at Jerusalem CHRIST but a Garment a Vail a Figure And therefore what ever they pretend when they write publickly since when they write privately they write the contrary they are not to be believed for saith Ireneus in his third Book against Heresies viz. Whilst that Hereticks speak like the Faithful they not only mean otherwise than they say but clean contrary and by their Tenents full of Blasphemies they destroy the Souls of those who with their fair words suck in the poyson of their foul Opinions c. I have divers others of their Epistles by me as particularly Robert Sandilands * One of George Whitehead's Select Friends by way of Vision and Revelation Richard Huberthorn Josiah Coal both in Print and Manuscript which bears not the least Resemblance to what they now seemingly set forth as their Faith and Belief But the recited Epistle with their dark-lanthorn Title viz. THIS IS ONLY TO GO AMONGST FRIENDS is sufficient to set forth how they applaud and speak smooth things to their own People like the false Prophets of old who healed the Wound deceitfully who daubed with untempered Mortar and surely never was Mortar worse tempered than in this Epistle wherein Darkness is put for Light and Bitter for Sweet viz. the North of England for the Town of Bethlehem George Fox for Christ and almost all the Prophesies and Sayings of the holy Penmen inverted and turned into an affected Rhetorick and mystical Allegories as well as in many of their other Writings which both amuse and puff up their Hearers And as I have elsewhere herein observed make them believe that they are got into the Holy Land even spiritual Canaan when indeed they are but in the Borders of Egypt and posting to OLD ROME think themselves rich full wanting nothing when they are poor blind miserable and want all things through their mistaken Zeal and following the Dictates of their blind Guides who instead of setting forth the solid Principles of Religion have so leavened them into their Pharisaical lump that they have erred concerning the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin who suffered was dead and buried who rose again the third day and ascended up into Heaven above * This G. W. begins to confess too but when he says above according to his and their own Principles he means beneath viz. in their corrupt Bodies let him deny it if he can at the Right Hand of GOD where he sits in Majesty on High as our Advocate and Intercessor as the Second Person of the glorious Trinity And who will come in like manner as He was taken up which G. W. acknowledges was visibly seen to judge the Quick and Dead And then the Graves shall give up their Dead and there shall be a general Resurrection of the Bodies out of the Graves both of the just and unjust But alas All this and much more in this recited Epistle of theirs