and fierce men and his shame and folly is made manifest and so his lyes and slanders are turned upon his own head And in his Conclusion he doth beseech Professors to consider impartially of these 24. Reasons to which I say The most of them are so reasonlesse that they will rather turn to his own confusion then to his praise to any man of understanding And he bids all bethink themselves first What a doleful thing it is that professors should be so loose and unstable c. Ans. Doleful it is indeed that after so much preaching of the Priests of England people should be so ignorant loose and unstable as indeed they are and this is a very shame to the Teachers and shews that they were not sent of God because that the people are not profited at all but continues ignorant loose and unstable and wicked according to their own confession and indeed people are to be pittyed that are under their Ministry who by it can never come to the knowledge of God but must be ever learning fifty or sixty years and ignorant loose and unstable at their very end and yet these are members of this Church of England so called which the very Pastors thereof confesseth to be loose and unstable and wicked and brands us to be denyers of this Church as indeed we have good reason to see the members thereof so wicked loose and unstable as is confessed by their own Teachers therefore we cannot be condemned for denying such a Church Secondly He bids consider what a heavy judgement it is to professors themselves to be self-condemned and self-divided from the Church c. To which I answer A heavy judgement indeed that such as are of the Church should be self-condemned and self-divided from it but yet it is a blessed thing that any that have been deceived with false likenesse now should come to see the error thereof be turned to the true Church which is in God and to be drawn away from all windy Doctrines of Englands Teachers and this many doth witnesse Then he exhorts Christians to be serious and be true to the light which they have received To which I say All that are true to the light which they have received from Christ Jesus will deny this man I now deal withall and all his lyes and slanders Then he bids stick close to the Word of God and I say All that do so will finde it as a Fire a Hammer and will be gathered from under the dead Doctrines of men in this Age And he exhorts them to stick close to a faithful Ministry To which I say Then must they deny all Hirelings and such as preacheth for hire for such are not of the faithful Ministry but deceivers of people And thus in few words return is sent in the pursute of a Sheet of Lyes and Slanders put forth into the world and all sober-minded people by this may come to a good understanding between Truth and error And though he hath taken a câ—urse to spread his Books as Ballads and Fables by having them cryed up and down the streets which is not for his advantage altogether but doth shew his Work ridiculous to all wise men And so hereby it may be seen that all his Strong Reasons are confounded and overturned that would hinder a man from being a QUAKER THe main and chief things I have spoken of and by what is written in short men of understanding may understand what his whole matter can be But in the beginning of his Book he falls a complaining of the lamentable Ignorance and ungodliness of common People and of the pride and self-conceitedness of Professors of godliness and of the weaknes and giddiness and unstableness of others To this I Answer It is true abundance are ignorant and abundance are proud and self-conceited and abundance unstable and giddy in their minds and substract these from the whole Company of the Hearers of the Teachers of England and there is but a few left if any at all that are truly righteous in the sight of God and so to the shame of all the Teachers of England hath he confessed the truth in this particular and sheweth that indeed the People is not profited by them and this is a strong Argument that they were never sent of God but hath ran and were never sent But presently after that he cryes out of Hereticks and Deceivers even like as the Pope doth but what is he afraid of That they that are ignorant and ungodly and proud and self-conceited unstable and giddy should be deceived they that are in those iniquities are deceived already and cannot possibly fall into greater deceit or delusion But it appears That many of the Priests of England cares not how little their Hearers profits by them so if they can get their wages their Hire their great sums of money for one of them said I mean a supposed Minister of England in Cambrâ—dge-shire That he mattered not if all his Hearers went to the Devil so they would but give him his dues to wit Tythes and Maintenance So that by this instance you may judge what stock they are of and what their endeavours are and we desire that people may be undeceived of that wherein they are deceived and that they may turn from such a generation of covetous Teachers who care so little for their souls And whereas he saith The Quakers are but of a few years standing and that they arose from among the Papists but a few years ago c. To this I Answer The People of God received that name but a few years ago but the Saints were Quakers I am able to prove long before for Abraham and Isaac and Moses and Habakkuk Daniel and Paul and all the rest were Quakers though they were not called so and though our name is new yet our Religion is old for it is the good old way even the way the Apostles walked in though it hath been over-clouded for many years in the dark night or Apostasie which hath been over the whole world and the Beast hath reigned and made War against the Saints and killed them and this hath been for many ages as you may read Yet there was a Seed which God preserved for himself in the midst of darkness but now is the way of the Lord made manifest again and the same power and life of God which was in the Apostles dayes and Truth shall spring forth and Idolatry shall be rooted out by little and little and Antichrist and his kingdom shall fall and even Christ the Son of God the same as ever was for no other we own but him who was and is and is to come he shall rule and his people shall follow him And though he saith The Quakers be an upstart Sect using such scornful words not beseeming a Minister of Jesus Christ but we are willing to bear all his reproaches for Christs sake And he speaks most foolishly and saith as if
MANY Strong Reasons CONFOUNDED Which would hinder any reasonable Man from being A QUAKER And Offences taken out of the Way But particularly Foure and twenty Arguments Over turned and Confuted Put forth and sent into the World by Richard Baxter a professed Minister but a frequent Contender against the wayes of God And this is an Answer to a sheet of his cryed up and down the streets in London as some excellent piece But is proved to be full of Lies Slanders and false Reproaches against an innocent People and this is sent forth in the pursuit thereof that people may not be deceived with every lying Monster vvhich is brought forth to publike view but first let all things be tryed and onely that which is good held fast And this is for the satisfaction of honest people by a friend E. B. London Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth neer Aldersgate 1657. MANY STRONG REASONS CONFOUNDED Which would hinder any reasonable man from being a QUAKER AND Offences taken out of the way c. HOW long shall it be ere the wickednesse of the wicked come to an end and the measure of this generations iniquity be fulfilled who rush into iniquity as a Horse into the battel and who hastens to fill up the largest measure of iniquity of any generation that ever went before Is it not plain and manifest to all people that have but an eye to see How doth the wicked run on greedily drinking up iniquity as an Oxe drinks water How doth the Archers of Babylon shoot at the innocent and makes the harmless their prey But this is but fot a moment the end thereof is nigh and because the Devils time is but short therefore he is come down in rage and hath filled the hearts of many people with raving envie and despite against the Lord and his people whom the Lord is a gathering out of the mouths of all their enemies and the Serpents seed it bruiseth the heele but its head is deadly wounded by the seed of God And whereas many hath set themselves in opposition against the Lord and their work is become a stinck and a proverb to be laughed at in generations to come yet must not the wicked cease their wickedness til their measure be perfectly accomplished And whereas Richard Baxter a professed Minister in Worcestershire known to many by his fruits to be a corrupt Tree which brings not forth good fruit who sends out of his study lyes and false reports and vain arguments to blind the eyes of people that they may not see the truth and hath written once and again against the people of God which he in scorn calls Quakers some of which writings hath been sufficiently answered and his shame and folly seen openly by all people yet he as a man not weary of wickednesse hath sent forth a Paper which he calls A Sheet against the Quakers wherein what was wanting of wickednesse in his former is now fully brought forth out of his vessel a malicious heart which cannot contain within it self its rage and fury and madness against the innocent but needs must his folly break forth openly that all men may see it And in this his foolish paper he hath twenty four reasons which he saith Moves him to conceive that no Christian or reasonable man should be a Quaker or approve of or excuse their way now his Reasons we shall try But first of all I say It had been more honest for him to have made a sufficient Reply to have defended his former works and cleared himself of his former lyes and slanders truly charged against him then to have past that slightly and begin a-new to revile for that Book which he often mentions and boasts of callled The Quakers Catechism was sufficiently answered and his folly laid open by a friend to the truth in a Book called An Answer to the Quakers Catechism to which Book he never equally replyed to this day which had been more honest to have cleared himself from what is truly charged against him in that answer then to have begun afresh to reproach and speak wickednesse and this all people may consider of 1. His first Reason which he brings forth against the Quakers is That they deny and revile the Churches and Ministers of Christ and yet saith he cannot tel indeed of any Church or Ministry which is to be preferred before those that they do despise Answ. To this I answer That is utterly false for we do not deny the Church and Ministers of Christ nor do revile them or any others whatsoever but speaks the truth in nakedness to all people The Church of Christ we own and are of it which are gathered out of the world through the preaching of the Gospel and seperated from the world and all its works and wayes which are evil and are joined to Christ the Head in the Spirit and one to another as members of Christ and these are born again and are redeemed out of the world and are of the kingdom of Christ and of his Church and members of his body and this we own to be a Church and are of it who hath no fellowship with darknesse nor no part with the practice of the workes of darknesse And the Ministers of Christ we own who have received the gift of the Ministry by the Holy Ghost and exerciseth that gift by the Holy Ghost whose call is from God and their work of God and their end alone his glory such we own to be Ministers of Christ and doth not revile or deny as he falsly saith such a Church and such Ministers of Christ but this we do and without offence to God too we do deny and bear our witness against such a people who professeth themselves to be a Church and yet are in the pride in the wickedness and in the evil of this world and not redeemed clensed and seperated from the works and iniquities thereof such we do reprove for their hypocrisie even all them that owns a title to a Church because they were sprinkled when they were Infants and hath not another ground and such who professeth themselves Ministers of Christ who hath not received their Ministry by the gift of the Holy Ghost neither are lead by the Spirit of Christ but are such as Christ and the Apostles declared against such we cannot own to be Ministers of Jesus Christ but doth reprove them and deny them even such who preacheth for hire and hath gifts and rewardt for preaching and set-places for so much a yeer these we disown and yet doth not offend God herein And this in honesty I do shew to all people what that professed Church and professed Ministry is which we do deny and what that Church and Ministry is which we do set up to be preferred which is a right Ministry and a right Church And thus his reasonless reason is overturned and confounded and is found to be no sufficient reason wherefore a man should
not be a Quaker 2. His second reason is No wise man can be a Quaker saith he because their Religion is an uncertain thing and so is not the Religion that must save us c. I answer This again is utterly false and no man that hath Gods wisdom would speak it for our Religion which we professe is a certain thing and we have openly declared it once and again and this is it To believe in Christ and to receive Christ and to be lead by the spirit of Christ and caught in all things to love God with all the heart and a mans neighbor as himself and through the power of Christ dwelling in man to do all good and to be kept from all evil This in very short is our Religion and it is a very certain and established Religion and this Religion we all agree in And this in short is the substance of our faith Even Christ in us believed on and received by us This is the truth and his lyes is judged and if he say this is an uncertain Religion let him give it under his hand and subscribe to it and he shall have a further Reply 3. His third Reason is No man of reason â—hould be a Quaker considering that amongst those scraps of their Religion which is made known there is so much notorious falshood and ungodlinesse saith he Ans. Let all Christian people mark this his Reason they are even lyes heaped one upon another What secret slanders are these behinde our backs who never would clear himself of what is truly charged against him in answer to his Catechism his words are turned by as utter lyes for that which we profess and practice for Religion which we have made known by word and writing is uprightness godliness sincerity and truth and neither notorious falshood nor ungodliness as he wickedly saith And why did not he make it appear what this notorious falshood and ungodliness had been that had been more honest then to cast his charges and prove nothing And whereas he saith The very person of Christ Iesus many of them doth blaspheme c. this is utterly false for Jesus Christ have we owned and believed in onely and for his sake we do and suffer hard things 4. His fourth Reason is saith he Because their false pernicious Doctrines their practical Religion doth much consist in most notorious wicked injujustice and uncharitableness c. Ans. Here is lye upon lye uttered and wickedness joyned to wickedness and drunk up as an Oxe drinks up water and no conscience made thereof by Richard Baxter it had been just to have mentioned these pernicious Doctrines their practical Religion injustice and uncharitableness and not to have slandered in the dark but we are delivered by the Lord from all pernicious Doctrines and notorious wickedness whatsoever and we find this false Reproacher guilty himself and his people of what he accuseth the innocent And so his words are 〈◊〉 unto himself and upon his own head I turn them â— His fifth Reason is The worst of all saith he is That they behave themselves like malignant enemies to the very Church and Gospel and Servants of Iesus Christ c. Ans. This man speaks as if he had sold himself wholly to lye but my answer to his first Reason is sufficient to answer this also and doth say That the Cause and the Church and the Gospel and Servants of Iesus Christ we do fully and freely own and are daylie exercised therein as the very Servants of Iesus and are friends thereof in our hearts and doth not behave our selves in any way as enemies thereunto God will judge every lying tongue and shall condemn our false Accusers guilty of that which they charge the guiltless to reprove and bear witness against the wild wicked and rude conversations and against such as have gotten the Saints words and by art frame an hours discourse thereupon for so much a Sermon or so much a yeer to deny such to be a Church of Christ and Ministers of Christ this we do and doth not behave our selves like enemies to the Church or Gospel or Ministers and servants of Christ as our Adversary wickedly saith 6. His sixth Reason saith he That part of the Quakers peculiar Religion which consists not in error and malignant impudency is made up very much of it of childish and unreasonable foppery c. Ans. As I have said No part of our Religion consists in error and malignant impudency and as for that which he calls childish and unreasonable foppery we stand not to mans judgement for it is a small thing with us for to be judged of any man for we do acknowledge that we are become fools for Christs sake and herein we have cause to glory though he upbraid us with it and it was such as he who called Paul a Babler and that his Doctrine was madness as he saith ours in foppery and let him know that which is foolishnesse with man is wisdom with God and we know God will confound the wisest of men by that which they may judge to be foolish unreasonable foppery for to such who are lost our Gospel is hid where the god of this world hath blinded their eye as it is plain he hath done this our Adversaries and that is the reason wherefore he hath sent forth such lying Scribbles from his study of wicked inventions and let him make the best use of his wisdom he can he can but serve the Devil with it while his wisdom is sensual and divillish And let him leave us to our childishnesse and folly and let the issue prove whether is the safer guide 7. His seventh Reason is saith he Their malignancy doth blinde them to make that the principal cause of their rage and reviling the Ministry which is plainly agreeable to the will of God and necessary to the Churches good Ans. This is false also we are not blinded but doth see Richard Baxter and all such to be out of the way of truth and peace And as for rage and reviling against the Ministers that is false also though indeed we do openly reprove deceivers and we know it is not agreeable to the will of God and necessary to the Churches good though he saith it is for Ministers of Christ to take tythes or to have a 〈◊〉 â—â—intenance for never none of the Ministers of Christ that we read of in Scripture either took tythes to maintain them or had a set-maintenance but all that Christ allows to his Ministers is to eat such things as were set before them And in that he saith We liken them to covetous Priests among the Iews that is true to whom should we liken them but to them that practised the same things as they do And I am sure there never was priests in any generation that were more covetous then these of England are as in many particulars might be shewed for as the false prophets in Israel did so do these
be free from sin while they are upon earth and they cry against heresie and error and thus doth Richard Baxter and his company and therefore by his own Arguments he may be judged that the Jesuites and Fryars are his Leaders and that he prepares people to be papists but I will not be so uncharitable to judge him 〈◊〉 by this rule as he hath falsly done us though I do know in the sight of God there is a greater concurrence in Doctrine and practice and conversation between many of our Accusers and the Papists then there is between the Papists and us and the light of Christ in all consciences shall answer me in the day of Gods righteous judgements and the papists and him we do deny and see them to be of one spirit though differing in appearances and what we are it is by grace and not of our selves and what we do it is through Christ and not by our selves and to God we appeal for judgement and tramples upon all mens vain conceivings false judgements lyes and slanders and turns them back to them again where they were hatched 11. His eleventh Reason He saith Our Doctrines are self-contradictory and therefore they cannot be of God c. Ans. To this I answer This is false our Doctrines do agree in one and are not self-contradictory though falsly he may judge of this as he may judge of other things if he had been in Christs time likely he would have judged his words self-contradictory who said Except you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you and yet at the same instant of time said The flesh profiteth nothing with many other such instances as might be brought Why but Richard Baxter tells you We say all men have a sufficient light within them and goes up and down preaching it with great zeal This is no more than the Apostle Iohn did who told the Saints they needed no man to teach them but as the Anointing in them and yet preached unto them and wrote Epistles to them but did Iohn contradict himself let wise men judge And Iohn said Christ lighteth every man that comes into the world with the true light and no more then he did do we contradict our seves herein for we follow the same example we say the Saints have the Annointing in them and needs no man to teach them and yet we do exhort them as the Apostle Iohn did And he asks what do we preach If darknesse who would have such Teachers if light what needlesse labour is this when all men have sufficient light already c. To all this I answer We preach light that all should believe in it and thereby should be lead out of darknesse and the light is sufficient being believed in by the creature but all are not lead by it sufficiently neither doth receive Christ And we may ask him now and say If he preach darknesse as it is likely he doth rather then the light because he smites at preaching the light that hath lighted every man that cometh into the world and so in effect denies the Lord that bought him then who would have such a Preacher but if he preach the light and not that light which doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world which is Christ and is sufficient as it seems by his own words he doth not because he condemns us for it then is he a Minister of Antichrist according to his own confession But whatever he judge we are sent to turn people from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God and herein we do as the Ministers of Christ did but that wee revile the Ministers of Christ as blind guides as saith he this is false again but such we bear witnesse against who preacheth for hire and oppresseth the Common-wealth and are in the steps of the proud Pharisees and all people that follows them are in darknesse as the Pharisees were and in the way of damnation because they are not in the truth who follows not Christ and yet such people are lightened with the light of Christ and that is their condemnation because they believe not in it and it is sufficient to the condemnation of all such 12. His twelfth Reason Saith he Consider also how sutable their Doctrine is to the interest and pleasure both of the Papist and the Devil why saith he they damn all the Ministers and Churches of CHRIST c. To this I answer A lying tongue is but for a moment though he makes lyes his refuge yet shall they be swept away Of the Ministers and Churches of Christ are we and such as are so they we own and are one with them though this man saith otherwise and it doth little appear that our Doctrine is sutable to the interest and pleasure of the papists for we finde them our enemies and Gods enemies and bears our witnesse against them as against the devil and do say that they are his off-spring and that the Priests of England are their off-spring such as are open lyars especially But if we should reckon we should find their Doctrine more agreeable to the papists in many things then ours are as I have instanced concerning sprinkling of Infants and other things but doth it follow that the papists and we agree because the papists declare against them out of cruelty and wickednesse and out of a murderous mind to divert people into idolatry and wicked superstition and we declare against them out of love to peoples souls that they should not alwayes be deceived and alwayes learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth and hath no other end to ourselves God is our witnesse but that people may be converted to the knowledge of God as I said before though the papists may hold some truth in words and cry against some sort of people out of a wicked end yet may not we therefore deny the truth as it is in Jesus neither must be silent in declaring against sin and wickednesse and let him say what he will concerning any advantage the Devil reaps by us it will but be the overthrow of his very kingdom Why but saith he If we do but unchurch all the reformed Churches the Papists will give us a fee I say it is a hard thing to unchurch them that never were truly churched and that we seeke to unchurch such as are the Churches of Christ this is utterly false and the papists fee and his reproach we trample upon them both together and let him take the papists fee as he pleads for it for it was they first that took tythes for a see and it is he now that strongly pleads for them to be maintained in his Ministry by them 13. His thirteenth Reason Saith he The Doctrine and practice of the Quakers is contrary to the experience and holy nature of the Saints why saith he they have found a renewed light and life by
the Scriptures and Ministry which the Quakers make so light of c. To this I answer This is as false as the rest for with all the Saints that ever was upon earth both in doctrine and practice we agree with them and as for the peoples sakes of England I wish his words were true and that they had indeed found a renewing light and life by this Ministry but though he may boast of it now in the day of Gods righteous judgements it shall be found otherwise when it shall be tryed that the renewing hath been but in form and appearance from one likenesse to another and not a renewing from death to life and though there hath been something of God sometime appearing a zeal and a desire after him in the Ministry of England in times past yet from this day hath the Lord forsaken them and such as were sober and sincere in what was made manifest are now become revilers and reproachers slanderers and persecutors of the people of God and from henceforth shall they not boast of many being converted by them from sin unto the way of righteousnesse But further he saith We tell the people that their Ministry doth the people no good and none are the better for it If we do we tell them true And though he saith The experiences of many thousands doth confute this yet say I the experiences of ten thousand times so many more shall confirm it It is true there may be thousands like himself which will not stumble to belye their own souls as he hath done of us yet betwixt him and I in this matter God shall be our Judge who hath not sent this Ministry and yet it hath run therefore it doth not nor shall not profit the people at all He saith It is quite contrary to the nature of Saints to damn and reproach the Saints and call them the children of the Devil This is true but it is not contrary to the nature of the Saints to reprove Hypocrites such as professe that which they do not enjoy and speak that which they have not received from the Lord but steal from other mens words such are many of the Teachers of England and it was the way of Christ and his Apostles soundly to reprove such And this is our way and we do not reproach the Saints nor damn them and yet to the wicked which are not Saints we dare not cry peace but do say The wicked and such who forget God shall be turned into Hell And for this David is our example 14. His fourteenth Reason He saith The Quakers are unlikely to be better then other men seeing they are so notoriously proud and thus this pride doth appeare Saith he It is the supposed spirit as God and the extraordinary holiness and inspiration and abilities that they are proud of and saith he They proclaim themselves perfect without sin And this is the pride he chargeth us with c. To which I answer We say that in Christ we are compleat as the Apostles said to the Churches and do not boast of it neither are proud of it more then the Churches were but in the Lord we will golry and in him rejoice again and again and it is that which we presse after and exhort all to presse after to be perfect in him who takes away our sins and gives power over the temptations of the Devil And he saith We pretend to know mens hearts Yea we do know that the heart of man is desparately wicked and deceitful above all things and by mens words and works we do know their hearts to be evil that acts and speakes wickednesse For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh And if we should say we do not know mens hearts that acts and speaks wickednesse we should be lyars but as I said What we are it is by grace in Christ and we boast not of it in the flesh but our glorying is onely in the Lord in spirit that our names are written in the Book of life And as for our crying against deceivers which he so much stumbles at it is but the practice of Christ and his Apostles as may be read thorow the Scriptures and yet we do it not no more then they did in self-exaltation though he would charge us with it 15. His fifteenth Reason Saith he They plainly discover a persecuting spirit Why saith he what man can in reason think but that they run up and down the world to bring Ministry into hatred c. To this I answer Little of this doth appear that our spirits are persecuting spirits for we pray for our enemies and doth forgive them that doth evil intreat us and renders to no man evil for evil for if we had sought vengeance or prosecuted the good Laws of England against those that had wronged and robbed us and unjustly caused us to be put in prison many might have deeply suffered by true Justice before this day if we had not forgiven our enemies and blessed them that hated us Such hath been the cruelty acted upon us that many might have been arraigned for felony if we had sought the prosecution of the good Laws and not forgiven our enemies Why but the main thing is because we are moved to go up and down the world and declare against the false Ministers and holding forth that Ministry and truly applying it to many of the Teachers of England But let all the world know this is not from a persecuting spirit no more then Isaiah did it and Micha and the rest of the Prophets and Apostles who did zealously give their testimony against such as went for gifts and rewards as the Teachers of England do but this is that which he is offended at and calls it a persecuting spirit which is not so but in love to peoples souls that they may deny the evil and follow the good And that our Ancestors have persecuted to death as he saith This is also a lye and of the Devil for our Ancestors were the Saints who were called of God and were not of the world even as we are not of the world and we are persecuted but seeks not to persecute any and gives our witnesse faithfully against this generation and against the sinnes both of Teachers and people and this I suppose is it even our zeal for the Name of the Lord against unrighteousnesse which he falsly calls a persecuting spirit 16. His sixteenth Reason is Some Interrogatories saith he What reasonable man should turn Quaker that sees the common fruit of their Doctrine what good do they do whereever they come but saith he hate both godly Teachers and people c. Ans. To this I answer The fruit of our Doctrine is begetting people to the knowledge of God and a converting them from sin and death and from the wayes and works of unrighteousnesse to be the servants of the Lord and every spiritual man doth see this to be the fruit of our doctrine It
duly examine it will be he that wil be sound preaching another Gospel whose practice is found in many things contrary to them who were Ministers of the true Gospel and so the curse pronounced by the Apostle will fall upon him and not upon us in the day of judgement 21. His one and twentieth Reason Saith he The Quakers themselves renounce in words the Ranters and Papists as a deluded sort Ans. To which I answer and say Yea not onely in words but in lives also we utterly abhor the Ranters and Papists both in profession and practice and do know that Richard Baxter is of the same spirit though differing in words But saith he The Ranters and Drunkards cryes out against the same Ministers and same exercise and godly people as the Quakers do To which I answer What the Ranters and Drunkards may do in their wickedness and unclean spirits is one thing and what we do in the fear of God and tender love to peoples souls is another thing but how uncharitable is this man in his judgement Let us try him as if I should say The Ranters and drunkards and prophane and all ungodly people they are our enemies and doth oppose gain say the way of God and the people called Quakers and they beat them and reproach them and slander them and doth much cruelty unto them and thus doth Richard Baxter of Kedderminster he reviles them and reproaches them and belyes them and therefore he is one with the Ranters and drunkards and prophane people and he holds part of the Papists Ranters and drunkards doctrine and practice And thus he is judged with his own Rule according as he hath judged us by the same Rule and now say I as well as he of us Let any man judge that hath not for sworn all wit and reason whether it is likely the Holy Ghost will inspire Richard Baxter and a company of Priests of England to acquaint them with the same Points Doctrines and Practices which the Papists Ranters Drunkards and all prophane people exercise themselves in for as all they are enemies to the Quakers so is he and his company And farther I ask him Whether the same things be heavenly in Rich. Baxter and his company which be hellish in the Ranters and Drunkards And whether Richard Baxter hath not condemned himself and the Priests of England in condemning the Papists and Ranters and Drunkards and prophane people in acting the very same things to wit speaking against reproaching reviling and slandering and backbiting an innocent people of God called Quakers 22. His two and twentieth Reason And saith he If I have any reason to be weary of the Christian Catholike reformed Religion what reason have I to turn Quaker more then to any other Sect Why saith he how do they prove they are more in the right then any other c. Answ. To all this I answer This is according to his knowledge who sees no difference between good and evil between such as serveth God and such as serves him not and how can this man be a Teacher of others that is so blind himself The true Christian Religion he is out of and in a Sect whose fruits are as bad as the Papists or Familists or any others for I believe not the worst of Sects could have brought forth more lyes and slanders and scoffing words in one sheet of paper then he hath done in this which now I deal withall And as for our proof that we are in the right way to every man that hath an eye to see an ear to hear and an heart to conceive it 's easie to be proved and such are satisfied but as for unbelievers and persecutors such as himself they must hear and see and not perceive and understand 23. His three and twentieth Reason Saith he The way by which they prevail is not producing any evidence for they renounce that and offers all from the Authority of the spirit within them c. Ans. The way by which we prevail is by the spirit of the Lord which is within us and that was the way whereby all the Ministers of Christ ever prevailed by the authority of that But yet this is false we do not deny to produce Evidences but is sufficiently able and hath done it to produce Evidences out of the Scriptures to prove all things which we professe or practice for Religion But saith he They must prove their Commission by Divine miracles before any reasonable man can believe it c. Many that fear God and are in the purest Reason hath believed us already and doth see the mighty wonders of God brought to passe and it cannot be believed by Richard Baxter no more then Christ was believed of the Pharisees in whom the mighty power of God was made manifest for though he did miracles yet that generation could not believe them And he tells of some that said he was blind so might they well do and not lye his blindnesse is made manifest at large And saith he But can I see the Witnesse in them that saith they have the witnesse in themselves Nay because thou art an unbeliever thou canst not but if thou wert a believer in Christ thou wouldst feele the same testimony in the Brethren but by thee we are not known and therefore by thee are falsly judged for no other testimony do we give or hold forth but the same which the Apostles did which we have received from Christ as the Apostles did not by any Authority of our own though he falsly say it but by the Authority of the power of God we shall not much seek or beg our Adversaries belief for to God are we known and one to another in the spirit and not to the wisdom of the world which is devillish and knows not nor receives not the things which be eternal His last Reason They teach but such like Doctrines and takes the like course as many of the Hereticks did and saith he Shall we run our selves into the fire which hath consumed such Heresie through former Ages c. Ans. To this I answer The Doctrines of the Gospel we hold forth and teach to all people and in that way which is called Heresie worship we indeed the God of our fathers but it is but such as this man with whom I deal who is a false witnesse-bearer and a reproacher and the company of Hireling-Teachers and such like that doth call the way of God Heresie And though he say presently after the Apostles dayes such Hereticks arose and troubled the Church To which I answer Nay it is just such like as himself who appeared in the Apostles dayes who taught for filthy lucre and for gain made merchandize of souls and it was such lying Prophets which Iohn saw the whole world run after in his dayes and they were them that troubled the Church even such as were heady and high minded and proud and covetous men and such as are false Accusers