sufficiently convince God would have us to heed his word more and try the spirits by that and the grosse and palpable blindnesse of such as want the direction of the Scriptures may shew God is not pleased to use this way of immediate revelations now nor indeed is it the work of God holy Spirit to discover things to us now immediately having already made a full discovery of them in the Scriptures but to open our eyes to see the wonderful things of his Law to apprehend those discoveries of God made in his word and to sanctifie our hearts so as they may close with those truths revealed and rellish them and to remove the natural enmity that is in as to the things of God 3. It hath pleased the Lord of his infinite goodnesse to give his holy Scriptures the Word of God for so now I will call them whether the Quakers will or no that this may be a direction and rule to us of faith and obedience how we are to believe in God and worship and serve him and to direct us to eternal salvation this is a special pledge of Gods love to us though the enemies of truth will not acknowledge it The Lord hath not done so to all Nations neither have the heathen knowledge of his Laws Psalme 147 19 20. and the end of writing them was that we might be directed in our faith and obedience John 20 last These things are written that ye might beleeve c. we are to try the spirits now by them whether they be of God as the noble Bereans did Acts 17.11 we are to go to the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8.20 to search the Scriptures John 5.39 or otherwise we shall be necessarily exposed to errour Matth. 22.29 They are now a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our steps Psal 119.105 and through the words of Gods lips we may be kept from the path of the destroyer Psal 17.4 in a word they are able to make wise to salvation to furnish to all good works they are profitable for doctrine reproof correction instruction in righteousnesse c. 2 Tim. 3.16 17. The Lord accompanying them with the blessing and efficacy of his Spirit And let not any ignorantly pretend it is a disgrace to the Spirit to be tried and regulated by an outward rule for gold may be tryed by a touchstone why may not any doctrine or revelation or practice now though pretended to come from the Spirit be tried by the Scriptures which we are more sure came from the Spirit of God they being a surer word of prophecy then any voice we can heare spoken from heaven 2 Pet. 1.18 19. 4. Now let the weakest Reader if he be not wilfully blinded judg whether these people be not extreamly ingrateful to God for his goodnesse in giving the Scriptures to deny this principal use and end of the Scriptures and whether hereby they declare not themselves enemies thereunto I might shew other uses and ends of the Scriptures that they subvert but this may suffice for this second particular to prove the charge that the Quakers be enemies to the holy Scriptures III. They make Scriptures to be but a declaration of the Saints condition an expression frequently to be found in their writings insinuating thereby as if they belonged not to us now Burroughs p. 30 Glory from North. p. 8 9. but concerned the Saints only in former times for so much its clear they intend by comparing this with the former particular they are the declaration of the Saints conditions in former times but they are no rule of faith and life to us what do they then concern us what need we regard them what benefit have we by them A most unworthy expression when God hath written to us the great things of his word and we account them a strange thing Hosea 8.12 as if they did not at all concern us and the Lord had not spoken those things to us but to others But as it delares their enmity against the Scriptures so is it a very false assertion There be some part of the Scriptures that do more concern us now in these last dayes of the world then they did the Saints in former times as many Prophetick Scriptures in Dauid and the Revelations and for other Scriptures the Apostle faith what ever was written was written for our learning Rom. 15.4 and for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world be come 1 Cor 10.6 11. The example of Christ and his Apostles teaches us to make use of the whole Wood of God they frequently cited the writings of Moses and the Prophets in the book of the Psalmes applying them to that generation why may not we then apply the same as also the writings of the New Testament for our benefit In Heb. 13.5 The Apostle applies that promise made to Joshuah to the beleeving Hebrews I will not have thee nor forsake thee See 1 Cor. 7.1 where the Apostle applies the promises made by the Prophet Jer 31.1 to the Corinthians and presses them to duty from thence and indeed to what end are they written down and by the gracious providence of the Lord preserved to this day but for our use and benefit it 's needlesse to adde more here that which was spoken in the former particular will also clear this IV. They call the Scriptures reproachfully a letter a dead letter c. as may be seen in their writings frequently which is but a piece of Popish Rhetorick for this hath been the language of Papists before them who have called them a dead letter divinity of ink and paper with many more such opprobrious tearms But whether we should beleeve Papists and Quakers in vilifying the Scriptures or credit the holy penmen their commendation of them judge ye David saith The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soule the testimonies of the Lord are sure making wise the simple the Statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart the Commandments of the Lord are pure enlightning the eyes c. and Psalme 119.50 Thy word hath quickened me The Apostle James 1.18 saith he begot us with the word of truth Paul saith faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it 's not said by the personal word Jesus Christ but by the word that is preached by men not that we exclude the co-operation of Gods Spirit with preaching for we are workers together with God 2 Cor. 6.1 but that the word written and preached might have it's due place and commendation being mighty through God the power of God to salvation and therefore no dead letter It is a grosse perverting of that Scripture 2 Cor. 3.6 to alledge it for to prove the Scriptures to be a dead letter for the Apostle there compares the doctrine or ministration of the Law and the old Covenant with the ministration of the Gospel Covenant disputing against such as commended the
I should desire in behalf of such as so erre we might shew mutual love and forbearance waiting if any be otherwise minded till the Lord reveal the same unto them but against such grosse and damnable doctrines as were before named Nor do I here call for fire to consume such as be seduced by such doctrines but I cry earnestly for pity and compassion to be shewed toward them to pull them as firebrands out of the fire It cannot but move our bowels to see some of our dear relations friends and neighbours to drink in greedily such poysonous principles through the cunning craftinesse of Seducers that lie in wait to deceive as we know assuredly if the Lord give them not repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth will damn their precious and immortal souls and to see other weak ones stumbled and the efficacy of the Gospel so much impeded in the bringing home souls to God which hath been so prevalent a means in the hand of the Lord till the pretious and fundamental truths of Christ have been called in question and denyed by wicked deceivers amongst us We cannot but cry aloud to God and man whilest we are eye-witnesses of these things It 's true Jesus Christ is able without the help of men to maintain his own truths and to call home and preserve his Elect ones and we doubt not but he will do it where means fail even by miraculous providences and testimonies from heaven but this is no warrant to us to neglect Gods appointed means every one is to contend in their places for the truth nor can we expect miracles till these ordinary means fail May it please your Highnesse to look into the following Treatise and you may see the abominable doctrines of those people amongst us called Quakers faithfully presented to your veiw although I doubt not but you have sufficient knowledge of them already yet I would humbly minde you of them whilest your other weighty employments divert your thoughts otherwise and incite you out of your tendernesse to the honour of Jesus Christ whose Delegate you are out of your love to the Churches and people of God for whose spiritual welfare you have this great power committed to you and out of compassion to the perishing souls of seduced people to put some stop to those seducers now in your Dominions that they may not have such freedom and license by word and writing to broach such damnable doctrines then which no duty can be more incumbent on you as you are an Officer of Jesus Christ in his political Kingdome which we hope he is about to establish in the world more gloriously then in former ages The Lord of heaven and earth blesse your Highnesse with the continuance of his gracious presence with you keep your heart close with himself in these back-sliding times and enrich you with all graces that may fit you for the faithful discharge of your duty in so high and eminent a place that as you have done valiantly in the high places of the field so you govern as righteously and happily in the gates of the City Which is and shall be the prayer of him who is The least and unworthiest of the servants of Christ Jonath Clapham TO THE Christian READER IT cannot but be a far more comfortable employment to any gracious spirit to be exercised in the contemplation of the great and precious truths of the Gospel and as the Bee to be extracting sweetnesse and comfort from them then to be raking in the filthy unsavoury dung-hil of errors heresies or with the Salamander to be living in the fire of Contention But sometimes we must and ought to prefer the most unpleasing duties before the greatest comforts Now what can be a duty more incumbent on true Christians in these days of Apostacy and Errour then to be contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. Seeing there is scarce any one doctrine of the Christian faith but is now undermined by some or other of the enemies of the truth amongst us But of all the enemies of Truth in this age none are more proud and wicked though extremely ignorant perverters thereof then that generation of men called Quakers who seem the most numerous and prevailing party of all the rest being increased by the confluence of very many unto them who were before unstable and deluded persons and had forsaken the ways of truth These do most wickedly corrupt or destroy almost all the fundamental points of the Christian Religion as is made to appear in the following Treatise The holy Scriptures they vilifie and set at naught the humanity or man-hood of Christ they utterly deny the true God who is one in essence and three in persons they beleeve not in the great doctrine of Justification before God they wholly corrupt as the Pharisees and Papists do no better do they deale with the doctrine of Sanctification All the Ordinances of Jesus Christ they abrogate the fundamental doctrines of the Resurrection of the dead of the last Judgement of Heaven and Hell they altogether corrupt and deny turning them into allegories as if they had their accomplishment wholly in men now and were not to be fulfilled in another world nor can there hardly be any one truth named but they corrupt or destroy their great designe is to bring men from Christianity to Paganisme to teach men by minding the cended into heaven c. and yet indeed they deny all these and have said expresly his flesh perished and he never had an humane soul One of their followers who is very zealous in their way and a bitter enemy to the Ministers lately told me before several witnesses Jesus Christ was no real and true man now and his body rose not it was dust Now this subtle concealing and denying their opinions doth make simple people who cannot espy their fraud sooner to be deceived by them and therefore it cannot be judged a needless labour to lay open their damnable opinions and confute them and these reasons have induced me to publish this discourse I have onely one thing more to acquaint the Reader with now and that is this these people have already boasted I should be soon answered by them and if I reply not again to them they will glory that I could not I shall desire thee to take notice that if their replies be like the former two books they wrote against me as I have little ground to expect better from them I shall not trouble my self to give them one line by way of answer If any will be so far blinded and hardened as to take the railings non-sense and impertinencies for an answer let them upon their peril do it they shall one day be convinced of their errour and made to see when the Lord in his wrath shall plead with them Now that the merciful Lord would blesse those poor endeavours to the recovery if it may be of some that be already
David prays Open mine eyes that I may understand the wonderful things of thy Law give me understanding that I may keep thy precepts would not the Quakers correct David here and say why David look to the light within thee and that is sufficient what needest thou pray for more so Paul Eph. 1.17 18. prays for a Spirit of wisdom and revelation for the Ephesians though they had already the light in them and the outward preaching of the Gospel our doctrine therefore is more agreeable to the Scriptures then the Quakers doctrine we teach besides the light in the conscience which condemns grosse sins which we would not have men sin against but to study to keep a good conscience void of offence there is a necessity of the light of the Scriptures and the preaching of the Word to discover such things as the conscience cannot discover and of the sanctifying illumination of Gods Spirit also to open our blind eyes to see those discoveries and his grace to heal the enmity of our hearts that we may close with them did the Quakers believe the conversion and sanctification of the soul to be such a great work as we do they would see a necessity of an higher principle to produce it then this common light in all men Reader thou mayst sufficiently see what corrupters of the truth the Quakers be seeing in this main doctrine which is the sum of all their teaching they erre so grosly and are plain Papists and Pelagians II. The Quakers destroy the true doctrine of Sanctification in that they make it to consist in a few outward observances of casting off ribbons not putting off the hat vsing the expressions of thou yea nay c. as the Pharisees formerly placed holinesse in washing cups hands c. and the furthest they go is but to cry down grosse sinnes as pride drunkennesse covetousnesse c. whilest in the mean time they speak nothing of a work of regeneration and renovation in the heart for they teach there 's enough in men as they come into the world if they heed that and as concerning inward mortification of the seeds of evil in the heart and a spiritual work of God upon the soul in turning the whole frame of it to God to center in him again how silent are they in these great things did they look upon these as necessary they durst not proudly boast they are perfect and absolutely free from the being of sin but even as the Papists who say they are free from the being of sin and for that end deny concupiscence in the regenerate to be sin so must the Quakers look upon these things as nothing if they will defend their perfection But we on the contrary maintain the great work of Sanctification begins chiefly in the heart in creating a new heart infusing a new spirit Ezek. 36.26 27. which men have not as they come into the world at the first birth but at the second birth in making the tree good and then the fruit will be good afterwards Mat. 12.33 III. They destroy the proper end of Sanctification the end of God in Sanctifying his people is not that by setting up a righteousnesse in them they might thereby be justified before God for their justification stands in Gods free remitting of their sins and imputing to them the obedience and satisfaction of Christ their Surety wrought in his person for them as was before shewed in the Section of Justification but that being reconciled to God through Christ their natures being sanctified and the image of God repaired in them they might be fit to glorifie God and to enjoy communion with him for ever to make them fit for glory for without holinesse no man can see God Heb. 12.14 But now the Quakers make the great end of God in sanctifying his people and infusing righteousnesse into them to be that they might be justified before God and therefore ignorantly confound justification mortification and sanctification together see Nailer love to the lost p. 50. thus are they enemies to the doctrine of Christ crucified and justification by faith they are fallen from grace and seek to lead men from Christ to the Law again as the Apostle Paul shews in the Epistle to the Gallatians IV. They own not any for truly sanctified persons but such as are perfectly freed from the being of sinne and therefore reproach us who say with the Apostle Romans 7. we have sin dwelling in us as unsanctified persons whereas the Scriptures own such for Saints as are freed from the dominion of sinne though not yet from the being thereof and shew that in the best there is flesh as well as Spirit Gal. 5.17 V. They deny the grace of God infused into the Saints in Sanctification to be a created thing though the Scripture calls it the new creature 2 Corinth 5.17 Ephes 2.10 and hold it to be the uncreated being of God so Richard Hubberthorne and John Lawrence in a letter sent to me speak a most wretched and blasphemous doctrine for then should we be Gods if the uncreated being were communicated to us even as Christ was God the divine essence being eternally communicated to him besides this doctrine would make us meerly passive as stocks and stones in all duties of Sanctification the plain doctrine of the Libertines that being followed overthrows all holinesse having sometimes laid open the odiousnesse of this opinion to my people the person last named being ashamed of it did openly deny it before the Congregation but hath now owned it with his hand subscribing to it VI. They take away many great arguments inducing to Holinesse and Sanctification as the doctrine of the Resurrection last Judgement Heaven and Hell c. as was before shewed now to what purpose is it to raile against sinne when they take away those weapons that should destroy it and to speak of holinesse when they take away the greatest inducements thereunto If the dead rise not saith the Apostle 1 Corinth 15.22 then let us eat and drink for to morrow we die what need men be affrighted with the scar-crowes of Heaven Hell c These evil words will more corrupt good manners then all their other good words will promote holinesse VII They destroy all those helps to Sanctification and Godlinesse which God hath given us They deny the Ordinances of God as before was shewed which are the means of grace and Sanctification John 17.17 Eph. 5.26 Jam. 1.18 c. could the prelatical enemies of holinesse in former times take a more crafty course to suppresse holinesse then by silencing of Preaching Catechising Praying and restraining Christian communion c how gladly the Quakers would promote all this if they could and leave people only to the light in them which is meer darknesse I shewed before in the Section about Ordinances By this time the weakest Reader may perceive the Quakers to be but faint enemies to sinne though they speak aloud and give bigge words against it and
but feigned friends to holinesse whatever they pretend Alexander the Great is said to have smitten one of his souldiers on the face for railing against his enemy saying to him I hired thee to fight and not to raile against him as little thanks may these men expect to receive from the Lord Jesus another day what ever friendship they pretend to him now and what ever enmity against sinne they professe seeing they do but build the things they would seem to destroy And thus for the tenth general charge against the Quakers SECT XI The Quakers shewed to be the common sink of all the Heresies of our times and a parallel betwixt them and former Hereticks IT hath been observed that after the Christian world had been infested for a long time together with multitudes of cursed errours and heresies at length Popery prevailing in the West and North and Mahumetanisme in the East and South they were all swallowed up in these two as in two great gulfes or common sewers of all that filthy puddle of false doctrine See Danaeus de heres cap. 95 96. In like manner we find amongst our selves that those filthy and abominable errours that have sprung up in these late years of tolleration so plentifully do most of them center in Quakerism and this is become the common sink of them all And indeed there are very few if any at all besides some grosly ignorant persons that have not made any profession of godlinesse who are now lead away by the Quakers but such as have formerly apostatized from the truth and been infected with the leaven of Anabaptisme or Antinomianisme Arminianisme or Socinianisme Familisme or Libertinisme c. So that this Serpent of Quakerisme hath threatned to devour up all these other Serpents and so to become the Dragon that persecutes the Churches in these Nations Now how justly may this render the way of Quakerisme suspected to the weakest and most simple of all in that those that follow it have long since left the way of truth and been unstable running after every new way of errour and scarse any one that hath been accounted a knowing and stable Christian doth follow after them It will not be unprofitable if I here annex a short parallel betwixt the Quakers and some wicked Hereticks in former times for hereby it may appeare that their doctrines are not such new and glorious truths as they would pretend them to be but old and accursed heresies newly raked out of hell and the very smoake of the bottomelesse pit If the reader shall see so much agreement betwixt them and the vilest enemies of the truth that have been in former times he will be convinced thereby ther 's little reason any should be taken with Quakerisme I shall begin with some of those Hereticks spoken of in Scripture and shew what agreement is betwixt the Quakers and them One would think the Quakers should not be guilty of any great complyance with the Pharisees seeing they so much reproach others with the nick-name of Pharisees but alack this is but such a trick as he playd that called his honest neighbour theife first that his neighbours accusation against him might not be credited there are many things wherein the Pharisees and Quakers notably agree The Pharisees were bitter enemies of Jesus Christ and conspired to destroy him and no lesse enemies to him are the Quakers they quite annihilate and destroy as much as in them lyeth his manhood For they deny that he hath an humane created soul so Richard Hubberthorne expresly in a letter sent to my self and can he be a man that hath not an humane soul and no better do they deal with his body for that they make never to have risen from the dead as was before shewed indeed sometimes they will say he arose from the grave as Hubberthorne in the letter aforesaid saith but in the next words he shewes it was in the same person in which he was when the world was made it seems this is all the Man-Christ they now own Further the Pharisees were zealous for the righteousnesse of the Law but enemies to the Doctrine of Justification by faith So the Quakers as was shewed before in the Section of Justification The Pharisees placed all their Religion in outward observances So the Quakers as was before shewed The Pharisees pretended much seeming sanctity gravity austerity when inwardly full of wickednesse So the Quakers would seem holy austere but are full of railing and bitternesse The Pharisees stood much on trivial things mint commine and annice So the Quakers upon cloaths hats thou yea nay c. The Pharisees trusted on their owne righteousnesse and despised others So the Quakers would be accounted the only holy persons and call others Dogges Swine Devils The Pharisees used much severity over their bodies abstinence fasting which God commanded not So the Quakers The Pharisees would be esteemed extraordinary for holinesse and have their sayings received for Oracles So the Quakers say they are perfect and what they speak or write all is infallible and must not be questioned The Pharisees were horrible corrupters of the Scriptures Matth. 5. So the Quakers as hath been shewed The Pharisees were rash censurers of others John 7.19 10.20 Mat. 11.19 So the Quakers The Pharisees would compasse sea and land to make a Proselite whereby he became twofold a child of hell more then before So the Quakers what an exact harmony is here twixt these two sects We read in Scripture of another Sect called Sadduces and with them also the Quakers have some agreement These pretend to righteousness taking their name from Sedek as Josephus shews which signifies just So the Quakers pretend hereunto The Sadduces deny the Resurrection of the body Mat. 22.23 Act. 23.8 So the Quakers Herein also they agree with Hymeneus and Philetus who made it past already acted spiritually in men here 2 Tim. 2.18 The Sadduces denied Heaven and Hell rewards and punishments in the world to come as Josephus reports So the Quakers as was before proved The Sadduces denied Angels and Spirits The Quakers deny the spirit or soul of man distinct from God for Hubberthorne against Sherl saith the Scriptures speak not of an humane soul Were it necessary I could shew their agreement with many ancient Hereticks in the ages succeeded the Apostles they agree with the Arians and Eunomians in denying Christ to have an humane soul with the Manichees in making the soul in a man a part of the being of God With Adamites in going naked With Antitrinitarians Jews and Turks in denying the Trinity yet the Turks though they deny the Trinity do own the Man Jesus Christ more then they for in their Alkoran they say he is a great Prophet and shall come to judge the world at the last day and therefore are better Christians then the Quakers They agree with Pelagians in their conceit of the sufficiency of the common grace given to all men With Socinians in