they come to you and desire it you would procure such of the Quakers Books as they shall make question of if you can find or have them and shew them at your shop for their better satisfaction that so they may believe their OWN EYES at least And that you send one of this second Part to Mr. Whitehead and another to Mr. Penn. So farewell Thy friend though unknown T.T. Jan. 1. 74 5. THE THIRD PART OF THE QUAKERS QUIBBLES BEING A Continuation of their Quibbles Equivocations Riddles Contradictions Rounds and Confusions set forth in ten several Particulars Whereunto is Added Remarks on G. W ' s. Slight Sheet given forth by him as a Reprehension for want of an Answer to the Second Part of the QVAKERS QVIBBLES With some further Account of their Grand Mystery of DIRECTING the INTENTION By the same Indifferent Pen. If ye Build again the things which ye Destroyed ye make your selves Transgressâ—rs Gal 2.18 Diruit Aedificat Mutat Quadrata Rotundis Erroris Mater fuit Aequivocatio semper LONDON Printed for F. Smith at the Elephant and Castle in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1675. TO THE Free Spirited Impartial READER AS it is left us upon Record in Holy Writ that GOD at sundry times and in divers manners hath spoken unto his Prophets and People for the Salvation of Men so we are thereby likewise assured that SATHAN at sundry times and in divers Forms hath spoken to and deceived many Souls by pretending great Light great Knowledge high things in words and semblance Imitating as near as might be the works and ways of GOD but still without that true Divine Power which enabled those immediate Men of God VISIBLY to out-do all the deceiving Pretences and Ape-like Imitations of the Devil's Instruments in the sight of all Men present as Moses's Serpent swallowed up all the Egyptian Sorcerers Serpents and Paul being filled with the Holy Ghost was able to over-come and strike Elymas the Sorcerer with outward Blindness Now this was IN DEED and not in TALK only to be in the Power and filled with the Holy Ghost and the Text says Then the Deputy when he saw what was done believed And no sooner had our Glorious Lord JESVS CHRIST Visibly Ascended to Heaven without us and fulfilled his great Promise of sending his Holy Spirit upon his Apostles and Disciples which was in a visible manner enduing them with Power not onely the Name but the Thing to speak with Tongues to Prophecy indeed and to work visible Miracles for the Confirmation of that Word and Doctrine they Preach'd to the World Heb. 2.4 and this is in Scripture-Language true Spirit Baptism or the Baptiâ—â— of the Spirit and this is it which was for Persons to be Baptized indeed with the Holy Spirit as it is expresly called Acts 1.5 and of Fire There appeared unto them Cloven Tongues like as of Fire and it sat upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost But Sathan that Old Serpent not willing to be long idle did quickly raise up even in those true Apostles days many Pretenders false Prophets and false Apostles some of the first whereof Ancient Records tell us were called Nicolaitans and Gnosticks who pretended high and strange Light Knowledge and Illumination beyond others And it is Observable of all the Forms into which Sathan Transformed himself it seems none is nor was more taking than what he used in the true Apostles days viz. Transforming himself into an Angel of LIGHT and therefore no marvel if such as are false Apostles are found Transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ Nor is it any great thing as the true Apostle Intimates to us if such as are indeed Sathans Ministers also be Transformed as the Ministers of Righteousness If the wicked one could play such pranks and be so bold then how much more may we expect and suspect it now and it is no strange thing if some of his Ministers and Instruments now be Transformed into Angels or Messengers of Light Pretend the Light Talk of the Light Preach up the Light Own the Light Witness the Light and Cry out the Light the Light And whereas a certain sort of People lately sprung up among us did pretend to high Illuminations and talkt much of the Light they walkt in above others and of the Power immediate Calling and Gifts of the Spirit that they had as in the Apostles time And as they pretended to higher things than others so I did set my self more especially and seriously to hear consider weigh and try them their Doctrines and Principles for about these Twenty Years But alas in lieu of finding any such thing amongst them as the same Light Power and immediate Commission and Gifts of the Spirit that the Apostles and Apostolical Churches had and which they then did pretend to blame others for want of I could see nor hear nothing among them but the meer Words and bare Pretences and taking up some such things by Imitation as they fanâ—ied in themselves and as they found the Apostles wrote or the Scriptures spoke of as many others do whom yet they did once Condemn for that very thing yea and inâ—tead thereof I have Observed the greatest Inconstancy Vncertainty Turn and Change amongst them that I think ever was to be found among any People that pretended to so refined Sublime a Religion in the space of Twenty Years and yet all this while to talk of or pretend to INFALLIBILITY which hath Occasioned them to defend themselves from those who have taken more notice of their Inconstancy Vncertainty and Changes than they were willing should be to use the greatest Quibbling and grossest Equivocations that have been used in Religious matters ever since the Jesuites new modell'd the Art the better to hide it and themselves Some of their most Considerable Quibbles in their Doctrine touching that Grand Principle of our true Lord and Saviour JESVS CHRIST I had Occasion given me by them to set forth more particularly in my Second Treatise beginning at p. 29. But my intended Brevity not permitting and not knowing but that these Persons might learn to be somewhat more humble meek moderate and civil when they should rightly reflect on it and themselves then prevented me of proceeding any further therein Yet since I understand it is very much desired by others and the Quakers as much to want it they being as Confidently outragious as before for in the midst of all their Inconstancies in their Practice and Doctrines I find them chiefly constant in these two things in their Practice viz. their egregious Confidence and their Railing Reviling Language to others and in that it may be truly said of them Can the Ethiophian change his skin or the Leopard his spots wherefore here is set forth more of their Quibbles in several particulars and that in some most weighty and important Points as those of the Church the Annointing the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures and
of yours was given forth more by the Spirit of the Lord than the Holy Scriptures are If thou sayest yes it is Blasphemy then thou provest thy self a Blasphemer by Intitling that as given forth by the Spirit of the Lord in you which he did not say and give forth 4. Wouldst thou not think it very hard and unjust if one should accuse the Quakers of Blasphemy for saying That the Church of Christ is his Body and that there is but one Spirit and one Body which is the Church and so deny that Christ hath any other Body than that whereof the Saints are Members and united to him as thou talkest to this purpose p. 29. Now some look upon this as Blasphemous wouldst thou not say it is very hard and uncharitable and why because this is according to Scripture-Language sayest thou And yet thou hast accused Muggleton p. 37. as a Blasphemer and Impostor for holding this Blasphemous Doctrine That the Soul of Man dies or is Mortal Now may not Muggleton tell thee â—â—at the Scripture saith in express words The Soul that sinneth it shall die Ezek. 18.20 God shall deliver my Soul from the Power of the Grave Psal 49.15 Thou hast delivered my Soul from Death Psal 56.13 Thou hast delivered my Soul from the lowest Grave Psal 86.13 Keep back his Soul from the Pit his Soul draweth nigh to the Grave Job 33.18 22 28 30. Then saith he unto them My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto Death Matth. 26.38 spake of the Resurrection of CHRIST that his Soul was not left in Hell or the Grave Acts 2.31 Is not this Scripture Is not this according to Scripture-Language Thus then thou condemnest something as Blasphemy which is according to Scripture-Language and so it seems it is all one to thee be it according to Scripture-Language or not thou joynest them all together as alike false and Blasphemous Besides there is no Protestant Church in Europe that I know of but what can approve the third Doctrine in thy 37. pag. which thou callest Blasphemous for True in the indefinite Terms thou hast expressed it viz. That the Soul of Man is Mortal i. e. Subject to the second Death if not Redeemed And because G.W. hath a Multiplying-Glass when he writes against his opposers he hath made here to lengthen them out eight several Doctrines which indeed can be reckoned but one or two in effect or much the same and as for those other Blasphemous Doctrines of Muggleton respecting the Godhead Life and that the Godhead died thou G. according to thy Principles must hold so too or else thou must run into another Blasphemy by holding that THE CHRIST INDEED did NOT DIE only put off HIS GARMENT with which thou sayest he was Cloathed but was not THE CHRIST nor no Real part of HIM And therefore upon this account your Predecessors who held much the same Doctrine with you concerning the TRINITY of PERSONS found a necessity on them to hold that the FATHER Died as Muggleton does and therefore were called PATROPASSIANS for without that they found they could not Really believe that THE CHRIST HIMSELF DIED and this Dilemma if not Blasphemy the Quakers are got into and if the Quakers did not come very near this Blasphemous Doctrine of Muggleton What is the meaning of Isaac Pennington's words Quest p. 20. But he CHRIST is of an Eternal Nature and his Flesh and Blood and Bones are of his Nature that is then his Flesh Blood and Bones are Eternal and so must be GOD for nothing is of an Eternal Nature but GOD and now let the Reader Judg how far this falls short of Muggleton's Blasphemy and let them clear themselves of it if they can so that it appears this is only a Pitiful begging the Question still betwixt the Impostor Muggleton and you which cannot be granted you by Muggleton nor yet by others without your producing better evidence for you see he can speak according to Scripture-Language as well as you when he hath a mind to it 5. Whereas thou sayest the comparison is unjust and wicked Thou dost not so much as Instance any one particular of the ten that is unjust or false But thou wilfully mistakes me when thou insinuates as if I did basely design by the Comparison to make others believe that the Quakers were Muggletonians or the Muggletonians Quakers No that was never my intent but thy own perversion on purpose to Evade and shuffle it off where thou foundst it lay too heaviâ— upon thy Shoulders neither canst thou find any such word in all my Epistle but well to the contrary as the tenth particular witnesseth That the Quakers Condemn Muggleton and Muggleton damn's the Quakers therefore any Man might see except G. who is wilfully blind that I never thought them all one or alike in all things and G. might have spared all his needless labour to set down wherein the Quakers differ from Muggleton in other Doctrines but that the poor Man could easier do that than Answer what I demanded of W.P. But this is the old Shift that I have formerly told them of they used in the Dispute Answer that which was never askt them to give the go-by and evade Answering what is askt and thus he serves me here The thing that I demanded of W.P. was this in my Epist p. 32 33. Why shouldst thou or thy Friends be believed MORE than Muggleton or an Impostor Since Muggleton says he hath received a Commission from Heaven that he had it by Divine Revelation to go forth as a Prophet c. That he is inspired by the Spirit of God and is infallible c. and so say the Quakers that they have And again in my p. 35. Is it not highly necessary one should know which of these are the Impostors Or whether since they both are such confident Pretenders they may not both be Impostors What canst or dost thou produce or pretend to more than Muggleton does Surely it will be a strange piece of Confidence for you to claim Credence from People if you cannot produce something considerable beyond such as your selves own to be a GRAND IMPOSTOR and a DECEIVER But very deceitfully G. gives the go-by to all this which was the only thing in Question and yet calls his Treatise an Answer to my Epistle Is it possible that the Quakers that prâ—tend so much should be Men of no better Conscience How can any look upon such to be tender and Men fearing God and hating deceit and falshood Is this think you for the Credit or Commendation of your way will such unfair dealing shifting and shuffling of Answers convince the Baptists or me or any other sober and discreet Men that you are immediately sent and Commissioned for to go forth as Apostles and Prophets from the most Holy God No surely Dost thou call this the Quakers-plainness detecting Fallacy It is the Quakers own Fallacy it then detects Let thy own Conscience if thou hast any that is not
WHICH IS DEATH and KILLETH Oh horrid abominable and wicked besides the falshood of it how near to Blasphemy is it Not to say much to his words in p. 5. where he maketh himself a Judge for others to be Judged by viz. Let all that read these Scriptures Judge thee BY ME to be a Lyar. Nor to their words in the Title Page where they say these their Words or Writings were GIVEN FORTH from the SPIRIT of the Lord IN VS You may enough ghess at it and the Impudence of it your selves Will not the Impartial Reader now think this Book ISHMAEL a Rare Piece for the bigness of it for 't is but about three sheets I must needs think that many Sober Readers that shall see and duly Consider these Words will almost conclude it incredible it being so abominably gross but that they may see it with their own Eyes in the Quakers own Book if they dare give Credit to their Eye-sight more than to the Quakers false Tongues and therefore I refer all such to the Book it self for better Satisfaction Sect. 2. Sam. Fisher in his Addit Appendix p. 21. Speaking of the Holy Scriptures says Which Transcriptions and Translations were they never so certain and entire by Answering to the first Original Copies yet are NOT CAPABLE to be to all Men ANY OTHER than a Lesbian Rule or NOSE OF WAX Forasmuch as even where Men have them as half the World has not they are lyable to be wrested and Actually twisted Twenty ways by Interpreters whose Expositions Sences and meanings which are as many and various as the Thoughts Conceits and Inventions of men are who Comment upon them must be the Rule to such as can Read them neither in Hebrew and Greek nor in their own Mother-Tongues neither And further the said Sam. Fisher in the same page tells us that He and the Quakers have put it to the Question How it may be known assuredly uncontroulably infallibly that the Scripture is at ALL of God and not a cunningly DEVISED FABLE and INVENTION of Men Do ye not think now Impartial Readers that the Quakers are High Honourers of Holy Scripture to use such Terms and Language in Querying about it as a cunningly devised FABLE and INVENTION of Men And in his very next words he gives us and the World to understand that the Church and Clergy of England do but go-round or Dance in a Circle when they tell the Quakers and us That the Scripture may be known to be of God by the Testimony of the Spirit and that we may try and find assuredly that Spirit to be of God by the Scripture Sect. 3. Ed. Burroughâ— p. 834. The ONELY perfect Rule of â—onscience in the Exercise to God is the SPIRIT of Christ and not any other thing G.W. Again the Question being put Do you esteem of your speakings to be of as great Authority as any Chapter in the Bible makes this Answer in his Serious Apol. p. 49. viz. That which was spoken from the Spirit of Truth in ANY â—s of AS GREAT Authority as the Scriptures and Chapters are and GREATER c. Sect. 4. W. Pen also that he for his Worthiness and sincerity may not Complain as left out shall give in his Verdict in his Spirit of Truth Vindicated p. 38. Thus the Scripture is much like the shadow of the True Rule c. Now all men know a shadow is an empty and vain thing and the most uncertain thing in the World sometimes shorter and sometimes much longer than the Substance it self Sect. 5. But now to wheel about and run round again though one would think no man possibly that pretends to Honesty or common Reputation could either have the Face or Confidence to do it having so rivetted and fixed the Contrary in Print as above nay some cannot believe that any Ordinary Romancer would Publish it in Print with such a Stupendious confidence as the Quakers have lately done viz. G.W. Quakers Plainness p. 70 71. Nor did we EVER prefer our Books before the Bible as unjustly we are charged but do prefer the Bible BEFORE ALL other Books extant in the World Our Intention and Principle NEVER was to bring our Books in Comparison to the Scriptures No G Is this True Does not thy own Conscience smite thee and fly in thy Face Nay is this possible to be true When G.W. himself calls the Scriâ—ture which the Minister asserted was the Foundation of Faith as I have already told you NATURAL and CARNAL the LETTER which is DEATH and KILLETH What can be worse than Natural Carnal that which is Death and Killeth Are your Writings worse than that Then further do but consider the Titles and Epithets this very G.VV. gives to some of his own Books viz. The Glory of Christs Light within Expelling Darkness Another The Light and LIFE of Christ within well go thy ways GEORGE not onely for a QUIBBLER but an AUDACIOUS CONFIDENT surely Geo. thou hadst not forgot that your Book ISHMAEL was given forth from the SPIRIT of the Lord in you Or did you deal therein falsely with the World And with God too Was any of the Holy Scriptures any more than given forth from the spirit of the Lord And if that you say be true I am sure your Books must be EQUAL at least with the Scriptures but what need I talk of that when Geo. himself assures me that some of their Writings or speeches were GREATER if ever the spirit of Truth spoke in any of them it is of AS GREAT Authority says he as the SCRIPTURES and CHAPTERS are and GREATER Sect. 6 And to face quite about again G. Keith told us positively That W.P. hath the Scripture as the Secondary Rule of his Faith and Practice Narrative of the Second Dispute published by the Quakers themselves p. 57. Who doth not see now that these men will say any thing Or care not what they say Mr. Pen himself at best does but say The Scripture is much like the SHADOW of the true Rule so far is it from being any either Primary or Secundary true and Substantial Rule to him but onely much like the shadow of it and a shadow is sometimes three or four times longer or shorter than the Truth and Substance and in that Respect says VV.P. it may be a KIND of a Secondary Rule Observe Reader how mincingly and Quibblingly VV.P. words it 1. In that Respect as it is much like the shadow 2. a kind of Secondary Rule a shadowy Kind but neither the true substantial or certain Rule and it all comes in with it may be suppositively now which of these two Quakers is the Quibbler Both May be one Must be But that is not all neither for worse absurdities will still follow for if that be true which G.VV. said then that which is DEATH and KILLETH is A RULE of VV. Pen's Faith and Practice and that which is Natural and carnal is A RULE of the Quakers Faith and Practice then an
of Sence except such a wilful scoffing Perverter as W.P. could not but take TRADITA to be there put down for the Readers and especially ye Quakers better Information not for the Lord Christâ—s and so I took it on my first Reading it and could honestly take it no otherwise H.H. fearing as I perceived you might or would Quarrel or discant upon the word TRADITION just before used by him in his Prayer But by this it appears the Quakers are so Prophane and far from owning the Lord JESUS the MAN that indeed dyed at Jerusalem that they wilfully make a meer Scoff at one's serious Worship and Prayer to him Where 's W. Pen's Religion and Conscience now Is it all devoured with Lightness and turned into Scorn Nay Mr. Pen is such a Pragmaticus and a wit that rather than he would lose breaking his Jest on Jeremy Ives he would adventure the bestowing on himself the Title of Mouse-hunter or Mouse-catcher and in time if he continues as he hath begun it is hoped he may as well arrive to the Degree of a Rat-catcher amongst the Quakers P. 4. He says I term my self a scornful Fellow which is a plain and evident falsity for I did not term my self so but these were my words G.W. knows IT SEEMS it is a Scornful Fellow he hath to deal withal otherwise I thought he would not nor could have styl'd my Epistle a very scornful Pamphlet as he did Where 's this Man's Conscience now Or so much as common Honesty That cares so little what he says or writes though never so false Is this and the like the Quakers Religion Is this the Practice of one of the Vs Gods People Is this to pretend Christianity Or to talk for it at such a Rate Then many Civil Heathens may or will go beyond them SECT V. Of the Miraculous Gifts of the Spirit and of Prophecy Sect. 1. IT appears G.W. met with two such stumbling-blocks though of his own framing at the very threshold the Epistle of my Book that he dar'd hardly to enter into the Book it self onely peeps in and presently his Brother Fisher's Ghost presents it self to him and thereupon he Runs away from the rest as if he was scar'd out of his wits Without any of the Quaker's Revelation I could fore-tell my Reader how I did expect they would winch and Kick wynd and twine to Wyer-draw or draw back those two Sentences again but all will not do For as to the First he can poorly and onely give us his bare word without any Proof That those Spiritual Gifts were ONELY PECVLIAR to some in the Apostles days p. 2. I have proved the contrary by Testimonies and Records Cited in my Second Part of Quâ—k Quib. p. 53. And besides if he could do that which I conceive he will never be able to do yet his business would remain still undone For how will he be able to prove Infallibly uncontroulably Sam. Fisher's word and certainly that these Gifts of the SPIRIT viz. the Gift of Infallibility Discerning of Spirits Immediate Revelation and Prophecy or an immediate Gift of Interpretation and fore-telling things to come certainâ—y and expresly and not conjecturally onely were not PECULIAR ALSO without begging the Question to some Christians and Ministers in the Apostles times as well as the Gifts of Healing Tongues c. when besides the Gift of Infallibility is one of the matters in Question For the same Text that says Tongues shall cease and Knowledge vanish first mentions that PROPHECIES shall FAILE 1 Cor. 13.8 and that in the Plural Number Sect. 2. And whereas G. says If he could speak with the Tongues of Men and Angels that were not a sufficient evidence OF IT SELF to convince Vnbelievers I Answer That is more than he knows because he never could make Tryal It might be sufficient to convince Vnbelievers though not to Save himself But if that were any good Argument against the Gift of Tongues NOW then it is also a good Argument against the Gift of Prophecy NOW yea and against FAITH since the Apostles very next words in 1 Cor. 13.2 are of the same strain And though I have the Gift of Prophecy and all Faith and have not Charity I am nothing it profiteth ME nothing whatever it may do to others But above all G.W. shews his Folly when he had said That the Gift of Tongues and working Miracles were PECULIAR to the Apâ—stles times Yet then to talk that he cannot give away the Quakers Cause as to working Miracles in a Spiritual way Oh Senseless Man is this thy Rhetorick or Logick either Were not the Gift of Tongues and all the Miracles that the Apostles the Christians then wrought Miracles in a Spiritual way Surely thou darest not say but that they were And thus you see he is as far off as before he hath done just nothing at all to take away the dint of his own words as a strong Argument against himself But he hath here made it worse in this sheet by positively LIMITING THE HOLY ONE in those visible Gifts of his Spirit saying they were ONELY peculiar to them then Who hath given this Quaker POWER to LIMIT what Gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be PECULIAR to the Primitive Time and what are to CONTINUE and none but such and such as he says Oh Rare is not this abundantly more Arrogant than for John Perrot to Subscribe John onely Or to write Proverbs like Solomon SECT VI. Of the Manifestation of the Spirit Sect. 1. G W. p. 2. Whereas a Manifestation of the Spirit was given to every Man to profit withal Very good this makes as much for the Gift of Tongues and healing the Sick as Prophecy since they were all Manifestations of the Spirit and if the Gift of Tongues were not COMMON to all no more was the Gift of Discerning nor of Prophecy COMMON to all See 1 Cor. 12.29 And therefore that makes as much against the Continuance of BOTH as ONE And so Geo. by his own Hand is but still stâ—iking at and Destroying his own Cause Sect. 2. Besides I could wish for no fuller and fitter Text for my purpose and his confutation than this he hath Cited For if the Manifestation of the Spirit be given to every Man to Profit withal then it is a strong Argument against the Quakers that they have it not or at best have it not any more than others because there appears NO SUCH MANIFESTATION given to them MORE than others have whom yet they Condemn which will be easily further demonstrated if you do but consider this viz. That the Quakers must mean that these words of the Apostle are to be taken either Vniversally and that the manifestation of the Spirit was and is given to every one as well Women as Men to ALL Persons in the World Or Restrictively to the CHURCHES in the Primitive times and particularly that at Corinth to whom the Apostle was writing And Secondly Consider that these Manifestations
HIS FACE Why George what wouldst thou do with him I assure thee he hath a Nose in his Face as well as any Quaker hath What if the Author instead of Thâ— Thomson had subscribed M.A. could not VV.P. have joyned N. after VV. L's way of Addition and then have read it thus A MAN But since thy friends so MAGISTERIALLY commanded this poor Man the Author of that moderate Epistle to be brought forth to them 't is happy for him that thou art so ignorant for all thy boasting Revelations and that thy Light leaves thee in so much darkness of the Author that thou canst not tell when thou readest it whether it is the real Author's Name or no for if he had been brought forth at the QUAKERS MANDAMUS he could not tell what QUAKERS SPIRITUAL-COURT might have been erected for him neither could he have hoped to have faired better there than in the POPISH INQUISITION if you had but as much power But blessed be the Lord that as yet you have not It appears the Author did not only believe but now experiments to be true what he wrote viz. That he had ground to question whether your pretending to Inspiration and immediate Revelation was not only a bare pretence and self-confidence without having ANY MORE to show for it than OTHERS had Otherwise if what your great Prophet Ed. Burroughs said be true thaâ— the Spirit of Christ gives infallibâ—lity of Judgment and discerning into all cases and things and that he had believed you had had it he could then never have imagined you should at all have doubted but have been infallibly assured whether that Epistle was writ by the person that subscribed it or not But what if it happen that you are not acquainted personally with the Author are there not a thousand and a thousand that you do not personally know Is the Author or his Book ever the worse or better for that surely no. Suppose the Author be a private person and is not ambitious to seek the publick applause of Men what hast thou to say to it What if he dwells fifty or sixty Miles from London or that his occasions call him to Chester Ireland or any other remote place Must he come up to London of necessity to be gazed upon by the Quakers is this reasonable think you What does my person signifie to the merit of the Cause that 's that which they ought to mind if they were ingenuously Honest and not my person Whatsoever that may be to the reputation of an Opinion I am sure it is nothing to the TRUTH of it that such or such a Man holds it as one of the Church of England hath rationally said whom doubtless the Quakers must acknowledg to be an indifferent person and not interessed in the late disputes and therefore it seems very absurd and ridiculous in any Argument to meddle with that which nothing concerns the Question Besides no Cause stands in need of such mean and unâ—anly Artifices but such an one as is extreamly baffled yea desperate and even then are they says he the worst Arguments in the World to support it for quick-sighted men will see through the Dust they endeavour to raise and those that are duller will be apt to suspect from their being so angry and waspish that they have but a bad matter to manage I wish the men that I have now to deal with were arrived to this degree of perfection that they had so much lighâ— and rationality as even one of that Church which they have condemned as being in the dark to their shame doth see and declare But to return at last it seems George hath hit on 't when he tells you What-ever he be he writes like a confident Controuler of W.P. and the Quakers and would seem to be some body pag. 6th Well said George a thousand to one else but that he was some body except he was all Spirit and no Body which I am apt to think George himself is no tas much as he pretends to the Spirit I But he writes like a Confident Controuler of W.P. and the Quakers And why is VV.P. such a Gent. that he may not be upon any Terms controuled Or the Quakers such ingrossers of confidence that none may use it but themselves What 's VV.P. a Pope or a Prince that he must not be controuled Oh! daring some Body that presumes so much What controul VV.P. what controul the Quakers And which is worst yet I find Geoâ—ge is a little angry for want of other matter that some of the Anabaptists have commended it for an ingenuous piece How Is that possible to be ingenuous and yet controul VV.P. how can any Quaker admit of that But says George another of the most material things he hath to find fault withal his Complement of SIR and THOU SIR and THOU as also Mountebank Fool c. with much more such Language to VV.P. looks but oddly a strange way of Complementing says G. from such a Person as would be thought a Moderator Now Reader whether this be even or odd I have not reckoned up but I think it was very oddly done of G.VV. to express himself no evener for here the Man is pleased to find fault wiâ—h the word THOU as well as thou Sir When surely he forgets that one of his great Prophets G.F. and others thought the Quakers such Shuttle-Cocks as that they had need of so large a a Battledoor for to learn them HOW MAN THOU'D GOD and GOD THOU'D MAN Oh pure Language Is not this Spiritual-Doctrine think you Such as the Quakers are likely to be sent with and Commissioned from Heaven about And yet now are these Quakers so faced about that one may not thou VV.P. without being worthy of Reproof whether this be folly or Pride I leave others to enquire But says G. VV. a strange way of Complementing viz. Sir and thou Sir c. well well G. gives us hopes then that he will set up a new and better way of Complementing For here he doth not deny Complements or the way of complementing only gives you to understand that mine is a strange way and looks but oddly but yet if G. had not forgot himself it 's neither so odd nor strange but that the Apostles used it Acts 14.14 and 15. Now what wilt thou say that Paul and Barnabas used a strange way of Complementing here If so when thou set's up School and I find I have need to learn I 'le come to thee in the mean time I hope thou wilt hold me excused Yet I charge thee to Answer if thou canst whether the word SIR is a Complement if the Apostles did not use it See Joh. 20.15 But see how these Men can when they please strain at Gnats and swallow Camels To say Sir is dangerous but to call a Man Sott and blind Beast is with them Religious and pure Language As for the Word Mountebank I did not say VV.P. was one but I said
Arguments I heard that day from him and my confessing that St. Paul saith Though I speak with the Tongues of Men and Angels and have not Charity I am become as sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal Reply If there be any contradiction here it must be in G. W's Brain and not in my Words For I do still say That the Gift of Tongues immediately inspired into those of the True Church upon their becoming Christians which was the Gift I spake of p. 7. in express words without acquiring it by Study was a certain Proof of Christianity yea and I do now say so discriminating that I do not know that ever we find in the whole Scripture any others but only Christians that were indued with that Gift by immediate Power and Inspiration of the Holy Spirit And accordingly the Apostle Peter took it for a sufficient and undeniable sign of their Belief and Christianity who had received this Gift upon his Preaching Christ Jesus to them and thereupon commanded them to be Baptized Acts 10.44 c. They which Believed were astonished as many as came with PETER because that on the GENTILES ALSO was poured out the GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST for they heard them SPEAK WITH TONGUES Then Answered Peter CAN ANY MAN FORBID WATER That these should not be Baptized which have received the HOLY GHOST AS WELL AS WE And he commanded them to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord. And do thou G. deny it against this plain Testimony of Scripture or make the Apostle Paul to Contradict the Apostle Peter here if thy Conscience can serve thee Therefore G. thou art so far from proving this a Contradiction that thou hast committed a great mistake in saying That the GIFT of Tongues is not a certain proof of Christianity wherefore consider what thou hast it's possible only rashly and hastily asserted and be not ashamed to confess thy Error But on the other hand though I owned SUCH A GIFT as before mentioned p. 7. of my Epistle would be a good Proof to me of W. P's Christianity Yet I do not nor never did own that Men speaking never so MANY nor so EXCELLENT Tongues by ACQUISITION AND STUDY much less that any of W. P's Plausible Orations or fine Harangues was a certain Proof of Christianity no nor any Proof at all and those were the fine words without Charity I spake of p. 9. and where 's then the Contradiction Surely in G. his own Fancy This being natural mediate and acquired by Study but the other Spiritual and a Gift immediate from God at an Instant And although it is not to be doubted but that the Apostle Paul had learned to speak lâ—ke an Orator and more Tongues than one by Study before his becoming a Christian he being brought up a Scholar yet suppose it be granted that he speaks 1 Cor. 13.1 of the Gift of Tongues he had immediately he doth not say any such thing as that it is no certain proof of Christianity to OTHERS nay so far from it that in Chap. 14. v. 22. he asserts Tongues are for a sign to them that Believe not that is chiefly to them and in the Quakers sence such are we who do not believe them But that Charity which he speaks of is a Proof of his or a mans SINCERITY BEFORE GOD that he did make use and imploy those GIFTS really in LOVE TO GOD AND HIS CHURCH for the Planting and edifying of it and not to any by and base ends which if he should it would profit him nothing v. 3. it would signifie nothing to his own Salvation though possibly it might to others much like to this you have it expressed again by the Apostle in Chap. 9. v. 27. But I keep under my Body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have PREACHED to OTHERS I MY SELF should be a CAST AWAY So that TONGUES IMMEDIATELY inspired by the Holy Spirit are a SIGN and PROOF to others of Christianity wherever that Gift was or is found and CHARITY is a SIGN and PROOF of a man's sincerity before God and of his SINCERE LOVE TO GOD AND HIS BRETHREN in his Exercise of that GIFT OF TONGUES and other miraculous Gâ—fts which God hath given him for the planting and edifying of his Church But what 's all this to W.P. who alas is so far from having THAT CHARITY and SINCERITY in the Vse and Exercise of those spiritual Gifts of Tongues and Miracles for the love and benefit of the Church that HE hath NONE OF THOSE GIFTS TO USE OR EXERCISE AT ALL And where 's now the contradiction therefore I must note this for G. W's second Quibble The Apostles were to stay at Jerusalem till they were endued with power from on high viz. with thaâ— Spirit whereby they were enabled to speak with Tongues being to Preach the Gospel to all Nations and not only to those that understood only the vulgar Tongue of the Jewes But W.P. or several of the Quakers Prophets have been sent to Preach the Gospel as they pretend to Peoples and Countrys that did not understand their Language particularly G. Fox to America where he as I have heard sent for at once an Emperor and two Kings to Preach to the Indians in English which they understood noâ— Thus have these Prophets rendered themselves more Barbarous than those Barbarians to whom they Preached Had not men the Light within them in the Apostles time as much as now If the Light within is now a sufficient evidence of the Truth of the Gospel why not then also why should the Apostles Peter and Paul have need of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost then and the Apostles George and William in these days have no need of them at all 3. He charges this as a self-contradiction For saying thou madest thy self the Author of a Lye and shewedst thy self not only a Fool but unjust and yet that I hint for W.P. to say It is a Lye is neither Answer nor Argument and therefore in Love I should advise him to leave off such Billinsgate Rhetorick Reply Oh excellent Artist He leaves out part of my words and then tells me I have contradicted my self For these words TO EXPRESS IT IN THY OWN LANGUAGE he deceitfully leaves out which I did in my very writing the Epistle think of and put in on purpose to prevent any such mistake for thereby I gave W.P. plainly to understand that it was his Language and none of mine I did express it in his Language and not my own that so he might be the more sensible of it Now George call to mind thy own words p. 68. But if you take this kind of unfair Curtailing which destroys the sence is this your Care and Justice would you be thus served both to wrong me and abuse the World or your Reader And see how out of thine own mouth thou hast Condemned thy self both as a partial and self-contradictory Pen. In his 3d. Sect.
which neither they nor others can give before you can be tryed by that because that is the question whether you have the SPIRIT and the POWER OF GOD or no MORE than others 7. And then let me tell George That if he could Demonstrate it this way it would not be nay it could not be any Imposing upon me if G.W. did visibly Evidence and demonstrate to me by Power and mighty Deeds that he had indeed that Power and Spirit that he says he hath Therefore thou talkest deceitfully as if that would be an Imposing But now yours is imposing when you condemn Men for not-believing that you have immediate Revelations or in that you assert and would have us believe you are MORE inspired than other Men or other Societies and Bodies of Christians And you tell us you have the Spirit and are in the Truth MORE than others whom you Condemn as false and yet you produce NOTHING except YOUR BARE SAY-SO MORE than others who SAY SO of themselves as you do of your selves Now here 's the IMPOSING you pretend you are Infallible and yet produce no more or other effects of your Infallibility than other Men can or do Nay on the contrary the same effects of Fallibility are evident among you as among others and yet if any deny it in you you Censure and Curse them for not believing you and this is your way of Imposing And you Quakers say you are immediately sent of God and commissioned from God to deliver such or such a Message or Curse and that this and that is given forth by the Holy Ghost in you or from the Spirit and yet you shew no more certainty to prove to us and for us infallibly to build our Faith on that you are so sent and SO Commissioned from God than Muggleton does or other Churches which yet your selves say ARE NOT SENT OF GOD nor Commissioned by him Now here 's imposing upon Mens beliefs and this I say you are guilty of yea and most eminently guilty of next to Muggleton or the Pope of any Person or People I know and this is the thing George thou shouldst have Answered if thou hadst Answered me to the purpose and main bent of my Epistle to W.P. But this thou pittifully evadest and slâ—ly wouldst slide from But now since you pretend to such high things if you had the visible Spiritual Gifts that were amongst the true Primitive Churches and Apostles to evidence and demonstrate the Truth of what now you ONLY SAY and pretend I should never nor I suppose any Man in his wits call or esteem it any imposing on my Faith But the other is so indeed as I have shew'd you and therefore G. I would take thee by the hand and lead thee back again praying thee not to shuffâ—e and Cut also but Answer this and not that which I never desired of thee nor W.P. That 's the very thing I found fault with you before viz. That you would Answer to that which was not askt you instead of returning Answer to that which was and yet still thus thou servest me but it will not do For my design is that I may know you better what Real Power Evidence and Authority you have BEYOND others that so I may have a good Foundation for my Faith and give Credit to it and you Or that for want of it you may be brought to a better fight of your selves and see your nakedness and Poverty though you say as the Church of Laodicâ—a that you are rich and so may learn to be humble and not Censure others except you can better evidence your own 9. And yet why wilt thou say you have not imposed thus your Faith on others Was not and hath not your Language been such as this viz. It 's true that Timothy Titus and others WHO HAD GIFTS IN THEM for the Ministry were approved by Paul and others of the Primitive Elders for the work but this is no Proof that these opposers Ministers are either so gifted or approved G.W. Enthusiasm above Atheism p. 5. And so say I neither is it any Proof that the QUAKERS MINISTERS are SO GIFTED or APPROVED and the Words before-cited of G.F. before thy own Book Have you the SAME POWER and SPIRIT that gavâ— forth the Scriptures G.W. Wilt thou believe thy own words Then see thy Answer to Mr. Richard Baxters two sheets for the Ministry p. 16. We never understood that they that set up these Priestâ— were called as Peter or Paul or the Elders who had Power to lay on the hands that the HOLY GHOST FELL ON THE PARTY ON WHOM THEY LAID ON THEâ—R HANDS and shew me any ONE of thy MINISTERS CALLED SO George G. F. To all People in all Câ—ristendom says thus p. 2. All Sects have the words of the Apostles but out of the Power and Life A Paper sent forth into the World from the Quakers p. 5. We are against the Pastors that NOW STEAL the words of the Prophets of Christ and his Apostles W.P. Reason against Railing p. 115. Many may run into the Practice of several outward things mentioned in the Scriptures to have been the practice of Saints in former Ages and yet not be led into the Truth for all that is but will-worship Imitation and unwarrantable And all this I may say against you which you have said against others and if they were good then why not still For you have but the Names and Images of things you have got the words used in Scripture the Power and the Spirit the Gifts of the Spirit the Demonstration of the Spirit and Power But alas where is the thing it self viz. the visible Power and Gifts of the Spirit the Demonstration of the Spirit that the true Apostles had and the Scripture speaks of To this George can poorly say what if God will not bestow such Gifts now why then George I say thou hast them not only hast stolen the words out of the Scriptures thou hast got the Name the Image and words as thou sayest the Baptists and others have done but alas art as barren of the Gifts themselves as they are only art got into a Form but denyest the True power of God and Demonstration of the Spirit in Signs and mighty Deeds 10. Pa. 33. G.W. hath this further to say That he doubts not but where the Spirit of God lives and Rules it will manifest it self by its Fruits for it is self-evidencing and that they have a record in Heaven and also in many Consciences of the blessed Power of God with them and in them Reply And cannot the Baptists say all this nay and do not they many times They can say thâ—y have a Record in Heaven and in many Consciences also who believe them and pray tell me G. how thou wilt get up to Heaven to search the Record there and disprove them Did one ever hear such silly stuff as this man writes did he indeed think to shufflle it off with such
ridiculous words as these I could tell the Quakers that some of them have a Record somewhere else be-besides the Court of Heaven viz. in the Court of Chancery for Swearing or Oaths I told W.P. That if his Church be the True and the Baptists Church false rightly to convince others thereof upon good and infallible grounds he must pretend to and produce some such discriminating Evidence or Sign for Proof thereof which the Baptists nor no false Church could in like manner produce as he doth I pray'd W.P. to shew wherein the POWER of GOD or the SPIRIT DEMONSTRATED it self MORE in the Quakers than the Baptists or a false Church And that he must do say something for his Church if he would say any thing to purpose which they could not do and say for theirs as an Evidence or Demonstration thereof and that this was NO MORE than what the true Primitive Church had and could and did on all necessary occasions visibly produce and Demonstrate Now what does the Quibbler Answer to all this he says nothing but what the Baptists can or do say that they have a Record in Heaven and in many Consciences also and that they doubt not but where the Spirit of God Lives and Rules it will manifest it self for it is self-Evidencing Then by that Rule the Quakers should not have the Spirit of God at best no more than others have because it does not manifest it self in them more than in others 11. P. 33. says G.W. This seems to be a hard task and I believe so indeed and too hard for all the Quakers though I was so reasonable as to demand but one such Testimony or Gift in all their Churches and they never read of any Christian-Church in Holy Scripture that had not some and many such Gifts Yet G. undertakes to say that it is no difficult matter for W.P. and many more to produce or demonstrate some such effects of that living Testimony presence and power of God among us as no false Church CAN PRODUCE although herein neither W.P. nor any of us will ADMIT OF PREJUDICED and ENVIOUS SPIRITS to be our JUDGES or WITNESSES in thâ—se matters Reply Bravely said George if it were as well done but for all thy boasting that not only W.P. but many more among you could yet the poor Man does not dare produce or so much as name one of them is not this excellent What must all Men believe it because thou saiest it Is IPSE DIXIT come to Town and the Quakers bare word all the Evidence they have or can produce Now it would have been a great piece of this Quakers-plainness if he had produced one or two of those effects only which he boasts he 〈◊〉 and no Church which he Condemns for false can produce I charge him to do it if he will not prove himself a MEER PRETENDER and VAIN-BOASTER speaking high swelling words like them in Jude But this Man is very timerous I I perceive he would do it with Caution enough though so silly that he makes himself Ridiculous by it 1. Where did the Apostles or the Churches ever make such a Proviso in their producing the Testimony and Power of God Did they not do it before all and in the presence of Envious and malicious Spirits as well as others and left them to judg as it had operation upon them And 2. May not the Baptists say so and make this Proviso as well as you that they will not admit of prejudiced and envious Spirits to be their Judges or Witnesses in these matters and then no doubt they will be able to produce as many such effects as the Quakers Oh silly and absurd But 3. well G. produce those effects and that Power thou talkest of in W.P. however and I am contented with thee for this time that you shall not admit of Envious or Prejudiced Spirits to Judg of it but produce it that others may behold it though not Judg of it or wilt thou say that there 's not one person in all England except Quakers but what are Envious and Prejudiced Spirits Poor Evasion 12. As for them which thou sayst in whose Consciences there is a Record many of which were gathered out from Baptists and other Churches They say such are but Apostates from their Church and some such you have had in your Church which you call Apostates when they leave you and go to other Churches so that all this is nothing for proof of the thing nay several of your grand Prophets so once esteemed among some of you for true Prophets of the Lord did and have left you Witness CHARLES BAYLY JOHN PARROT c. and the Baptists have gathered amongst them several out of other Churches as well as you and what then The Baptists may tell you that if the Quakers see no such thing amongst them as the Blessed Operation and effect of the Power and Ministry of Christ Jesus That is because the Quakers have not honestly made Tryal bâ—t stood in Prejudice and gainsaying as many did against Christ the Apostles and Primitive Church of old and what can the Quakers say to it ONLY DENY IT and so may the Baptists Besides the Baptist Churches have this to say for themselves which you have not being you have denied and disowned it viz. They own the Holy Scriptures for the Rule of their Faith and Practice and pretend to no such extraordinary immediate Inspirations and Revelations as you do 13. But above all you ought not you cannot in good Conscience complain against others for Questioning whether you are Christians you having first not only Questioned others but pronounced them all both Ministers and People and Professors also unchristian See G.F. Professors Catechism his very first words are come you UNCHRISTIANS let us talk with you c. Therefore look at home and rebuke your selves first for this 14. And whereas G.W. p. 34. says That a foolish and Adulterous Generation seek a Sign 'T is true our Saviour did so upbraid the Jews and might very well they having had Sign upon Sign Miracle upon Miracle wrought by our SAVIOUR amongst them and such mighty Deeds almost innumerable wrought before them and yet to cry out for more when they saw so many from him was foolish but what is this to the Quakers who have not wrought one true Miracle nor produced so much as ONE such Sign notwithstanding all their Pretences among us that ever I heard of must we therefore be a foolish Generation that ask a Sign of them to prove such their pretences No surely it follows not I am certain from that Text and yet notwithstanding that the Jews were such an Adulterous Generation and had had so many Miracles wrought among them yet Jesus Christ said they should have one Sign more and that was doubtless the greatest Miracle and Sign of all By this Text then if the Quakers will stick close to it they may lawfully give this Adulterous Generation one Sign
hardned Judg and let all intelligent Readers Judg. This is then the thing that I did and do still demand of thee Why shouldst thou or thy Friends be believed more than Muggleton or an Impostor that thou speakest immediately from the spirit of God and that thou hast a Commission from Heaven and he not What canst or dost thou produce say or pretend to more than Muggleton does whom yet your selves say is AN Impostor and a Deceiver 6. Instead of that G.W. p. 36. weakly tells me that some of the Baptists have denied the Father and Son to be two distinct Persons and then cites Hicks Dialogue p. 9. What 's this in Answer to my Epistle And yet for ought I understand he hath falsly accused Mr. Hicks therein for on the Contrary he doth expresly own the Father and Son to be two distinct Persons and then G. would basely come off by saying wherein they Imply the Father and Son to be one Person without us whereas I do not find one such word in all T. H.'s Dialogues and I dare say the thought never entred into his heart but what falshood will not this Man use Not regarding either his own Honour or Reputation nor that of his Religion which yet he pretends to whilst he defends it by such base means To accuse a Man positively and then when he comes to prove it he doth but barely say it is implied when indeed it is not implied and I know not why my Testimony should not be as good as G. W's 7. G.W. p. 36. What if Quakers pretend to these viz. that they have received a Commission from Heaven that they had it by Divine Revelation that they are inspired by the Spirit of God that they are infallible Says he the Apostles and true Church did not only pretend to but experience the same does it therefore follow that they must be compared with the Muggletonians and be deemed Impostors Reply That ever any Man in his wits should make himself so Ridiculous in Print as G.W. here does For 1. Because the Apostles and true Church did pretend to these things and did EXPERIENCE the SAME and could visibly demonstrate them and so were no Impostors nor like Muggleton Must thâ—refore the Quakers and Muggleton who pretend to these things but do not experience the same nor can visibly demonstrate them as the true Apostles did be no Impostors on the contrary it directly follows that the Quakers and Muggleton pretending to these things and not experiencing the same nor visibly Demonstrating them as the true Apostles did are Impostors and get off of it if you can 2. Cannot Muggleton also say what if he as led by the Spirit of Truth pretend to these things the Apostles and true Church did not only pretend to but experienced the same does it therefore follow that he must be compared with and deemed an Impostor What Answer wouldst thou make to Muggleton Take the same to thy self and thou wilt be Answered 8. And thus hast thou made thy self Ridiculous and thy deceit and Hypocrisie apparent to others and therefore George since thou hast undertaken for thy Brother Penn to Answer my Epistle I will not let thee go free so no no I cannot be satisfied with thy shuffles and such poor Shifts I intend now not to leave thee till thou hast indeed Answered to the MATTER in Dispute or made thy own Folly and vain-boasting manifest to all Men of sound understanding still asserting That it is a strange piece of Confidence for you to censure and condemn others or to claim Credence from People if you cannot produce something considerable BEYOND such as your selves own to be a GRAND IMPOSTOR and a DECEIVER And I do still demand of you What can or do you produce say and pretend to more than Muggleton does Or why shouldst thou in particular G.W. be believed MORE than Muggleton or an Impostor in thy Pretences of having Received an Immediate Commission and Ministry from Heaven Infallibility and immediate Inspirations from the Spirit of God to go forth as an Apostle or a Prophet And this lies at thy door still notwithstanding all thy pittiful Evasions and deceitful equivocations And this is sufficient for thy fourth Section SECT V. In Reply to his fifth Section about SABELLIUS and the Agreement of the Quakers Doctrine with his touching the three Persons G.W. P. 41. Tells me that because I did not lay down particularly what those old exploded Fancies of Sabellius were I am smiting at them in the dark Reply Is not this indeed Ingenious I writ my Epistle to W.P. who is generally known to be a Scholar and a Man of Learning and could not well be thought so Ignorant or of so little Reading as not to know who Sabellius was and what his Opinions which were exploded therefore it was altogether needless for me to lay down what I concluded he knew as well as my self But now a Man who is unlearned or no good Scholar comes in his Ignorance and undertakes to Scribble me an Answer and for want of so much Light and Learning in himself accuses me of smiting at them in the Dark 2. To Inform this Man and enlighten his dark mind in this particular I understand that Sabellius was one who denied there was a Trinity of Persons he denied there were three persons saying all three were one Epip haerâ—s 62. Aug. lib. haer as the Quakers now do And so confound the Father Son and Holy Ghost and impiously imagined three Names in one thing and in one Person therefore not without Cause we forbid them the Church c. Soc. Schol. lib. 2. These and the like were the Exploded Fancies that were long since revealed by SABELLIUS without rather than by the Light within and such-like are now the Quakers Fancies which they pretend are revealed to them by the Light within notwithstanding all their plausible Quibbles and equivocating pretences sometimes to the contrary as is manifested in this foregoing Discourse 3. G.W. p. 42 43. instead of answering my Epistle tells me that some of the Baptists have denied the Divinity of Christ Reply Quid hoc ad rem I never requested that of him or W.P. I matter no more what some of the Baptists hold than what some of the Quakers do hold But it seems G. found it much easier for him to set down what Doctrines some of the Baptists have held than to prove and make good such Doctrines as himself holds If he hath any thing to say to the Baptists it is likely enough they may be able to Answer for themselves as well as he can for himself if not better because they own the Holy Scriptures to be their Rule and not their own Spirit or Fancy within But if not what 's all this to me I am no Baptists and so I told W.P. before Therefore this is no better than a Quibbling Evasion in lieu of an Answer 4. G. W p. 44. seemeth to like the Close of my
CONFIDENCE of the Leading Quakers of the Foxonian Tribe audacious Attempts in such Evasive Replies to their Opponents daubed over to beguile the simple-hearted or deceived Quakers with seeming Vindications when their dreadful accusing Consciences if not absolutely seared at the same time cannot but tell them how greatly the sincerer sort of Quakers have been burthenâ—d yea grievously afflicted these many years under the sence of Guilt that rests on those called the BODY I may say even to the highest Degree of Perplexity witness J.P. W.M. J.O. W.G. T.M. M.S. T.F. J.F. M.P. A.M. with many more and although some of them may have trâ—ckled under the TYRANNICAL power of this BODY so called i. e. their Church though it be indeed Principally but of G. Foxes Building yet their Consciences cannot but bear Witness to what I have said in this Respect Here 's all that can be said in favour of such wicked Practices that it seems they must by Decree to uphold their Cause as long as they can set SOMETHING forth in Print as an Answer or that bears the Title of an Answer to all that comes out against them 6. It must be a very strong and notorious Delusion these Leading-Quakers are under if they do not see themselves manifestly Guilty of Abominable Equivocations and Quibbling in the greatest matters of Faith and Religion controverted between them and others Insomuch that notwithstanding their now loud pretences of professing Christ according to the Holy Scriptures so long as they do not nor will disclaim their Forâ—er Professions to the Contrary and their former abuses put upon the Scriptures and notwithstanding their loud Clamors against the Socinians as denying the Divinity of Christ yet themselves must know that they deny CHRIST to be either God or Man in the sence that Christians acknowledg him to be so see Contest for Christianity p. 115 116 117. and Controv. ended p. 44. to 54. And consequently they Introduce into the profession of Religion and the Scriptures such Equivocations and ambiguous Quibbling as Renders the most Religious Confessions Profound Deceits and the Words of God Recorded in Scripture no better than a Nose of Wax most dangerous and false 7. There are five or six little Books that do very ingeniously and fully set forth and give an accompt of the Deceit Impostures intolerable Pride Hypocrisy and Tyranny with the Popish Principles and vile Practices of some of your Leaders and Ministers of the Foxonian party chiefly in Matters of Fact which are visible to the Eyes and subject to the Senses of Men viz. The Spirit of the Quakers tryed Controversy ended The Spirit of the Hat Tyranny and Hypocrisy detected Questions for the Quakers to which may be added The Quakers Spiritual-Court The which or some of them at least I should advise all Persons Judiciously to peruse that would be inforâ—ed concerning them For notwithstanding that the Quakers have Printed something that bears the Name of Answers I do seriously think and hereby advertise them that those Books are IN EFFECT as much un-answered as if they had not writ twenty lines about it for indeed what these Quakers have writ in Reply is but ABOUT it not TO it They beat about the Bush and that 's all they make the greatest noise like the Lapwing when indeed they are farthest off What shall I say to your poor pittiful slight shifting evasive and equivocating Replies to these Books What shall I say to that heavy Charge of TYRANNY and HYPOCRISY exhibited against you in the Book bearing that Title What shall I say to that equal just and fair Proffer made to you therein and your not-accepting of it p. 49. and Title-Page 'T is offered over and over again to the Quakers To refer the Judgment of matters of Fact to the verdict of twelve impartial and honest men EQUALLY to be chosen and that in case the Quakers the others should not agree in the choice of the Persons it was proposed that the Vmpirage should be referred to the LORD-MAJOR of London or any Alderman on the Bench or to any one of twenty Common Council-men and if the Quakers would put it to this just honest and fair Issue that they should signifie it in writing and leave it with Francis Smith Bookseller dwelling in Cornhil and they should find their Accusers ready to comply therewith Now why dare and do you not thus adventure the Tryal of it And why will W.P. notwithstanding Cry out for Proof and exclaim that you are horribly belied and slandered and that they are all Lies Slanders and Forgeries and this is the chiefest part of your Answers If they are so indeed or ye Quakers so innocent therein as you would pretend nothing could possibly more honour and advantage the Quakers and their Cause here as clearly to Evince it and have this Judged for them by honest and impartial Men on both sides and it being only matter of Fact such men are capable to judg of it for shame then W.P. and ye Quakers do not any more cry out Gross Lies Slanders and Forgeries till you have agreed to this fair propose and have had the matters indifferently heard as so long profferred you and it be proved so what will ye thus decline the Proof and Tryal and yet exclaim as wronged oh unreasonable 8. What shall I say What can be said to such Men What can be expected from them Or who that is not infatuated can believe them or approve of their Confidence whereby they make themselves ridiculous and manifest to the world that some of them have neither tender Consciences nor shame in them to stand in things with such perverseness of Spirit not to say Impudence against not only Common Sense and REASON But OCULAR DEMONSTRATION saying any thing Backwards or Forwards as they please and that without Blushing I will name but three Instances now 1. Witness those many Texts of Scripture perverted â—ltered changed and corrupted by G. Fox when he charges others with falshood corrupting and perverting the Scriptures for doing the like or less as is set forth in several particulars in the Spirit of the Quakers tryed where in some places G. Fox puts THEM for HIM Col. 3.10 Conscience for Thoughts Rom. 2.15 he puts Christ's Belly for the Believers Belly John 7.38 puts another person into the Text John 10.29 Leaves out the SPIRIT in 1 Cor. 2.10 puts IT for WE in 2 Cor. 2.16 IS for WAS in 2 Cor. 5.19 Leaves out the word WILFULLY in Heb. 10.26 puts speaking for Prophecying 1 Cor. 14.31 c. Now as that Author says well any one that can but Read and understand English and knows that A is not B or HIM is not THEM or that IT is not nor can be WE may know that G. Fox hath committed Falshoods altered changed and corrupted several Scriptures and yet Mr. Penn hath undertaken to vindicate him in these matters though against his own other Mens Eyes and yet if you will credit W. Penn
that in such low and external things too as in giving the Hand pulling off the Hat and coming to Quakers Meetings Sect. 4. Is not the Hat and the Hand SEEN Is it not a strange thing that giving the Hand and pulling off the Hat should be Ordinances to CONTINVE in the True Church but not Water-Baptism and Material Bread and Wine in the Lords Supper Note Readers I pray you Weigh this seriously and what their Reasons can be Remembring G. Fox's words at the beginning of this Section Consider well whither it is these Quakers are a Running laying such a Necessity on such a Ceremonial and external thing as giving the Hand do they not in this of the Hand exceed the Church of Rome in her impositions I have Transcribed the more of this that you may see how far the Quakers themselves are now come to own Forms and disown the Spirit in particular Persons and are already got to the Spirit IN the Body yea and OF the Body of Friends that is the Spirit in and of their Church Like as the Pope and Church of Rome and thus you may understand how the Quakers are and have been Divided amongst themselves one pretending the Spirit and others pretending the Spirit one against another and that which one calls the Spirit of Christ the other Quaker calls the Spirit of Antichrist and that which one calls Light the other says is Darkness and if they will continue running round and groping up and down in that Darkness notwithstanding this Faithful Admonition so let them SECT IV. The Quakers Quibbles about Flesh being Silent Sect. 1. IT is as generally known that this was at first the Quakers Doctrine and they used to cry out to others Cease from Man let all Flesh be silent and so would stop the Mouths of other Men and Teachers and draw People away from hearing of others Sect. 2. But now when other Quakers tell them so then hear how they wheel about again P. Livingstone Idem p. 14.15 You that cry let all Flesh be silent and yet not silent in your selves you but mock God and belie him he hath not bid you cry so For it is seen in the eternal Light that such would have the Truth silenc'd and its Children And the Prophet said Cease from Man but HE taught or the LIFE in and by him taught but all teaching that comes not from the LIFE are Mâ—n's teachings that is the Flesh to be silenced But such as be taught of the Lord and sent of him to Publish his Truth this is not to be denyed nor is denyed by them that know its teachings in themselves c. Oh Excellent Quibbling but pitiful begging of the Question for they still take that for granted which never was nor can be granted them That that onely in them is the Life and the Lords teaching which they call so MORE than that in others who oppose them Sest 3. Thus you see one while they would have us cease from Man another while to go round we must not cease from Man nor the Light and Life in the Man another while to face about again and meet in the middle we must cease from the Man but not from the Light in the Man and one while the pretended Light in the Man is Light and at other times 't is Darkness and all this as they the Men or the Life in them fancy and please when they please how they please or what they please One while all Flesh and Man is to be silent but another time to dance the Rounds the Prophet who was a Man and Flesh Taught or the Life in and by him Taught one or the other or both or he knows not whether Oh! the profound Riddles and Quibbles of these Quakers Sect. 4. For that 's a great Mystery and a Riddle that deserves unriddling upon all Occasions that when a Quaker says I say this or I write this or I Act this or I thought good or I thought meet as G.W. said to write an Answer to the Quakers Quibbles whether he means the Man George or the Light within or both or neither And pray George be so favourable to thy Countrey-men and me as to let us know when it is the Light in thee or the Flesh that speaks or writes when thou or any for thee writes again SECT V. The Quakers Quibbles about the Anoyntting Sect. 1. THat the Quakers one while did most frequently cry out the Anoynting which they had Received abideth in them and they need not that any Man teach them but as the same Anoynting teaches them all things c. I think themselves should not have Confidence though they have abundantly too much to deny and that their Doctrine was at first This is the New Covenant I will put my Laws into their Minds and Write them in their Hearts and they shall not teach every Man his Neighbour and every Man his Brother c. G. Fox Testimony of the True Light p. 37. Sect. 2. But now when others among themselves have Objected this very thing against them then hear the Quibble P. Livingstone p. 15. Here indeed is a subtle Bait of the Enemy to stop Truths Testimony through them that are called to bear it and to Publish it to the Nations And ye need that no Man Teach you but as the same Anoynting Teacheth you â—â— all things say they But why did HE Teach both by writing and speaking who spake or wrâ—t these words Or rather was it not the Anoynting in him that wrote unto them That they needed not the Teaching of Man who was meerly Man and was not come to the Anoynting in themselves but this forbids not the Anoynting to Edifie the Church as it doth move through either Son or Daughter and this is not Man's Teaching but this is the Anoynting which is Truth Sect. 3. Excellent still the Old begging of the Question and Quibbling it is when they please not the Man but the Anoynting in the Man that writes and Teaches and when they Pope-like please it is not the Anoynting in the Man but the Man that Teaches or Writes But how came this Foxonian Quaker to have this Popedome and Infallibility of Judgment MORE than these other Quakers Who gave it him hath he not arrogantly assumed it to himself most certainly No Quaker can justly blame me if I require satisfaction of them in this particular or for asking them to shew them how they run round in a Circle about the Voyce of God the Word or Anoynting and Light within them one of their own Teachers and Learned Men having not thought it uncivil nor abusive to ask and publish the like concerning the SACRED SCRIPTVRES except they will be so hardy as to say now what or to the like purpose some of them heretofore have not much stuck at That the Voyce of God and the Light IN THEMSELVES is better higher and more certain and infallible than the Voyce of God and Light in the HOLY
SCRIPTVRES and is not to be Questioned by others though the Holy Scriptures may be Questioned by the Quakers or Papists you will find it in Sam. Fishers Addit Appendix p. 21. an Eminent approved Quaker whence I take it mutatis mutandis viz. Tell us then how may it be known assuredly uncontroulably infallibly that the Scriptures says Fisher but say I that that which the Quakers call the Word Anointing Voyce of the Lord WITHIN THEM is at all of GOD and not a cunning devised FABLE or their own Invention and Phantasie If they tell us by the Testimony of the Spirit WITHIN which say they is onely All-sufficient to that purpose and they have the Witness in themselves the Spirit bearing Witness with their Spirits Then we ask them But by what shall we Try and find assuredly and infallibly that that Testimony and Spirit is of GOD and not a false one that tells us that the Scripture is of God boldly says Fisher but say I that that Light Word anoynting or Voyce WITHIN is of GOD Sect. 4. I request and desire Geo. Whitehead Wâ— Pen either or both or any Quaker in England to give a Visible manifestation or a Direct and demonstrative Answer to this without going round in a Circle or basely begging the Question If not for shame let them be silent and Learn to be humble and not arrogantly Contradict and Condemn OTHERS if they cannot say and evidently produce MORE for themselves in their Pretensions and Motions than OTHERS do or can that make no such pretensions For it is not enough to say that John Witnessed the Anoynting or the Church then enjoyed it or the Apostles had it for that John and the Apostles and Churches then had such an Vnction as impowered them with many and several Excellent SPIRITVAL Gifts as the Gifts of Healing the Gift of Tongues the Gift of Prophecy by Imposition of Hands of the Presbytery c. which they have not now for all their High pretences nor never had that I have heard and besides to say that John and the Saints and Churches of Old witnessed it does no more prove that the Quakers now have it than that the Baptists or some other Churches which they disown now have it This then is so far from a Proof that it is but a silly Quibble Sect. 5. But the Anoynting that the Lord JESVS and the True Apostles had was with â—he Holy Ghost indeed and with Power and not the Word or Name onely of it which is all that yet appears the Quakers have enabling them to go about doing good and HEALING ALL that were oppressed of the Devil and curing their BODILY Distempers Acts 10.38 How God Annoynted JESVS of NAZARETH with the Holy Ghost and with Power who went â—â—out doing good HEALING all that were Oppressed of the Devil for God was with him and WE are Winesses c. But the Quakers and the Christ within them doe onely for ought yet appears to others go about with words and talking but demonstrate no more Power than the Papists when they Convince and bring over some Persons to them by their Words and Doctrine as sometimes the Jesuites and sometimes the Quakers both do according to the Ignorance or weak Brains or the private Ends and Interest that the Persons they meet withal may happen to have Simplicibus facilè Imponitur SECT VI. The Quakers Quibbles about the Spirit Sect. 1. THat no Persons in England have talked more of the Spirit and pretended more to the Spirit nor cryed out the Spirit the Spirit so much as the Quakers did at first I suppose none that knew them will or can deny and that they blamed others for calling it a private Spirit or whining Spirit and for saying that it lead them into private places and to creep into Houses Sect. 2. And yet behold the very same Accusation have some of the Quakers took up now against others of them See P. Livingstone Idem p. 19. Now you that are led by that private Spirit though you pretend it to be Vniversal you draw into secret places for you absent the Meetings of Gods People Mark says he here is a deceitful whining Spirit that would be counted a Sufferer and would be counted Innocent and meek but this is truly seen not to be the Spirit of Sion's Children And what was all this for think you but because one that was of the Quakers writ thus Tell the Daughter of Zion behold thy King cometh unto thee meek and sitting upon an Ass though it be smitten on all hands yet it bears it all and suffers it although it be smitten in the House of its Friends yet grudgeth not nor repineth And this is the Language that P. Livingstone crys out mark here is a deceitful-whining-Spirit Sect. 3. So that it appears they have Learnt of their Adversaries the word Whyning and Whinâ—ing-Spirit and thus now the Quakers cry out as their Adversaries did formerly against them a-private-whyning-Spirit instead of the pure-living-powerful-Spirit of the Lord. Here you may Observe That if others though Quakers that own the same Principle with themselves of the Light within pretend to the Spirit or talk of the Spirit Oh then it is a dark-Spirit a whining-Spirit private-Spirit the Spirit of Antichrist and the Spirit of the Body onely is the Spirit of Christ See more of this in the third and fifth particular before and thus still stat pro ratione voluntas ipse dixit is all and must be sufficient to others or nothing for ought yet appears SECT VII The Quakers Quibbles and Hypocrisie in their Doctrine about Scholar-ship and Languages with reference to their own Practices Sect. 1. ONE while this is the Quakers Doctrine that is when they Cry out against Learning in others because they would have all People come to be so silly and Ignorant as to believe them or not to have Learning enough to Confute them then thus The Word which is the Original which the Apostles Preached amongst the Hebrews and Greeks which was before Tongues were and your Original which will break all your Tongues and Original to pieces Pilate had your Original of Hebrew Greek and Latine who Crucified Christ He that draws back into many Languages as into Hebrew and Greekâ— draws back into the Naturals and so draws into Confusion But the Ministers of God who Preach the Everlasting Gospel which endures for ever draw up into one Language and so the Priests and all that Trade into Natural Languages we VTTERLY deny A Paper sent forth into the World p. 3. and much to this effect we had formerly from them That the Light within is able ALONE to reveal to them the Truth and maintain it against all others and that they receive their Doctrine by Inward Revelations and not by any outward means c. Sect. 2. Another while that is when the Quakers are either to maintain their own Principles or confute others then to go round again It is Lawful and good to
if he can and till then he may with more Justice keep his Title to himself But when these Men cannot bite yet they 'l bark Sect. 2. Sleighted a true word â—or as he hath Published it 't is to say SHIFTED or dealt deceitfully and Craftily with and in the Apostle Paul's Time we find there were some such Eph. 4.14 Be no more carryed about with every wind of Doctrine by the sleight of Men and cunning Craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive But G. art thou no wiser to play Hocus Pocus and shift me but that thou must tell me and the World of it in thy Title Sect. 3. But suppose his Intention is slighted for it seems a Quaker can hardly speak or Print much now without the Art of Directing the Intention or speaking by a Figure Then we have a slight Title fit for such a slight silly sheet yet Proud and Arrogant denoting rather the Pride of Quakers than the Humility of Christians alias we have a new-coyn'd Quibble for Evading an Answer or an Old term for running away and timerously quitting the Contest Sect. 4. Slighted no wonder they that have slighted the Protestant Churches beyond the Seas slighted the Church of England slighted 21 Learned Divines at a Clap slighted all the Baptist's Churches yea and slighted all Teachers and Professors in Europe besides themselves how is it possible but that I must be slighted too except I 'le Banish my self to the Indies They that have slighted the Writings or Books of Holy SCRIPTURE so far as I have shewed you out of their own Books and more particularly G.W. himself in his own words but in the last precedent Section can you reasonably expect they should not slight other Mens Books and mine too Are these the Despised People or the Despisers by G. W's own Testimony What they cannot so well Answer they pretend to slight a poor shift For thereby they manifest but their silly scorn and disdainful Pride and Arrogance Though it is not yet six Moneths since that his Brother Pen could take Notice of a ridiculous sorry Mouse as he calls it and so turn Mouse-catcher and are the Quakers thus Elevated on a sudden Sect. 5. A Reprehension what for want of an Answer It is indeed well known you are free enough of the first however timerous as to the latter Their Confidence though usually too great yet at this time it seems did not serve them to say it was an Answer Sect. 6. But by some suspected to be the Author of the two Pamphlets the one Entituled The Spirit of the Quakers tryed the other Controversie ended VVhat Infallible and yet suspect How now what suspitious George Other Men's Fallibility then is as good as the Quakers suspicious Infallibility Is this your Gift of Discerning and Prophecy But that 's not the worst of it For the Suggestion is of a matter absolutely false Satan owing them a shame as the Proverb goes hath suggested a false thing which the Quaker hath here Published to the VVorld as true to their own dishonour and shame Besides this Quaker hâ—th hereby wronged me and abused another Person whom Mr. Pen in his winding sheet says is Hâ—n Hedworth by Name Sect. 7. First G.W. hath here grosly wronged me in Publishing a Suggestion and that in Print that I was the Author of the two Books Entituled The Spirit of the Quakers Tryed and Controversie Ended when as I was not nay did not so much as see or hear of either of them till after they were in Print But in these Books Mr. Pen hath in the Quakers Name declared to the VVorld there are several falshoods scandals lyes and Forgeries and yet here G.W. hath endeavoured to fix and fasten them all if any such be there upon me as suggesting or representing me to the VVorld as the Author of them Now ye that are Quakers of G. W's Church and pretend to be the true Church of God I will try your Truth Honesty Conscience and Justice in this particâ—lar viz VVhether you will cause G.VV. to make me satisfaction for the Offence and wrong he hath done me in spreading abroad a suspition and suggestion of me in a Matter that 's absolutely UNTRUE and UNJUST in the same manner as he hath done it viz. in Print I hereby require it and demand it of you and him as you profess yourselves to be a true Church And that you may not say I am or may be unreasonable I hereby Declare that his bare acknowledgment of the wrong in Print I shall accept of as satisfaction And for your further and full assurance of the falshood of the Matter I do hereby Declare and solemnly Testifie IN THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY GOD That I who did write and was the Author of the late Books Entituled The Quakers Quibbles was not the Author of the two Books Entituled The Spirit of the Quakers Tryed and Controversie Ended and if there be any need I doubt not but that Common Justice will Oblige Mr. Hedworth if called thereunto to witness the same thing in the presence of your Church he being it seems better acquainted with you than I am or desire to be with such unreasonable dishonest and dis-ingenuous People as some of you thus demonstrate your selves to be And that you may not make your being unacquainted with me any Excuse of not doing me Right I shall here take that off before hand For if your Minister G.VV. can abuse and wrong me in Print by a false suggestion though unacquainted with me he may and can as well and easily give me in Print the satisfaction required though unacquainted with me viz. onely acknowledge it so you having it evidenced by my own solemn Testimony and if that be doubted though you can have no Reason to doubt thereof it being the Highest Testimony that Men can give And you desâ—re further Evidence signifie it to the Book-seller and I presume Mr. Hedworth will be so Just as to clear me he being the best Evidence that it is possible for you or any one to have to clear me in this Matter if so be he was as Mr. Pen says he was the Author of the two Books before mentioned but is not the Author of the Quakers Quibbles So that ye Quakers can have no just Excuse and therefore I do again complain to you as wronged and demand that you see that just satisfaction given me that I require from G.VV. If not I 'le mark you and declare you to the world to be Abettors and Publishers of false suggestions Sect. 8. Secondly By this G.VV. hath wronged and abused the said Mr. Hedworth in raising or spreading abroad a false suggestion touching him as if he was the Author of the Book Entituled The Second part of the Quakers Quibbles in which Book G.VV. hath Asserted and published to the world there are gross perversions and abuses p. 4. Yea manifest perversions lyes and slanders that he is chargeable with and as yet he
lyes under the Guilt of p. 2. and so represents and suggests to the world Him to be the Author of all those abuses lyes and slanders which in truth he is innocent of Therefore it is hoped that Mr. Hedworth will be at least so just to himself and his own Name as to require satisfaction for such wrong and injustice done him when as it is another Person that ought to be charged with all those manifest abuses lyes and slanders if any such there be Sect. 9. VVas it the Light within that led thee G.VV. to the publishing this suspition or not If thou sayest not then G. where was the Light or thy sincerity to it If yes Then thy Light leads thee to publish suggestions of Persons and things that are false It must come from a false Spirit it being a false Suggestion Sect. 10. I should not have said so much about this but upon these two Considerations 1. Because these are the Persons that pretend to Infallibility and a Gift of Discerning MORE than others that are not of their way If G.W. had indeed a Gift of Discerning by the Light within how wicked or silly was he not to inquire of it whether this suggestion was true or false and the suspition right or wrong before he published it Or if he did inquire and the Light within him could not tell him what is false and what is true then how doth he and his Light exceed others or make him MORE Infallible How evident here and plain is either this Man's wickedness or vanity in his Pretensions to a Gift of Discerning 2. Because of this Man 's base unworthiness and unchristian carriage in publishing such a thing when I had before in a Letter to him seriously assured him that Mr. Hedworth was a Person no more acquainted with me than G. himself was but this Man being so guilty himself of asserting and writing so many untruths and falshoods he thinks others are like him and no more to be Credited But now let the unbyassed Reader Judge of it do they think to Grace their Cause by such doings Where is thy Conscience and Religion George Is this the Quakers Christianity Oh silly Scorner blush and be ashamed SECT II. About the Author 's NAME and LETTER Sect. 1. THE Ingenious and Impartial Reader may easily Conclude how he hath managed the rest of the Work by puâ—â—â—g such a false suggestion even in his Front and that so basely and unchristianly and at the same rate he goes on with these words Looking upon thee to be an unworthy Cowardly base Spirited Man who shuffles about to hide thy self How now Friend What such as M.Y. saw through the Key-hole or so as one G.W. did in the Matter of Mrs. Bat when accused at T. Y's According to thy own way with Mr. Danson this is but a Query Mr. Sleights thou better knowest the Mystery Sect. 2. Thou art very cautious thy Name should be discovered But alas poor Men that are put so hard to it that they are now forc'd to make use of such slight shifts for Excuses For the time was when the Quakers could tell you that even the Blessed Name of JESVS and CHRIST it self without that they call the Power are but EMPTY WORDS Princip of Truth p. 12. And yet behold what a considerable thing does this Quaker now pretend to make of my Name Oh the Folly and Hypocrisie of these Men can the Knowledge of an Empty word be of such weight to them which yet they cannot tell but that they do know to be sure they will not own that I am in the Power what is this Man so base then as to make my meer literal Name to be of more concern to them than they have declared the meer literal Name of the Lord CHRIST to be to them What wouldst thou make thy being unacquainted with an EMPTY WORD an Excuse Blush for shame Sect. 3. But to take that false Cover from him and cut all short I do hereby tell them for a certain Truth That my real Name is in Print as a witness against them and my Books as a Testimony against several of their Principles and let them either Answer or Confute them if they can Though this is more than 〈◊〉 â—as Obliged either by their Civility or any other Law that I know of to tell them what if I should ask them whose Name is to the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Acts of the Apostles whose Name is to the Books of Judges Kings and Chronicles Can the Quakers tell with all their Light uncontroulably what Men writ them And will it not thence appear it may be both good and honest enough though a Man's Name should be concealed And neither the Man the worse nor his Book the worse what have they to say against Paul's changing his Name Besides the continual Custom of many good Men amongst us nay and of the Quakers themselves sometimes if they will admit themselves to be good Pray G. whose Name is put to that Printed Paper Entituled A Paper sent forth into the World c. accusing the Ministers of the Nation and several Teachers of many gross things Pray who writ The Principles of the Quakers Defendable by Scripture who is it that cannot see now most strange Hypocrisie in these Men And what small twigs they would catch at and hang upon any thing rather than to deal honestly and give an Answer in plainness Oh Timerous Man what sorrowful shuffling art thou fain to make use of Sect. 4. And whereas I said suppose the Author be a private Person what if he Dwells fifty or sixty miles from London or what if the Author had subscribed M.A. could not W.P. have joyned N. according to Mr. L's way of Addition and then have read it a MAN and that it was happy that their Light left them in so much darkness of the Author that they could not tell whether it was the Author's real Name or no when they read it to this G.W. says Hast thou not bewrayed thy own Equivocation and that the Author's Name is not Tho. Thompson I Answer no But I have bewrayed the Quakers Folly and Vanity and that was one part of my aim thereby to try Experimentally whether their high boasted Light would reveal any more to them than others or stand them in stead when they had need of it whereby they might know and have a DISCERNING beyond others But alas Experience which is one of the surest Masters now tells me that the Quakers are as easily mistaken and do as foully deceive themselves as other Persons in the World do Their Light will not so much as help them to know really a Man's Name when they read it except the Person himself or some other Man Reveal it to them And thus we see that I or a meer man may Reveal more to them if we please than their Light within Sect. 5. Besides to make this Man's Folly more manifest how silly is he to
and Canting-Language c. By which one may perceive the Man has learned to Cant for in his Book you have this Canting-Quibbles Envious Canting and Canting Language and much more of the like Nature How now Quakers Is this your impartial plain Man Is this one of your US GOD'S PEOPLE As though your Sect ALONE had a Patent to be God's People Or is it not an Impropriation Can you think he hath well palliated-matters either with indifferency moderation or impartiality between us or that such work will make a Pacification or end the Controversie No No. Such deceitful dealing Hypocritical pretences will stand you in no stead And yet I must think he hath dealt kindly with me too that he hath not been pleased to afford me some of his and his friends Old Language of Conjurer Sorcerer Blasphemer Serpent Sott and thou Reprobate thou Dragon thou Antichrist thou accursed thou Cain thou dead Beast thou art unredeemed from thy vain Conversation and so art not justified 〈◊〉 nor never shalt be Oh! thou dark Beast and Conjurer with much more which Ed. Burroughs did use in the compass of about three Leaves the like I never heard in my Life before from one Man And what think you should be the occasion of all this no more but a Ministers sending or proposing twenty Questions to him whereas he and they have put hundreds and hundreds of Questions to others I am of the Opinion that any sober Man which shall read this would hardly think it credible but that he may see it in Ed. Burroughs work pa. 29. and so on And Reader that thou mayest know that George Whitehead himself hath been no ill Proficient in this Quaking School of Quakers Complements and by the way note these are the men that are offended at using the word Sir or Sirs I will give you but a taste only what you may find in a leaf and two lines more in one of his Books I dare affirm you will say it's proof enough and too much for a thousand leaves of any sober man's The Book is intituled ISHMAEL AND HIS MOTHER CAST OUT INTO THE WILDERNESS among the Wild Beasts of the same Nature in Answer to Mr. Townesend Minister in Norwich set forth by G. Whitehead and three other Quakers which they say was GIVEN FORTH FROM THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IN THEM p. 11 12. THOU PRIEST OF BAAL FOR THAT IS THY NAME thy lies are made manifest shamâ— covers thy face THOU FULL OF ROTTENNESS and most FILTHY Dreams THOU BLIND SOT SEE thy Confusion They that are not stark blind may see thy Rottenness and thy Foundation to be in tâ— mâ—re and dirt and may see Thee to be a SENSLESâ— NATURAL BRUIT-BEAST Who with thy liâ— art MADE to be taken and DESTROYED OH THOU BLASPHEMER and Slanderer of the Juâ— when wilt thou cease from thy LIES and BLASPHEMY Priest to conclude thy filthy rotten stuff thâ— sayest they that make not the Word of God the Rule fâ— their Actions are led either by their own Fancies or tâ— Devils Temptations or both Thou PRIEST TOWNâ— END art here laid open thou art uncovered and heâ— thou art found to be a denier of the Word and Rule anâ— Foundation and thou art led by thy Dreams and Faâ—cies and thy Foundation is in the Dust THOU ARâ— RESERVED IN EVERLASTING CHAINS VNDER DARKNESS FOR EVERLASTINâ— FIRE And here thou in all these thy Lies ARâ— SHUTOUT FROM GOD and all the Children â— God among the DOGS and SORCERERS and THâ— LAKE IS THY PORTION which is the portion â— all Lyers THUS have we returned a FVLL Answer unto thy senseless stuff c. Pag. 10. THOâ— BLIND BEAST Thou that sayest that thâ— SCRIPTURES REVEAL GOD THOV ART A LYAR These are his words and much more which I aâ— weary of Transcribing in two Pages and two lineâ— only and the rest of the Book is much of the same sort And what do you think all this was for that should be so high a Provocation Only the Ministers saying that the Scripture was our Rule so long as we live on Earth or to that effect Now for G. Whitehead and his fellows to entitle and Father on the HOLY GHOST such Beastly rotten stuff on SUCH AN OCCASION and say that this their rayling cursing and damning a man everlastingly for such a cause was given forth by the SPIRIT OF GOD as they audaciously do how nigh it borders on BLASPHEMY INDEED I leave the serious Reader to Judg and consider whether these Fruits do not more resemble those of the FLESH than them of the RIGHT SPIRIT do but compare them with the notes the Apostle gives you Gal. 5.19 c. Let the Quakers at other times make what fair pretences they will By their Fruits you shall know them and our Saviour saith out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh This was not done in haste only on a suddain surprise of passion which might have been the more excusable or upon the highest provocation but upon such deliberation as Men use to take in writing of Books and upon a Consultation and Approbation of three or four Quakers together UPON NO OTHER OCCASION THAN WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD which seems so abominably gross that I am doubtful while I am writing my Reader may suspect it and some Quakers pretend I have wronged G. Whitehead Wherefore that all doubtful persons may be satisfied that I have not wronged them it 's my intention if conveniently I can to procure the Bookseller to let G. Whitehead's Book be shown at the Shop for their satisfaction If this be their Spiritual Heavenly Doctrine their immediate Revelation and infallible Inspiration God preserve me from it and from spiritual pride and keep me humble and little in my own eyes still to confess my fallibility whil'st it pleases him we should be in this state and condition Possibly one may find thâ— worst of the Rabble the very dregs and wickedness oâ— the World INSPIR'D with such-like RAILING and damning language upon slight occasions But hardly any where else that I know of except among the Quakers or Muggletonians who have used it so frequently as if they took the greatest Pride in it As though they think themselves set over all others to to judg and damn them in a serious manner at their pleasure If I should believe such a cursing damning Spirit in the Quakers to be the Spirit of God then on the same ground I must believe Muggleton's Spirit to be the Spirit of God for his is likewise a cursing damning Spirit to such as oppose him But in this respect Muggletons spirit is the more charitable of the two that he curses only the Ministers and such as pretend they have a Commission to be teachers But the people that hear them he says may be saved iâ— they do not personally oppose him or his Commission Then judg sober Reader where you think theâ— malicious Spirit reigns most now which is the
best language and which sort of Complements is unfittest to be used among civil persons and sober Christians Oh! that men should strain at such a term as Sir and yet can open their black mouths in such foul terms and Titles as you have heard Now if all this which is my chief aim herein will not bring them to Repentance for nor perswade them to leave off such censuring and hard-speeches or shamâ— them out of the so common and frequent use of it to those that see not ground sufficient to believe them I do here let them know from henceforward I shall nor tye my self up from using such a Liberty of Speech as I shall judg meet however I 'le endeavour to use as little as conveniently I can not being over-fond of it I being still of opinion that to tell a Man he lies is no good Answer nor Argument that the frequent use of it as the Quakers do becoms not a well-civiliz'd man overmuch Where he begins to his unprejudiced-Reader p. 3. his words are General and will serve the baptists turn or another Profession as well as if not better than his They can write this against thee G.W. and thy Friends viz. If the TRUTH could have been overcome by falshood or buried under reproaches or stopt with Popular Claâ—ors or undermined by the secret Combinations of its Adversaries or supprest by Injustice or Partiality I confess these implacable and envious Men who are chiefly concerned against us would have had the day and their Iniquity been triumphant and remained uncontroulable But such their Weapons and Engines have not prevailed nor ever shall effect the Enemies Designs against God's Cause or Heritage Had they been Men of Tender Conscience or respected the Honour of Religion more than Interest and Popular fame they would not have given us occasion for these publique Contests neither by abetting a manifest Forger nor by lying Pamphlets or false Relations that they so frequently bring forth and cause to be spread against us But their hard Hearts their fretful striving Spirits vent forth their Envy and declare their Spleen and iâ—â—-will towards us only that they want Power to effect their Revenge upon us to evince this I could give divers Instances that an Inveterate Persecuting Spirit hath long been and yet lives and works in divers of these Quakers Teachers and Leaders They can if they please call you as you do them a stingie Generation of Hypocrites and Apostates many of you having as they say been but Apostates from their Church and they can tell you that many such of late do busie themselves and take Counsel together like malicious incendiaries against them But that God will bring their Counsel to naught and scatter the proud in their Imaginations And that they have a secret sadness and sorrow of Spirit because of the great loss declension and Apostacy that divers even of these Quakers are fallen into Oh! the former Zeal Religion tenderness of Conscience c. But now at one that is a Quaker himself hath plainly told you The old Serpent is got up into you again and you are run into the World and the fashions and delights thereof again and that you are run into outward forms and have lost the Spirit and the power that once you enjoyed and now you are become as Worldly Proud and Covetous as some others are As to your Sufferings if you would have me guided by that meerly then I must abundantly prefer the Church of England and Reformed Churches beyond-Sea Nay and the Churches in Poland to be in the Truth before yours for that all their Sufferings for Religion have been more and eminenter than yours in several respects First in the extremity of the punishment and sufferings themselves how many of the Church of England which you have so much condemned have expir'd in the flames for the defence and Testimony of their Religion how many strange cruel tortures and bloody massacres have they had which I did not ever hear that you have sufferred in such a degree Though I could heartily with all my Soul wish that you had not suffered so much as heretofore you have done 2. In respect to the number of sufferers how many thousands and ten thousands Butchered at a time you only had some few happened to dye in Prison which yet I wish might have been prevented 3. In respect of duration and continuance for many years Yours but for a short time and blessed be God that hath inclined the heart of our King to mercy Thus you see clearly that in this Proof or Evidence the reformed Churches beyond the Seas and the Church of England doth far exceed you As for W. P's sincere-heartedness p. 5. I have not much to say for it 't is likely I may have somewhat to say against it if occasion be offered but as for his Zeal I am apt enough to believe that it sometimes outruns his knowledg But why might not this sincere-hearted and Zealous Man W.P. Answer this Epistle it being particularly directed to him could any person do it better than one that was sincere-hearted and Zealous too If W.P. had Answered it and he indeed so sincere-hearted as G.W. pretends I should have been glad of it for then he had saved me much of this labour which G.W. hath put me to by reason of his unsincerity and double-heartedness in his pretended Answer Or did G.W. Answer it that so he might set out the praise of W. P Because it was not so convenient for W.P. to commend himself in his own Person as it was hinted of Hickeringel But it seems W.G. says I thought mâ—â—t whether he means the Man George or the Light within I know not to write that brief Tract though it be not directed to me Well George since I could not have an Answer from W.P. it seems I must be contented with such an Answer as thou wilt give me Or dost thou only intend to Practice here as I observe thou didst in the late Dispute first endeavour to throw off all by Circumlocutions and Evasive words and if that will not nor do then W.P. to come in either opeâ—ly or covertly to thy relief We shall see whether this will be the sequel of thy undertaking and Answer and not that sincere hearted Man to whom it was directed and so I perceive I am like but to have an insincere Answer We find the said Pamphlet subscribed with the Naâ—â— Thomas Thomson Whether this be the real Author's Name says he some question But he doth not tell us who questioned it though the Book-seller will tell you if you question him That G.VV. himself others of the Quakers have so much and often questioned him about it as if they had had some power of the POPISH INQUISITION that he could not be quiet for them they more than once gathering a Multitude of People about his Shop by their crying BRING OUT THE MAN BRING OUT THE MAN TO US LET US SEE
in other Matters which by the Quakers were at first made very weighty also however now they are Declined from what they once Pretended And if that be admitted neither themselves nor others can have any Certainty in them or of them for they may pretend the Spirit leads them to this to Day and that to Morrow and to a third thing quite different the next Day and they may say as some of them have done that they had not a clear Discerning of the Lord's Voyce in this thing then nor in that thing now and so they may as well pretend seven and seventeen Years hence for it depends onely upon their bare Word to others and thus they make their Religion as unconstant as the Moon and as wavering as the Wind. But how all this should be and yet the Quakers all this while pretend to INFALLIBILITY and That such their Writings and Doctrines were given forth by the Spirit of the Lord in them though thus Contradictory is such a Quibble and Riddle as would puzzle Oedipus himself were he here to un-riddle I should not delight in this threatning day to be uncovering their Nakedness did I not judge it a Duty to warn you and endeavour to lead them out of all False Coverings which in vain they would hide themselves under in their Defiled State rendring themselves by so doing but the more Naked in the sight of God and good men and giving the Enemy greater Occasion against them I have mentioned but some of those many that might be Collected by any that does but seriously Observe them and their Writings I had a large Field to walk in For who is it that knew them formerly and doth not see their palpable and grand Alteration now in their Gestures their Words their Salutations for now they 'l greet one in the Market-place which they use to tell us the Pharisees did asking in the Market How doest thou do In their Freedom in Eating and Drinking the Furniture of their Houses their Cloaths both for Fashion and Fineness of the Stuff minding the World and the things of the World their heaping up Riches and particularly in their now going to Law and having one or more Lawyers or Attorneys of them besides their Swearing in our Courts or if not doing therein something that is worse and almost in their whole Practice and Conversation as well as in many of their Doctrines and Principles Which if some abler Pen should undertake to set forth it might be the better and not unnecessary as it is possible hereafter some one may be moved to do Neither I think should I have done thus much but that I find they are grown of late Years so excessive High Proud Imperious Scornful and Hardened in a strange kind of Confidence and Quibbling Equivocations beyond the bounds of Modesty and Reason that they have need of something to make them sensible if it may be and better to know themselves that they may not thus proudly Despise Curse and Condemn everlastingly others that are not of their Body Church and Way Certainly the Old Serpent was the first Equivocator Evasive Quibbler and so the grandest Hypocrite that ever was when he deceived our great Grand-Mother Eve and it is as certain by what we see with our Eyes and hear with our Ears that he hath not yet forgot that Old Trade no small instances whereof the Quakers late Practices and many of their Pamphlets which you will find here cited most evidently appear to be I beseech you therefore give me leave in the Bowels of Love and Compassion seriously to warn and admonish you and such of them as will hear to look well to your goings and consider upon what it is you stand whether it be not very much upon Mens bare words or your own Fancies or at best in Naked likenesses and meer Imitations after you have been so long crying out against all Humane Traditions Literal Imitations making of Likenesses and Figures to your selves of what you find was once the Condition of others and beware of such uncertain variable changeable Lights and Doctrines as have no certainer basis than Geo. Foxes Light or Mr. Penn's Sandy Foundation Be not High-minded but Fear and let the Royal Law of CHARITY continue above all amongst all and I shall subscribe my self An Vnfeigned desirer of thy Souls Welfare THOMAS THOMPSON THE CONTENTS SECT I. THE Quakers Quibbles about their Quaking and Trembling and discerning the Lords voice SECT II. Their Quibbles about Set-days and Set places SECT III. Their Quibbles about their Body alias the Church and Forms as the Hat and Hand SECT IV. Their Quibbles about Flesh being Silent SECT V. Their Quibbles about the Annointing SECT VI. Their Quibbles about the Spirit SECT VII Their Quibbles and Hypocrisie about Scholarship and Languages SECT VIII Their Quibbles and Hypocrisie about punching People and thrusting and haling them out of Meetings SECT IX Their Quibbles and Hypocrisie in their former Practice of Disturbing of Ministers in Parish Assemblies with Reference to their Practice now SECT X. Their Grand Quibbles about and gross abuse of the Holy Scriptures Collected out of their Own Books The Conclusion Sam. Fisher Transpos'd on the Precedent Occasion Remarks on G. W's slight Sheet containing SECT I. Of G. W's Title and his false Suggestion 2. Of the Authors Name and Letter 3. Of Socinianism and the Divinity of Christ which the Quakers own 4. Of Scornful Reflections 5. Of the Miraculous Gifts of the Spirit and Prophesie 6. Of the Manifestation of the Spirit 7. Of the Discerning of Spirits 8. Of Vnbelievers and Muggleton c. 9. Of the Quakers Jesuitical Art of Directing the Intention G. W's Letter to the Author and the Author's Answer The Third Part OF THE QUAKERS QUIBBLES Being a Continuation of their Quibbles Equivocations Contradictions Riddles Rounds and Confusions in several particulars THAT Flood of Follies and Absurdities that Cloud of Confusions and Self contradictions which shatters it self up and down by Plats in sundry Showres throughout the sundry Pages of those Mens Books every Eye that Reads them as they there lye at a distance 't is possible may not so easily set sight on them Therefore I shall cull some few of them only out for the whole Number passes my skill to cast Account of and clap them a little closer together not so much to shame them as to honour the Truth which they would shame That they may be the more Ready to be Read and apparent to the view of every Ordinary Reader That any save such as seeing will not see may see the Sword of the Lord already laid on the Arm and Right-eye of the Idol-Prophets to the drying up of the one and the darkening of the other for perverting the right way of the Lord so that they see not the Sun of Righteousness nor yet the Moon of so much as Common sense and Reason but grope about in the mist of their own muddy minds so as to need