we meet with such Instructions for Profaneness in the Example and Precept of our Saviour The Examples and Precepts of his holy Apostles Or in the Example and Precept of of such who in a true sense of Religion have declared the end of their endeavours were to reclaim and reduce the Erronious and convince Gain-sayers Is it possible Reader that supposing me in Error and Gain-saying I should think a Man so profanely Scoffing should have any real Concern for the Salvation of my Soul so as to be reduced by him Or if I be not in Error that he can have any consciencious Concern for my preservation Nor will the example of Elijah do him any service here he by a warrantable Irony did confute the pretended God-head which hath Eyes and sees not Ears and hears not thereby to reclaim the Idol-worshippers But we the Quakers nor any other Dissenters in England that I know of do or ever did acknowledge any other God than that one Almighty Being the Father of all Things and Jesus Christ his Eternal Son and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son who is one God blessed for ever This hath been so often declared that the Snake could not be ignorant of it wherefore he is the more Inexcusable Secondly Of his Hypocrisie p. 2. I have says he great Charity for the Generality of the Ignorant sort of them some of whom I know to be very Honest and Well-meaning Men and Devout in their Way I do freely own that I have a real Kindness and good Wishes for every one of the Quakers that I have hitherto been acquainted with and I never received any sort of Disobligation from any of them in my whole Life And yet treats the Quakers with all the marks of Bitterness Baseness Contempt and Disdain and with all the marks of open Enmity that can be shewn in the most Scurrilous manner insomuch that he implicitly denies One Dram of the Spirit of Christianity to be in all the Quakers p. 182. and in p. 177. to George Whitehead he says Come George we are near an end and we know not if ever we shall meet again tell me in the Plain Down-right Honesty and Simplicity of the Light within See Reader not only the Prophaneness but the Hypocisie of Pretended Kindness and Good Wishes and the base Returns for no Disobligation Page 202. the Picture of the Quaker Spirit he says he feels sees and abominates by the very Conviction of his Sense Then what grand Hypocrisie must it be to pretend as he doth that he hath real Kindness and good Wishes for such whose Spirit he abominates I have shewn before from his Profane and Scornful Treatment of us that he cannot wish well to our Souls and himself declares he abominates our Spirit which being both absent what would his kindness to our Bodies be Why there is sufficient Ground to believe that his kindness to them is much what the cruel Emperor's was to the Romans when he wished them all but one Neck and then their dispatch would be speedy And to shew that it is not meer Conjecture I now proceed Thirdly To his Injustice which is manifest not only in Wresting our Writings and Perverting our Plain Meanings therein and that knowingly and wilfully since they have been explained by our selves but also by false Quoting our Books sometimes by packing Sentences which stand at distance close together as one continued Quotation or else only with the distinction of a Break without any regard to his breaking off the Sense of the Writer Of which in my way through his Book I shall shew abundance of Instances Add to this his Injustice in urging against us our Adversaries false Charges some upon bare hear-say and often out of Books written against us by open Enemies and that without taking notice of our Answers which is equally Unjust As to have urged the Writings of Celsus Porphyry or other Heathens against the Primitive Christians or the Writings of the Romanists against the Protestants as Eckius against Luther Harding againg Juel c. without any regard had to their Answers Which whosoever should do might have the name of a Bold and Confident but not Wise or Honest Man Yet such is this Snake's Practice and that he might not come short in any thing wherein he can be Injurious he hath purposely mis-stated our Principles that thereby he might make himself an Advantage to fasten upon us what in him lies such Absurd Extravagant and Impious Consequences as he pleases Of this sort I shall have frequent proof to shew thee Reader and now go on to the Book Page 1. The Controversie with the Quaker Dissenters has not been pursued by the Church of England with the like Zeal and Pains as those against the Presbyterians Independants and other Dissenters because the Quakers were not so considerable But their Numbers increased by being neglected are become Formidable It is not my business here to inquire what the Zeal and Pains of the Church has been against other Dissenters it shall suffice me briefly as I may to shew how warm her Zeal and how great her Pains towards us Tho' I here declare it is not pleasant to me afresh to object the Unchristian Treatment Zeal and Pains wherewith very many Members of that Church have pursued us and I would rather have let it slept in Oblivion than called to mind that Harsh Treatment had it not been necessary to remember it and object it for Confutation to the false Pretences of one who pretends to personate her Cause wipe his Mouth say what Harm have we done and to tell the World a most Egregious Lye how the Quakers have been Neglected and thereby Increased For Confutation of this I say I shall briefly Hint to the Sober Reader that we have not come behind our Neighbours in Sufferings in the several Capacities of Name Person and Estate and give some short Specimen of each And first for Sufferings in Name and Fame The many Books written against us even from the very first are Witnesses For the Priesthood in many places in the Days of our Infancy did not only write against us themselves but these incouraged their Flocks whereby there frequently came forth many Books against us insomuch that to the Year 1660. if occasion did require I could produce a Catalogue of many Hundreds which is no mean Beadroll of Adversaries And while Pens were thus imploy'd against us Lying Tongues were not idle for Report and Fame spoke of us in blackest Characters from the Envious and the Ignorant which yet hath often been of advantage for when some in Curiosity have been inclin'd to see for themselves what Monsters of Men they must needs be of whom such ill Fame and Report did go and have seen and found that Fame and Report false they have been inclined to love what that was designed to have made them to hate Nay so general hath our Suffering in this sort been I may say
and Substance with God as the Snake suggests But to proceed We have found the Snake biting off the Beginning and End of G. Fox's words in the former Quotation in the next place we shall find him false quoting him But here he is pleased to give the Priest's words truly as they stand p. 13. thus There is a kind of infiniteness in the Soul but it cannot be infiniteness in it self Against this G. Fox disputes And no kind of infiniteness will serve his turn but infiniteness in himself which is the Infiniteness of God alone For he only has Infinity in himself as not being given by any other Thus the Snake's Remark and now his Quotation Is not the Soul says G. Fox without Beginning Hath this a Beginning or Ending And is it not infinite in it self and more than all the World This the Snake gives for a Quotation from G. Fox's Great Mystery p. 90. when as by the following will appear they are only Sentences standing at considerable distance in that Book and packt together in his and being so packt by him are urged to prove what G. Fox never said The place in Great Mystery is thus Is not the Soul without Beginning coming from God returning unto God again who hath it in his hand Which hand goes against him that does evil which throws down that which wars against it And Christ the Power of God the Bishop of the Soul which brings it up into God which came out from him Hath this viz. the Power he means a Beginning or Ending And is not this viz. the Power as before infinite 〈◊〉 it self and more than all the World Thus G. Fox the meaning of whose words is no other than thus Christ the Power of God and Bishop of the Soul who can only bring the Soul into acceptance with God is infinite in his Power and greater than all the World which plain sense of the place is vastly different from the perversion of this Nibler The Snake's next Quotation in p. 14. He makes from Great Mystery p. 91. and gives it thus Christ brings the Soul up into God from whence it came whereby they come to be one Soul This like the Last is miserably false quoted The place in Great Mystery standing thus So every one being turned to the Light which Christ the Second Adam hath enlightned them withal they shall see Christ the Bishop of their Souls the Power of God which is immortal and brings the Immortal Soul in to the Immortal God Christ the Sanctification who sanctifies their Bodies and Spirits and brings the Soul up into from whence it came whereby they become one Soul Thus G. Fox who herein is very plain shewing how the Work of Regeneration is began and carried on till the Soul arrive at that Spiritual Marriage-Union and Oneness for which our Saviour prayed that the Saints might witness The Snake's next Quotation p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 229. Thus Who are come up into the Bishop Christ are one Soul To which he goes on and adds tho' cut off by this Snake They know the hand of God which the Soul lives in And it is doubtless very true for whosoever through obedience to the Holy Spirit comes to be one in Christ do certainly know his Power by which that Work is wrought and in which they live The Snake's next Quotation in p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 273. thus It is not horrid Blasphemy to say the Soul is a part of God for it came out of him and that which came out of him is of him Of this the Snake says Fox does not say that the Soul came from God that is God Created it But that it came of God as a part of God his Substance Person and Essence But it is very false for G. Fox does not so say nor does his words import more than that it is created by God and the Last words which next follow and which the Snake hath bit off do shew as much For G. Fox saith it rejoyceth in him and so certainly every regenerated Soul does But for further proof that G. Fox did not mean more or other than that the Soul was created and that such was his belief see in the same Book p. 337. where speaking of the Soul his words are these God breathed into Man the Breath of Life and he became a living Soul who hath all Souls in his hand and the Soul is Immortal and Christ the Bishop of it is Immortal and God hath it in his hand which goeth against him that doth evil whose hand is Immortal But Man transgressing the Command of God the Soul lies in Death So Christ is the Bishop of the Souls and they that come to know Christ their Souls rejoice in God their Saviour Luke 1. Here G. Fox hath very fully and expresly declared his Judgment in words unexceptionable to the Cavils of the Snake and contrary to his false insinuations Now in that I have brought another Quotation in the same Book to put out of doubt G. Fox's meaning in the former I have herein used a rule which the Snake lays down p. 195. viz. To hear G. Fox explain himself in other places of the same Book The Snake's next Quotation p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 100. where he hath only taken these words which I take to be wrong printed of a passage Is not this of God's Being when in the Book it self it is thus And is not that which came out from God which God hath in his hand taken up into God again which Christ the Power of God is the Bishop of is not this Divine Life of the Soul of God's being By the context of which words it is plain G. Fox means no more than as is above observed from p. 337. The Snake's next Quotation p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 248. Whence the Snake does but not fully give the Priest's words which in that Book are these Priest It is a false thing to say Christ's Person is in Man To which the following answer at which the Snake cavils is made by G. Fox which is as much as to say None are of his Flesh or of his Bone nor eat it nor had his Substance From which words I think nothing is plainer than that the Answer is Scriptural and the sense of it Spiritual as see Ephes. 5.30 32. John 6.63 The Snake's next Quotation in p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 207. in which he hath not given the Priest's Words nor but part of G. Fox's Answer but I shall give both for the greater evidence of Truth Priest God hath a Christ distinct from all other beings whatsoever whether they be Spirits or Bodies G. Fox God's Christ is not distinct from his Saints nor their Bodies for he is within them nor distinct from their Spirits for their Spirits witness him And God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself who is the head of every Creature and there is not
Spirit because none of them had this Spirit of Discerning To the first That all are excluded c. Every Member of the Church of Christ must necessarily have a measure of the Spirit of Christ else they are none of his Rom. 8.9 And this Spirit of Christ the Holy Ghost as in its fulness it is Infallible so every even the least measure or manifestation of it is Infallible To the second This Infallible Holy Spirit being of the THREE in the Godhead searcheth the Heart and trieth the Reins Jer. 17.10 But tho' this Holy Spirit can discover unto one the Heart and Thoughts of another as of Ananias to Peter Act. 5. Yet as that is not usual so neither is it necessary nor is it that which we pretend to nor hath G. Fox in the fore-quoted places pretended to it But that which G. Fox means and which we pretend to is That such who minister in and by that Holy Spirit which hath an Infallible Discerning of the Hearts and States of all the Persons ministred to This Holy Spirit doth direct the ministry accordingly that it may be suitable to the states of the Auditory Which they who pretend not to be led guided and assisted by that Infallible Holy Spirit in their Ministry cannot pretend to And as to his Objections that the Quakers did not discern G. Keith F. Bugg and other wicked Apostates There was a time when those Men I in Charity think were truly Quakers as they pretended and to have discerned them Apostates before they were such had not been true discerning There was a time when Demas walked with Paul was owned by Paul to be a Fellow-Labourer with him in the Gospel Col. 4.14 Phil. 2.4 There was a time when through the Love of the World he forsook the Apostles 2 Tim. 4.10 so I may say of these and others there was a time when they walked with us and now is the time when through the Love of the World and other things they are departed and fallen from that Unity and Fellowship they once had with us Ibid. p. 37. quoted from Great Mystery p. 105. We says he the Pope and you the Protestants whom he calls Professors are apostatized from the Infallible Spirit that the Apostles was in in which we are come For who witness these conditions that they were in that gave forth the Scriptures they witness Infallibility an Infallible Spirit which is now possessed and witnessed among those called Quakers Glory to the Highest for ever I shall first detect the Snake's base practice of mangling this as other places by setting down G. F's words as they lie in that Book and then shew plainly their Scriptural meaning The first viz. the Quotation And we say the Pope is not Infallible neither though he be your Father the Ancient Yet we say he and you are Apostatized from the Infallible Spirit that the Apostles was in in which we are come with which ye are seen and judged so not to have the Spirit of Christ Jesus not to have the Spirit of the Prophets and Apostles not to be led by the Spirit of Truth into all Truth not to be in the Spirit not to speak as ye are moved of the Holy Ghost But to be such as ravened from the Spirit of God inwardly and have gotten the Sheeps Cloathing ye and the Pope and so have devoured Nations for this many hundred years so have all been like ravening Wolves For who witness these conditions that they were in that gave forth the Scriptures they witness Infallibility an Infallible Spirit which is now possessed and witnessed among those called Quakers Glory to the Highest for ever This the Snake says Ibid. p. 37. Is Dreadfully Astonishing but gives no reason why it is so but that his practice is astonishing there are several reasons to prove it First In so basely picking and mangling Books that they may thereby be suborned to speak what the Writer never intended Next In his wilful perverting the plain and known sense which they carry and which their Writers had And upon Sober Inquiry what in this can be astonishing That the Pope is not Infallible I suppose the Snake will allow And that the Spirit of Truth doth see and judge such who apostatize from it the Scriptures teach And if the Snake doth account it astonishing that the Quakers should possess and witness according to Holy Writ the manifestation of the Holy and Infallible Spirit of Christ he shews his Ignorance therein tho' all who are truly sensible of these manifestations can in deep Humility of Soul give Glory to the Highest Yet to him must be applied that of Hab. 1.5 For it is a Work that God hath wrought in this day whether he will believe it or not Hitherto Reader pray Observe that tho' the Snake as quoted p. 88. foregoing hath said we placed Infallibility in every single Quaker confine it not to Faith but extend it to all Persons and Things in the World by their inward Light Yet the Charge is notoriously false and that the colourable pretence which he had for this his false assertion was owing to his own false quoting curtailing and mangling of our Books of which I have shewn eminent instances since that assertion of his in p. 88. And that our Books in the instances produced speak according to Scripture I shall leave with the Impartial Reader to Judge only adding that the Forms of Speech Try all things Teach all things Know all things and Judge all things which are frequently found in the New Testament cannot without great perversion be applied otherwise than to that Trying Teaching Knowing and Judging which are the proper effects of the Operations of the Holy Spirit in the Hearts of all that are obedient to it And that in order first to their own Salvation and then to the Service of God in his Church In this sense G. F. E. B. and others have used these Forms of Speech in this sense the Woman of Samaria testifies of the Messias our Saviour John 4.25 He will teach us all things In this sense our Saviour promised John 14.26 That the Holy Ghost should teach us all things In this sense John the Beloved Disciple testifies of the Believers 1 John 2.20 Ye know all things And in this sense the Apostle testifies of the Spiritual Man 1 Cor. 2.10 He judgeth all things And in this sense the Beloved Disciple 1 John 4.1 adviseth to try the Spirits whether they be of God Now these forms of Speech in these and many more places all things are truly as E. B. p. 137. foregoing hath said All things that pertain to Salvation Redemption and Eternal Life needful for Man to know all this was discovered revealed and made known to us by the Light which was in us which Christ had Lighted us withal Ibid. p. 37. But I was much more surprized to find the otherwise Ingenious Mr. Penn laugh at his Adversary for not being Infallible It is no surprise to find
found And of as many as keep in their first Love E. B. hath truly said with the Apostle Acts 4.32 And the Multitude of them that believed were of one Heart and of one Soul Ibid. p. 73. The very same Division is still kept up in the opposite Quaker-Churches of Harp-Lane and Grace-Church-Street 'T is false the Meeting in Harp-Lane is dropt Ibid. p. 75. There is yet a Fourth Church of the Quakers It is true they are disowned by all the rest but as much disowning them We have the Snake's Authority for it that they are none of us But however consider them a little further and see to whom they do belong P. 76 77. The Snake Relates how truly I know not a great many bad Tenets they hold and bad Actions that they do He says They Dance as well as Pray by the Spirit Their Ringleader whom he calls Tho. Case he says Preached in a Surplice By the Principles I could not tell to what Church this Case belong'd but for the Surplice we know what Church uses it Ibid. p. 78. And I can name one who reasoning with one of these concerning the outward Christ Oh horror to repeat it he bid that Christ kiss his And if so what relation hath that to us For the Snake had said just before that we disown them and they disown us so that he might as well have mentioned for any relation it has to us Julian the Apostates Blaspemies against Christ and insinuated Snake like that they were owned by us Ibid. p. 78. And it was not behind this which a Quaker Preacher now in London said to one I can produce who was endeavouring to persuade him that Christ was now a Man the Preacher replied The Man Christ a F rt The villany of this expression is indeed not much behind his last For I do deny that any Preacher own'd among us hath at any time so spoken and Dare the Snake to prove to the contrary if he can We have now another Quotation how fairly made the Reader shall see Ibid. p. 79. Quoted from Brief Examination and State of Liberty Spiritual Printed 1681. p. 11. He tells those Quakers who stuck to their own Light within rather than the Orders of G. Fox and his Church And this I affirm says he from the understanding that I have received of God that the Enemy is at work to scatter the Minds of Friends by that loose plea What hast thou to do with me leave me to my freedom and to the Grace of God in my self and the like Here the Snake makes a break leaving out three Lines and then continues a long Quotation The Snake says that W. P. speaks this to those Quakers who stuck to their own Light within Now whether he did or not pray Reader by the following Lines which the Snake left out at the Break as I have before hinted thou mayst observe they are thus And the like but this proposition and expression as now understood and alledged is a deviation from and a perversion of the ancient Principle of Truth Thus Reader thou sees what W. P. objects to them was that they did not stick to their own Light within but were in that Plea and explanation of it deviated from the Ancient Principle of Truth which in time past they professed So that the Judgment was not against the Light within but against the deviation and perversion This is great injustice Reader I doubt not thou wilt grant thus to curtail a Man's words but if greater may be here is an instance for thee The Snake by a horrid perversion quotes W. P's words to the direct contrary purpose to which he uses them Ibid. p. 81. But what if these Quakers whose Light within should allow them to take off their Hat or Bow c. appeared by all other circumstances to be Good Honest and Conscientious Men That would not do For Mr. Penn in his address to Protestants p. 245. says Holy Living is become no Test among us unless against the Liver The Tree was once known by its Fruits 't is not so now the better the Liver the more Dangerous unless if not a Conformist This Reader is the Quotation and the perversion is this If he be not a Conformist in these things to pull off the Hat and Bow Holy Living is no Test nor is the Tree Known by its Fruits A sense as remote from W. P's Mind as any thing can be And what shews it plainer is the place it self as it lies in that Book where having numbred up six several causes of persecution he proceeds The Seventh and Last Cause I shall now assign for persecution is this That Holy Living is become no Test among us unless against the Liver The Tree was once known by its Fruit but now it is not so The better Liver the more dangerous if not a Conformist This has made way for Persecution There was a time when Virtue was venerable and Good Men admired that 's derided and Opinion carries it The Snake was in the wrong Box considering how much he is used to play when he brought to remembrance by his perversion this Quotation For the Persecution here spoken of was that managed by the Church of England and the Conformity then required was to her self the Test c. and was not a Holy Life for Virtue was then derided and Opinion carried it It is one of her Blemishes and if this rebellious Son had not herein been to her what Ham was to his Father Noah it might at this time have been covered for me Ibid. p. 82. But have they not worldly Coertion here Yes beyond what the Church of England or any other Church have in their Power For they being mostly a trading People and chiefly among themselves whoever is disowned By their Church does Ipso facto lose his Trade among them and there is not one of an hundred of them but must be thereby broke and undone We have not any Worldly Coertion either to whip Men into the Temple or keep them there for as is shewn p. 135 136 c. All who are truly Members of our Body and are in true Fellowship with us were gathered so to be not by Worldly Coertion or outward respect but only by the real force of Truth upon their Understanding and the Convictions of God's Grace upon their Hearts and we disown not any in their fallings away who have not first thus pretended But the Church of England much beyond this hath lately claim'd Power over all the Subjects of the Realm by whipping some into the Temple and some for going out and by her pretended Spiritual Excommunication hath deprived many who never were of her Communion of their Civil Benefits For one Excommunicate might not be an Executor receive a Legacy or sue for his Just Debts In fine it deprived him of his Property and put him out of the King's Protection Now Reader see whether this Worldly Coertion be not beyond our Power as
Numerical Body that was the Natural for so the Natural and Spiritual Body are the same But suppose J. Faldo's relative It to hold I do utterly deny that this Text is concern'd in the Resurrection of Man's Carnal Body at all I will recite it with the 5 following verses as they are in our English Translation Here W. P. at length gives the 44 45 46 47 48 49. Verses which I omit for brevity and then continues I say this doth not concern the Resurrection of Carnal Bodies but the two States of Men under the first and second Adam Men are sown into the World Natural and so they are the Sons of the first Adam but they are raised Spiritually through him who is the Resurrection and the Life and so they are the Sons of the second Adam the Lord from Heaven a quickning Spirit The very words of the Apostle undeniably prove this to be the Scope How else could the first Adam's being made a living Soul and the second Adam a quickning Spirit be a pertinent Instance to prove Natural and Spiritual Bodies Upon which follows that the Natural was first that is the first Adam and then that which is Spiritual which is the second Adam the quickning Spirit the Lord from Heaven who came to raise up the Sons of the first Adam from their Dead to his Living from their Natural to his Spiritual Estate But perhaps it will be objected that the 47. v. The first Man is of the Earth Earthly And part of the 49. v. We shall also bear the Image of the Heavenly Seem to imply a Bodily Resurrection but let the whole verses be considered and we shall find no such thing The first Man is of the Earth Earthly the second Man is the Lord from Heaven Who sees not that this is rather spoken of earthly Mindedness than of the earthly Body of Adam It was mentioned to shew the great Disparity p. 371. that is between the Nature and Qualification of the first and second Adam The following verses puts this Interpretation out of doubt As is the Earthly such are they that are Earthly and as is the Heavenly such are they also that are Heavenly For those words We shall also bear the Image of the Heavenly I cannot see how they should relate to the Resurrection of the Carnal Bodies of Men for the Image of the Heavenly is a renewed State to God through the Operation of the Spirit and Power of Christ The first part of the verse clears it And as we have born the Image of the Earthly we shall or rather let us bear the Image of the Heavenly as Ambrose and Theophylact read it and 6. or 7. Copies besides have it which is as much as to say As we having born the Image of the God of this World by becoming his Children so may we bear the Image of the true and living God by being redeemed from a vain Conversation having our Consciences sprinkled from dead works and being born again of the Incorruptible Seed by the Word of God which lives and abides for ever Thus far W. Penn both with respect to the Resurrection of Carnal Bodies and in his Defence of his Interpretation of the 1 Cor. 15. to all which he adds from p. 374. to 380. some Testimonies from H. Moore T. Collier Farellus H. Hammond and Jerome were not all these Members of the Catholick Church against the Gross conceit of his Opponents of a Carnal Resurrection To which I may subjoyn that what efforts so ever our Enemies shall make against us concerning the Identity or Numericalness of Bodies in the Resurrection with those of Flesh and Bone which we lay in the Grave We shall content our selves with answering them not in the modes of Philosophy but in the Language of Holy Writ and esteem it our Duty as well as Wisdom in a Question so Mysterious not to be wise above what is Written And when our Adversaries can produce any farther declaration herein which they shall prove to be of equal Authority with what is so already declared we will not be backward in our hearty acknowledgement of it Snake p. 162. When I urged to a Quaker-Preacher towards a proof of the Resurrection of Bodies That Text Matth. 27.52 53. He made Answer that that was not meant of the Litteral or Earthly Jerusalem that any Dead Body arose there But of the Spiritual Jerusalem which John saw coming down from Heaven And others told me they heard the same exposition in a Quaker Sermon at one of their Meetings That any Quaker-Preacher so acknowledged by us did so tell the Snake I find cause not to believe on his bare word knowing his readiness both to pervert words rightly spoken and to tell false Stories of things that never were as is before shewn And what others told him we are little concern'd for but if it may be worth his while to produce better proofs and be more clear in his Charge he will not want an Answer Ibid. p. 162. Here we have Spiritual Graves Spiritual Dead Bodies Spiritual Jerusalems Spiritual Resurrection and Spiritual Christ whenever any Text pinches them Pray what Text pincht the Prophet when speaking from the Lord Ezek. 37.13 14. Ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your Graves O my People and brought you up out of your Graves and put my Spirit within you c. Did any Text pinch our Saviour When he bid his Disciple Matth. 8.22 Follow me and let the Dead Bury their Dead Or the Apostle Eph. 2.5 6. Even when we were Dead in Sins hath quickned us together with Christ by Grace ye are saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus Nor was John the Divine more pincht when in the Apocalyps he saith 3.12 The Name of the City of my God which is New Jerusalem which cometh down out of Heaven from my God Thus would I be large herein I am not pinch'd for Examples which do abundantly shew that Sin and Iniquity hath been term'd a Grave and they who are securely a sleep herein have been accounted Dead and when they have witnessed the Power of God to break that false security they have seen that Grave and Death they were in and many in this State have cried to God that he would make them partakers of his Resurrection from their Sin and Death which came by it God in Mercy and great Compassion hath heard and answered and hath raised and is raising many who through the Spiritual Power of Christ in them are measurably made to sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus This without being pinch'd we freely own before God and Men and do as freely own that there are in Scripture spoken of Outward Graves and Dead Bodies an Outward Jerusalem and a Resurrection of Bodies to General Judgment and that Christ hath a Body glorified in Heaven yet is Spiritually in his People Ibid. p. 163. These
say they do appoint Institutions tho' the Matter of One viz. Water and the Manner of Both as now used is not therein exprest why has not another as much liberty If what he contends for be not the Text as it is not but an exposition of it what medium will he use to assure me his exposition is right since all Outward Means lye under the same Objection which his own particular Exposition does and they are not a few For I may object to his understanding to the Interest he is in and to the accidental means by which he came so to conclude And thus Men may grope in the Dark concerning the Mysteries of Religion and the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven while they have only Outward and Corporal Means for which the Snake does so much contend for their Guide But if Men would once come to implore the Assistances and wait for the Guidance of the Holy Spirit That as it illuminated the Holy Men of Old to deliver in Writing a Declaration of the Deep Things of God's Kingdom so it would illuminate their Minds to see and know the Meaning of the Holy Ghost in that Declaration By other means than this there can be no certainty herein But this means the Snake depends not on and would represent us as Criminal because we do Wherefore we justly refuse his Expositions for being Inventions which whether set up new or of old standing makes little difference And while the Snake is contending for Inventions set up he does abrogate if not to use be so as the Snake will have it be an Outward Command of Christ delivered in at least as plain if not plainer terms than either of the foregoing for here is both Matter and Manner recorded I instance in the Command of Christ to his Disciples to wash one anothers Feet John 13.14 15. If I then your Lord and Master have washed your Feet ye also ought to wash one another's Feet For I have given you an Example that ye should do as I have done to you Yet here neither the Example nor the declared Intent of it is interpreted to mean an Outward Institution But it is an Allegory and the Command fulfilled while the Sign is disused if we walk humbly before God and serve one another with Love We say so too yet if practical Obedience is here the intent of an Outward Command Why might not Spiritual Baptism and Communion be the intent of Outward Commands Had there been any such which those before mentioned are not As before I have shewn Ibid. p. 170. Vpon this poor pretence that Baptism is not the putting away the filth of the Flesh but the Answer of a good Conscience c. 1 Pet. 3.21 Which Text they so understand as that the Outward Baptism is thereby disanulled because the Inward Baptism is preferred before it and not reckoned perfect without it This which the Snake calls a poor pretence is but poorly assaulted by him and does remain to be a clear and very plain account of that Baptism which Saves In the Description whereof the Apostle is very particular First Negatively shewing what is not then Affirmatively defining what it is viz. The like Figure or Anti-type as it may be truly rendered whereunto even Baptism doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the Flesh but the answer of a good Conscience towards God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And according to this account of that Baptism which Saves it cannot be the Baptism with Water because that is putting away the filth of the Flesh but it is the Answer of a good Conscience towards God Now outward Water cannot give this answer for as the Apostle saith 1 John 5 6. It is the Spirit that beareth witness because the Spirit is Truth And nothing but this Spirit which is Truth can wash and purify the Soul from its Corruptions and Lusts and having so purified it can give to it the justifying Answer of a good Conscience towards God and therefore with great reason it is to be preferred to John's Baptism with Water which cannot add to the Perfection of Christ's Baptism with Fire and with the Holy Ghost Ibid. p. 170. And so it was in the Institution of Circumcision under the Law The Outward Circumcision of the Flesh was not the chief thing meant by it but the Inward Circumcision of the Heart as the Apostle speaks Rom. 2.28 29. Will it follow hence that there were no Outward and Litteral Jews Or that there was not an Outward and Litteral Circumcision under the Law But though the Outward Circision was not the Circumcision i. e. not that alone unless the Inward did accompany it yet the Outward Circumcision was commanded and that under pain of Death Thus both Baptism and the Lord's Supper c. As the Circumcision under the Law was Outward so it was the Sign of an Outward Covenant Gen. 17.7 8. And I will establish my Covenant between Me and Thee and thy Seed after thee in their Generations for an Everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy Seed after thee And I will give unto thee and to thy Seed after thee the Land wherein thou art a Stranger all the Land of Canaan for an Everlasting posession and I will be their God The Apostle who was a Minister of the Spirit and of the New Covenant does in this Epistle to the Romans shew the Jew that his Outward Dependance was not Good for he tells him Rom. 2.17 21. Behold thou art called a Jew and restest in the Law and makest thy boast of God Thou therefore which teachest another teachest thou not thy self Thus the Apostle having here reproved that Spirit in the Jew which our Saviour had before reproved in them when they told him We are Abraham 's Seed c. and the dependencies which they had because there was in their Flesh the Sign of that Covenant which God made with Abraham The Apostle brings the matter nearer from the Type to the thing typified from the Outward Jew and Circumcision to the Inward Jew and Circumcision vers 28 29. For he is not a Jew who is one Outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is Outward in the Flesh But he is a Jew which is one Inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of Men but of God The Apostle is here speaking what the Spiritual Jew is not what the Legal Jew was for of him the Apostle had spoken before and in the like manner it may be spoken of them who have dependence upon the Outward and Decreasing Baptism of John and the Outward and Temporary Commemoration of Christ's Death by Bread and Wine and wait not to know the purifying and strengthning of their Hearts and Spirits by the Holy Spirit of God Thus the Apostle shews the necessary Duty of Christians in the Gospel Dispensation which is to witness the Inward Circumcision
Quaker-Spirit No it can't because it is not only Cloudy but it is Dark and False to say that words are Furious Venemous or Nonsensical and not give any Proof that they are so It is no help to the Snake to say as he does There needs no Argument to Discern betwixt Perfume and Stench Because that if the Nose can Discern as his Philosophy expresses it without Argument yet the Mind is not established but by Arguments drawn from true Judgment and Reason and none such nay none at all does the Snake offer The Snake for Conclusion to this Section has brought in two texts from the Psalms which he does improperly apply to the Quakers as he has before falsly charged them with Venom Fury Spite Envy and Nonsense And till he can prove that the words spoken by our Friends which whether these quoted were so or not remains to be proved being only taken from Adversaries were in their Original from Fury Spite and Envy and in their delivery Nonsense The Texts of Scripture are but abused by him as a Text in the same Book Psal. 91.11 was by the Devil when he repeated it to our Saviour Luke 4.10 and it will be answer sufficient if after the Example of our Lord we answer in the words of Scripture Psal. 101.7 There shall no deceitful Person dwell within my House he that telleth Lyes shall not remain in my sight SECT XVI Of Fighting and Loyalty I Have hitherto shewn the falsity of the Snake's Charges and his perversions of our Words Doctrines and Principles and how Unduly and Unrighteously he would endeavour to inferr from them Meanings and Consequences which neither are nor ever were ours but which we Abominate as destructive of and contrary to those Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Religion which the Spirit of Truth teacheth and leads into and which we do sincerely Believe And what is thus already in the foregoing Sections made appear will be further manifested in this and the following Sections for that in these as in those he hath not shewn what we are but what he would have us appear to be under the disguise which himself has put upon us In the pulling off which disguise there is at least this accidental Help and Advantage that the disguise in which he has represented us is exceedingly unlike our true Features I call it an accidental Advantage because if his Malice could have been satisfied in accusing us with only an abundance of improbable things they might have found some unthinking People who might have been misled into a too easy belief of them But as that could not be satisfied but by charging us with a number of Absurd and Impossible things So all that shall consider the ground and nature of our Principles and the nature of his Charge will with little difficulty be satisfied of their Contrariety and Inconsistency And tho' from this Consideration the sober Reader might and would have ground sufficient to determine the Question in this particular Yet for the detecting his particular Charges Perversions and Abuses I shall as in the former follow him through them And for his more full and plain Confutation herein I will briefly hint our Principles as Influencing Men with respect to Fighting and Loyalty The first of which the Snake most falsly does Charge us to approve and use and that in the last we are short and defective And first as to Fighting We say the end of the coming of our Lord Jesus as is prophesied of him Dan. 9.24 was to Finish the Transgression and to make an end of Sin And in the Room thereof to establish Truth and Righteousness in the Earth And as many as do witness the Power of his Coming by the Operation of his Holy Spirit in them do know that the work thereof is to take away and cleanse from all the Fleshly Lusts that War against the Soul 1 Pet. 2.11 which the Apostle makes to be the ground of Outward Wars and Contentions James 4.1 and as the Holy Spirit in all those in whom it does effectually work does destroy and purge away the very root from whence unjust Wars do proceed so it prevents in them the occasion of all outward Wars And this our Saviour did Teach in that Sermon of his upon the Mount Matth. 5.21 22. Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time Thou shalt not kill c. But I say unto you whosoever is angry with his Brother c. vers 38 39. Ye have heard it said an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth But I say unto you that ye resist not Evil but whosoever shall Smite on thy right Cheek turn to him the other Vers. 43 44. Ye have heard it hath been said thou shalt love thine Neighbour and hate thine Enemy But I say unto you Love your Enemies c. And if Anger Resistance and Hate be taken away What then can remain to occasion Wars Surely nothing From a sight of this Gospel Dispensation it was that the Prophet in the Holy Vision did foretel the peaceable practice of those who should come under the peaceable Government of Jesus Christ They shall beat their Swords into Plow-shares and their Spears into Pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation neither shall they learn War any more Isa. 2.4 And they who thus are redeemed out of the Grounds and Occasions of Wars by the workings of the Holy Spirit in them Such if they continue obedient cannot any more take the Sword into their hands Hitherto with respect to those who are in and under the Administration of the Gospel of Peace concerning whom we have from the first since we were a People declared that God hath taken the Sword out of their hands But tho' God hath thus disarm'd his peculiar People of the outward Sword that he might bring them to have a full and entire Dependance upon him for their safety Yet he hath never disarm'd himself of the outward Sword and as he is as well Soveraign of the World as of the Church and ought to have the command of all Mankind so he may put the Sword into the hands of those who are not yet brought under the Administration which I have above spoken of and he can make them Instrumental in his hand to Chastize his and his Peoples Enemies Thus Cyrus who many years before he was born was by name foretold of by the Prophet Isa. 44.28.45.1 is there called in the Word of the Lord Cyrus is my Shepherd he is the Lord 's Anointed These Titles were given with respect to the Services which God had fore-appointed he should do viz. be instrumental in the delivery of Jacob his Servant his Elect. In like manner and to the like purposes the Prophet Jeremiah in the Word of the Lord does in three places call Nebuchadnezzar the Lord's Servant but neither of these were of the peculiar People of God but it pleased him to appoint the Sword into their
it not been thrown in my way by his first crying out Thief Thief The Snake hath in this Section made very many scornful and false Comparisons according to his title between G. Fox Muggleton and Oliver's Porter which is but a repetition of somewhat of the same kind in the beginning of his Libel and which I have replied to from p. 33 to 36. it being there somewhat Argumentative and the Enlargement which he here makes together with the Addition of Oliver's Porter in the Comparison has so much of Scandal to all the Pretences of Religion that his Impudence deserves no other Answer than Silence nor himself any other treatment than as a Person very Contemptible even as the Scandal of Religion and the bane of Society In that against the Experience of many Thousands of our Friends against the knowledge of very many Persons of all Ranks amongst whom are some of Chief Note and Dignity who are not of Us before whom and with whom G. Fox for Forty or more Years even to his Death had occasion to converse Towards all which Persons his Sobriety of Life Peaceable Behaviour Exemplary Conversation in Godliness and Humility was evident Demonstration that he acted both as became a Man and a Christian Should yet after his Death be by this Incendiary listed with a Known Mad-Man and Profest Libertine I come now to Consider of a Letter which the Snake gives at the end of his Libel which he says is Spelt and Pointed according to the Original and of which he gives some bits before in p. 115. And here I have to say that what he calls John Audland's Letter I have many Reasons to believe is none of his For First Some former Adversaries have as the Snake p. 115. pretended to give some Pieces of it but have contradicted one another as to the Matter of it by which contradiction in terms it is fully shewn that they could not all be right as they have pretended they were Secondly As to the Spelling and Pointing of it it is so far from being agreeable to John Audland in other of his Writings that it hath many plain marks of being Spurious because he was Correct in both and did understand Orthography better than is shewn in this pretended Letter Thirdly This Pretended Letter from J. Audland to G. Fox was not so well contriv'd but that the Forgers who have heretofore given it with a date have made it bear date from Bristol Anno 1665. This was a very unlucky oversight which as it cannot be now mended so it absolutely overthrows the pretence of its being his because John Audland was buried in Westmerland the 24th of the 1st Month March 1663. being the last day of that Year So that it appears he was dead about two years before the Date of the Pretended Letter But Lastly John Audland has in a Collection of Books and Epistles writ some by himself and some by him and John Camm and of which we have undoubted Proof that they are genuine giving very many Testimonies of his Clear and Christian Principle Holy Reverence and Honour to Jesus Christ according to Holy Writ which do effectually shew that it was far from him to attribute Divine Honours to G. Fox or any Man Some of which Testimonies I shall here subjoin from that Collection c. Collection c. p. 180. I must walk according to the Commands of Christ and his Apostles Ibid. p. 188. Walking in the Spirit which mortifies the Deeds of the Flesh being subject to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ here is rest to the Soul Ibid. p. 190. We see the way of Life to all that believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus Ibid. p. 202. The Jews had a Law by which they judged the Holy One that he ought to die Ibid. p. 222. We find acceptance with God through Jesus Christ. Ibid. p. 287. They the Holy Prophets Prophesied of Christ who was born not by the Will of Man supposed to be the Son of Joseph which was the Son of God These with very many more Plain and Voluntary Confessions of J. A. to the very Christ of God in that Collection of Books c. do fully shew that he was very far from owning any such Blasphemy or Idolatry as the Snake does suggest Besides what I have now here said both in opposition to the Pretended Letter and also by Quotation from that Book of John Audlands hath been before spoken to by G.W. in his Just Inquiry printed 1693. which the Snake ought to have invalidated if he could before he repeated these Objections of other Adversaries What I have herein said hath been with purpose to remove that False and Envious Covering which the Snake in his several Charges hath endeavoured to cover Us with Reader As thou shalt have read it with an Impartial Mind thou wilt then be able to make a true Judgment how far my End is Answer'd As for what follows it is G. W's own Defence in Answer to the Snake's particular Objections to him in what he calls Remarks upon G. W 's Creed and a Supplement upon Occasion of G. W's Answer to the Snake in the Grass lately Published A Supplement upon occasion of what the Snake calls Remarks upon G. W 's Creed and in Reply to the Supplement in the Snake upon occasion of G. W's Antidote c. in Answer to the First Edition of The Snake in the Grass By George Whitehead SECT XXII A Reply to what the Author stiles Some Remarks upon George Whitehead's Creed Relating to some of the Particulars beforegoing taken out of the Antidote c. THe nameless Author of the Snake in the Grass having vented his and others Venome and great Spite against the People called Quakers in General and divers Particulars by Name Now to compleat his Design of great Envy he must put forth his Sting and have a fling and fit of Hissing like an angry Snake or as one that Whispers out of the Dust Isa. 29.4 against the said G. W. I being the Person aim'd at may now briefly answer for Truth and for my self as concerned 2. The word Creed he imposes upon me 'T was no formal Creed or Summary of our Faith though real Truths by way of Positions in the affirmative as a Christian Testimony in direct Opposition to F. B's great Abuse false Charge and Perversions which with a negative Testimony against him therein are both adapted to answer his own Terms Words and Phrases that our Testimony and Positions might be the more apparent against his Abuse and Perversions for I know no Adversary that I find fault with but I can freely and in good Conscience assert my own Sense in the Matters in Controversie as well as oppose his tho' it be not in the manner of a formal Creed yet true in it self for we should have numerous Creeds if all Positions we write in Opposition to Opposers must be esteemed Creeds or Summaries and Confessions of our Faith nevertheless we believe
says we are in pag 3. he says We speak Sense and English have in a great measure reform'd from the Errors of the Primitive Quakers Thus as his Mood Humor and Occasion Changes we are with him either Subtile or Simple speak Sense or Non-sense Blasphemous to the hight or in some measure reform'd But after all the Ipse Dixit of an Enemy is neither good Argument nor Conclusion as will hereafter appear in the examination of the several Heads of Doctrine P. 3. Many of them have really gone off from that hight of Blasphemy and Madness which was professed among them at their first setting up in the Year 1650. and so continued till after the Restauration Anno. 1660. What the Snake doth acknowledge is at present Sober and Christian in us is really no other than what he calls at our first setting up the hight of Blasphemy and Madness for the colourable Pretences of these are only the spurious Brood of his own ill-forming Fancy and as bad joyning Fingers which have been imploy'd in Mangling the Books of our Friends in his phraise not unlike Rats and Moths Ibid. p. 3. Therefore they endeavour all they can to make it appear that their Doctrine was Vniform from the beginning and that there has been no alteration And that endeavour has not been in vain it having been often made so to appear Ibid. p. 4. I would perswade them openly and above-bord to Renounce George Fox and their first Reformers and all their Blasphemous and Heretical Doctrine Before this be done two things are necessary First to examine whether what our Adversary calls Blasphemy and Heresie be so or not and then to know what he would perswade us to for the first hard names are no Proof For in the Way which some called Heresie the Apostle did Worship God and our Saviour himself The Green Tree was call'd a Blasphemer And for the Last it 's not Good or Safe to be at all much less easily perswaded to forsake Truth for Lying Vanities Ibid. p. 5. And I must say it they give the same Proof for their extraordinary Inspirations as the Quakers do that is none at all but their own confident averring of it And I must say that our first Reformers from Popery having urged for their Separation the Authority of the holy Spirit and being asked for Proof of that Authority could give no other but what in the Language of our Adversary is none at all but their own confident averring of it The Apostle Paul when questioned by the Corinthians for a Proof of Christ speaking in him did not evade the question nor direct to an impertinent Solution of it when he advised them Search your selves try your selves know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 This Proof the Quakers also give and that with reason for the publick Spirit of God privately working in the Hearts of Men is only able to give those in whom it does so Work evidences of its proper effects The Apostle is positive to the same purpose 1 Cor. 2.11 The things of God knoweth no Man but by the Spirit of God And all Inspiration of the holy Spirit will I doubt not be owned to be some things of God and of these no Man can make a right Judgment but by the Spirit of God Which who want it is no wonder that by such this be call'd as by the Snake no Proof but a confident averring of it Though I doubt not but the Sober Reader will have another sense of this Matter Ibid. p. 5. Now I would beseech Mr. Penn who has more Wit than all the rest of his Party to let us know what ground he had for leaving the Church of England more than Muggleton What Muggleton's ground was is not now our Business to examine and what W. Penn's was he hath often declared many Years ago which yet if I should here repeat the Snake might possibly mistake in Judging of it as it is possible he may also in the judgment he pretends to have of Wit Nay supposing it true that W. P. hath more Wit than all the rest of the Quakers yet this Snake not having had distinct Knowledge of every Quaker and of every Degree of their Wit was not capable of more herein than to give some Testimony of his Confidence not Judgment Ibid. p. 5. Why should we trust the Light within him or G. Fox rather than the Light within Lodowick Muggleton W. P. and G. F. did never direct or desire Men to trust the Light within them but have constantly directed Men to trust in the Light of Jesus Christ which is given to each Man for himself and is a sufficient Guide to the true Knowledge and Worship of God notwithstanding all that Men may speak against it Ibid. p. 5. Has Lodowick wrought no Miracles to prove his Mission No more hath G. Fox or W. Penn. To which I may add No more hath the Church of England nor the Snake in the Grass unless we account that for one Miracle in the Snake when he at Billingsgate run away from the Messenger Of which more in its place Are they G. F. W. P. very sure that they are in the right So is Muggleton If the Snake be not very sure that he is in the right he hath but an intention to deceive when he calls others into Communion with him Are they Schismaticks So is he And so is the Snake and by the Snake's Doctrine so is the Church of England as I have shewn p. 15 16 17. foregoing Are they above Ordinances If they be I know not but that we the Quakers are not I know For we own and use Preaching and Praying which the Snake owns to be Ordinances Is he against distinct Persons in the Godhead So are they Distinction in the Godhead we own according to Scripture but think the word Person too Gross to express it Is he against all Creeds So are they It it false we own the Matter contain'd in the Creed called the Apostles Does Muggleton deny all Church Authority So do they So does the Snake that does not please him But that we do not the Snake hath disprov'd himself as see Pagâ— 61. Yet does he require the most absolute Submission to what himself Teaches So does thâ— Snake But we do not so but like the Apostles commend our Testimony to the Conscience c. 2 Cor. 4.2 Does he Damn all the World and all since the Apostles So do they So does the Snake counting all others as the Spawn of the Viper Does he make a dead Letter of the Holy Scripture and resolve all into his own private Spirit So do they 'T is false we reject all private Spirits acknowledge the Scriptures to have been writ by Divine Inspiration and to contain a Declaraion of the Will of God and do refer to the publick Spirit of God for the understanding of them Ibid. p. 6. These are Twin
Enthusiasts both born in the Year 1650. for then it was Muggleton says he got his Inspiration If Muggleton did come forth in the Spirit of Deceit in the same Year that G. F. came forth in the Spirit and Power of the Lord What can be inferr'd from thence Theudas and Judas of Galilee came forth with their Impostors not much differing in time from our Saviour's coming in the Flesh Yet to correct the Snake's Lying Chronology the Reader may please to know that G. F. did come forth in the Power and Spirit of the Lord some Years before the Date the Snake assigns Ibid. p. 6. It will be proper in this place once for all to obviate a Prejudice which some may take at a little Railery I am forc'd to now and then in answer to such Sensless Arguments and Pretences as deserve no otherwise to be Confuted The Sober and Judicious Reader will no doubt but be Prejudic'd against such prophane Railery and manifest Contradictions as frequently appear of which these Lines are one Instance In pag. 34. foregoing We are the most subtle in Distinction of any Hereticks and it is not usual for such who Distinguish Subtilly to Argue Senslesly But Contradictions of this sort are frequent with our Adversary who throughout his whole Book as the Sober Reader may hereafter Observe doth frequently Contradict himself that he may Bely Us Mistake our Principles that he might have the Glory of a Triumph and Pervert and false Quote our Books that he might have the Reputation of Great Discoveries Of all which having gone through his Introduction remains next in order to be spoken SECT I. Our Principle of the Light of Christ in Men shewn to be Scriptural and our Books herein agreeable thereto THE Light preached and testified to by us ever since we were a People is no other than Jesus Christ the Son of the Father's Love who in due time was born of the Virgin Mary dwelt on the Earth and was in all things like unto Us Sin only excepted Who was Crucify'd under Pontius Pilate died was buried and rose again the third Day and ascended into Heaven This Jesus Christ while he dwelt on Earth preached himself the Light and Way to the Father and speaking of himself to his Disciples John 14.17 said He Dwelleth with you and shall be in you And of this Jesus Christ John Testifies He was the Word in the Beginning with God and that this Word was God and that in him is Life and that Life the Light of Men and that this Light Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World John 1.1 4 9. This is that Glorious Truth testified unto by us which is not Notion except to those only who have barely an Historical Knowledge hereof For to those that do reverently attend its discoveries it is no more Notion but a Home-felt Truth With this Testimony it was that it pleased God to send forth his Servant George Fox who tho' despised mean and unlearned in the accounts of Men was of God made an Apostle in this Age and hath been instrumental in his hand for the directing of Thousands to the Light of Christ in Men. Upon which Light as Men come to attend it will fully teach them their Duty to God and enable them to perform it it will discover to them a System of Principles truly Orthodox with more certainty than Council or Synod can not taught by it for he is indeed a Wonderful Counsellor And this not in Notion not meerly Historical No! But in Practice according to their Obedience to it It will first fully and truly beyond any Casuist shew unto Man what is his Sin and if Man dispise not this Discovery but close with it it will beget in him a loathing of his Sin and then procede to work in him a repentance from Dead Works which if unfeigned it will go on to sanctify him and when Man by this Light Spirit or Grace is sanctified it will then witness to his Spirit that he is justified So will Man truly come to be redeemed This in short is the substance of what hath been by us declared concerning this Divine Light Christ in Men and which is not more than is witnessed of it in the Holy Scriptures in the words whereof our Friends have frequently given their belief in this as in other Articles and that with good reason for the Spirit of God in his Church in this Age can well agree with the Language of the same Spirit in and to the Churches in the former Ages And here I may fitly observe that too nice expressing and minute particularizing of Articles of Faith has been frequently one ground of Heresie and Schism and occasioned great disturbance in the World and indeed it 's no wonder that when Men forsake that teaching Grace which brings Salvation they should set up that Earthly Wisdom which in matters of Faith breeds confusion Ibid. p. 7 8. And this Notion of the Light within as a Ray only or Illumination from the Holy Spirit the Ingenious Mr. Penn has let us see in some of his late Books to draw us insensibly off the Scent of the Quaker Notion of the Light within This Adversary that he may scratch more undiscernedly he Hypocritically flatters W. Penn of which as we pass shall meet with divers instances But it is false that W. Penn hath in any of his Books explained our Belief of the Light within in terms contrary to what G. Fox or other our Ancient Friends have done He being a Scholar might use other terms but not contrary he might vary from the express words of G. Fox or others but not from their sense Of this Holy Writ affords instances The Holy Apostle Paul's rethorical forms of Speech might be more agreeable to the Rules of Art but not of the Holy Spirit than those of the rest of the Holy Apostles Yet his Learning and their Illiterature were both of excellent use the minds of the Persons being under subjection to the Spirit of God This was their great Rule so that though according to the Humane helps they had had they might use various yet not contrary terms in the same Article Ibid. p. 8. And that is to make this their Light within not only an Inspiration or Illumination sent from God but to be it self the Essential God and Christ. What Christ hath promised and by the Holy Spirit hath dictated concerning God and Christ's Dwelling in Men as in these places refer'd to among many others it may be seen is so experienced a Truth as well as good an Authority for such like Scriptural expressions that it will stand the Shock of any capricious Gramarian who would pretend to speak more properly and distinguish more nicely than it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost to do John 14.17 20. Rom. 8.10 1 Cor. 10.4 2 Cor. 15.4.10.6 7.14.25.13.7 Gal. 2.20 Heb. 2.11 Col. 1.27.4.19.2.6 Ibid. 8. And from hence O Blasphemy to repeat it they
said Lord what wilt thou have me to do Which shews his inward sense of Mind But the Apostle Rom. 7.9 is large in the account of the Work of his Regeneration and he does acknowledge he was alive without the Law once But when the Commandment came Sin revived and I died Which plainly shews the Command was inward and it was hard for Paul to kick against this Command which did thus slay him as in the 11th verse Our Adversary does acknowledge that the Pricks there are to be understood the Power of Christ. And this Power it was Acts 2.37 That prickt them at the heart who were witnesses of the sheddings abroad of the Spirit at the time of Pentecost And of this Power David speaks Psal. 73.21 Thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reins Whence thus in short Paul a zealous Man and a Persecutor is by the Power of Christ let see that he was opposing his Power in his Saints by such Persecution At this in the Apostle's language Sin revived i. e. the sense of it whereby he saw his guiltiness and then he died from any further Life in it And whether this be not a heart work all experienced Readers may judge Ibid. p. 12. Besides they are in great confusion and contradictions amongst themselves concerning their Notion of the Light within denying and affirming backwards and forwards as you may see in Mr. Tho. Crisp his just and lawful Tryal of the Foxonian Quakers Reader This is one of those Instances wherein the great Injustice of this adversary appears in that he takes this false Charge from a Book writ against us by an open Enemy and takes no notice of any reply by us Which was largely and fully given to this Adversary by our Friend Ed. Penington And if after the same manner I should object and say The Church of England are in great Confusions and Contradictions amongst themselves in their Notion of the Trinity which has been abundantly treated of here of late affirming backwards and forwards and recommend for proof of this some Book disowned by that Church the Proof were much the same Or if I should object and say They are in great confusion and contradiction in their Notion of any other Article and bring for proof Harding Stapelton or any of the Romish Church who being Adversaries have so affirmed having no regard to the disallowance of the first or answers to the last I might deservedly be accounted a confident and prejudic'd but not a fair or reasonable Man Yet Reader this is the practice of this Snake with us SECT II. Shewing that we do not make our Souls of the same Person and Substance with God nor aspire to an Equality with him I Shall here consider and reply to his Second and Third Sections together the Charge being the same and the distinction unnecessary For in his mode of speaking a Sameness of Person and Substance imply an Equality concerning which before I procede to the Quotations in the Snake I shall observe to thee Friendly Reader That having in the beginning of the foregoing Section given a brief but real and true account of our Scriptural Belief concerning The Light of Christ in Men. Shewing that the Soul of Man being subjected thereunto he may by the guidance and assistance thereof without it he cannot attain unto Salvation I say having shewn thus much concerning our belief herein it is impossible that we so believing as we do should make our Souls to use his phrase of the same Person and Substance with God or Aspire to an Equality with him Our Friends according to Holy Writ have frequently said and writ and may safely That those who by walking in the Light are become Children of it are such for whom our Saviour Jesus Christ did pray to his Father John 17.21 22 23. That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee That they also may be one in us That they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me This Oneness in the Holy Spirit our Friends have pressed and contended for in Opposition to the hurtful belief that had too much prevailed upon Men of an imagined Distance of God from Man at this Day and that Man was now no more to expect the Revelation of the Holy Spirit without which our Saviour hath testified Mat. 11.27 And no Man knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any Man the Father but the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him This testimony of Jesus Christ with many more to the same purpose do shew the certainty of Revelation as in many others the absolute necessity of it is shewn First By our Saviour who saith John 12.50 And I know that this Commandment is Life Everlasting and the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 Know ye not your own selves that Jesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates And for our acknowledging to and witnessing of the truth of these Testimonies declared in Holy Writ have we met with great opposition and misrepresentation of which Reader there follows now divers instances in these Sections of the Snake's which he thus begins p. 13. Thou sayest says G. Fox to his Opponet Great Mystery p. 247. Christ doth not dwell in them Personally Doth not Christ dwell in his Saints as he is in the Person of the Father the Substance Reader This our Adversary gives for a quotation from G. Fox his Great Mystery and that we might see at what he carps he puts it in Large Black Characters which yet are not blacker than his Envy and Injustice which will appear thus First In that he hath left out the Priests Words which are unsound and unscriptural Secondly In that he hath left out the beginning and end of G. Fox his Answer For thy more certain knowledge of which I subjoin first the Priest's Words and then G. Fox his Answer Priest The Scriptures are the Word except yâ—u dare to deny Christ is God Let the Word of God meaning the Scripture dwell in you richly To this G. Fox thus Answers So he makes the Scripture Christ and God and he doth not say Let Christ dwell in you but means the Scripture and God dwells in you The Apostle saith Let Christ Dwell in your hearts by faith and God will dwell in you But thou sayst Christ doth not dwell in Them Personally Doth not Christ dwell in his Saints as he is in the Person of his Father the Substance And are they not of his Flesh and of his Bone Here Reader thou mayst see that the plain meaning and drift of G. Fox's words are to assert and maintain that Spiritual Oneness of which I have been speaking and shewing that Christ prayed that his Followers might witness and not to make the Soul of the same Person
any Creature but it 's manifest in his sight and he is in the Saints and they eat his Flesh and sit with him in heavenly places This Reader is so plain Scripture that it would raise an inquiry how envy it self cloaked with pretences to Christianity should carp at it The Snake's next Quotation p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 88. Christ is the Elect. The Reader may easily suppose G. Fox said more but the Snake thinking from these to draw some unsound sense left the rest behind him In which he being abundantly mistaken I shall not trouble the Reader with a larger Quotation but only observe that the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah 42.1 saith of Christ Behold my Servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my Soul delighteth And the Holy Apostle speaking of Christ saith 1 Pet. 2.6 Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture behold I lay in Zion a Chief Corner Stone Elect and Precious The Snake's next Quotation in p. 14. is from Great Mystery p. 310. That they who are of the Faith are the Flesh of Christ the Flesh of him who suffered Here he has false quoted G. Fox's words which are these No Man knows that is savingly the seed Christ that was offered the Sacrifice of the whole World but as he knows it within through the Faith and who are of the Faith they are of Abraham They are of the Flesh of Christ the Flesh of him that suffered The Apostle says as much and says true Eph. 5.30 I have now done with all the Snake's Quotations in his second Section in which Reader I doubt not but thou wilt observe the great injustice of the Snake in several kinds as first in false quoting G. Fox's words which is a practice so base that it is impossible it can consist with a fair pretence of being herein concerned in Love to the Souls of those he would pretend to preserve or reduce No it is a practice directly opposite to all pretences of Humane Justice and it cannot be less but rather more to pretend to do it for God's sake Next his Injustice is not less in perverting the sense and meaning of the places which he truly quotes by cavilling at and giving expositions quite contrary to the plain sense of the Writer For it is very plain that the whole scope of all the Passages hitherto quoted are such as have relation to the Spiritual Vnion and Oneness of Christ with his People Which both Christ himself and his Holy Apostles have very frequently held forth to us by Similies which fall under the notice of sense that thereby mankind might more readily come to apprehend them Thus Christ said I am the Vine I am the Door and except ye eat my Flesh and drink my Blood c. And the Apostle we are of his Flesh and of his Bone with abundance more such like expressions which if in a litteral sense were to be expounded Such exposition would be plain perversion and against it our Saviour hath given a Caution The words that I speak they are Spirit and they are life John 6.63 Snake p. 15. I will tell you before I go Mr. Penn's excuse for G. Fox in all these particulars He lays it upon George 's extream Ignorance For Proof of this the Snake quotes W. Penn's invalidity of J. Faldo's Vindication p. 353. where W. Penn's words are only these He G. F. observes no nicety of expression in his Writings and it is therefore disingenuously done of any to make this ill use of his plain and vulgar phrases See Reader how apt this Man is to tell lies for W. Penn lays it not on nor does not say it was his extream Innorance But W. Penn lays the fault upon J. Faldo's extream disingenuity as I now do upon the Snake's Snake p. 15. An indifferent Man would rather have said Ne Sutor ultra crepidam That this Fox should rather have kept to his original Trade Here Reader see this Man's contempt by a Profane Jest upon the meanness of G. Fox's Calling What would he have said to Amos the Herdsman Peter James and John Fishermen and the rest of those Holy Men whose mechanick Occupations were no hinderance to the High Offices in the Church to which God called them It is not unlikely that from men Spirited as this Snake their Entertainment was Ne Sutor c. But this need not trouble us since we find that G. Fox where he speaks of the Soul as in the places before severally quoted doth speak so distinctly of it as that he neither declares it to be God or Christ nor doth he confound the Being of Man with the Infinite Being of his Creator as is falsly charged by this Adversary G. Fox hath frequently said to this purpose and it is very true that the Spirit of Man is illuminated with a divine Light from God through the mediation of Jesus Christ But he hath never said that the Spirit of Man was God No he could not so say but by wilful perversion this Adversary as some former ones perverts as well as mis-quotes him and will not have him to mean as his words plainly speak For when he speaks of the Soul of Man both with respect to its original Life as breathed from God and degenerated through disobedience and also with respect to his spiritual Restoration by the Power and Spirit of his Creator and hath thereupon shewn how that the Soul through disobedience to the Power that Created it became estranged and at enmity to it and that this enmity and wall of Separation could not be broken down and the Soul brought into the Love and Favour of God but by Christ who in Holy Writ is declared the Bishop and Shepherd Our Adversaries have then often perverted his words and would have them to mean which they cannot That the Infinite Essence and Being with other the like terms of the Life of God or Christ were the Soul of Man But these perversions are our Adversaries and as of G. Fox So of all owned by us it never was believed by us that the Soul of Man was the same Person and Substance with God as is most falsly charged by this Snake I come now to the Snake's third Section Of the Quakers aspiring c. which he says p. 17. is in effect proved already but yet he bestows nine pages upon it of which great part is taken up in Quotations which I shall consider in their order The first in p. 17. is from Great Mystery p. 282. For Christ says he makes no distinction in his words but saith Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is And as he is so are we and that which is perfect as he is perfect is in equality the same In this Quotation that the Snake might bring the parts of it together as near as well he could he hath made a break for another Text which G. Fox used viz. And be ye merciful as he is And after all his carping it is the Doctrine preached
send them forth in the Work of the Ministry their Degrees of Immediate Revelation are much higher than that Degree of Immediate Revelation which I have above spoken of And in these higher Degrees of Revelation God may give One to Prophesy or foretell things to come and send Another with a Message as shall seem good in his Sight and all this by the Immediate Revelation of the same Holy Spirit which reproves the World of Sin tho' in a Higher Degree and by the Higher Degrees of this Immediate Revelation it may please God by his Servants for God hath not in his revealed Will declared that he would not to work Miracles But as his Ministers at this Day have no New Gospel to Preach so it is not necessary that the Work of the Ministry should be commonly attended with such external Credentials if so I may call Miracles Ibid. p. 28. And to this G. F. pretended even to Outward Visions and Revelations as in his Blasphemous Journal particularly upon a High Mountain in Yorkshire where he tells of his receiving Commission to Preach That G. F. had Visions and Revelations some of which might be Outward and did receive a Commission from God to Preach he hath given more â—nd better Proofs than the Snake hath that G. F's Journal is Blasphemous For of this I find no Proof but the Snak's own confident averring of it But among the Proofs of G. F's having received Commission to Preach none of the smallest are the many who instrumentally by him were turned from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan to the Power of God To which Power of God as they did attend and grow up in they were the Living Seals of his Ministry And for the Visions and Revelations which G. F. hath declared he had there are none of them that are repugnant to the Holy Scriptures but are consistent with and agreeable to the special Manifestations of God to his Children mentioned therein which nothing that is Blasphemous can be Nay further God hath promised Joel 2.28 That in the pouring forth of his Spirit He would give Prophecy Dreams and Visions and that it is fulfilled in the Gospel Dispensation the Holy Apostle Peter hath testified Acts 2.16 Ibid. p. 21. Fox does plainly distinguish betwixt the Ordinary Experiences of the Inward Operations of the Spirit of God upon our Hearts and the being sent Immediately from God with such a Message as the Prophets and Apostles had And this plain Distinction of G. F's is warranted from Scripture it being wholly in the degrees of Operation but the Holy Spirit which does so diversly Operate is the same The Faith of the Woman cured of a Bloody Issue Mat. 9.20 was begotten in her by a degree of the Operation of the Holy Spirit and by a much greater Degree of the Operation of the same Holy Ghost Philip was bid Acts 8.29 Go near and joyn thy self to this Chariot And abundance of Instances of these kinds might be produced in Holy Writ which do as plainly distinguish as any of us can betwixt the Ordinary and Extraordinary Inward Operations of the Holy Spirit upon our Hearts yet both truly and properly Immediate Ibid. p. 29. These are his Words And shew plainly what he meant by Immediate Revelation and how it distinguish'd him from the Professors Yes Snake it is very plain what G. F. meant by Immediate Revelation when he asked Four or Five Priests Journal p. 83. Whether any one of them could say he ever had the Word of the Lord to go and speak to such or such a People viz. that this is a Higher Degree of the Inward Operation of the Holy Spirit than that by which it Reproves the World of Sin This Higher Degree of Immediate Revelation none of those Priests could say they had had and therefore might well be deem'd such of whom the Prophet says They run and the Lord never sent them And to G. F's Question foregoing the Priest made no proper answer when he said He could speak his experiences Because every operation of the Holy Spirit does give some experience to the Heart in which it works And if a Man thereby reproved of Sin be obedient to that reproof he shall witness a forsaking that for which he was so reproved And this is a good Degree of Experience But this Experience barely is no call to the Ministry To which those whom Christ doth Choose Prepare Fit Furnish and Qualifie as it is by a higher Degree of the Inward and Immediate Operations of His Holy Spirit so it does distinguish them from those who can only speak of Experiences as is above declared Ibid. p. 29. And he Vouches this by a company of Vile and Sensless Miracles to which he pretends in his Journal How shews the Snake that the Miracles mentioned in G. F's Journal are Vile and Sensless They are not therefore so because an Enemy says it And yet he has given no other reason And now having gain'd what he meant by Revelation and Immediate Revelation I will shew you that he attributes it not only to his own Worthiness but to the Quakers in General They are says he in his Great Mystery p. 242. in the same Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation from Heaven that the Apostles were in There is no dificulty to gain either what G. F. did mean or any of us do mean by Revelation it being in short this 1 Cor. 2.11 The things of God knoweth no Man but by the Spirit of God And whosoever doth know and understand the Gospel of Christ which is Rom. 1.16 The Power of God unto Salvation must receive that knowledge and that understanding by Immediate Revelation from the same Spirit from which the Apostles had theirs The Apostles have declar'd that themselves did receive their Knowledge of the things of God by it and that without this Spirit no Man can know them Yet we do not from hence say nor hath G. F. said that the Gospel of Christ is not to be understood but by the same Degree of Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation which the Apostles were in or that himself or any other Quaker as the Snake does falsly suggest are in that same Degree in which the Apostles were The Apostle Peter was in the same Power Understanding Knowledge and Immediate Revelation when he gave Testimony to the Divinity of our Saviour Mat. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God in which he was when he said Acts 2.22 23. Ye Men of Israel hear these Words Jesus of Nazareth a Man approved of God among you by Miracles Wonders and Signs which God did by him in the midst of you as ye your selves also know him being delivered by the Fore-knowledge and Counsel of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain c. But I suppose the Snake will hardly affirm he was in the same Degree of Power c. And after all it is false in
the Snake to say that G. F. said this of his own Worthiness as he floutingly stiles him or of the Quakers in General for G. F. does neither mention himself in Particular nor the Quakers in General But after the words before quoted by the Snake adds That understand the Gospel Instead of which words he hath falsly added as above Ibid. p. 29. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 241. Are not ye in the Presumption and Usurpt Authority to Preach or to Teach that have not the Immediate Revelation as the Apostles had Yes Doubtless they do run when they are not sent of God to Preach the Gospel Who before they Teach others the Things of God are not themselves taught them by the holy Spirit Ibid. p. 29. quoted from Great Mystery p. 213. Thou canst not know the Scriptures but by the same Degree of the Spirit that the Prophets and Apostles had The Snake hath here altered the Form of G. F's Words which as they stand are Thou canst not know Scripture c. And it is plain that by the Error of the Press all is left out for it ought to be Thou canst not know all Scripture c. And to shew plainly that G. F. did so write and intend I will produce p. 212. where speaking to the same Adversary upon the same subject he thus saith every Man that hath a Measure of the Spirit of God in the least Measure or Degree it is infallible and so far they may Teach infallibly and know Scriptures but they cannot know all Scriptures but as they attain to the full Measure of the Spirit of the Prophets and Apostles Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 97· They the Quakers says the Snake but says G. Fox who are come to the Lamb They witness Immediate Revelation They are come to that the Apostles was in the Spirit of Christ the Spirit of God They witness Immediate Revelation And 't is very true for who are come to Christ do witness his Spirit and the Apostles were in his Spirit Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 153. But the rest of the World have never heard the voice of God nor the voice of Christ and have not the same Infallible Spirit a◠the Apostles had and no Immediate Revelation nor Inspiration as they had In this one Quotation here is a twofold falshood First Forgery next false Quoting For the Forgery it is this These first words But the rest of the World are not G. Fox's next he has left out a whole Sentence in the middle of the Quotation which is relative to and explanatory of the rest That the falshood and injustice of this Adversary may appear clearly to the impartial Reader I here subjoin the place as it is in the page quoted The Spirit of God in the Apostles being witnessed it opens the Scriptures is the Key lets to see what hath been since the days of the Apostles and rul'd and reign'd and had the Dominion The Wolf in Sheeps Clothing which have deceived the Nations such as have led the World and brought them all upon heaps and have never heard the Voice of God and have published it to the Nation in Print nor the voice of Christ and have not the same Infallible Spirit as the Apostles had and no immediate Revelation nor Inspiration as they had Thus far G. Fox whose words are sound For first it is certain that the Spirit of God does not only open the Scriptures But will also discover the Devourer and Wolf This discovering Knowledge our Saviour hath testified is in his Followers in that A Stranger they will not follow And it is as certain that Men guided by this Devouring Spirit have often brought heaps of Confusion And lastly I take it for granted That such who publish to the Nation that they have never heard the Voice of God nor Christ have not the Holy Spirit nor its immediate teachings and it is no wonder they have it not for God hath said that his Spirit should not always strive with Man and he who resisteth the Day of small things and through the Crowds of Temptations and Vanities will not hearken nor hear the fault is his own Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 321. Revelation is now witnessed in our days as it was in the Apostles but not amongst you who have inwardly ravened from the Spirit of God which have Apostatized from the Apostles And so you be in the Diabolical Devilish that expects not that now which was in the Days of the Apostles This Quotation which the Snake hath jumbled together only with the small distinction of a break Is as it lies in the Book Great Mystery two Answers to things severally asserted by a Priest Josias Dorker at Bransprith Castle Durham The first part of the Quotation to the Break is part of G. Fox's Answer to this following Assertion of the Priest's Immediate Revelation or Inspiration is not to be expected in these days To this false Assertion the words of G. Fox quoted above by the Snake are a proper Answer because as G. Fox in the same Answer shews tho' left out by the Snake according to our Saviour's words None knows the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him which Doctrine whosoever shall deny are most certainly ravened from the Spirit of God and Apostatized from the Apostles But Secondly This Priest Dorker did affirm it to be needless and also Diabolical that is to say Develish to expect any such thing now To this the Latter part of the Snake's Quotation is also part of G. Fox's Answer which Answer is true As for Diabolical and Devilish they are the Priest's own words and were fittly by retorsion given to the Priest And it is a great indication that Men are in that Spirit themselves which is Devilish when they call Good Evil and Evil Good and tell the World that that is needless or not to be expected now which is the Covenant of the New Testament And here Reader is another Mark of that foul Hypocrisie and Envy which is in this our Adversary who pretends to quote the Offices and Services of the Church of England for proof that Inspiration is believed and prayed for and which he would have taken as an Argument that himself does so believe and pray Yet here he is angry with G. Fox for telling the Priests that they were ravened from the Spirit of God even then when they told the People Inspiration was not now to be expected How will the Snake winde this into any agreement Himself says Inspiration is to be expected and prayed for The Priests whom G. Fox answered said It is not to be expected nor prayed for Nay they said more that it is Diabolical to expect it now See Reader the Confusion of these Our Adversaries of former and later times Who no doubt pretended to be true both now and then tho' quite
contrary now to what they were then But if the Doctrine be true now how comes G. Fox to be blame-worthy for asserting it then and telling them then that such who denyed it were ravened from the Spirit of God And after all the Daubing Hypocrisie of this Snake let him shew if he can that such who deny this Doctrine which is essential to Salvation do not thereby shew themselves ravened c. Ibid. p. 30. Quoted from p. 30. of G. Fox's Answer to the Westmoreland Petition If ever you own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles you will own our Writings which are given forth by the same Spirit and Power The Liberty which this Adversary takes to himself is very great sometimes supplying to our words what he is pleased to think they want as at other times to bite and curtail them And to shew thee Reader what Supplements he gives to our words take the place as it is in G. Fox's Answer c. If ever you own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles you will own them which are given forth by the same Spirit and Power And it is very true for whosoever shall write from the movings of the Spirit and grace of God upon his heart tho' in the least manifestation thereof them Writings so written cannot fail of being acknowledged in their Degree By all who through the Spirit of God are led to own the Prophets Christ and the Apostles And the Reason is plain because every Member partakes of the same Spirit by which the whole Body and Church of Christ is kept living And it is impossible for the Holy Spirit in one Member to contradict the same Spirit in the rest of the Body Thus Reader thou may plainly see that that Sinless Perfection maintained in our Books which the Snake carps at misrepresents and wilfully lyes against is no other than the Perfection of the Holy Spirit and which is no further Ours than we walk in obedience to that Spirit by Obedience to which the Apostle hath testified 2 Pet. 1.4 That by escaping the Corruption that is in the World through Lust we may be made partakers of the Divine Nature It were a foul and false imputation upon this Doctrine of the Apostles to suggest that he hereby advised the true Believers to pretend to any such equality of Perfection as that of God who in his Wisdom and Power c. is Infinite God hath promised to his People I will dwell in them and walk in them 2 Cor. 6.16 And all who do witness this Holy In-dwelling of God must of necessity say and confess that he is able to give a perfect Deliverance and Freedom from Sin But have not nor cannot say That they are God or they are Christ because of the In-dwelling of the Holy Spirit never did any of us so say as falsly suggested by the Snake which in reply to the foregoing quotations doth I think evidently appear Wherefore I now proceed to his 6th Section of the Quakers Infallibility SECT V. Shewing that Infallibility is by us placed in the Holy Spirit and only is ours as guided by that THis Section therefore is like opening the Jugler's Box and you may expect to see Rarities The Snake is the Jugler and this Section or rather his whole Book the Box. The Rarities which the Reader may expect to see will no doubt be agreeable to such a Jugling Undertaker Before I come to open his Box this Section I will shew thee Reader his Jugling Artifice on the Lid of it Ibid. p. 31. This Section may seem needless as being included in the former That it is included in the former is true for who claims to be equal of the same Being and Substance with God Such doubtless claim to be infallible as he And then why this needless Section Why the Jugler doubting to put the matter of Charge upon that Issue multiply'd this Section tho' needless and drew it to a length near twice that of all his foregoing Sections that he might indeed Jugler like blind the Readers observation in the length of it And with respect to us the Jugler might hope it should by its length be admitted as Billa Vera rather than any should examine its Contents and detect its Lyes But to begin with the Snake's first head of Distinction Ibid. p. 31. 1. This their Infallibility was palm'd upon them by the Church of Rome That the Snake may not palm this Story upon the World without proof I do on the behalf of the People called Quakers deny the Assertion and put our Adversary upon the Proof of it which if he cannot do he is hereby registred for a Lyar. Ibid. p. 31. Of which They were so greedy that they swallow'd it down by wholesale and would have none of those Cautions with which the Church of Rome used to defend themselves As we did not receive from the Church of Rome or any other Society of Men our True Principle of the Infallibility of the Spirit or Grace of God so neither did or do we want any of those Cautions which the Romanists may have and use in their claim of Infallibility That this may appear more plain to the Sober Reader I will shew the vast difference between us and them herein The Papists how much soever they differ among themselves in placing of Infallibility in their Church as whether in the Pope and in him Simply or in him in Cathedra or with his Conclave or him in General Counsel or in such Counsel without him or in the Church diffusive yet they do all agree herein that this Infallibility is possessed by Original Grant made by Jesus Christ to one or other or all of them in the Person of the Holy Apostle Peter and doth descend by Ordination in a continual Succession not alienable This I doubt not will be allow'd to be the declar'd sentiments of some of that People in this point and which do abundantly differ from what hath been always professed by us herein which in Brief is to the following purpose viz. First We have constantly said that the Holy Spirit of God is Infallible and that through the Mediation and Intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ a Manifestation of this Infallible Holy Spirit is given to every Man to profit with Secondly We have constantly said that whoever is obedient to the Convictions and Leadings of this Infallible Holy Spirit as they are tendred to their Souls during the day of their Visitation shall thereby be Infallibly lead into all Truth necessary to Salvation both in Principle and in Practice for it doth not only Teach sound Doctrines but also teacheth to deny all ungodliness and hath no fellowship with the Vnfruitful Works of Darkness Thirdly We have constantly said that of such as through their working together with the Grace of God are thereby become Strong in the Lord Of these I say As Christ doth now Prepare Fit Furnish and Qualify with and by his Holy Spirit those whom
distinguish what he has taken as above in a different Character Pref. p. 7. of Great Mystery First The Lord brought us by his Power and Wisdom and the Word by which all Things were made to know and understand and see perfectly that God had given to us every one of us in particular a Light from himself shining in our Hearts and Consciences which Light Christ his Son the Saviour of the World had lighted every Man and all Mankind withal which Light in us we found sufficient to reprove us and convince us of every evil Deed Word and Thought and by it in us we come to know Good from Evil Right from Wrong and whatsoever is of God and according to him from what is of the Devil and what is contrary to God in Motion Word and Work And this Light gave us to discern between Truth and Error between every False and Right Way and it perfectly discovered to us the true state of all things And we thereby came to know Man what he was in his Creation before Transgression and how he was deceived and overcome by the Devil and his estate in Transgression and in Disobedience And how he is drove and banished from the presence of the Lord and the Sorrow and Anguish which he is in and to undergo And also by the Light in us we perfectly came to know the way of Restauration and the means to be restored and the state of Man being come out of Transgression and restored These things to us were revealed by the Light within us which Christ had given us and Lightned us withal What Man was before Transgression and what he is in Transgression and what he is being redeemed out of Transgression and also the Light which shined in every one of us as to it our Minds became turned and our Hearts inclined the perfect estate of the Church we came to know Her estate before the Apostles days and in the Apostles days and since the days of the Apostles And her present state we found to be as a Woman who had once been clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her Feet who brought forth him that was to rule the Nations but She was fled into the Wilderness and there sitting desolate in her place that was prepared of God for such a season which season in the very end thereof when the time of her sojourning was towards a full end then were we brought forth If any have an Ear they may hear So that all these things concerning Man and concerning the Times and Seasons and the changing and renewing of Times and all things that pertain to Salvation Redemption and Eternal Life needful for Man to know ALL THIS WAS discover'd revealed and made known to us by the Light that was in us which Christ had lighted us withal Thus E. B. The Snake's next Quotation is from E. B's Works p. 862. and his quotation is thus Every true Member of the Church hath certainty and infallibility of Judgment and discerning who are out of the Truth and in the way of Error and are Hereticks In this as in the last he hath abusively mangled E. B's words which are these Every true Member of the true Church hath its particular Measure of the Infallible Spirit of Christ whereby he is certainly persuaded of the way of Truth in which he walks and knows and believes the Infallibility of the Truth he professes and is certain and secure of the way of his Peace and Assurance in God which he hath received and believed and hath also certainty and infallibility of Judgment and discerning who are out of the Truth and in the way of Error and are Hereticks Such are infallibly known and discerned by the Spirit of God in the true Church of Christ. See here Reader the great perversion of words sound as can be deliver'd and which I dare the Snake to deny if he can for if he does he must of necessity thro' away all that Enthusiasm to which he says the Church in her Offices does pretend Ibid. p. 34. Quoted from E. B's Works p. 861 862. So both the Law-makers and the Judges of the Law must be infallible in Knowledge and Judgment in this case of Heresie otherwise the Law made for that purpose and the Judgment given by that Law are both false and unjust and not according to God and his Truth but are to be justly Judged and Condemn'd of the Lord God in his day and season This the Snake says dissolves our Laws Damns the Law-makers and infers necessarily the Quakers Opinion of their own Infallibility To this Charge let the Snake himself answer whether or no his refusing Swearing Obedience to the Present Government dissolves the Law which requires it of him Damns the Makers of that Law and does infer an Opinion of his own Infallibility Ibid. p. 35. Quoted from E. B's Works p. 198. where I have look'd for the words quoted by the Snake but find no such if he be mistaken in the page when that is rectified it may be answered Ibid. p. 35. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 107. Thou sayst that the Holiest Man is not able to give an Infallible Character of another Man Hast thou not in this discovered thy self to be no Minister of Christ or of the Spirit who cannot give an Infallible Character of another Man how canst thou minister to his Condition How canst thou see them that be turned from the Darkness and that be in the Darkness and distinguish the one from the other and an Holy Man from an Vnholy Man that canst not give an Infallible Character of any Man's Estate Ibid. p. 36. Quoted from Great Mystery p. 94. Have you given your selves a Name of a Church of Christ and is there not a Spirit of Discerning among you have you not manifested there that you are Harlotted from the Church of Christ the Apostles were of and how can you minister or teach People if ye do not discern their estates how they stand before God how can you commend your selves to every Man's Conscience in God's sight How can ye present the Souls of Men to God and see not their states how they are in his Sight How came ye to have fellowship in the Spirit How can you or any minister to the state and condition that people be in and see where they are and doth not see how they stand in God's sight From these two long Quotations he draws two Inferences or Conclusions which I will briefly repeat and then reply to them Here the Quakers have excluded all from the Church of Christ from having any fellowship in the Spirit who have not this Infallible Spirit of Discerning every Man's Heart Secodly It is evident they did not discern Keith and Bugg whom for many years they own'd as true Quakers thought them principal Pillars whom now they vilifie as Apostates Therefore by their own Argument all the Quakers are Harlotted from the Church of Christ have no fellowship in the
the disingenious Snake both to laugh Scornfully Lye and Flatter because he acknowledges not for his Guide the Holy and Infallible Spirit of God But that W. P. laughs not as is falsly said we will now see Ibid. p. 37. W. P. in a sheet of his Entituled A Winding Sheet for Controversie ended catches up Hen. Hedworth for saying he had been mistaken in the good Opinion he had before of Mr. Penn 's Judgment and Conscience How can he chuse says Mr. Penn who denys Infallibility But if mistaken before why not in the Quakers now And so ad infinitum being fallible Judgment and Conscience in respect of Matters Spiritual in Articles of Faith can only be certainly and knowingly judged of by the Spirit of God and what Man soever shall judge of these things without the assistance thereof must of necessity be mistaken for the reason which the Apostle has given 1 Cor. 2.11 For the things of God knoweth no Man but the Spirit of God And if Hen. Hedworth did by Opinion not the assistance of the Spirit of God judge of W. Penn's Judgment and Conscience no marvel if he were mistaken and if by the same medium he would Judge of the Quakers he was equally lyable to be also mistaken in them and so ad infinitum in all his natural Guessings about Spiritual Things and so must this Snake also Ibid. p. 38. Quoted from p. 3. Sect. 2. of W. P's Winding Sheet c. He vindicates what G. F. had asserted of the Quakers Infallibility for having repeated these words of G. F. which were put as an Objection against him How can ye be Ministers of the Spirit and not be infallible And how can they but delude the People who are not infallible He makes this reply I Answer says he G. F's words stand immoveable for ever And he gives this strange reason to support himself and G. F. For says he He that is a Minister of the Spirit is Infallibly so and in that Ministry is Infallible otherwise the Spirit 's Ministry is Fallible I have here been large in transcribing the whole Quotation that the Reader may see whether the Wild Consequences which the Snake does falsly suggest can naturally follow from the Doctrine aforesaid His Consequences are these Ibid. p. 38. That if any Man who is Lighted by the Sun stumble or miss his way the fault is in the Sun which shewed him a false Light what else can be the meaning of that saying If a Minister be not infallible then the Ministry of the Spirit is fallible To make God himself Fallible rather than we should be Infallible O wretched false and perverse consequence of this Snake But truly and easily following is this Consequence If a Man who is Lighted by the Sun stumble or miss his way the fault is not in the Sun that shewed him a true Light but the fault is in his neglecting of it And according to this the meaning of that saying If a Minister of the here the Snake has basely and falsly left out the word Spirit be not infallible then the Spirits Ministry is Fallible The meaning is this God the Holy Spirit is Infallible and those whom he qualifies fits and prepares for his Ministry such are Infallibly assisted to be Ministers of the Spirit But if any who have been so assisted depart from the assistance of the Holy Spirit such in their Ministry are not Infallible tho' the Spirit is Ibid. p. 38. Quoted from Winding Sheet p. 4. Sect. 3. He roundly checks his Opponent H. Hedworth saying I bestowed 32 pages to prove G. F's Spirit to be Infallible for that belongs simply to God alone and then those that are Led by it which was my Question in which sense he is and all such persons are Infallible as he himself confesseth c. Here says the Snake H. Hedworth is made Infallible too But that is false for the words are plain that those that are Led by the Holy Spirit are infallibly Led By this G. F. might be infallibly Led by this any other may be infallibly Led This Hen. Hedworth hath confessed this is what W. P. saith but he could not say H. H. was infallible Because he had quoted him in p. 37. denying of infallibility Ibid. p. 39. Nay the Devil himself is infallible at this rate for he has his Knowledge as well as Being from God Knowledge is Light And if that Knowledge which comes from God be infallible then while the Devil follows that Light or Knowledge he must be infallible And if this be all the Infallibility which the Quakers ascribe to themselves it distinguishes them not from Wicked Men or Devils Profane perversion The Almighty God by his Almighty Fiat did create the several Species of Beings and Creatures and furnished each according to the order in which he placed them To Angels and Men he gives Knowledge and Understanding in their several Degrees by which they might answer the end of their Creation But some Angels and all Men have fallen yet have not thereby lost all that Knowledge which by the Degree of their Beings they had But in their fallen estate employ what Knowledge they have to other purposes than those for which it was given Hence the Devil goes about seeking whom he may Devour 1 Pet. 5.8 And the Devil did follow his Knowledge when in Mat. 4.5 8. he tempted our Saviour And did know that had our Saviour worshipped him he had been conquered Yet the Devil was not herein infallible Nay the Devils believe and tremble from the Knowledge which they have of the Eternal God and their own Eternal Damnation How profane Reader must it be to suppose that this their Knowledge makes them infallible that is guided by the Holy Spirit of God Which none can be unless obedient to it But the Infallibility which does distinguish us from Wicked Men and Devils and which we say is possessed by us Is no other than this That whereas all Men are fallen short of God's Glory and are by Nature Children of Wrath. Man cannot be restored out of this estate but by the benefits of the Propitiatory Sacrifice of Christ outwardly slain by which Sacrifice our High-Priest who was touched with the feeling of our Infirmities hath put Man into a capacity of accepting his Mediation And in order to our reconciliation with God hath given to every one a manifestation of the Infallible Holy Spirit in which he did the Will of the Father To this manifestation such as are obedient are infallibly led in all things that concern Salvation Redemption and Eternal Life which neither Devils nor Wicked Men can be because disobedient to it See Reader how much the Jugler this Snake plays in endeavouring to obtrude under a shew of reason a most dangerous notion and directly contrary to all Revealed Religion which doth agree that the Light and Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son is able as our Saviour saith to lead into all Truth
that he is not Almighty Yet when Man does fall it is no plain Conviction that he could not have stood by an Almighty assistance We have never placed Infallibility in Persons otherwise than by the assistance of the Holy Spirit to which if Men are obedient it will infallibly guide them to Heaven and so safely protect them that as our Saviour saith John 10.29 No Man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand But when Men depart from the Grace of God They may as Samson when he had lost his Strength Judg. 16.20 say I will go out as at other times and shake my self And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him But their weakness will soon discover they are gone from their Guide Thus it was with the People of the Jews and thus with all those Persons whose failings the Holy Spirit has recorded in the Scriptures when they departed from the Lord they left their Strength and fell some very fouly Yet what less than Blasphemy is it to say That the Holy Spirit had they been obedient could not have preserved them as well as there are Instances it did restore several of them And it is no breach of the Oath of God made to Abraham and his Seed nor any argument of the Shortness of his Arm as the Prophet's phrase is That they are become a Desolation because they refused to hear and obey And should it which God forbid come to pass that the Defection of the People called Quakers from the guidings of the Holy Spirit should be as general as is now that of the Jews who sometime were the People of God Yet the Holy Spirit of Christ were not at all the less infallible or sufficient in it self to be the Author of Salvation to all that do obey it His first Story p. 44. is of one Christopher Atkinson who he calls in ridicule p. 43. a Precious Brother in p. 44. a Bright Lamp with other such marks of Scorn insulting over his Miscarriage in the Lust of the Flesh And this Story the Snake makes a twofold use of one to reproach the Memory of the Person who fell and the other to reproach the Principle and Practices of those with whom the fallen Person had walked To both I shall say somewhat To the first I know of no good use which can be made of raking in the Crimes of the Deceased unless for Cautions to the Living But then their Crimes are not to be dressed in the Scornful Garb of a merry Andrew Because tho' that may raise more Vanity yet it can raise no Reformation on such as are guilty or be any means of Preservation to those that are not yet so And therefore we find that the Holy Spirit in recording the failings of Noah Lot Moses David Solomon Peter and others hath done it in Language proper to these purposes And there is not a truer mark of a mean and base as well as an unchristian Spirit in a Man than only for the Glory of Insult and Liberty of Ridiculing to call back to the minds of the Living the Crimes of the Dead To the Second it can be no fault in the Holy Spirit of God that Men are disobedient to it nor is it any argument that the Infallible Spirit of God does not preserve any because I or another may fall but it is certain the Holy Spirit will teach and will preserve all who will keep in Subjection and Obedience to it and they who do so keep have a Godly Jealousie and Care that the Practice of those who make Profession of the Guidings of the Holy Spirit be according to it in all the Fruits of it and accordingly Richard Huberthorn and some others who were then at Norwich did wait for the Counsel of God that in his Wisdom they might search out this evil which C. A. had wrought and by their dealing with him did bring him so to a sense of his Naughtiness that he did confess it and condemn it And further that it might not be supposed that such Naughtiness was tolerated and allowed by a Society professing Christianity it was communicated to the Publick that the guilty Person might bear his own Iniquity and the Holy Truth he had made profession of be cleared The like Laudable Practice tho' call'd by the Snake p. 45. A not regarding the Sacredness of the Seal of Confession was practised by the Prophet Nathan towards King David and the Apostle Paul towards his Brother in the Apostleship and also by others recorded in Holy Writ and yet the Holy Spirit is not at all the less Infallible Ibid. p. 46 47. There was much more tender regard shewed to some Young Women who had given a Confession in Writing to John Bolton of their frailty in the Flesh as is told in the Spirit of the Hat but it was hush'd up because it touched many eminent Ones in the Ministry who from day to day resorted unto them and giving them these appellations Innocent Lasses and Daughters of Sion This Charge and Story upon nameless Persons is Reader another Instance of the Injustice of this Adversary in that he hath taken it out of a Book written against us and Printed Anno 1673. and which was answered in the same Year as the Snake well knows and hath not been since reply'd to and what is an aggravation of the Snake's Injustice herein is that in the Answer to it there is a Certificate under the hands of John Bolton and Sam. Newton testifying to the contrary of this very Charge and of this the Snake could not be ignorant because he makes Quotations from the same Book and in or near the same Page in which this Certificate stands which I shall here set down as answer sufficient to this nameless Charge Whereas the Author of the Spirit of the Hat Insinuates that our Ministry is guilty of Vncleanness Whoredoms and such like beastly Practices under a feigned commendation of us under written as prosecutors of such Persons that they may be brought to Judgment We do declare in the Fear of the Everlasting God that tho' we abhor with our whole Souls such unrighteous Practices and if such things were we should we hope clear our Consciences for God and His Living Truth and People Yet we do declare in the Uprightness of our Hearts that we know of no such nor can acknowledge any such to be either of our Ministry or our Body much less eminent among us as hath been wickedly suggested by the Author of The Spirit of the Hat whom we have found painful and faithful to God his Truth and People Therefore to say we were hindred from bringing them to Judgment whom we never went about to charge neither can we is a wicked envious and false suggestion of the Adversaries of the Truth and this in God's Fear we testify to the World John Bolton Sam. Newton Ibid. p. 47. Instances can likewise be given of some of their She Preachers whom they call
travelling Friends that went abroad c. It is not good manners to name Names upon such an occasion Yet if the Friends will plead Ignorance something may be done for their Satisfaction That Women as well as Men may forsake the Guidings of the Spirit of God and run into Wickedness is very true but that any who have so run into Wickedness are Preachers or as such Travelling Friends as he in scoffing Mood calls them and intimates is very false and I dare him to name any that are such I come now to his 6th Head of Distinction which is a continuation of Stories of particular Failings VI. But we may make a little more bold with the Mens Infallibility And I will not go to mean Ones The Great James Naylor was brought upon his knees before their Church where G. F. presided to acknowledge his Failings This James Naylor suffered himself to be Hosannah'd into Bristol as Christ was into Jerusalem Of this Adversaries Boldness and Scoffing we have great Proof but of his Honesty and Truth we have none of his Lyes here is also fresh Proof For it never was the Practice of any Church or Meeting of ours to bring any Transgressor upon their knees nor did G. F. ever preside in them or any other Person We neither have nor own in our Assemblies any Headship of Man or Men the only Head of them being Christ Jesus who dignifies whom he pleases with fit qualifications by his Holy Spirit for the Service of his Church and they that continue faithful in their Gifts such we with the Apostle esteem worthy of double Honour But now as to James Naylor of whom the Snake often makes mention I shall here at once speak concerning him J. N. was a Man who had been highly favoured of God with a good degree of Grace which was sufficient for him had he kept to its teachings For while he did so he was exemplary in Godliness and great Humility was Powerful in Word and Doctrine and thereby Instrumental in the hand of God for turning many from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan to the Power of God But he Poor Man Became exalted above Measure through the abundance of Revelations And in that Exaltation did depart from the Grace and Holy Spirit of God which had been his sufficient Teacher Then blindness came over him and he did suffer himself to be accounted of above what he ought Here he slipt and fell but not Irrecoverably For it did please God of his Infinite Mercy in the Day of his Affliction to give him a sight and sense of his outgoings and fall and also a place of Repentance And he did with the Prodigal weep bitterly and humbled himself for his Transgression and he besought God with true Contrition of Soul to pardon his offences through Jesus Christ God I firmly believe forgave him for he pardons the truly Penitent His People received him with great Joy for that he who had gone astray from God was now returned to the Father's House and for that he who had separated himself from them through his Iniquity was now through Repentance and Forsaking of it returned into the Unity of the Faith and their Holy Fellowship in the Gospel of Christ. And I do hereby testify that I do esteem it a particular mark of God's owning his People in bringing back into Unity with them a Man who had so dangerously fallen as did James Naylor And here let none Insult but take heed least they also in the hour of their Temptation do fall away Nor let any boastingly say Where is your God Or Blasphemously suppose his Grace is not sufficient for Men in Temptation because the tempted may go from and neglect the teachings of it David and Peter as their Transgressions came by their departing from this Infallible Guide the Holy Spirit So their recovery was only by it And for the Reader 's further satisfaction concerning James Naylor's Humiliation and Repentance I here subjoin his own Testimony Glory to God Almighty who ruleth in the Heavens and in whose Hands are all the Kingdoms of the Earth who raiseth up and casteth down at his Will who hath ways to Confound the Exaltation of Man and to Chastise his Children and to make Man to know himself to be as Grass before him whose Judgments are above the highest of Men and his pity reacheth the deepest Misery and thâ—s Arm of his Mercy is underneath to lift up the Prisoner out of the Pit and to save such as trust in him from the great Destruction which vain Man through his folly brings upon himself who hath delivered my Soul from Darkness and made way for my Freedom out of the Prison-house and ransomed me from the great Captivity who divides the Sea before him and removes the Mountains out of his way in the day when he takes upon him to deliver the Oppressed out of the Hand of him that is too mighty for him in the Earth let his Name be exalted for ever and let all Flesh fear before him whose Breath is Life to his own but a Consuming Fire to the Adversary And to the Lord Jesus Christ be Everlasting Dominion upon Earth and his Kingdom above all the Powers of Darkness even that Christ of whom the Scriptures declares which was and is and is to come the Light of the World to all Generations Of whose coming I testifie with the rest of the Children of Light begotten of the Immortal Seed whose Truth and Vertue now shines in the World unto Righteousness of Eternal Life And the Saviour of all that believe therein Who hath been the Rock of my Salvation and his Spirit hath given Quietness and Patience to my Soul in Deep Affliction even for his Name 's sake Praises for ever But condemned for ever be all those False Worships with which any have Idolized my Person in the Night of my Temptation when the Power of Darkness was above all their casting of their Clothes in the way their Bowings and Singings and all the rest of those Wild Actions which did any ways tend to dishonour the Lord or draw the Minds of any from the measure of Christ Jesus in themselves to look at Flesh which is Grass or to ascribe that to the Visible which belongs to Christ Jesus all that I condemn by which the pure Name of the Lord hath been any ways blasphemed through me in the time of Temptation or the Spirits of any People grieved that truly loves the Lord Jesus throughout the whole World of what state soever This Offence I confess which hath been sorrow of heart that the Enemy of Man's Peace in Christ should get this Advantage in the Night of my Trial to stir up Wrath and Offences in the Creation of God a thing the simplicity of my Heart did not intend the Lord knows who in his endless Love hath given me Power over it to condemn it and also that Letter which was sent me to Exeter by John
Infallibility of all and every one must be a Deceit because the Infallibility is asserted to belong to every one of them FestÃna Lentè may be a useful Caution to one that makes such hasty and false Conclusions The Infallibility of all and every one is the Holy Spirit and if every one that make profession of it should fall from it and turn from the Grace of God into Wantonness or Delusion yet the Holy Spirit would be no Deceit I will give that Memorable Instance of the two Prophets mentioned 1 Kings 13. where both of them had true Prophesies yet by giving way to Error both fell the first ver 24. lost his Life And of the last it 's said ver 18. He lyed Yet it cannot be but falsly and wickedly concluded that because the Prophesy of one of them was false and the other thereby led into Error therefore the Infallible certainty of all and every one of the Prophesies of the Prophets in the Old and New Testament was a Deceit Nay from hence Holy Writ does not conclude against but confirm the Prophesies of them two Prophets which they delivered in their Obedience to God This brings me to his 8th Head of Distinction of Prophesies which he says are false VIII But here in this place let me give two or three instances to shew their false and wicked pretence to Infallibility And I will not travel far for an example But I will be as merciful in exposing them as I can I will see the Instances before I make the like Conclusion The first instance is of as he calls him a Quaker Glover in Cheapside The Snake did tell us he would not travel far for an Example This is some small hint that he Sculks about the City But if in his next he will be more particular as to his place there is a Poor Man formerly the King's Messenger would gladly speak with him but at present to return to the Mercy of the Snake in Exposing Mercy when properly spoken I know what it means but when it proceeds from an Adversary so Profane Unjust and Hypocritical as is this Snake it cannot have fewer alias's added to it than hath his proper name it may be alias this or alias that but that it is not Mercy in the true Signification of the word will in a few words be seen The Snake calls it Mercy in that he spares names but that it is no such thing may be seen by this he calls one p. 51. Prophet John and there was no such Person of that name and the true reason why he forbore others was because he might err as much in them But be all this as it may the Relation and Story is false and to shew that his Mercy is rejected the Quaker Glover speaks for himself and subscribes his name The Glover replies for himself thinking it no favour to have his name conceal'd under a true state of the Case and minds his Author it is not safe nor warrantable to publish by hear-say for his account is almost in every part false containing at least twelve plain mistakes at best A natural consequence of being over officious and medling in other Mens affairs which he is the readier to let him know that if he will please to appear Face to Face and hath two Ears may be better inform'd by him who is willing to joyn Issue with him in his great many more instances as he saith Nat. Markes Reader I have transcribed this out of G. W's Antidote which he wrote in Answer to the first Edition of the Snake that I might not want an Answer to a Story pompously tho' falsly set out in 3 or 4 Pages His second Story of Prophesies is p. 54. of Solomon Eccles who he says did denounce concerning John Story that he should Dye within one Year and that he meant it of a natural Death The Snake who Glories in the miscariages of them that fall does apply this to the whole Body tho' it can be with no more Justice or Strength of Argument so apply'd than the Lye of that Prophet 1 Kings 13.18 which he spake in the name of the Lord can be apply'd to all the Faithful Prophets in the Messages which from the Lord they did in faithfulness deliver But further S. E. did himself find his words his Burden and did under his own hand condemn that Hastiness Anger and Darkness of Spirit in which he does confess he spake those words and it is not unlikely but the Snake hath either seen or heard so much and if he hath either it is a manifest Lye in him to lay that to the Quakers which they then did deny and which also the Person offending did truly and justly take to himself His Words are these in Babylonish Opposer c. p. 8. As I was sitting waiting on the Lord on the 29th instant these things rose in my Heart that I should acknowledge my Offence to all the Brethren in London and thereabouts and Bristol and to all the Brethren North and South that had been witnesses against the Spirit of Separation and am to let you know that it doth truly Repent me and sorely Grieve me that you that do bear a faithful Testimony for God should have any Prophesie thrown at you which I spoke to John Story in an angry Spirit I do therefore acknowledge as I have signified in my last Paper about two Years ago that I have had little rest Day nor Night at times ever since I spoke these words to John Story That it was the word of the Lord that he should dye that Year which were mine own words and soon became my Burden and were spoken in the Dark and Darkness was upon my Spirit and so under a strong Temptation which I was suffered to fall into I not standing in the Counsel of God for which I bore God's Indignation But I soon saw I should have gone to him in a meek Spirit to beseech him to be reconcil'd to his Brethren But I do judge and condemn that hasty Spirit that set a time for his dying and called it the word of the Lord. And do desire this may go as far as where-ever it may have a service for Truth Solomon Eccles. His Third Instance is p. 55. A Prophecy of W. Penn 's against one Tho. Hicks So sure as the Lord liveth and I testifie to thee from the Lord 's Living Spirit If thou desist not and come not to deep Repentance the Lord will make thee an example of his Fury and thy Head shall not go down to the Grave in peace Ibid. p. 55. Now Tho. Hicks did go down to the Grave in Peace and no Visible Example of God's Fury was shewn upon him And which the Snake has not mentioned Tho. Hicks did desist and did not as I have heard as the Snake falsly says he did p. 56. remain to his Death an Opposer of the Quakers which was the terms of the Denunciation So that the Quakers may
so many Meetings and so great stir among theâ— For G. Keith was not so much as accused for Preaching any thing else but this But now Snake who mumblâ—â—â—â—istles was not he accused of very many Turbulent and Indecent Actions and Expressions as is at large seen in The State of the Case which I have above quoted and which the Snake also quotes with perversion as I have before shewn Snake p. 67. Here is a many forked and involved Infallibility one Meeting Justifying another Condemning G. Keith and all for the very same Doctrine Ibid. p. 68. This will not only overthrow the Infallibility in each particular Person but even of their Churches or Meetings That particular Persons may make Defection from the Guidings of the Spirit of Truth and may Apostatize from that Union and Fellowship which they had once with the Friends of it I have already largly shewn and what particulars may do Assemblies made up of such particulars may also do Floods and Parties as the Snake expresses it may Apostatize as well as particulars nay a whole Community may Apostatize and yet the Infallibility of the Guide of any one particular Person who continues Faithful and Obedient to the Holy Spirit remains firm and sure Thus 1 Cor. 10.4 The Apostle testifies of the Jews They all Drank the same spiritual Drink for they Drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ. Now this Rock could have as Infallibly preserved the whole Tribes of Israel from Egypt thro' the Wilderness to the promised Land had they been Obedient to it as it did Caleb and Joshua who were the only two of all the Thousands that left Egypt and entered in But further that Assemblies or Churches may Apostatize and Backslide the Holy Spirit is sufficient Warrant by the particular reproofs or cautions it gives to the seven Asiatick Churches mentioned Rev. 2.2 and 3. And sure the Snake will not be so hardy as to say that the Holy Spirit was able only to give Reproof and Caution suitable to their wants and defects but not to have preserved them blameless and to have guided them Infallibly in that way he appointed them to go Ibid. p. 68. Besides this first proof in Pensilvania there is yet another more express and positive called The Barbadoes Judgment c. And besides the detecting the Snake's false conclusion in that I have to say to this that according to his usual Injustice he herein makes use of an Adversary's Book Babel's Builders c. without taking notice of the Answer which was published to it Intituled A Babilonish Opposer of Truth reproved c. By S. C. I. P. and R. R. as he also passes over in Silence tho' mentioned in that Adversaries Book a Letter of G. â—'s and others writ to Barbadoes concerning this very thing wherein they are shewn their cause is not right that they had taken which Letter and the matter it relates to is fully spoken to in our Answer above mentioned wherein is also S. E's condemnation of his rashness in those words spoke by him to J. S. mentioned p. 125. foregoing Ibid. p. 69 70. I was told by one present at the Quaker Meeting at Ratcliff on Sunday the 17 th of February 1694 5 That Mr. Penn having Preached and after G. Keith rising up and expounding some Scripture in another manner than Mr. Penn had done Mr. Penn stop'd him and solemnly denounced these words against him In the Name of the Lord I pronounce him an Apostate over the Head of him Vpon which occasion I have these few Questions to ask Q. Whether this was a Sentence from Mr. Penn himself or from their Church Whether by an Ordinary Commission of Succession to Christ and the Apostles Whether by an Extraordinary Commission such as the Prophets and the Apostles had To the first W. Penn being in Unity with the Church declared this of one who had broken Unity by making defection from that term of Union which in time passed he had declared he was by the Light of Christ in him led to profess and believe Secondly All who are kept living by the Spirit of Truth in that bond of Union which that did at first lead into such have ordinary Commission therefrom to testifie against Apostates And this not by such falsly pretended Succession as the Papal Chair or others may pretend to from the Apostles But by succeeding in a measure of that same Light and Holy Spirit which they were in To the Last W. Penn tho' then knowing G. K. to have broken Union as is before expressed he might at that time in the Openings of the Spirit of Truth have a larger and fuller Sight of his Apostacy and so a Warrant to Declare it And for this there needed no new Credentials viz. Miracles it being no more than what hath been confirmed by those the Apostles wrought Ibid. p. 72. But for the present I only apply it to the point of their Church Authority over the Light within particular Persons their original and great pretence The Light within particular Persons is as much our Characteristick now as ever and we have no Church Authority over it or repugnant to it and that in the case of G. K. no such Authority was used Consider the following Lines G. Keith hath often Printed and Declared that he did believe and profess the same Doctrines and Principles of Faith with us and that he was led so to do only by the Light of Jesus Christ shining into his Heart Through and by which Light he did profess to have true union and fellowship with us and accordingly he so was denominated and distinguished Now the Light of Jesus Christ is not contrary to it self and if by the inshinings thereof and his obedience to it it was that G. K. did profess as above Then it naturally follows G. K's innovation to the contrary of what he hath so professed cannot proceed from that Light of Jesus Christ from which the above profession of Unity and Fellowship did Therefore to give Judgment against G. K. is not to give Judgment against the Light of Jesus Christ but agreeable to it even in G. Keith against himself The like is to be said of J. Story c. and others who have innovated and made defection as these did whose Works being bad the issue is the same with what Gamaliel shews Acts 5.28 They are come to naught And therefore after all the Boast which the Snake makes about Separation and Faction We may concerning all of them now declining and towards their end hope and have ground to believe that as many as are yet in a Spirit of Separation in whom are any true desires towards God for his guidance in the Truth such he will restore to the Fold they have strayed from And he will scatter them whose end is not his Honour agreeable to what the Psalmist said concerning the Wicked Psal. 37.36 He is gone I sought him but he could not be
our Hearts he knoweth that our earnest Endeavour since a People hath been to direct to the Holy Spirit to which as the World comes to be obedient it will certainly raise in them a just value and esteem for the Scriptures and a love and desire to be conversant in the reading of them by which through Faith they may receive comfort as we can abundantly testifie we have found And therefore the Insinuation is false and envious that we have ever sought either openly or secretly to discard them or to set up the Inspirations of any instead of them Ibid. p. 91. They have taken upon them not only to abrogate the most express Ordinances of the Gospel But to set up and institute new ones as Womens Preachings directly contrary to 1 Cor. 16.35 and the Prelacy of the Womens Meetings an Invention never heard of in the World till G. F. Cobled it out 'T is false that we have abrogated any Ordinances of Divine Institution And it is also false that we have set up and instituted new ones For under the Law and in the Apostles days there were Women Prophetesses and Fellow-helpers in the Gospel As for the Prelacy of Womens Meetings we know of no such thing but for the good ends of looking after the Poor and seeing after such things as are Comely Decent and of Good Report do they meet as the Holy Women in ancient times did And as it is no discouragement to us so it will not be of weight with the Sober Reader that this practice is profanely said by the Snake to be Cobled out by G. Fox Ibid. p. 92. The Scripture remains of no Authority with them because if what the Scripture command be a-new required by their Spirit they are bound to obey it because required by their Spirit But if the Scripture command the thing they are by their Principles not bound to obey it unless it is required by their Spirit a-new None may at this day upon the Authority of Scripture walk naked as Isaiah 20.2 3. nor go to the King's Chappel as Amos 7.13 nor do any of these special and particular things which many of the Prophets by the Special Command of God did do unless they are thereunto commanded and required by the same Holy Spirit which did require them This is what Edward Burroughs had formerly said and which W. Penn repeats and maintains though very falsly quoted by the Snake who injuriously quotes W. P. in his Reason against Railing p. 150. in the following manner That what was a Commandment to any Servants of God in Old Time That such are not Commandments to us unless required by the same Spirit a-new But W. P's words as they lye in the Book and Page quoted are thus From our asserting that what was a Commandment to any Servant of God in Old Times is not so to us because so to them that is such as Going to Pharaoh as Going Naked Going to the King's Chappel as Moses Isaiah and Amos did as also those Elementary Types Shadows and Figures appointed for a season and to pass off That such are not Commandments to us unless required by the same Spirit a-new It is not a little his endeavour unrighteously to infer that those Moral Perpetual and Eternal Holy Precepts here W. P. mentions the Laws of the First Table are not binding upon us c. Here Reader behold the subornation of the Snake who by a most unjust practice bites out so much of a Quotation as is not for his purpose and brings the remainder to speak against the sense of the Writer Ibid. p. 94. Thus it being Objected to G. F. that one of his Quakers had pretended to an Immediate Call from Heaven to commit Theft Robbery and Sacriledge in taking out of the Church an Hour-glass c. It is false it was not objected that any Quaker did commit Theft or Robbery or Sacriledge Nor does it appear by the Priest's words that the Hour-Glass was taken away That which appears from the Priest's words is That some Quaker had signified to the Priest that the Glass which he made the limit of his Carnal Preaching ought to be removed and that the Holy Spirit was only that by which they that spake from the Lord ought to begin and end their Preachings and G. F's answer is to the same purpose So that herein the Snake is egregiously abusive by perverting both the words of the Priest and G. F. and also in his false and scandalous insinuations concerning what he calls the Communion Plate Ibid. p. 95. Have they not by the same Light rebelled from Episcopacy Not unless it be prov'd by the Holy Scriptures that Episcopacy at this day be in the same Spirit and Government which the Apostles were in Ibid. p. 95. It is true indeed the Church cannot subsist without Government But it is as true that the Quakers pretence to the private Light in particular Persons as a principle over-ruling Scripture and all outward Ordinances is Inconsistent to the Government either in Church or State It is false that we have ever pretended that the Particular Manifestation of the Light of Christ in any of us did over-rule the Scriptures or Ordinances There cannot be Contradiction in the Spirit of God By the movings whereof it was that the Scriptures were given forth 2 Pet. 1.21 Nor do the Movings of the same Spirit privately working in particular Persons at this day over-rule or contradict what it did give forth as above And as the Light and Spirit of Christ is thus agreeable to it self So it is well consistent with the Government of the State in that it leads all that obey it to be loving and peaceable not Seditious or Tumultuous It leads to give Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's This it hath taught us to be our Duty and our Practice hath been agreeable of which the whole Kingdom are our witnesses And it is not less consistent with the Government in the Church when the Government in the Church hath its beginning and foundation from it as described p. 135 136. foregoing But it cannot be consistent with Government in the Church when the Church is not govern'd by the Spirit of him whom she says is her Spiritual Head Ibid. Or any Security from all the Dismal and Enthusiastical Murthers Rapines and Outrage of the Zealots among the Jews who went upon the same principle The Holy Spirit of God which by the coming of Jesus Christ is given to Men is the Principle that we profess and is the most effectual Security that can be against wickedness and violence of all sorts because where that is obeyed it will finish Transgression and make an end of Sin Now did the Zealots among the Jews go upon the same Principle No no more than the late Horrid Assassines in Communion with the Snake and with him in Separation from the Church could be said to do Murthers Rapines and Outrage are the
Works of the Devil let the Snake's Charity be as it will to excuse them Ibid. 96. But if hard words are a Natural presage and shew an inward Disposition to come to blows Then none can shew a greater inward disposition to come to Blows Imprisonments Premunires and the whole Train of Persecution than this Snake has done Ibid. p. 96. For it is a very convenient Principle to be protected by other Mens Swords without running any of the hazard our selves to enjoy the Benefits of Peace equally with others and to be freed if not from the Charge at least from the Slavery and Dangers of War Why should the Snake envy this to us the Priesthood have the same Ibid. p. 97 98. The Snake gives from an Adversaries Book according to his usual injustice A Story and two or three Quotations without so much as mentioning any Answer that was given to it It is too tedious to follow him always thus through the Laborinth of his Lies and Injustice And to repeat several Answers to the same thing as they are repeated in this Libel Wherefore for what relates to Government in the Church as owned and practised by us I refer to p. 135 c. where it is particularly treated of as shall also be in their proper Sections these with other his Objections concerning Tythes and Fightings and doubt not therein to prove him no less injurious than hitherto he doth appear to be till which I dismiss these particular things and proceed Ibid. p. 98. Enthusiasts have no Principles They have no Rule but their own Fancy which is Strongest in Mad-men and this they mistake for Inspiration c. How shall we then be assured that the Inspiration and Enthusiasm which the Snake says the Church of England allows is not Fancy c. This is contradictory to what he hath said as quoted p. 10. foregoing Ibid. 99. No Quaker can deny but that the Principles of Quakers is all Enthusiasm Enthusiasm when meaning a good Inspiration we acknowledge and own it and have very good Authority for it for the things of God knows no man but by the Spirit of God as saith the Apostle And this is the same Infallible Spirit which the Holy Men of Old had by which first they were inform'd of the Will of God and then thereby enabled to do it Ibid. p. 101. They know very well that the giving of vile and contemptible Names to any Writing can be for no other end but to render the Contents of such Writing contemptible Did the Prophet Isaiah then render the Contents of the Ceremonial Law contemptible when as I have shewn p. 154. he compared the Jews Sacrifices to slaying a Man and cutting off a Dogs Neck and their burning of Incense to Blessing an Idol Ibid. p. 102. As to themselves they scorn the Titles of Elders Popes or Bishops or that their Meetings should be called by such contemptible Names as Courts Sessions or Synods The Reason why in the Yearly Meeting Epistle Slight and Contemptible Names and Expressions concerning either Mens or Womens Meetings or the Testimonies given forth by the Spirit and Power of God through faithful Friends or such whom the Lord hath made Elders in the service of the Church are blamed is because they do strike at the Spirit and Power of God by which those things were appointed and are designed by them that use them to bring those Things Persons and Services into Contempt But no Expressions have been used by us concerning the Doctrines or Holy Instructions contained in Holy Scriptures to that end or with that intent But whatever has been said of the Scriptures that is by our Adversaries thought mean has been only intended to reprove and bring back to the Spiritual use of 'em those that have almost deify'd the Letter Ibid. p. 104. But in all their Preachings and Writings before 1660. where-ever they had occasion to name the Holy Scriptures they seldom or never gave them that Epithet of Holy or Sacred Both before and since the Year 1660. Our Friends have frequently given as Distinctive Epithets denoting the true and just Value and Esteem due to the Scriptures as the Snake can do And if in his or other our Adversaries occasions to name them it is Emphasis sufficient to say as he and they most frequently have done The Scriptures why is it not so in us Do our Adversaries do greater Honour to them when they falsly say we undervalue the Seriptures than we do when we say we do Highly Value The Scriptures Hath not the word The as great an Emphasis from our Mouths or Pens as from theirs I think it has But if the word The hath either no Emphasis or not sufficient then the Snake as well as all former Adversaries doth seldom either give them any or sufficient Emphasis Because they have most frequently only said the Scriptures But further Our Friends have frequently said before 1660. The Scriptures of Truth The Holy Scriptures c. of which for I spare not time to turn over Books for this purpose there occurs at present R. Farnsworth and T. Speed without trouble of Seeking who have so expressed them So that this false Insinuation of the Snakes is refuted Ibid. p. 104. And other Quakers did justifie this Beast and said That he might as well come into the Church with that Filth in his Hands as the Minister with a Bible If S. Eccles had as Isaiah a Command from the Lord to Go Naked c. and the Lord hath no where bound himself by promise that he would give no such Command to any of his Servants in the Gospel Dispensation he had in that his obedience his reward But for what the Snake hath last alledged I demand his proof and then that may be considered if he can shew any P. 105. Vpon the 10th of August 1681. at the Quaker Meeting-House in Grace-Church-street one who had a greater reverence than the rest for the Holy Scriptures brought a Bible with him and before the Meeting was gathered or their Preachers come he being in the Gallery read part of a Chapter which so much mov'd their Indignation that one of the Chief of them snatch'd the Bible out of his hand and thrust him all along the Gallery down several steps Rich Smith was present and did attest it The Person Richard Smith said to be the Attestator as above the Reader will I think with me conclude to be one of our Friends or who does at least frequent our Meetings Now I know but one of that Name and I have enquired of him and he declares as follows Whereas Richard Smith is said to have attested the Story above and it seeming to me that the Relator The Snake in the Grass does thereby intend the said Richard Smith to be a Quaker I do Declare First That I know no Person a Quaker named Richard Smith in London or the Suburbs but my self Secondly That I did never in my whole Life see any such
was Incarnate and dyed And that Christ was his own Father to whom he prayed upon the Cross. We own Christ both as Eternal God and as the Son of Mary yet are under no such difficulties as the Snake doth falsly suggest For we cannot express the Godhead by the word Person having no such Example in Scripture and our Belief being according to that and expressed in the words of it It must necessarily follow that the Snake does account the Declaration of Holy Writ in this Article to have many Absurdities Of which let him clear himself if he can as also of inclining to Polytheism which his words do seem to favour Ibid. p. 122. G. F. opposes Christopher Wade for saying That the Holy Ghost was a Person and that there was a Trinity of three Persons before Christ was Born It seems by this they do not acknowledge that there were Three in Heaven before Christ was Born It does not only seem but plainly appear that this Snake is a Notorious Lyar Holy Writ says 1 John 5.7 There are three that bear Record in Heaven It does not express them either by the word Trinity or Persons does it therefore seem that Holy Writ does not acknowledge that there were three in Heaven before Christ was Born Or that the Three in Heaven as the Snake Blasphemously does suggest must be Three Creatures What G. F. opposed in Christopher Wade in this Case was the Unscripturalness of his Language which will best appear from G. F's one Words not curtaild as in the Snake they are these Great Mystery p. 246. Thou knowest not him that is in the Father and the Father in him Glorified with the Father before the World began And the Scriptures doth not tell people of a Trinity nor Three Persons but the Common-Prayer Mass-Book speak of Three Persons brought in by thy Father the Pope And the Father Son and Holy Spirit was always one Ibid. p. 122 123. The Snake shews as himself says what Muggleton did hold in that Blasphemous Whimsy of the Deputy-ship of Elijah c. and says of it It terrifies my very Soul while I repeat such dreadful and sensless Blasphemy But I am well assured that this Snake was under greater Terror of Soul when seized by the King's Messenger at Lidd in Kent For To repeat such dreadful and senslless Blasphemy He had no Necessity was under no Constraint but that it pleased him to think that he might slantingly throw it at us tho' both him and it we do utterly deny But it was not in his Power to avoid being seized by the Messenger though he afterwards found it in his Power to run away from him Of which in its proper place Ibid. p. 123. How far the Quakers differ from Muggleton in what is here told excepting the Deputy-ship of Elijah will appear by their allowing no distinction between the Father and the Son It is an Abominable falshood G. F. did not say there was no Distinction between the Father and the Son but deny'd such Distinction as that Priest contended for and if the Snake think good Let him openly declare whether he will stand by and own that Distinction for which the Priest did contend and which G. Fox did oppose What the Priest did affirm was this as given in Great Mystery p. 293. The Father is a Distinct Incommunicable Being from the Son and the Son a Distinct Incommunicable Being from the Father and the Holy Ghost a Distinct Incommunicable Being from the Son See Reader had not G. Fox reason to oppose this Polytheistical Doctrine of Separation and Incommunication which plainly makes a Triumvirate of the Deity and thereby destroys not only the Simplicity but the Foundation of Faith And this will happen so long as Men will Hazzard their Faith to improve their Knowledge And curiously inquire into what will still remain a Mystery and not be content with such Declaration of it as we are Infallibly assured in Holy Writ is according to the Mind of God and sufficient for the necessities of Men. But to proceed there needs not an Ingenious Stickler to shew what G. F. did oppose but there wants an Ingenious Stickler unless the Snake think himself so to reconcile the Priests words which I have above quoted to the Holy Scripture which he pretends to be his rule for at present they are as contrary to it as Light to Darkness I am not so much surprised to find this Snake p. 124. saying of George Fox He was a very Sorrowful beginner of a Religion and could neither be separated nor distinguished from a Tool which Knaves do work with call'd a F l. As to find him so cautiously clipping the word Fool Because it is greater Modesty and Caution than he uses towards him in other places where he calls him Valpoon George Magus and says he was one of poor understanding and had an Immoderate degree of Dulness But after all this his Serpentine Modesty or rather as himself expresses it p. 198 wicked and hateful Eubullition of Soul George Fox did herein justly and warrantably oppose that Distinction and Incommunication in the Deity which the Priest did as above contend for But again he is angry with G. F. in Great Mystery p. 246. Where the Snake says he disputes against Christopher Wade for saying God the Father never took upon him Humane Nature But he is so far from replying to G. F's answer to Christopher Wade that he gives but three words of it tho' the answer does consist of more than so many lines and is as follows Great Mystery p. 246. Answ. Contrary to the Scripture which saith God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself And art Ignorant of the Great Mystery God manifest in the Flesh and his name is called the Everlasting Father As for the Word Humane which is from the Ground it comes from thy own Knowledge which is earthly and Christ took upon him the Seed of Abraham and David according to the Flesh and this is Scripture Language And if the Snake can shew that it is not so it will be better to confute the whole than to nibble Rat like at three words of it And this brings me to the end of this short Section SECT IX Concerning our Belief of the Divinity and Incarnation of Christ. ACcording to what has been already spoken in the foregoing Sections occasionally concerning the Divinity and Incarnation of Christ. I do here of set purpose declare it as a Truth which now is and always hath been since we were a People believed and declared by us That The Word which was in the Beginning with God by which all things were made did in the fulness of time according to the appointment of the Father take Flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary and that in that Body of Flesh The Fulness of the Godhead dwelt Bodily Thus in the largness of the Expression and sense of Scripture we do truly and sincerely own according to John 1.14 That
and Orthodox p. 25. q. 18. Seeing the Apostle speaks of purifying the Heavenly things themselves Heb. 9.23 It would seriously be enquired into and the Lord waited on to know what nature these Sacrifices must be of which cleanse the Heavenly things whether they must not of necessity be Heavenly If so then whether was it the Flesh and Blood of the Vail Heb. 10.20 or the Flesh and Blood within the Vail John 6.53 Whether was it the Flesh and Blood of the Outward Earthly Nature first quoted or the Flesh and Blood of the Inward Spiritual Nature last quoted Whether was it the Flesh and Blood which Christ took of the first Adam's Nature or the Flesh and Blood of the second Adam's Nature Thus he and is very sound according to the Doctrine of our Saviour who saith John 6.53 Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood ye have no Life in you Of this many of his Disciples said John 6.60 This is an hard saying And therefore our Saviour expounds it to their weakness v. 63. It is the Spirit that quickneth the Flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life From all which this is the Sum of I. P's Question The Soul of Man is of Heavenly Extraction which being fallen through Sin is not to be cleansed therefrom but by the Spirit of Christ which is shed on Mankind and univerâ—â—lly tender'd to them by Jesus Christ having offer'd up as a Propitiatory Sacrifice his Body and through the Vail that is to say his Flesh hath opened to the Kingdom in the Apostle's phrase A New and Living Way Ibid. p. 131. The Snake makes a Quotation from C. Atkinson's Sword of the Lord drawn p. 5. Your Imagined God beyond the Stars and your Carnal Christ is utterly denied To say this Christ is God and Man in one Person is a Lie Here the Snake hath made a false Quotation that it might not fail to answer his purpose which yet when set in its true Light speaks quite otherwise it standing thus in that Book Your imagined God beyond the Stars and your carnal Christ which you would make appear through your Heathenish Philosophy is utterly denied and testified against by the Light which comes from Christ. Now if the Snake's God and Christ can only be made appear through Heathenish Philosophy this he says is utterly deny'd And it is certainly true that the Light which comes from Christ does utterly deny all Vain and Carnal Imaginations The words from the break are a position of his Opponents to which he does not barely reply It is a Lye but adds He is not divided from what he was before the Foundations of the Hills were laid c. Ibid. p. 131. quoted from Great Mystery p. 250. The Devil was in thee says G. F. to his Adversary Christopher Wade Thou sayest thou art saved by Christ without thee and so hast recorded thy self to be a Reprobate Ibid. p. 132. From Great Mystery p. 183. Such as have Christ in them they have the Righteousness it self without Imputation the end of Imputation the Righteousness of God it self Christ Jesus Thus the Snake first picks up bits to make Quotations and then packs them on heaps that by this his false and confused jumbling of things together they might speak his own mind not the mind of the Writer As to the first where he brings in G. F. saying to Christopher Wade The Devil was in thee c. It was because he had given Testimony of it as this Snake has done by stuffing as G. F. says his Book with Lies And tho' the Snake may think it is no complement yet I can tell him it is Truth in much plainness and agreeable to the Sentence of the Lip of Truth to the Jews when he told them Ye are of your Father the Devil John 8.44 and the lusts of your Father ye will do c. So that where we find Murderous and Lying Works it shews them to be of the Devil As to the latter part of the first Quotation Thou say'st thou art saved by Christ without thee c. It does plainly contradict the Doctrine of the Apostle and upon the Authority of that G. F. or any other may safely declare that such who know not Jesus Christ in them are Reprobates and if Chr. Wade declared himself such G. F. was no more to blame than any other may be if the Snake now do the same To the last Quotation from p. 183 it is near all of it Scripture for Christ is declared the Righteousness of God and is the end of Imputation to all that believe which as G. F. there says Is owned and this Imputation is within for he that believes is born of God Ibid. p. 132. Quoted from Saul's Errand p. 14. Christ says he that is The Light within is the Substance of all Figures and his Flesh is a Figure To shew the Reader this more clearly it being not long I will give it intire as in that Book from whence the Reader may judge of the Orthodoxy of the place and the Malicious Parenthesis of the Snake It was a Query propounded to G. Fox Whether Christ in the Flesh be a Figure or not and if a Figure how and in what To which he answers Christ is the Substance of all Figures his Flesh is a Figure for every one passeth through the same way as he did who comes to know Christ in the Flesh There must be a Suffering with him before there be a Rejoycing with him Christ is an Example for all to walk after and if thou knowest what an Example is thou would'st know what a Figure is to come up to the same fulness Thus G. F. and is according to these and other Scriptures John 13.15 1 Pet. 2.21 Rom. 8.17 Heb. 2.9 Ibid. p. 132. The Snake in like manner minces the words of E. B. only quoting from p. 149. of his Works The very Christ of God is within us leaving out what follows We dare not deny him and we are Members of his Body and of his Flesh and of his Bone as the Ephesians were Eph. 5.30 Ibid. p. 132. He does pick from Isaac Penington's Question to the Professors p. 27. Doth not the name Christ belong to the whole Body and to every Member of the Body as well as to the Head And has left out what follows which are the Scripture Proofs Are they not all one yea all one in the Anointing was not this the great desire of his Heart to his Father John 17.21 23. That they all might be one even as the Father and Christ are one And so being one in the same Spirit 2 Pet. 1.4 one in the same Life one in the same Divine Nature even partakers of God's Holiness Christ is not ashamed to call them Brethren Heb. 12.10 nor is the Apostle ashamed to give them the Name of Christ together with him c. Heb. 2.11 The Snake
and Answers which are in p. 8 9. of W. Smith's Primmer and which are as follows Child But do they Ministers not all preach Christ in words Father Yes the false Ministers can speak of the Name of Christ as the true do but they want his Power Child But how may I then know which is true and which is false by their words seeing words may be the same Father Why they that are false preach Christ without and bid People believe in him as he is in Heaven above but they that are true Ministers they Preach Christ within and direct People to wait to feel him in themselves and so to believe in him as he makes himself manifest in them and this is true Doctrine that brings People to mind that principle of God in their own Consciences which comes down from Heaven and goes thither again and such as are in the earthly wisdom they do not know Heaven above Child This is a great Difference in their Doctrine for one to preach Christ without and another preacheth him within Father Yes it doth make a great Difference and hath no more fellowship together than the East hath with the West Thus W. S. And this is so far from preventing the least tincture of Christianity that it is a sound initiating Lesson for Children it being no other than a plain and short Paraphrase of divers Texts of Scripture and particularly of 2 Cor. 5.16 17. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the Flesh Yea tho' we have known Christ after the Flesh yet henceforth know we him so no more Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new Creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new Col. 1.27 That God would make known what is the riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of Glory In which places according to the whole tenour of the Gospel-dispensation the Apostle labours to bring People to give up to the workings of the Spirit of Christ in them Yet does not hereby slight or undervalue much less deny Christ in his appearance in the Flesh nor the Office of his Mediatorship in Heaven by whom it is that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to Men. And agreeable to this was the Labour and End of W. S. in that Primmer of his But further if we make but a small amendment of the word only to the second Answer what will become of the Snake's Cavil and then read it thus They that are false preach Christ without and bid People believe in him only as he is in Heaven above c. It will be past his Cavil and he ought not for such an Elipsis to have forfeited all his Pretended Charity nor falsly to have declared it an admirable Cue to prevent the least tincture of Christianity I expect that this amendment may be opposed by him and that he may urge that our Writings are by no means to be added to But if it be so urged I would then answer The Church hath given abundant encouragement to supply Eliptick Defects by her Example and Practice in the Holy Scriptures in which there are a thousand I believe Instances of a word or words added with purpose I would in Charity think of more fully expressing the Mind of the Holy Ghost And what is so familiarly done with Holy Writ surely we may do with our Friends Books Ibid. p. 145. The Snake makes a curtail'd quotation from p. 17. of E. B's Preface to G. F's Great Mystery thus We differ in Doctrines and Principles and the one thou must justifie and the other thou must condemn as being the one clean contrary to the other in our Principles E. B. in this place was speaking of those Doctrines and Principles of the Priests which were opposed in that Book some of which I have mentioned p. 155. but not indefinitely of all the Principles they did or might hold and that there was reason to oppose them I question not but the impartial Reader will agree not simply for that they are clean contrary to us but for that they are so to true Christian Doctrine And of these and such as these E. B. speaks thus p. 17. ut supra And besides their Petitioning which the Priests and others did the Magistrates against us and Preaching and Praying against us and all the evil and wickedness in Work Word and desire brought forth against us from time to time Yet here sober Reader thou hast a Catalogue and whole number of Books printed and written against us and abundance of their Doctrines uttered against us and in opposition to us gathered up in this Volume in a sum with our Answers to them And if thy Mind and Heart be single thou mayst hereby understand in measure the difference in Doctrine between them and us and compare each of them with the Scriptures and see whether their Doctrines and Principles laid down as the subject of their Books or our Doctrines and Principles laid down in answer to theirs be according to and and agree with the Scriptures And if thou be impartial in this business and single in this Search and Judgment I doubt not but thou wilt in a great measure satisfie thy self and be resolved concerning their Priests and Professors in England and us who are called Quakers And when thou hast thus done own and deny whether them or us for thou mayst fully perceive we differ in Doctrines c. Now Sober Reader what just exception can there be to the tryal of Doctrines and Principles where the Holy Scripture is assigned for the Touchstone and such persuasion as the Lord shall give is to be Leader But this is a Tryal the Snake dreads because it wholly destroys Implicit Faith and blind Obedience Ibid. p. 146. And therefore this difference of Doctrine betwixt the Quakers and us which they say is as wide as from East to West must be more than concerning the Light within c. Yes so it is it is concerning the Separation and Incommunication of the Deity mentioned p. 189 foregoing It is concerning the Holy Scriptures alone being the Object of Faith It is concerning the Letter of the Scripture being the Sword of the Spirit It is concerning the Letter of the Scripture being God It is concerning the Scriptures being the Power of God and the Iudge by which all Men shall be judged And in fine it is concerning many other things mentioned in that Book Great Mystery several of which I have refer'd to in their several pages as I have met with them Ibid. p. 146. The Quakers do positively determine their Light within to be not a Secondary Agent or sent from any other but that it is it self the Principal The Quakers do indeed determine according to the Testimonies of our Saviour and his Holy Apostles Mat. 10.20 John 14.17 20. and 15.4 Rom. 8.9 10 11. 1 Cor. 3.16 and 6.19 Gal. 4.15 Col. 1.27 1 John 4.4 That the
not Finite but Infinite And this is another proof much to the same purpose that is to no purpose of answering the Title and for any relation the Section has to it he might have Entituled it a Relation of his Escape from the Messenger at Billinsgate or a Relation of his being seized by him at Lidd in Kent or any thing else in the World which had no Relation to the Matter treated of The Snake next makes a Quotation from the Spirit of the Hat concerning G. F's Marriage and says That G. F. did say concerning his Wife then somewhat in years She must not be Barren but wou'd as Sarah bring Forth an Isaac in her Old Age. To which I first answer that that Book from from whence the Snake quotes as above hath been many years since answer'd But in this the Snake is here silent that he might evade to reply to it And I might after his Example be as silent to his Objections from the Spirit of the Hat as he is to the Answer in the Books Spirit of Alexander the Copper Smith and Judas and the Jews But for the Readers satifaction I shall further answer and say that upon inquiry of those who are most likely to know whether G. F. did say so or not such as his Widow and other Relations I am assured by them and they do say it is utterly false But the Snake to corroborate one Lie he adds another and says that She Margaret Fox growing big p. 192. The Midwife attended several Weeks in the House till Belly fell the Figure was spoiled and the Quakers disappointed of their Isaac That Margaret Fox when in years beyond the ordinary time of Child-bearing should grow big as if with Child is nothing strange nor singular for that the like doth often happen by means of Flatulencies and Humours collected in the Abdomen which in their beginnings and progress sometimes both the Party affected and the Physician have been in doubt to determine and instances of these Kinds are frequently met with in the Writings of Physicians So that it is foolish as well as false to make any such mistake a Legendary Story as it is also false where he says a Midwife attended several Weeks because there was no such thing Ibid. p. 192. This their presumptuous pretence to Miracles and Foolish Legends is another instance wherein they have imitated and outstript the Roman Catholicks This the Snake's great impudence in calling the mistake of a Woman concerning her Pregnancy in which Questions many Women and also Physicians have been mistaken a presumptuous pretence to Miracles and Foolish Legends is another instance of his Malice or Folly For could he enumerate Ten Thousand such mistakes of Women amongst us would this be good proof that we have imitated or outstript the Roman Catholicks in Miracles and Legends I think it would not For besides the many Legendary Volumes which the Romanists have and which were calculated for to feed their Superstition of which we have none should it be allowed that the mistakes of Women in this Question is a pertinent instance May it not naturally follow that that Communion or Society in which are the most Women may not be likely to have the most of these Miracles and Foolish Legends And if so it may then behove the Snake to clear the Communion in which he pretends Membership from such like Presumptuous Pretences SECT XIV Shewing that We do not Damn all the Christian World but our Selves THE Uncharitableness of them Principles which Reprobate and Damn all besides their Professors must needs be very Obvious both in their own Declaration and also in the Lives and Practices of their Professors as influenced by them and need not the wiredrawing of strain'd and perverse Constructions to prove it Because at first sight it appears in the very Complexion and Tendency of them But the Principles and Doctrines which are believed and taught by us have a direct opposition in their Declaration and are of quite another tendency and purport than that Damning of which the Snake speaks For as opposite as Salvation is to Damnation so opposite is that our Known Principle of free and universal Grace to that of Damning all but our selves And to as many as have read our Books or shall hereafter be incited to read them they know and will find that it is and hath been by us constantly declared that the Saving Grace of God doth appear unto all Men affording them a day of Visitation wherein through obedience to the Drawings of the Spirit of Grace upon their Hearts they may escape Damnation And the Work of our Ministry hath been to call Men into obedience to this Grace and Spirit of God declaring to them that if the Day of their Visitation and the tenders of the Love of God through the Spirit of his Son shall come to an end through their Impenitency that then they will have cause to say with them whom the Prophet Personates The Summer is ended and we are not saved But this Principle of free Grace and this Work and Labour of our Ministry to call into Obedience to it concludes not that we Damn them who fall short through Disobedience any more than Moses the Prophets our Lord Jesus and his Apostles could be said to Damn the People to whom they declared their Iniquities and the consequents of their Impenitent abiding in them which was That they should Perish and be Cut off in their Sins And as this is the Doctrine which hath from the first been Believed Preached and Writ by us so our Conversations and Practice Influenced by this Principle hath been agreeable to it And I do appeal to all who have Knowledge and Acquaintance with us whether they have not found us constantly declaring and shewing forth great good will to their Welfare and to our Power promoting it and often Warning and Admonishing against those things that might hinder it Nay the Snake himself is so far Evidence against himself that he hath declared He never received in all his whole Life any sort of Disobligation from any of us But it would have been a Disobligation in some sort if the Quakers with whom he hath convers'd had told him he was Damn'd On the contrary he testifies of the Generality that they are Honest and well Meaning Is it any good meaning to Damn all but our selves I think there is not much in it And I see not how the Snake can reconcile that Character to the Title of this Section I say the Title because this Section in the Body of it does no more answer its Title in the matter charged in it than the last Section did Ibid. p. 192. Having equall'd themselves to Adam in his Innocency as above is shewn they must needs prefer themselves to all since the Fall But if this were true which I shall shew it is not must they therefore needs Damn all since the Fall What the Snake by his Title was to speak to
above-mentioned p. 45. made a Quotation from T. E's Further Discovery p. 99. thus In comparing the Books of Friends to the Books of them called the Greek and Latin Fathers He has not done as a Friend and Brother but as an Enemy in supposing Friends Books to have been written by no better Guidance or clearer Sight than theirs who lived and wrote in those dark Times Upon this G. K. remark'd to his Auditory You see how modest they are here At this Remark G. K. says his Auditors gave a Shout signifying as he says Their dislike that the Quakers Books should be preferred so far to the Greek and Latin Fathers next to the Days of the Apostles To all this T. Ellwood in his Answer to G. K's Narrative as above in p. 177 178. replies One might wonder here at the cause of his Auditors Shouting For such of them as could understand what was meant by Greek and Latin Fathers one might expect should be Men of greater Wisdom and Gravity than to Shout in such Assemblies and for the Vndiscerning Mobb it was a subject so much above their Capacity and Pretences that it cannot be supposed they should Shout at that if they had not been excited thereunto by some little Antick Gesticulation from him But to the matter They shouted he says signifying their dislike that the Quakers Books should be prefer'd so far to the Greek and Latin Fathers next to the days of the Apostles These are not my words I did not refer to the Times next to the days of the Apostles But my words were Who lived and writ in those Dark Times Must those Dark Times needs be next to the Days of the Apostles See what an unfair stretch is this Thus T. Ellwood And yet as unfair as G. K's stretch was the Snake has stretch'd beyond him and pronounces They the Quakers run them down by wholesale But whether it be so or not I leave with the sober Reader to judge and shall observe by the way that how jealously tender soever he is of the names of them he calls Ancient and Holy Fathers Yet Bishop Jewel being prest with some Authorities brought from them by his Opponent Harding the Jesuit makes no scruple to do what this Snake calls run them down by wholesake for applying to his Reader he says That Doctors in all Ages and in all parts of the World were brought against him And the Bishop then queries Who would not be afraid to see such an Army come against him Howbeit gentle Reader be of good Cheer all this is but a Camisado These be but Vizards they be no Faces they are brought in like Mummers for a Shew and say nothing Jewel against Harding p. 6. Printed 1566. What will the Snake think of the light Character given of Doctors in all Ages and in all parts of the World And were it proper in this place I could add plenty of Instances that many of the Reform'd have made so bold with those this Snake calls Ancient and Holy Fathers as to run them down If to discover their Errors and slight their Authority as incompetent when offered in Contradiction to the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit which gave them forth be so Ibid. p. 194. But now what Quarters shall we have If the Snake ask for himself the answer is ready if it be such as he deserves it will be none of the best For one who tells Lyes for Bread and can pawn all the pretences of Religion upon the Score of Malice and base Design may easily guess what value is to be put upon such an Undertaking Ibid. p. 194. How shall we be able to stand before them It is a Question the Snake may well ask concerning himself after so many Injuries of divers sorts and so great Injustice as he is guilty of towards us the weight of which may well be some pressure upon a Spirit that is at all on this side Obduration Ibid. They damn us all together to Hell i. e. all Christians It is false we Damn none no not the Snake much less all Christians Ibid. But they are more favourable to the Heathen whom they think Worshippers of the same Light with them and not led to Outward Things by the Belief of an Outward Christ and Faith in his outward Sufferings Death c. This Snake has an unusual degree of Impudence for he is not contented only to suborn our Books and pervert our Words and forge Lyes but he does bely our very Thoughts and say we Think what we never declared we did Think For we have never declared That the Heathens indefinitely speaking were obedient to the Light of Jesus Christ But we have often said according to the Apostle Acts 10.35 In every Nation he who feareth God and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him And concerning the Heathen in particular with the Apostle Rom. 2.14 15. For when the Gentiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves Which sheweth the work of the Law written in the Heart And of such Heathens who do thus shew forth the Work of the Law written in their Hearts we may say when considered and compared with meer Nominal Christians who have not known the Inward Vertue of what they believe Christ did Outwardly Suffer as our Saviour did say concerning the Pharisee and the Publican Luke 18.14 I tell you this Man departed to his house justified rather than the other For a Man may have a Historical Faith of all the Outward Things which are recorded in Holy Writ that Christ did and suffered Yet through disobedience to the Holy Spirit which Reproveth for Sin John 16.18 he may never know that Faith begotten in him which gives victory over the World Yet hence it 's not to be concluded that such who are obedient to the Holy Spirit in its Reproofs for Sin do therefore slight much less disbelieve any part of what Christ outwardly did and suffered No they cannot but must and do highly value and esteem It knowing the Benefits that we receive by it and do bless God that it is our Lots to have the means of the Knowledge of what Christ did outwardly do So that the Snake is most injuriously Abusive in his false Insinuations to the contrary The Snake now turns again to G. F's Great Mystery from whence not unlike the Quacks of the Town who of their pretended Panacea's boast they will cure all Diseases he pretends to fetch proofs for every Charge tho' contradictory to themselves but how falsly I have at least in some measure shewn As that the Quakers at first setting up pretended to be equal and of the same substance with God And it must also prove that the Quakers now abated from that and do now only claim to be Infallible as Prophets and Apostles Again Great Mystery must prove that there was a time when there was no God p. 122. And also that not the
Answer to that Common Objection against the Quakers that they Damn all but themselves The words are these This then is the sum of our Answer in this respect We are not against the Life and Power of Godliness where-ever it hath appeared or yet appears under the Vail of any form whatsoever Nay all persons who singly wait upon the Lord in the simplicity and sincerity of their Hearts whether under any form or out of forms that matters little to us are very dear unto us in the Lord. But we are against all Forms Images Imitations and Appearances which betray the simplicity and sincerity of the Heart keep the Life in bondage and endanger the loss of the Soul And too many such now there are which hold the Immortal Seed of Life in Captivity under Death over which we cannot but mourn and wait for the breaking of the Chains and its rising out of all its Graves into its own pure Life Power and Fulness of Liberty in the Lord. This Testimony which has been published now near 40 years and others of like tendency which I could produce but that I would be as brief as may be shews that from the first we have not Damn'd all the Christian World as is falsly said by this Adversary SECT XV. The Holy Spirit Professed by the Quakers proved to be neither Venemous or Nasty as charged by the Snake but prov'd to be his own True Character HAving thus shewn the falsity of the Snake's Charge of our Damning all the Christian World and on the contrary prov'd that Love and Charity which we have from the first had and shewn to all the sincere hearted under any Form So herein I hope to make appear that the respect wherewith we have treated Men hath been according to it and that if Words and Language may be allowed to discover the Furious Spiteful and Envious Ebullitions of a distorted Soul that then the Snake hath discovered so much Ibid. p. 198. Kind and Sweet Expressions are natural to Love and Good Nature as Furious Spiteful Envious and other Grating and Violent Passions do naturally vent themselves in the like wicked and hateful Ebullitions of a Distorted Soul Love and Good Nature have no doubt expressions suitable to their Quality and Occasion which in their utterance are always Kind but may sometimes not be otherwise Sweet than as Reproof and Rebuke may be said to be when properly and seasonably given And on the contrary Fury Spight and Envy have ever Expressions suitable to their Wicked and Hateful Nature and are level'd against Men in order to their Hurt and Destruction and have falshood for their original but are not always tho' often in violent manner for they are sometimes cover'd with Hypocrisie Instances of both Violent and Hypocritical I shall anon shew in the Snake after that I have told my Reader that as Words and Language are the Servants of the Mind so they are to be varied as the occasions thereof require Hence Kind and Sweet Expressions are properly to be given to Men and Actions that are Good and Honest And it is as proper by a Sharp and Kind Severity to express the Just Indignation of the Mind against the Evil Actions of Wicked Men. A multitude of Examples in both kinds we have in Holy Writ where the Dejected the Disconsolate the Mourner and the Penitent are comforted by the Kind and Sweet Expressions of the Holy Spirit speaking through the Holy Prophets and Apostles as does also our Lord himself It being the way of the Holy Spirit by Love unfeigned to seek and to save Mankind But on the contrary to the Hypocritical the Wicked and Impenitent it hath been the way of the Holy Spirit by sharp and severe expressions even such sometimes as in ordinary discourse might not be seemly or convenient to reprove them How severely doth God both in the Law and in the Prophets threaten the punishment of Idolaters even in terms which the Rabinnical Scholiasts have thought fit to alter in obedience to that foolish rule in their Talmud that all words which in the Law are writ obscenely must be chang'd to more civil words Milton's Apology Printed 1642 p. 25. Much so foolishly wise wou'd this Snake appear in refusing to allow what God at times as occasion did require hath thought fit to speak thro' his Servants Thus the Holy Prophet Elijah hath pronounced from the Lord concerning Jezabel the Daughter of Eth-baal King of Zidon as mentioned 2 Kings 9.37 And the Carcass of Jezabel shall be as Dung upon the Ground Thus also the Lord by his Prophet Jeremiah threatneth the Inhabitants of Jerusalem Jer. 8.2 That they should be as Dung upon the Earth And the Prophet Malachi 2.3 Behold I will cast Dung upon your Faces even the Dung of your Solemn Feasts and you shall be like unto it And the Prophet Isaiah rebuking the Wickedness of the Priests and Prophets telleth them all Tables are full of Vomit and Filthiness so that there is no place clean Isai. 28.8 The Prophet Habakkuk when he objected to the People their Secret Nakedness he tells them The Cup of the Lords right hand shall be turned unto thee and shameful Spuing shall be upon thy Glory These with abundance more Instances there are in the Holy Scriptures which are sufficient to shew that Love and Good Nature for such is the Holy Spirit doth not always use such as in the account of this Snake are to be called Kind and Sweet Expressions No for tho' the Spirit of God is Purity and Meekness it self yet in the reproving the Iniquities of Men it hath often used severe expressions Thus John the Baptist calls the Hypocritical Jews a Generation of Vipers Our Saviour calls Herod a Fox and told the Wicked Jews they were of their Father the Devil The Proto Martyr Stephen detects their Hypocrisie as Paul does the injustice of the High-Priest The Snake will surely not be so Blasphemous as to say these were in them the marks of Fury Spight or Envy c. Nor will it be answer sufficient for him to say of all these and others of like sort recorded in Holy Writ that he believes them to be the immediate Dictates of the Spirit of God But that all such Speeches since that time are the effects of Fury Spight and Envy and that they are the wicked and hateful Eubullitions of a Distorted Soul unless he can shew that God hath promised that he will no more through his Servants in like manner rebuke the iniquities of Men. This as denied by the Snake puts him upon a worse Dilemma for all those in him which are not Kind and Sweet Expressions And some such I think he has They must of necessity be Furious Spightful and Envious and the wicked and hateful Ebullitions of his Distorted Soul of which I will give some Instances when I have first shewn that if it be denied that the Instances above are Authorities for us to build on Yet that
there wants not Examples of the like practice in the Reformation I will content my self to instance but in two Martin Luther and William Fulk who for the sharpness of their Style hardly come behind any Martin Luther being called before the Emperor Charles the Fifth to answer for his Books Having divided them into Three Sorts one of which was those he had sharply written refused though upon deliberation given him to retract or unsay any word therein as we read in Sleidan Yea he defends his Eagerness as being of an Ardent Spirit and one who could not write a dull Style and affirm'd he thought it God's Will to have the Inventions of Men thus laid open seeing that Matters quietly handled are quickly forgot Milton's Apology p. 24 25. And William Fulk comes not much short of him herein for it being objected to him that he had ill treated Allen Stapleton Martial Staphylus and Bristow who were Papists he defends the Treatment and further says I call not only Martial but all Papists shameless Dogs and Blasphemous Idolaters who maintain and make Vows to Images which travel to them and offer up both Prayers and Sacrifices of Candles Mony Jewels and other things Fulk 's Confutation of the Papists Quarrels p. 9. printed at the end of his Edition of the New Testament 1633. And upon a search neither strict nor tedious it were easie to heap up Instances of this sort which as I am not inclin'd to do so neither would I have mentioned these had not the meer necessity of Teaching this Adversary the practice of such whom that Church will own to which he is a Pretender But now this Snake who denies the soundness of such reproof as I have before shewn from Scripture and from the Reformation and will needs have it proceed from a Spirit Venemous and Nasty and that it is the effect of Fury Spight and Envy and proceeds from the wicked and hateful Ebullitions of a Distorted Soul May yet nay doubtless is when speaking of himself be in the right For it is not impossible but he may know what Distortion of Soul what wicked and hateful Ebullitions they were in him From whence proceeded his Fury Spight and Envy in the several Appearances which it has made against the Government against Vs and against Others It was a Venemous Libel which was writ in Answer to Dr. King now Bishop of London-Derry in Ireland It savour'd of no small Envy to endeavour to run over to our Enemies nor did it savour of less Nastiness to run away from the Messenger who by the force of some Sweet and Kind Expressions which were the Covers of Hypocrisie in the Snake was prevail'd upon to let him go and ease himself upon the occasion of a Violent Loosness which in Jesuitical manner he had before told the Messenger He feared would carry him off The Officer not mistrusting the meaning of the words carry him off had no fear upon him from them till it was too late and had found that his pretences to a Violent Loosness and which received some colour from the fear he was in had afforded him an opportunity which had indeed carried him off And now for the Libel The Snake in the Grass O! The Fury Spite and Envy which his Love and Good Nature or rather Wicked and Hateful Ebullition of his Distorted Soul hath vented as Valpoon Fool Blockhead Monster Deluded Wretch George Magus and G. W's plain words he calls Rank Sophistry Equivocation Jesuitical Confession Diabolical Suggestion and of all that differs from him he says they are like the Spawn of the Viper and that the Devil enter'd into the Herd of our Swine the Beasts of the People These are a few of the many Instances which this Libel affords which whether they are Kind and Sweet Expressions natural to Love and good Nature or Furious Spiteful Envious and Grating vented from the Wicked and Hateful Ebullitions of a Distorted Soul Let the Impartial Reader Judge But notwithstanding this his practice he objects to G. F. p. 199. That he calls William Thomas a false Prophet and that he said to Christopher Wade The Devil was in thee And of this what greater Proof need any Man give than false Doctrine and Lyes which G. F. hath shewn they had uttered Ibid. p. 299. You be in the Diabolical Devilish says he to some Priests in the Bishopwrick But the Snake has not told the Reader that the words Diabolical Devilish were not G. F's but the Priest's and G. F. did only shew that they themselves were in that which they had said the Quakers were in Is there no Venom in Diabolical Devilish when spoke first by Priests And yet much Venom when their own words are justly returned to them Ibid. p. 200. The Snake does from an Adversaries Book take upon trust a great many names which he gives without further Proof or attempting to shew that they are the words of our Friends or that if they were they were improper as spoken No that would have been a difficult task But it is easier for him to pronounce like one of Liberal Education Much of this is owing to the mean Education of these Scribes which furnished them with such Mechanick Ribaldry and Billingsgate And why owing to that Pray don't beg the Question since I have shewn before that sharp and severe Expressions have been the Immediate Dictate of the Spirit of God And that some not of meaner Education than possibly the Snake have used the like If they were proper as it may be the Snake will grant because properly applyed these may be so too if the Snake cannot shew that they were improperly apply'd let the Education of the Speakers be what it will Ibid. p. 202. You have seen the Venom Fury and Nonsense of this Quaker-Spirit c. And why pray the Venom Fury and Nonsense Names are no Proof and other than Names the Snake has not given Ibid. p. 202. That it may appear Vniform and all of a piece After all the Deformity and Distortion which the Snake from a likeness of it to his own Mind and Soul shall endeavour falsly to fix upon our Principles they will still when set in their true Light have a perfect Symetry and Proportion of Parts and agreement to the Truths recorded in Holy Writ Ibid. p. 202. These and such like were sent to John Wiggans from the Quakers in Letters open c. A good token there was nothing sent but what was true and if true A good means to have Truth Published and if read by others as the Snake says it was no hurt while Truth That which would have been of great Moment if I may inform the Snake after a Collection of these Characters Descriptions or Epithets given in these Letters said to be sent to John Wiggans would have been to have shewn that they had been Falsly and Nonsensically given but of this not one Syllable Ibid. p. 202. And this shews the true Picture of the
other Books Writ about that time do abundantly testifie of the like evil Practices in other Counties And that they might the more effectually Convince their Persecutors of the wrong they then did them they Expostulate with them P. 78 79. concerning the Pretences on which these their Persecutors had proceeded against others for what they called Arbitrary Actings while they themselves were then found in Practices not less Arbitrary and Illegal The Words are these To what purpose have been the Hangings by the Neck the Cuttings of the Throat at Tyburn the Imprisonments Confiscation of Estates and other exemplary Punishments executed on Judges Justices and Ministers of State for Arbitrary Acting of which the Records of this Nation speak Why was Strafford's Head cut off and Canterbury's and Charles Stuart's as Traitors for Endeavouring to Subvert the Fundamental Laws of England and what Justice was there in all these c This it 's plain is not Exulting but Quaerying not Praising but Questioning yet the Snake by his Art in Splitting Sentences puts it in another face than this its true one Another Instance the Snake quotes p. 221. from the Book aforesaid p. 96. Multitudes of People flock'd up out of the City to Westminster to complain of their Sufferings which Charles Stuart call'd Tumults But the place as it lies in that Book is thus In the beginning of the Long Parliament some such thing viz. Guards was set at White-hall-gate to hiâ—â—er the Multitudes of People which flock'd up out of the City to Westminster to Complain of their Sufferings by the Bishops and Oppressions c. The last Words it seems the Snake would have kept under the Thumb and by no means have it known that the cause why the People then flock'd to Westminster was their Oppression and Suffering by Bishops No by no means the Snake can much more willingly have it known that King Charles the First was counted faulty than that those Bishops should stand Recorded for Oppressors and Persecutors This must not be Published in Gath nor had I now reviv'd it in this Instance but to Detect the Injustice and Falshood of this Partial Adversary I come now to a Book Entituled Several Papers given forth by G. Fox Printed 1660. From which the Snake in the same manner as from the last quoted gives many Scraps of Quotations with purpose that they may Answer the Title of this Section and to prove his Solecism That all their Fighting has been chiefly against the King But alas his base and nasty practice of Splitting Sentences Curtailing Periods and Perverting the Sense Scope and Purport of them will never be able effectually to do it as who shall read the Pages referr'd to by him viz. p. 8 9 12 15 16. and from which in an interwoven manner he hath plac'd the several Bits he picks will more fully see I omit to Transcribe them for Brevity but their Purport is this George Fox does in those Papers which were Writ long before the King's Restauration though not Printed till the Year before fore-warn and reprehend those who would have Constituted and Set Up an Oppressing King which it was fear'd some in Oliver's Days would have done thereby to Establish and Impose their Religion upon the Nation contrary to their former great Pretence to the Headship and Kingship of Jesus Christ over the Church And thus much as it hath the warrantable Example of Precedent from Holy Writ so neither was it any Fighting against the King When the Jews 1 Sam. 8.5 would have a King to Judge them like all the Nations it is said in the very next Verse according to the Hebrew It was evil in the eyes of Samuel yet Samuel was not therefore accused of Fighting against him whom God in anger gave them to be their King Samuel had a sight of that Declension which was in the Jews contrary to their former Practices in this their desire that displeased him and seemed evil unto him in that there should be such Declension in them Thus some there were who once had some beginnings of the Work of God in their Hearts and while they continued under that Sense were willing that Jesus Christ should have his proper Headship and Government in his Church and that all should be persuaded in their own Minds in the Exercise of their Religious Worship towards God But having declined from this they were endeavouring to set up the contrary viz. a Governour and Government by which they might impose upon those with whom they had formerly Unity as relating to the Freedom of the Conscience Against this it is G. Fox in those Papers speaks which shews the Snake in his scornful Flout p. 223. Alas wretched George now must all Men know that thou even thou thy self didst quench the Spirit and deny the Light c. does of none speak so properly as of himself concerning whom all Men that read him must know by this his Falshood and Malice that he does quench the Spirit and deny the Light which will further appear in the falsity of his saying P. 223. Thee G. F. didst Change just as the times did Change and just as soon The Instance which the Snake gives that G. F. did so Change is a Declaration which he with other of our Friends did give unto the King at his Restauration importing their Truth and Fidelity to him 'T is thus Entituled A Declaration and an Information from us the People of God called Quakers To the Present Governours the King and both Houses of Parliament c. And was delivered to the King the 22 Day of the fourth Month 1660. From p. 4. of this Declaration the Snake p. 224. quotes thus We therefore Declare to take off all Jealousies Fears and Suspicions of our Truth and Fidelity to the King and these present Governours That our Intentions and Endeavours are and shall be Good True Honest and Peaceable towards them and that we do Love Own and Honour the King and these present Governours what follows the Snake has cut off so far as they do Rule for God and his Truth and do not impose any thing upon Peoples Consciences but let the Gospel have its free passage through the Consciences of Men which we do not know that they have by any Law as yet imposed And if they Grant Liberty of Conscience towards God and towards Man then we know that God will bless them So that the ground of that Love and Honour which our Friends did then profess to have for that Government was their Ruling for God and his Truth and not impposing upon the Consciences of Men. And I must needs say that there never was any Governours in the World who have so Ruled but the People of God in every Age have lov'd and honour'd them as they have been always True Honest and Peaceable towards all and must continue to be so through every Age of the World and such Kings Princes and Governments God will bless But in all this where
of God in the Consciences of them that without prejudice and with an equal mind do read them But if he denies the Thesis viz. That God can speak and make known his Mind now to Men Immediately by the same Spirit in and by which he spake to the Holy Prophets and Apostles Let him shew when and where God hath imposed that Silence upon himself and bound himself to speak no more in that Immediate manner by his Spirit to Men. Ibid. p. 246. And from the same Mouth of the Lord Tho. Ellwood denounces that they who pay Tythes c. How knows the Snake that Thomas Ellwood did not say he delivered it from the Mouth of the Lord Yet what he there delivered is true But if T. E. did not deliver it from the Mouth of the Lord but laid it down as a plain proposition deduced from Scripture and this abdicated Snake positively says he did From whose Mouth did the Priest denounce that Lye Unless from the Mouth of him who is the Father of them which is the more likely in that he wrongs T. E. in the Quotation also which he gives thus T. E. denounces That they who pay Tythes thereby deny Christ to be come in the Flesh which is a Mark of Anti-christ But T. Ellwood's words are They who pay Tythes do therein uphold a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ and thereby deny Christ to be come in the Flesh which is a Mark of Anti-christ 1 John 4.3 The Snake by leaving out those words do therein uphold a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ hath conceal'd from his Reader that part of T. E's proposition on which the remaining parts depended which he hath also done in p. 254. and repeated the same again with some addition in p. 273. to make the more noise for the proposition consists of three parts 1. That they who pay Tythes do therein uphold a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ. 2. That by upholding a Legal Ceremony abrogated by Christ they deny Christ to be come in the Flesh. 3. That to deny Christ to be come in the Flesh is a mark of Anti-christ for proof of which Tho. Ellwood quoted 1 John 4.3 Now if the Snake can without nibling and taking T. E's words by piecemeal disprove them or the Authority on which they are built it may answer his purpose otherwise the Conclusion is Firm. Ibid. G. Fox in his decretal Epistle bearing date the 3 d. Month 1677. commands Severely that the Friends Testimony against Tythes be kept up with Vigor And yet none of these words Command Severely nor Vigor are in that Epistle which this Scoffing Snake calls Decretal The Quotation he gives out of that Epistle begins thus For any to cry against the Priests in words and yet to give them means and put into their Mouths he has left out here that they may not prepare War against you as not willing to publish that their Unchristian Practice is a Contradiction And is it not so Then he goes on And therefore take heed for if the Lord God do bless you with outward Creatures and you do bestow them upon Baal 's Priests the Lord may justly require the Outward Things from you again Here the Snake stops and covers with a what follows in the Epistle thus Who i. e. the Lord saith that his Christian Ministers should freely give as they have freely received of Jesus Christ. This the Priests don't love the People should hear of no by no means giving Freely is what they care not for And if for a Reason they offer and say they have not freely received though it be Truth yet it will be of no great Advantage But it seems by the Snake's quarrelling with this Quotation that he would have God's Creatures bestowed upon Baal 's Priests for which I should want a reason had I not this viz. That he himself might hope to get a share of them But we have not yet done with G. F's Epistle The Snake goes on with the Quotation thus So all the Preachers for Tythes and Mony and the Takers and Payers of Tythe must be testified against in the Lord's Power and Spirit Here he leaves off again dashing out several lines which mention the Spoil that had been made by the Tythe-mongers upon such as refused to pay them and the Judgments that have come upon those Persecuting Spoilers And therefore said G. F. in the next words In the Power of the Lord maintain the War against the Beast that is that Persecuting Spirit in the Priests and do not put into his Mouth c. To pervert this passage the Snake has printed it Beasts in the Plural that he might make way for a false and wicked Comment of his own that is says he as well Payers as Receivers of Tythes and that adds he is the whole Kingdom King and Parliament Whereas by those words and do not put into his Mouth c. which the Snake has left out it is very plain that G. F's words in that place related to those that exacted not to those that pay'd Tythes But as he hath perverted this Quotation to render the Quakers Obnoxious to the Government by insinuating as if they set up an Outward Authority against it So he craftily but falsly says G. F. concludes his Epistle abovesaid with these words Keep your Authority and Dominion Whereas that is not the Conclusion but after those words Keep your Authority and Dominion it follows in the Power and Spirit and Name of Jesus Which shews the War before mentioned was a Spiritual Warfare to be maintained by a Suffering Testimony and this also shews the Malice and Falshood of this Adversary Ibid. p. 247. There they wou'd perswade us that all they have said against the Payment of Tythes was only meant by them against the Payment of them to the Popish Clergy But by no means against the Right of the Church of England to their Tythes as settled upon them by the Civil Government This is false and the words he quotes from that Paper Signed on the Behalf of Friends and their Yearly Meeting do not say or imply it There is not in them any acknowledgment of any Right the Church of England hath to Tythes He goes on and quotes from that Paper We are not convinced that it can be against the Fundamental Laws of the Land either to deny Tythes What when the Law enjoyns them The Law and that made in the same Reign and not much after that which was the first express Statute-Law for Tythes enjoyn'd owning of the 6 Articles viz. Transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Altar Auricular Confession c. Was that a Fundamental Law of the Land The Martyrs that then chose rather to suffer Death in Flames of Fire than keep it did not think so Again are not all Acts of Parliament though made in Popish Times Fundamental Laws of this Realm Tho' such as were made about Religion for if they had either the Popish Religion must have yet
if he did not reckon them any part of her ten pound Estate he might if he had sold them somewhat encreased that Ibid. p. 277. Nihil Dicit is Confessing of Judgment c. Supposing Nihil Dicit to be Confessing of Judgment yet that is not our Case we have been far from saying nothing for we have replyed I think to all that Bugg hath writ against us at least while he pretended to bring a Stock of new Charges and so Contentious a Man deserves not to be hearkned to or answered only for his noise sake But now to Nihil Dicit which the Snake says is Confessing of Judgment Sure he unluckily forgot the Suspicions he lay under to which he never yet dare appear to make answer so that Nihil Dicit is Confessing of Judgment Ibid. If they could prove Tythes to be Abrogated by Christ then indeed Bugg 's Impeachment would appear to be Malicious Very well I am contented to put it to that Issue because they have not only been proved heretofore to be abrogated by Christ in the Writings of several of our Friends but herein also as I take it it is fully proved that Christ by coming in the Flesh and offering up himself hath abrogated Tythes And that confirmed by Scripture Reason and Authorities Ibid. It is no Objection that Quakerism has not been voted in St. Stephen 's Chappel as bad things have c. What he means by Quakerism being voted in St. Stephen 's Chappel may seem doubtful yet that the Parliament have given us a Christian Liberty we are truly thankful tho I question not but this Malicious Abdicated Priest is sorry for it But why Snake that scurvy and saucy flurt upon the House of Commons as bad things have Can't the Parliament escape the Lash of this Lurking Snake who by the base treatment he has given to the Reformation in England from Popery and also to the present Government seems to intimate both these to be some of the bad things he flurtingly means to have been voted in St. Stephen 's Chappel This brings me to the end of this Section of Tythes SECT XVIII Shewing that the Pretensions of the Present Quakers as of the Former to the Spirit of Prophecy Infallibility c. is according to and agreeable with the Scriptures of Truth THe Snake that he may encrease the Bulk tho' not the Weight of his Charge does in a Multiform manner repeat the same thing We have before had one Section and that not a very short one Concerning the Quakers Infallibility and another Section Concerning the Quakers Pretence to Immediate Revelation And in both these are included this Section Entituled The Pretensions of the Quakers to the Spirit of Prophecy Infallibility c. In almost every particular Instance which he has here mentioned so that to be distinct and particular in this to all the Parts of it were but to say the same thing over again which would be equally unnecessary both for my self and Reader But if in my way through it I meet with any thing new and not answered before I shall not willingly escape it or pass it over The three first pages and it hath but seven are near all taken up in quibling and foolish unprov'd Reflections not worth a Confutation when they are not dress'd in a false shew of Reasons Garb and then only for this Cause that by Derecting an Enemies false Reasoning he may not be able to deceive or impose upon his Readers which this Snake doth frequently endeavour both by false Relations of fact by false Quotations from our Books by gross known Perversions of our Words and giving meanings to them which were never ours and also by boldly affirming of things utterly false As where he says p. 280. Our present Obstinate Quakers refuse to be brought to disown their own False Prophets We have not refused to Disown and Testifie against any who have spoken falsly in the Name of the Lord No but have according to the Examples of like kind recorded in Holy Writ denied them of which I have already in the Section concerning Infallibility given some instances Ibid. But do still fearlesly go on and pretend themselves to the same Extraordinary Commission of Immediate Divine Revelation That Divine and Immedate Revelation to which we do pretend is no other than that which is declared and held forth in the Scriptures of Truth as I have already shewn Section IV. and which the Snake does acknowledge p. 27 28. In some sense they may be called Revelations and Immediate too And as to Extraordinary Commissions or the Special Manifestations of God to his Children in the Higher Degrees of Immediate Revelation those which we own are not repugnant to the Scriptures but are consistent and agreeable therewith as I have there more largely shewn to which I shall only add that God hath not in the Scriptures of Truth declared or bound himself that he would not any more manifest himself to Men in such special Manifestations or extraordinary Commissions which it is recorded he did give to his Ministers in the breaking forth of the Gospel Dispensation Nay on the contrary the Apostle Peter shewing the People what was the Dispensation of God to Men in the Gospel-day Acts 2.17 18. he saith having reference to the Prophecy of Joel 2.28 And it shall come to pass in the last days saith God I will pour out of my Spirit upon all Flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall Prophesie and your Young Men shall see Visions and your Old Men shall dream Dreams And on my Servants and on my Handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit and they shall Prophesie Are not Etraordinary Commissions herein promised I think there be so that there is not any uncertainty or doubt to know whether such Commissions may be or not Which though the Snake wou'd suggest yet he dare not undertake to prove And therefore chuses to oppose the Spirit of Prophecy in the Servants of God at this day by saying they affix God's Seal Thus saith the Lord to whatever their Rage their Malice or Folly shall suggest This is to affirm but not to prove and unless it be proved it deserves not be believed Ibid. This is nothing short of Blasphemy Rank Wild Blasphemy To affix Thus saith the Lord to Rage Malice or Folly it is indeed as the Snake says nothing short of Rank Blasphemy But that the Quakers do affix Thus saith the Lord to Rage Malice or Folly is nothing short of Rank Lying in the Snake to affirm unless he can prove it It is no Objection to give particular Instances of some that have been called Quakers and have spoken falsly in the Name of the Lord and thence conclude and say therefore none of the Quakers speak truly in the Name of the Lord. For by such undue Inference all the True Prophesies in the Old and New Testament are at once denied and refused as not from the Lord because some
pretends to be a Lover of Souls to be really a Hater of Truth and a gross Perverter of Words Is it any Excuse for False Prophesies or Wild Whimsies to say of those who are guilty of them That they are got up into Pride and Exaltation of Spirit and that they are run out from Truth I think it is not but is on the contrary a Sound and Substantial Denial of them as it was an evidence of their Return who had so been guilty when from a sight of and sorrow for the Wickedness they had been guilty of they did Condemn their Wickedness and return into the Way of Truth which they had forsaken and when Erring Persons are so return'd it is no less than Wickedness imperiously and by way of Taunt to object to them their past Miscarriages and much more so to throw them Evils so forsaken and repented of at a Community for their Scandal Ibid. p. 289. I will trouble the Reader but with one Instance more Then we are not like to have very many for we have had yet but two And were I dispos'd to vie Numbers with the Snake I could enumerate more pretended Members of the Church of England who have in Wicked and Freakish manner pretended falsly to Revelations and Inspirations Ibid. John Toldervy has Printed a very Punctual Narrative of his Conversion to Quakerism and of the most Astonishing Possession of the Devil in which he was held after his said Conversion even to the Apparitions of Evil Spirits dancing and Singing about him and directing him what he should do and encouraging him in the Principles of Quakerism The Snake has taken up near three pages with the story of this Man of which the foregoing words are the substance which are a complex of falshoods as I shall presently make appear But first I shall desire my Reader to observe that the Snake affirms that the Astonishing Possession of the Devil did encourage this J. Toldervy in the Principles of Quakerism which is so venemous a falshood that nothing short of Envy could lead him to affirm it and that in opposition to the Authority he quotes viz. the Book Foot out of the Snare which is the Book which the Snake here calls a Punctual Narrative and also quotes in p. 290. I will give my Reader some account both of the Man J. Toldervy and his Book above-mentioned from both which it may fully appear how far the Astonishing Possession of the Devil or bewitched Imaginations in which he was was from being either owing to or encouraging of the Principles of Truth which we profess And first for the Man He was one who I shall anon give my Authority for what I say had been zealously affected in divers ways of Worship at length he made a shew of a Convincement upon his Spirit and did come to our Meetings but it was not long before he did discover himself not to have any true work of Regeneration upon his Mind but run out into very strange and wicked Imaginations for which he was soon reproved by the Quakers but he persisting they did separate from him and deny him both by Word and Writing because of his following a Bewitched Spirit The Quakers being thus discharged of him his Wild Imaginations turn'd to Envy and he endeavoured to charge his Crimes upon the Principle of the Light of Christ in Men professed by us in order to which he writes a Book Entituled Foot out of the Snare and to give it greater Grace it hath Eight Warrantees or Subscribers for the truth of it Wherein they pretend to set forth the Manner of his Separation from the Quakers In answer to this of theirs James Naylor wrote a Piece entituled as above Foot yet in the Snare in which he shews and often repeats it that J. Toldervy was denied by the Quakers and that they had Testified against him And for the fuller evidencing that the Quakers had denied him he does in p. 21 22. refer to their Book Foot out of the Sare and says In p. 33. Do you not confess that when he came to the Meeting at the place where the Quakers were shewing the holes he had made in his Thumbs and telling of those Lying wonders which he had been acting many of the Quakers being there all of them Judged him with one Consent charged him to be silent and told him that he was in Darkness and had slain the Witness of God in him Thus by their own Testimony nay by the Testimony of Toldervy himself for he was it seems the Author The Quakers had denied him of which we can desire sure no better proof than his own Confession attested by Eight Witnesses of which Tho. Brooks Tho. Jacomb Geo. Cockaine Joh. Tombs and Will. Adderly were part Having thus shewn that the Quakers did deny and therefore not chargeable with him nor his Actions I shall further shew from the same Authority which hath testified our denial of him as above that those his strange and wicked Imaginations were neither owing to nor encouraging of the Principles of Quakerism in him as the Snake has wickedly said For proof of this see Foot yet in the Snare p. 20. where James Naylor clearing our Principles from this suggestion saith thus quoting their own Book before-mentioned And have not you confessed p. 49. the Cause of these Distractions and Confusions in his Mind was having been zealously affected in divers ways before There was begotten in him much Fleshly Wisdom in which his Hope did rest believing it to be the Holy Spirit revealed in him and that he was covered with Deceit and could glory in that Condition Here in their own Testimony they say he was Covered with Deceit did rest in Fleshly Wisdom and believed it to be the Holy Spirit and in this he had been zealously affected in divers ways which was as themselves say the Cause of his Distractions and Confusions and all this before he came among us and staid not long when he was come But yet further James Naylor does in p. 26. quote them more amply clearing the Quakers Principle from his Delusions where they clear the Truth and say He J. T. being fully persuaded by what he learned from the Quakers of the Truth which was made known by the Light in us which Light is Spiritual and guides out of the Work of the Flesh to worship God in Spirit and Truth he was then to wait out of Thoughts and Imaginations c. And his Understanding being now thus opened he was possessed with much Joy in the Sense of that Love he had received whereupon he was resolved to give all diligence that his Calling and Election may be made sure But being naturally of a hasty and forward Mind and his Resolution in part being a Covenant of his own there was speedily begot in him an extream Fiery Zeal so that in the general he was hastily carried forth before the true Light by which in a short time he became lost in his
Understanding and so the Disputer was raised to Life and that which was for Condemnation having darkned the Light of the Sun form'd it self in the shape of the True Light and so Deceit got the Power and led out of the true Obedience in things before related by which the Simple be-became exceedingly deceived But when he was restored by the Clear Light of Life being guided in that Obedience which was professed by those People among whom he was being the Quakers and his Witness Here is a Clear Testimony that the Truth and Light professed by the Quakers leads out of the Works of the Flesh to worship God in Spirit and in Truth And that by this J. Toldervy's Understanding was opened What hinder'd then that the Work of Regeneration did not go on in him Why they say that he being of a hasty and forward Mind it was in part a Covenant of his own which raised a Fiery Zeal by which he lost his Vnderstanding and thereby the Sun was darkned a very natural consequence of that Covenant which was his own and not of the Spirit of God and here it was that that which was for condemnation formed it self in the shape as they express it of the True Light And thus indeed the Enemy of Man the Devil works in a Mystery to drive Men to make Covenants in their own Wills for their Regeneration which as they can never last so according to the various Disposition of the Person so Covenanting are the extreams which they run into Thus they acknowledge in direct opposition to the Snake that that Deceit which was in J. Toldervy was so far from encouraging him in the Principles of Quakerism that it did lead him out of the True Obedience to that Prinliple which they say he learned from the Quakers Ibid. p. 291. He made a sort of a half Vindication and half Recantation not of the matters of Fact of his aforesaid Delusions for these were undeniable but to free the Quakers from the Imputation and Scandal of them and to clear himself to have been and still continue a true Quaker which makes the Cause much worse on their side Supposing John Toldervy did endeavour to clear himself to have been and still continue a true Quaker at a time and in things wherein we had by Word and Writing denied him I pray how shall that make the Cause much worse on our side any more than it makes bad of the side of the Church of England because the Snake a former Scandalous Member does pretend to have been and still continue a True Member in her Communion But to proceed the Snake is here forc'd to acknowledge that J. Toldervy did free the Quakers from the Imputation and Scandal of his Delusions which whether he had or not the Quakers had freed themselves from them by denying of him both by Word and Writing And as he stood thus denied by them so they could not be chargeable with any of his after Actions But if he had sincerely repented of his great Wickedness and thereby found favour in the sight of God to have restor'd to him the Light of his Countenance and had so been received again into fellowship with those from whom he had been separated this would have been far from making the Cause much worse on their side For with respect to their own satisfaction it would make the Cause much better Because the People of God in all Ages did always rejoice when one that had err'd and stray'd from the Fold did by sincere Repentance return into it again Ibid. p. 292. That same Year viz. the 24th of October 1656. all the Good and Evil Spirits entred into Naylor himself Profane Snake why must both Good and Evil Spirits be thus flouted It shews no true Sense of Religion in one who can with so much ease ridicule both the beginning of all true and saving Religion in Man viz. the entrance of the Good Spirit of God and the beginning of all Misery viz. the entrance of the Evil Spirit into Man But with respect to Jame Naylor and his Great Fall and yet greater deliverance from it I have already spoken from p. 111 to 118. and therefore need not enlarge further here The Snake now turns to Quotations again where in p. 295. he quotes Patrick Levingston in a Piece of his Entituled Plain and Downright Dealing with them that were with us and are gone out from us in p. 10 of which Book P. L. makes an Allusion of the Operations of Physick upon the Body to the Operation of the Spirit or Power of God upon the Soul and shews thence what melting into Tears and Shakings he had known upon his own Body and also what some others had known when the Lord did first appear with a mighty hand as he says p. 9. to bring his People out of Spiritual Egypt in this our Age. And he here goes on and shews that these emotions of Body and terrible breakings the Soul were but for a little time and that the Voice of the Lord was not distinctly discerned there they being only preparatory of that way of Peace Stilness and Quietness in which as they continued obedient they came to be established This briefly is the substance of what the Snake hath pick'd and quoted from p. 10. And I will now shew thee Reader his strange perversion of all this Ibid. p. 296. Now here is a Comparison made betwixt the State of the Quakers from 1650 to 1660. and from thence to this time No Snake the Comparison does not lie in any date of Years but in the Progress of the Work of God in Men. Ibid. Their first State was their time of Physick The first State of all who have been Regenerated and Born again may by allusion be called a time of Purging or Cleansing and so it hath been frequently term'd in Holy Writ Our Saviour speaks of this first State in such Pathetick Terms Mark 3.27 as does evidently denote it to be a State of Trouble For the binding the Strong Man of Sin by the Stonger Power of God is not to be effected while the Soul is at ease and secure in Sin Nor can the Strong Man's Goods be spoil'd in Man unless through Obedience he comes under the Workings of the Power of the Holy Spirit and that will not give Deliverance to Man before he sees the great necessity he is in of a Deliverer Ibid. But there was worse than that For as Levingston here informs us The Voice of the Lord was not distinctly discern'd among them the Mind was so Hurried and tossed so that there was not a clear discerning what might be done or left undone in many things This is a very sad Reckning For what will become of the first Quaker Infallibility This is nothing so Sad a Reckning as the Snake is like to make when he shall account for all that Profaneness Injustice and Hypocrisie which he hath delivered under the gilded pretence of advancing the Glory
every True Son of the Church an Enthusiast Yet in p. 98. he says Enthusiasts indefinitely have no Principles they have no Rule but their own Fancy which is strongest in Mad-men Reader Is it not very Comical to see this Adversary dealing his Blows with so much blindness and malice thus to wound himself while he thinks he is hitting of others which is a very great Argument that whatsoever Inspiration he may pretend to believe to be in the Church yet that he has little benefit from any because of his repeated Contradictory Assertions in the same thing But besides the propense Malice herein Legible it 's like he used less guard and caution and car'd not how he put upon us since he declares his Assurance p. 32. That the Simplicity of our Quakers has depriv'd them of every one of these helps which others might have to detect him But be that as it will let me here add one Observation to shew yet plainer if plainer can be whether this blindness has led him He would have us believe nay he says p. 319. We are assured that it the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost will lead us to all Truth that is requisite and necessary for our Eternal Salvation Now if the Snake does here speak both the Churches Sense and his own I will shew that notwithstanding he has writ a Section of Tythes as payable to her yet he has absolutely cut them up by the Root while he doth positively affirm that Teaching does cease nay that it 's inconsistent with the Sufficiency of the Light within But if this Light within or Inspiration of the Holy Ghost Leads us to all Truth requisite and necessary for our Eternal Salvation as both himself and as he says the Church do confess I think it hath Sufficiency enough for all the wants of Men. For Proof that this Sufficiency supersedes all Teaching and necessarily Tythes which are the Reward of it turn to p. 166 167. where speaking against us upon this very Head of the Sufficiency of the Light within he saith Teaching does in its own Nature cease when Men are sufficiently Taught therefore to those who hold the Sufficiency of the Light within outward Preaching must be wholly Inconsistent How far this agrees or contradicts what I have above quoted from him in p. 319. the Reader may easily Judge Now again to Quotations and the first is from p. 38 of W. P's Preface to G. F's Journal and is this We have seen the Fruit of all other Ministries by the few that are turn'd from the evil of their ways And let the Snake think as he please it will always be one good Mark to Judge of a Ministry by its Fruit those that are turn'd by it from the evil of their ways It was the end of the Commission which God gave to his Apostles to turn Men from Darkness to Light and it is the end of the Commissions which he gives at this Day and where this end is not Answer'd there Fruit is not brought forth His Objection p. 320. is besides the Point where he says Mens being evil may proceed from their own perverseness For I know none that doubts it But what is to the present Case is That Men's continuance in Evil is often too much owing to the deadness of the Ministry they are under as in Hosea 9. And there shall be like People like Priest Ibid. And to Justifie rather the Ministery of Theudas Acts 5.36 37. who got above 400 to follow him No it is to Justifie rather the Ministry of Peter from the Holy Spirit Acts 2.41 by which there was at one Sermon added to the Church about 3000 Souls Ibid. p. 320. quoted from p. 21. of the Preface before mention'd where the Snake has given a notable Stroak of his Art in I will give the Quotation first as he has made it and then from the Preface it self They the many Ministers in the World declare of Religion say many things true in Words of God Christ and the Spirit of Holiness and Heaven c. but which of them all ever directed a Man to a Divine Principle or Agent plac'd of God in Man to help him c. Thus the Snake has given it but in the Book it self it is thus They declare of Religion say many things true in Words of God Christ and the Spirit of Holiness and Heaven that all Men should Repent and mend their Lives or they will go to Hell c. But which of them all pretend to Speak of their own Knowledge and Experience Or ever directed Men to a Divine Principle or Agent plac'd of God in Man to help him and how to know it and wait to feel its Power to work that good and acceptable Will of God in them Thus he So that when the Snake Answer'd the Question as himself had split it and said p. 321. Not one of them as I know of He did but Answer one half of it But if he will Answer the Question as it lies above in W. P's Words and say Not one of them Ministers but have so directed Men as is above-mentioned there may Thousands be able to Confront him and say his Answer is false In like manner he abuses a Passage in p. 39. of the fore-mention'd Preface Where W. P. directing his Words to those in the Ministry saith For even those that have receiv'd the Word of the Lord had need wait for Wisdom that they may see how to divide the Word aright which plainly implieth that it is possible for one that hath receiv'd the Word of the Lord to Miss in the Division and Application of it which must come from an Impatiency of Spirit and self-working c. What the Snake carps at in this is the Word Miss and among other things says p. 321. Hâ—w did he know they cou'd Miss but by their having Missâ—d I Answer Very well For as the Apostle does not Charge Timothy with having miss'd when he gave him that Caution 2 Tim. 2.15 to which W. Penn has respect in them Words which plainly implieth c. So I think the Snake will not be so hardy as to say That either the Apostle or Timothy had miss'd in the Division of the Word Ibid. p. 322. Will they give no body leave to miss but themselves We give none leave to miss in the Division and Application of the Word W. Penn hath truly said as above it is froâ— an Impatiency of Spirit and Self-working And if the Snake will not allow of that to be missing it is easie to know that himself does miss exceedingly Ibid. p. 324. The Snake makes a Quotation from p. 83. of G. F's Journal which is but a Repetition of what he has before quoted in p. 28. and which I have already Answer'd in p. 76 77 fore-going and therefore need not here repeat it Ibid. p. 325. But when p. 29. of his Preface before-mention'd Mr. Penn wou'd persuade us that this Fox had outward Revelations and
was to remove an Offence taken against my Friend J. P. for using the same And it would have become this Adversary to have forborn his blasphemous Scoffing at my Light as George if thy Light has hitherto forgot to tell thee I bless the Lord my God who is my Light Life and Salvation he has shewn me the new and living way of the New Covenant which our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ consecrated prepared or set open thro' the Veil that is to say his Flesh yea through his Sufferings and Death as being the Testator he hath enforced that New Testament or Second Covenant he took away the First that he might establish the Second and so hath open'd the Passage into eternal Life into the Holiest of Holies within the Veil and beyond all the Shadows and Veils under the Law It was in the most Holy Place within the Second Veil in the Tabernacle which was called the Holiest of all in the Old Covenant that the golden Censor and Ark of the Testament were put and the Golden Pot which had Manna and Aaron 's Rod that had budded and the Tables of the Testament and over the Ark the Cherubims of Glory shadowing the Mercy-Seat Heb. 9. Exod. 26. So the most excellent things were within the Veil tho' there was a Beauty and Glory also without it All which I doubt not were Shadows of the New Covenant and the Spiritual Dispensation thereof in Christ Jesus in whom the Most Holy Place of that Divine Service and Worship in the New Covenant-Sanctuary which the Lord has placed in the midst of his People is in the Spirit and in the Truth And all our Spiritual Blessings and Heavenly Treasures are in Christ Jesus who is our Sanctuary and Hiding-place And it is in the inmost or most inward and Spiritual Dispensation of the New Covenant that Mercy and Forgiveness is receiv'd and Christ most livingly and effectually known to us and enjoy'd and in him the most holy and heavenly Places wherein the true Spiritual Believers sit down with him and as being washed from their Sins in his Blood by his Spirit are his Church and Sanctuary also and thereby have boldness to enter into the Holy Place even by that new and living Way which Christ hath prepared for us through the Veil that is to say his Flesh Heb. 10. that we may follow him therein into Heaven it self And what entrance through Christ our Mediator we have here in Measure received into this new and living Way and Holy and Heavenly Places in him we doubt not but it is to us an Earnest of a more full Enjoyment of Heaven and Glory hereafter with Christ Jesus our Fore-runner Leader and Captain of our Salvation we continuing faithful to the end in this his new and living Way as true and constant Followers of him God in his great Love and Wisdom has afforded several Dispensations one higher and more glorious than another in order to bring Man nearer and nearer to himself as that of the Law and of Shadows and Types that of the Prophets that of John the Baptist that of Christ in the Flesh and that of Christ in the Spirit and New Covenant which is higher more powerful and more glorious than the former and therein a more clear knowledge of Christ than in all the former wherein there was some Sight of him through Shadows and Veils but by his Divine Light shining in our Hearts God is pleased to give us the Light of the knowledge of his Glory in the Face of his dear Son Christ Jesus that we all with open Face as in a Glass may behold the Glory of God and be changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 and Ch. 4.6 7. Now tho' our Adversary has made a deal of Dispute and Quarrel with us about calling Christ's Flesh the Veil as in Heb. 10. yet he is fain to grant That Christ's Body is called a Veil in Relation to its Type the Veil of the Temple p. 182. but he 'll have this not to be in the Quakers Sense They call it a Veil that is saith he a Garment in contra-distinction to its being Christ's Substance and of his Nature Whereas it 's rather in contra-distinction to its Being his Divine Nature or to its Being in the first place or principally or chiefly Christ himself who is the Son of God for whom the Body was prepared because he did pre-exist it or was in Being before he took upon him that Body even in his Father's Glory before the World began wherewith he is Glorified However the Veil which was Christ's Flesh through which he set open the new and living Way we never deny to be Christ's Body or to be a real Body but own it was and never believed it be a Fantastical Body as I have often said but that Christ the Son of God took upon him real Flesh and Blood of our Nature yet pure and incorrupted in him And as his Flesh was called the Veil it answers its Type or Figure i. e. the Veil of the most Holy Place or Oracle where God gave Answers 1 Kings 6.20 and 8.6 8. and 2 Chron. 3.10 16. And these Most Holy Places in the Tabernacle and Temple being Places of Divine Service then peculiar to the High-Priest to enter into their Antitype is in Christ Jesus the New Covenant where in Spirit and in the Truth God is truely worshipped and meets with and speaks to his People even by Christ Jesus their High-Priest who is present in the midst of his Church and Assemblies of his People the true and Spiritual Worshippers who meet in his Name Spirit and Power whose Light and Truth brings its Followers unto his Holy Tabernacles Psal. 43.3 And as to Christ's Substance and Nature what does our Opposer mean thereby how has he distinguished in this Point Christ has in him a Divine Nature as well as that of Man which he hath also in the purest Sense But which is the greatest Is not the Divine Nature the Deity in him greater than the Manhood As he said My Father is greater than all greater than I John 10.29 Nevertheless as our great and only Mediator and Intercessor it was necessary he should be Man as he is the most glorious heavenly Man and as the Christ of God he is Spiritually in Us in the Saints and Members in some measure by his Spirit Light Life and Power even as the incorruptible immortal Seed in Man is of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and therein all true spiritual Believers do in measure partake of the Divine Nature being born again of this incorruptible Seed SECT XXIII Some Reflections by G. W. upon A Supplement pretended upon occasion of his Answer to the Snake in the Grass p. 343. THE very Entrance into the said Supplement consisting of divers Falshoods I need take the less notice thereof and spend the less time in its strict Examination besides
Substance with God and by consequence Essentially Equal even to God I still in good Conscience deny the Assertion and such self-advancement of the Creature unto such Equality with its Creator whatever any among us has said of the Divine Spirit or Breath of Life which made Man a Living Soul as for the Equality thereof with God and as of his Being I deny that this was ever intended of the Creature Man that he was either one Being or Substance with God or Essentially Equal with God for that were to confound Created Beings with the Increated Tho' Man as made a Living Soul and created in the Image of God had in him something of that Divine Nature and Being which gave Him his Life and Being I really think I have sufficiently and briefly answered this matter in my Antidote in divers places being a reitterated charge of Blasphemy falsly against the Quakers that they so advance themselves as aforesaid to be One Person and Substance with God A body would think the Man should have proved these very words of the Charge upon us or else not so often repeat it with aggravations as he has shamefully done in such Expressions as these viz. that he does not think that any humane Government can be secure of Men in whose Power it is to scrue themselves up to such blasphemous heights of Enthusiasm which he deems the height of Madness which I took notice of and justly reprehended in my Antidote p. 87 88. And I dare further add in order to clear our Principle of Sinless Perfection as attainable through the Grace of God in Jesus Christ That although we own an Essential Equality between our Heavenly Father His Son and Holy Spirit and not such an Equality between the creature Man and his Creator yet such a nearness and likeness between the Heavenly Father and his Dear Children as perfection of Holiness and Purity if they attain to the fulfilling of these Doctrines Be ye Perfect or as some have it ye shall therefore be Perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect Matt. 5.48 And be ye merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful Luke 6.36 And every one that hath this Hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure 1 John 3.3 And if any among us hath writ of them who are perfect in Christ Jesus being led by his Spirit as in that sense Equal I understand Equal only as like unto God or in Vnion with him being united unto him by his Spirit as he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit Our own Principle and Distinction in these matters justly considered I do not think that either my self or any Friend whose sense I explain deserves Bedlam as the Snake would infer upon me p. 358. III. It 's a positive falshood that G. Fox and the rest of us do positively assert all these things charged on him and us before in the Snake or assent to his pretended Proofs thereof p. Ibid. Where does he or we positively assert of our selves that we are One Person or Substance with God I find not these words asserted but the contrary Neither is his Reprinting all his pretended Proofs in his Second Edition of the Snake any full Reply to my Answer wherein I detect his fallaciously Imposing such Words and Terms upon us as are none of ours nor agreeable to our Principles as in the before-mentioned and many others And as positive a Falshood it is That G. Whitehead has omitted all the Proofs in the Snake that is almost of the whole Book The Judicious or Serious Reader that shall peruse my said Antidote in Answer to the First Edition of the Snake may clearly see the Contrary But because quoth he the Quakers shall not complain of being thus put off I do intend to make a particular Reply and to follow G. Whitehead through every single Point that he touches for this End especially that this being the last cast of the Quakers and all the defence they have to make I may so plainly detect it as to leave them without Excuse and by the blessing to convince all of them except those who are resolved not to be persuaded though they were persuaded but hope to disarm them c. p. 358 359. Upon all which 't is observed First On the first part of these pretences and boastings How comes G. W's Answer either to need or deserve such a particular Reply or to be followed through every single Point that he touches If his Answer or said Antidote be no Answer but the name of an Answer and nothing to the purpose but shuffling c. as he hath already given judgment p. 355. tho' before conviction it seems 't is so much to purpose that it will make him some work if he still think it worthy to prosecute his intention upon and that through every single Point too Secondly He 's Egregiously mistaken to conclude 't is either the last cast of the Quakers or all the defence they have to make neither may I take upon me the sole defence of the Quakers so called nor do I so abound in my own sense as if no other were capable of making any further or other defence For God having diversities of Gifts hath raised up many in defence of his Gospel and Truth according to their several Gifts among us blessed be his Name and I hope he will raise up more faithful Witnesses Thirdly What detection or conviction this boasting Person can make or work upon us by his fallible and lying Spirit may be easily supposed How shall we believe that he can work or effect such great matters upon us by his scoffing at us about the Light and Infallibility as the Quaker Light and Quaker Infallibility Fourthly And by what Power or Force thinks he to disarm us of our Armour of Light or our Spiritual Weapons No no Neither he nor the Devil his Master the Prince of Darkness shall ever be able to disarm any one that believes in and sincerely obeys the Light of Christ amongst us who are true Children of the Light These his empty Boastings and fruitless Attempts will evaporate and vanish like Smoak Let God arise and his enemies be scattered Let them also that hate him flee before him as Smoak is driven away c. Psal. 68.2 3. and 37.20 IV. To his Alledging G. W. in his Answer to Satan Disrob'd bestows not two leaves upon the Discourse of Water Baptism nor attempts to answer so much as one single Objection or to remove one Stone of that Foundation upon which the outward Baptism is built p. 359. This is as frivolous and impertinent as many other his Reflections are false for he may see that upon that Subject I have bestowed five leaves in the Antidote p. 116 to 126. wherein his Arguments are detected and the Invalidity thereof and the great Stress he lays upon the Type discovered and the thing opened according to Scripture but his sign of Sprinkling Infants by him
a Quaker's Book Intituled The Sword of the Lord drawn p. 5. viz. Your Imagined God beyond the Stars your Carnal Christ is utterly denied That Christ is God and Man in one Person is a Lie To which he saith G. Whitehead does not deny the Quotation but says p. 145. We do not affect the Terms Then he adds Was not this a Terrible Rebuke a full Condemnation of the Author and such damnable Heresie p. 357. See how grosly Abusive and Partial this Snake Author is as if we do not affect the Terms were my whole Answer to those fore-going Expressions quoted by him wherein he appears as in many other things very unjust and injurious for I call them offensive Words in my Answer i. e. as quoted by him saying As to those Offensive Words your Carnal Christ your Imagined God c. we do not affect the Terms neither are they proper to the True Christ or Omnipresent God Antidote p. 145 146. but his Falacy in the Quotation I refer to the fore-going Treatise p. 204. I further add That an Imagined God and Imagined Christ is not the true God nor the true Christ which all meer Imaginations fall short of and of the true Knowledge thereof However I neither liked the said Offensive Words nor the Person that wrote them i. e. C. A. for he neither writ all he did in true Reverence toward God neither did he abide in His Fear or Council but was disown'd by us Therefore the Snake's Insinuation against me That he was a Friend in saying of them and had a good Intention as if I would so excuse him and his said offensive Words is utterly false for I never design'd to excuse or plead for him therein or in any other rash or irreverent Expressions And the Snak's Inferences against the Quakers in general As that all the World cannot excuse them from being the most Outragious and Blasphemous Heresie And that all Men must look upon the Quakers as Monsters and no Christians and their Ancient Friends with Blasphemies Heresies Treasons and damnable Doctrines c. p. 368. Thus concluding with a Storm of Railery when he has taken occasion to Calumniate and Condemn us all by Whole-sale from a few rash and offensive Expressions of one Person and perhaps from some other Words or Passages which many Thousands of us were never concerned in besides his many foul Perversions and partial and false Quotations and Citations And lastly he makes this Apology He must not surfeit the Reader with a Breakfast lest he lose his Stomach to his Dinner But should the Reader be so unwary as to make his Breakfast of such Cookery as the Snake's Railery Foul Abuses and dirty Stuff as he has Cooked against the People call'd Quakers 't would be enough not only to Surfeit but to Poison the Reader Now that I would not seem to conclude with harsh but mild Expressions as well as Matter of Moment I may a little farther take notice of his Profound Questionary Test to try if we are sound in the Faith viz. Whether they i. e. the Quakers believe in Christ as without them without all other Men Seeing our Adversary and his Confederates so much Insist upon the words without us Christ as without us and sometimes gives him the Character of an Outward Christ as if he were not an Inward Christ Inwardly Anointed I may take leave a little to follow them in their terms yet with a real Respect and Honour to the True Messiah the Very Christ the Anointed of God of whom all his Holy Prophets gave Witness Acts 10.4 namely we believe and confess that this very Christ of God the Only Begotten Son of God was conceived by the Holy Ghost and Born of the Virgin Mary without us that he was Born in Bethlehem of Judea without us that he liv'd an Innocent Sinless Life preached most Blessed and Excellent Doctrine without us that he wrought most Eminent and Wonderful Miracles without us that he went about doing Good without us that he was Crucified and put to Death by wicked hands without the Gates of Jerusalem without us that by the Power of God he revived and rose again the third day without us that after he was raised from the Dead he shewed himself Alive after his Passion by many Infallible Proofs unto his Disciples without us being seen of them forty days after which he Ascended into Heaven being seen to Ascend without us and a Cloud received him out of their sight who beheld him Ascend Unto whom it was said by the 2 Angels present This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven Acts 1.3 9 10 11. and doubtless when he so comes and all his mighty Angels with him it will be in great Glory and open Triumph and he will in that day be greatly glorified in his Saints and admired in all them that believe 2 Thes. 1.7 8 9 10. But now I must not stop here we must not leave this same Jesus Christ all without us we must humbly consider and own him as He is within us also As Christ is the Word of God that true Light which enlightens every Man coming into the World John 1.9 He is within us As in Him was Life and the Life was the Light of Men He is within us his Life as the Light of Men is within us John 1.4 As Christ is the Light of the World given to lead Men out of Darkness and to give the Light of Life to all who follow him John 8.12 He is within Men within us to lead us out of that Darkness and Corruption that was in us As Christ is given for the Light of the Gentiles and for a Covenant unto the People and to be God's Salvation to the Ends of the Earth Isa. 42.6 49.6 Acts 13.47 He must be known as such within them Seeing his coming was that we might have Life and that we might have it more abundantly John 10.10 This Life we must have within us Jesus said If a Man love me he will keep my Words and my Father will love him and We will come unto him and make our abode with him John 14.23 which must be within us Abide in me and I in you saith Christ as the Branch cannot bring forth Fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me John 15.4 Therefore if we abide in Christ he abides in us The Branches must abide in the Vine to partake of the Life and Virtue thereof in them to cause Fruit. John 14.18 I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you said Christ. Ver. 20. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you Therefore we must know Christ within us if we be his true Followers John 17.22 23. Where Christ saith And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me And Ver. 26. And I have declared unto them thy Name and will declare it that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them What 's more clear than Christ's own Testimony for his Being within us i. e. within all his true Followers especially 2. Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates Therefore they who are not Reprobates but in the Faith know that Jesus Christ is within them Colos. 1.27 To whom God would make known what is the Riches of the Glory of this Mystery which is Christ in you the hope of glory Therefore the Saints know Christ within them to be the Hope of Glory to them Gal. 4.6 And because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father The Son of God is therefore by his Spirit within us who are Sons of God Galat. 4.19 My little Children of whom I Travail in Birth again until Christ be formed in you Rom. 8.29 For whom he did fore-know he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son that he might be the first-born in many brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In multis fratribus Therefore the Son of God is within them Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any Man hear my Voice and open the door I will come In to him and will sup with him and he with me Was not this the Son of God the Faithful and True Witness who thus spake ver 14 And where is that Door that must be opened unto him Many more Instances might be shewn for the nearness of Christ with and In his Faithful Followers and Members And Blessed are they who truly Believe in his Name and follow him in the Regeneration FINIS Ibid p. 6. Acts 5.36 37. Josephus p. 426 532. Printed 1683. Great Mystery p. 224. Snake p. 31. John 10.3.14.6 Luke 22.28 Mark 1.13 Mat. 4.6 7. John 7.49 Apologia Ecclesiae Anglicanae p. 21. art 51. Foot yet in the Snare Printed 1656. p. 6. Jam. Nayler Vid. Hierom. Apol. adv Ruff. ad Pammach Marcel Ep. 141. ad Marcel
of the Fathers first Book p. 194. Whilst they beat down one Error they seem to run into the contrary Error In like manner as those who would streighten a crooked Plant are wont to bow it as much the contrary way that so having been worked out of its former bent it may at length rest in a middle posture Now if our Friends have formerly met with those in the Priesthood whose crooked expressions did need streightning they are not to be wondred at or condemned in their Christian endeavours for that end And whether there were such or not I will now joyn Issue with the Snake and shew from a much narrower compass than the extents of the Snake's Challenge which is That there never were in any place such Priests I shall at present only give some few instances out of the Book Great Mystery which the Snake does so often quote which take as follows P. 16. John Timson did affirm that the Holy Scriptures alone is to be the object of Faith P. 38. Tho. Collier did affirm that the Scriptures shall be our Judge one day which we call the Letter P. 111. Jeremy Ives did affirm it to be an Error to say the Letter of the Scriptures was Carnal P. 247. Christopher Wade affirmed The Written Word is the Sword of the Spirit P. 261. Roger Atkinson affirmed That the Letter of the Scripture was God Ibid. Richard Stoakes affirmed That the Scripture is God P. 280. Edw. Price affirmed The Scriptures is the Power of God and that all Men shall be Iudged by them Now Reader upon the Issue joyned in this little space whether appears the Arrant Lyar G. Whitehead in saying There were in the North where most of these did live Priests who had so affirmed of the Letter of the Scriptures or the Snake in saying That neither there nor any where else were such Priests For it cannot be allowed I suppose That the Written Word and Letter of the Scripture as above affirmed is either God or the Power of God or the Iudge of the World or Spiritual or the Sword of the Spirit These and the like crooked Expressions of some in the Priesthood it was the necessary work of our Friends to oppose and straiten according to the Authority of Holy Writ not that we then did or now do charge all the Men with whom these so affirming have held fellowship to have the same Sentiments tho' this be the Practice of the Snake against us notwithstanding his distinction in the Title page of his Libel Ibid. p. 88. How comes it that since they are such bitter Enemies to the Letter they yet make a Conscience of saying Thee and Thou instead of You in the Singular because these were old English words in the first Translations I need not ask How comes it That envy and prejudice is Blind and Ignorant We are not bitter Enemies to the Letters of which the Books of Scripture are composed No Sober Reader that which we have opposed and for our so doing have the Authority of the Scriptures is that Men should only from them gather some account of the dealings of God with the Holy Men in past Ages and from their Declarations therein nay sometimes contrary to them make to themselves Creeds and herein Copy after those to whom our Saviour says Ye search the Scriptures in them ye think to have Eternal Life but ye will not come unto me that ye may have Life This we have opposed and directed Men to the Spirit of God in them to which as they are obedient they will find it to open the Scriptures to them and give comfort in the reading of them Thee and Thou instead of You in the Singular are as well Modern English Words as Old from the Essential difference that there is between the Signification of One and Many and upon this account it is according to the best Information I can get that there is hardly any Nation whose Language does not differently express that different Signification And that which engages us Conscientiously to this Practice is not that they are Old English Words but that the same Holy Spirit in us at this day leads to that same Simplicity of Language which it did lead the Servants of God into in former Ages And in all Ages of the World it hath been the Language of the Holy Spirit to Man And accordingly before our day at the beginning of the Reformation Erasmus and others whose Language was not Old or Modern English did reprove that Vanity of Mind which did practice and acccept the contrary Ibid. p. 88. Is there any Immorality or Iniquity in these Letters Y. o. u. more than in T. h. o. u Foolish Question Which may serve to please and tickle the Wanton But Sober Reader I doubt not thou wilt perceive the Vanity of the Querist The Alphabet which with us according to its various joynings does serve to express the thoughts of our Minds cannot have Immorality or Iniquity in the Letters Yet whosoever in evil Mind by joyning them does express words either Blasphemous Profane Hypocritical Unjust as this Snake or any other way bad in their Signification of these Men do pronounce accordingly And thus it is if any to shun the Cross of our Lord Jesus tho' in this small matter of the plain Language and to please the vain Mind contrary to the Convictions of the Spirit of Truth in themselves shall say You instead of Thee and Thou such will find that disobedience their Burden In p. 89 90. Snake has gathered many instances from G. F's Writings wherein he saith This is the Word of the Lord which the Snake puts in opposition to G. F's Answer to Christopher Wade Great Mystery p. 246. They the Scriptures are not the Word of God But this soon vanishes for upon Examination of Christopher Wade's words they seem to imply as if he affirmed of the Scriptures that they were the Eternal and In-dwelling Word of God and therefore and thereupon G. Fox opposed him and asserted Christ to be the Word of God p. 247. Great Mystery which is true and from him the Eternal Word the Servants of God have often said to the People Hear the Word of the Lord. And the meaning of it both in the Prophets and since is only this Hear from the Eternal Word a Declaration of his Will Ibid. p. 91. They knew that the Holy Scriptures could not be discarded openly and above-board nor all at once That the World has been long in the possession of them and of a just Veneration of them and therefore would not part with them nor accept of any Fox 's Inspirations instead of them That the World hath been long in the possession of the Books of Scriptures we well know but for want of being in possession of the Holy Spi-the Power of God they have erred not knowing the Scriptures and therefore could not have a just Value or Esteem for them And God who knoweth the Sincerity of