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have no part affigned them thereout, that İ know of; but they, whom the Priests take Tithes of, muft maintain them to boot; yea, they take it from the Poor, the Widow and Fatherlefs.

The Queftion thou callest Wife, viz. Whether Chrift has prescribed such a Rule, to do as we would not be done by? Thou answereft with another Queftion, and that flily; but I have answered that before, and fo let it pass.

Thy charging me with Lying, and faying, Who knows but a Quaker, that is guided by an unknown Light within, may have a Priviledge above other Men to Lye.

Truly it's a bad Priviledge, to have a Priviledge to Lye; but thou fhould't have taken care thy felf, not to have used that Priviledge, as thou haft done by me in thy Book, and my Friends in England and America, of whom G. K. has told feveral Lyes.

But thou fendeft us to the Snake, and fuchlike Authors, for Proof. Should I take that way with thee, and tell all the foul Stories I have read or heard of People of thy Communion, and how I heard, and who reported them, I might fill a Volume. But thy bidding me ask the Snake, is as if I fhould bid thee ask the Priefts and Pharifees, whether Judas was an Honeft Man.

Thou fay'ft, The Quakers are guided by an unknown Light within. It feems the Light within is unknown to thee, which fhews plainly thou art Dark indeed, and know'ft

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no Light in thee: Grofs Darkness indeed, where there is no Light! How comeft thou to know God and Chrift, and to pretend to be a Preacher of Chrift, who is the Light of the World, and Enlightens every Man that comes into the World? Oh thou dark Man! Yea, even Darkness, it felf, that knoweft no Light within! The Apostles knew that, God, who commanded Light to fhine out of Darkness, bad fhined in their Hearts, to give the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God, in the Face of Jefus Chrift, 2 Cor. 4. 6. But the Eyes of thy Understanding want Enlightning; and thou fheweft thy felf to be Blind, and Dark, and to have no Light in thee. How comes it to be fo? Hath not the God of this World blinded thy Mind, 2 Cor. 4. 4. because thou believeft not in the Light, as Chrift faid, John 12. 35,36. fo that thou canst not walk in it, by reafon of thy Ignorance and Unbelief?

And be it known unto thee, This is that Light in us, that thofe Scriptures bear Teftimony of, which fhines in us; and I with it was not unknown to thee, nor any Man elfe: Thy great talk of Reformation in the Nation I hear, but fee little of it; and thy Story of a Quaker wronging of thee, because in Confcience he dares not help to hold up Antichriftian and Popish Practices, thou may't fee is but thy Pounces, as thou calleft them.

It seems now thou may'ft talk of the Devil's Artifice, and our joyning with the Devil, and the Devil's making use of us, and we acting the E 2 Devil's

Devil's part, and what not; for, as thou intimateft, we would, and so would the Devil, ftrip Religion, and make it poor, and bring Ignorance and Contempt, and destroy the Church, if he could.

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O Man full of Envy and Malice! Muft these Invidious Reflections of thine, pafs for Civil Language, and thou not be thought to favour of a wrong Spirit? Alas, alas! I pity thy Darkness; for he that walks in Darkness, knows not whither be goeth. First pull the Beam out of thine own Eye, and then thou may't fee to pull the Mote out of thy Brother's Eye. But as to True Religion, the Devil cannot make it poor, there is so much Heavenly Treafure that goes along with it. As to the World, Chrift said, My Kingdom is not of it; and he was poor, and had not where to lay bis Head; though the Foxes bave Holes, and the Fowls of the Air have Nefts: And the Apostles were poor, as Paul teftified; yet they made no Body else Poor, but made many Rich, not with Great Benefices, but Rich in Faith. And I tell thee, the Devil knows well enough, that it is not the way to increase Babylon's Dominions to make her Poor, but to Enrich her Merchants, and pay them well for their Ware, and increase their Gain: And thou might'ft fee how the fprung up, and grew great, and arrayed her felf in Scarlet, and what Tithes fhe adorn'd her self with, if thou wert not in the dark.

But when doft thou undertake to make out thy fictitious Charge against us, That we

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teach other Doctrines, than Chrift has taught; and have preferibed other Rules of Life, than what he hath given?

I tell thee, William, this is a falfe Accufation, and thou canst never prove it.

Bur thou fayeft, Chrift paid Tribute to Cæfar. What then? This doth not affect us; for we never deny'd Tribute to Cæfar to this day, but readily pay our Taxes to the King or Queen, whofe Image and Superfcription is upon the Money; and as it's called the King's or the Queen's Coyn, fo we give unto Cæfar the things that are Cafar's: But this is not paying to an Hireling, whofe own the Sheep are not, and will flee, and leave the Flock, if the Thief comes, and takes his Fleece from him.

But Chrift, fay't thou, teaches us to obey the Laws of the Land. And who amongst us do not obey them, either Actively or Paffively? It is ftrange, that Chrift fhould tell his Followers, that they should be brought before Governours and Kings for his fake, for a Teftimony against them, Mat. 10. 18. if they must be actively Obedient to all the Laws they made: And why should they be bated of all Men, for his Names fake, v.22. if they must do what all Men in Power bid them do? Adieu to Suffering, for a Teftimony against them, if this be fo. The Martyrs have loft their Crowns, and are in a fad and deplorable Cafe, if this Doctrine be true, which thou would't have us receive, without diftinction. And tho' thou think'st, it's like, that this will help thee, viz. In things that Christ bath E 3

mot forbidden, we may do as the Law bids us : But it will do thee no fervice, for it is clear, that Chrift forbids us to uphold Superftition, Will Worship, or Idolatry; and the Apostle forbids us to touch, taste, or handle; of what? See Col. 2. 8, to 22. Beware, left any Man spoil you through Philofophy and vain Deceit, after the Tra ditions of Men, after the Rudiments of the World, and not after Chrift: And fay I, if no Command from Chrift, then it's not after him; but if they are the Pope's or the World's Ru diments, then they are not after Chrift, but after the Pope and the World. But let us proceed, the 14th Verfe faith thus, Blotting out the Hand Writing of Ordinances, that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his Crofs: Truly it's pity it fhould be brought into the way again, as it too long has been, either in part or in whole. The Apoftle goes on, Let no Man therefore judge you in Meat or in Drink, or respect of an Holy Day, or New Moon, or Sabbath-Days, which are a Shadow of things to come; but the Body is of Chrift: And let no Man beguile you of your Reward, in a Voluntary Humility, and Worshipping of Angels, intruding into thofe things be bath not feen, vainly puff'd up by bis Fleshly Mind: And not holding the Head, by which all the Body by Foynts and Bands, having nourishment miniftred, and knit together, increafeth with the Increafe of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Chrift from the Rudiments of the World, wby, as though living in the World, are ye fubject to Ordinances?

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