Evasion

Evasion

That though they have been often accused with calling their Opposers Relations1 of their Corruptions, Lies, Forgery, Defamation, with abundance more the like FoxonianLeaven; yet when they come to Particulars , they 1st, Either confess what they deny, with an idle Distinction, except some few Things: Or 2dly, Acknowledge them, by saying nothing concerning them; Or 3dly, Use some Deceit in their Terms of Denial, which every Reader cannot discover: Or 4thly, Take occasion from some Circumstance, perhaps not rightly set down, to deny the whole Matter, with other deceitful Evasions of the same Nature; which though William Pen owns (in his Judas and the Jews, &c.) to be bad Things if proved, yet is he and his Collegues guilty of all of them in their Essays to clear themselves, as I shall make appear by Instances out of their Writings; and shall begin with William Pen first:

Who, in order to prove, that they did not require the Author of the Spirit of the Hat to yield to their Determination against his Conscience, as the Treatise entitled Tyranny and Hypocrisy, &c.* charged them; he (after a many hard Words in p. 8, 9. of his Judas and the Jews, nought to the {Page 45} attempts to excuse them of Imposition in the Matter alleged; by charging his Opponents with falsly construing their reproving Men for going going out of Decent Order (as he calls it) as a requiring them to sit down by their Determination against their Conscience, and their disowning that Breach upon Persistance Excommunication from Burying and Marrying; as if those their imposing Dealings had no such Tendency, directly contrary to his own Knowledge and Opponents Experience; whereby, instead of freeing himself and Partners from the Matter objected, by a fair Answer, his Attempts for that End appear to be only Evasion, as well as what follows in his said Judas, in Answer to p. 2 of Tyranny and Hypocrisy detected.

Where being charged, That besides their Opposers deprivation of all Ecclesiastical and Civil Privileges (as far as they have Power) on Account of their Dissent from them; if any make Complaint, and do not conform to their Wills, they will load him with all possible Reproaches; and rather than fail, they'll say, He is broken in his Brains , or Distracted, as they did of John Penyman

The Truth whereof, it seems, William Pen so well knew, that he thought it his best way to let the Charge pass without Replication, by way of Evasion; as well as what follows, p. 11 in the Case of the Maid whom John Bolton, by Vertue of an Order from George Fox, requiring to sew up the Slit in her Wastcoat behind, before she saw any Evil in it; poor James Claypole was fain to acknowledge his Error, in declaring, he thought it consistent to their Principle, that she should first see the Evil of it in herself, before she judg'd it, tho' in private he confes'd it to be none; so dreadful is their threatened Exclusions to their enslav'd Vassals, and so certain their Design to proceed therein against Claypole, had he not conform'd against Sense; as that instead of spending Time to no purpose in washing this Brick white, by his Attempts of Defence, he thought it his best way to evade a {Page 46} recital of the Charge, as his easiest way to get rid on't: Of which Evasions, those thqt would see more, may compare p. 26, 28, 43, &c. of Tyranny and Hypocrisy detected, with the rest of Pen's Judas and the Jews, &c. in Answer to it, and they'll find too many of them for me at present to spare Time particularly to notifie, having numerous Proofs of this Nature to insert against others: In pursuance whereof, I intended to have given a particular Catalogue, in the next place, of their highly magnified Patron Fox's Transgressions, out of his Great Mystery, compared with the Books he pretends to answer, for more full satisfaction in the rest. In pursuance whereof,

1st. In Answer to his Opponent Timson's Charge, That it is an Expression of a dark deluded Mind to say2, That God is not distinguished from the Saints;He returns,

But God and Christ is in the Saints, and dwell in them, and walk in them; and he is a Reprobate, and out of the Apostle's Doctrine.

Which, tho' true in a Scripture Sense, is so far from proving, That God and Christ is nor distinguished from the Saints,in his Opponents Sense, as that it may well pass for an Evasion.

In Answer to the same Opponent's Charge, That it is Blasphemy to say3, That Christ is in them as God and Man, He returns, How are they of his Flesh and Bone? And doth not the Scripture say, Christ in you, and God will dwell in you, and walk, in you, and are not the Saints of his Flesh, and {Page 47} of his Bone, and are they not Partakers of the Divine Nature?

All which is so far from proving Christ to be in them, as God and Man, in a true and proper Sense, according to the Quakers Doctrine his Opponent renounced as Blasphemy, as that it may also well pass for another of his Evasions.

In Answer to his Opponent Willington's Scriptural Allegations4, in proof, That Christ, in forbidding us to be call'd of Men Masters, did not mean in that absolute unlimited Sense the Quakers represent it; He returns,

Here thou shewest, whither thou art gadded; one is that teacheth to break Christ's Commands; but the We denounced in the same Chapter where the Command is, belongs to thee; with more to this purpose. All which is so far from being any Confutation of his Opponent's Scriptural Arguments against their Construction of our Lord's Prohibition, as that it is no better than another of his Evasions.

In Answer to one Joshua Miller's Charge, That it is an Error to say, That the Light, which every one hath that cometh into the World, is sufficient to Salvation, without any Means or Discovery; He returns,

Contrary to Christ who brought the Jews off of all other Helps, to himself, who said, Believe in the Light, while ye have the Light5; with more to this purpose. All which being spoken with respect to Christ, as he was then with the Jews in his Personal Appearance, as their Light, according to out Lord's own Explanation, John xiii. 35. is so far from proving, The Light, which every one hath that cometh into the World, in the depraved Quakers Sense, is sufficient to Salvation, without the Help of any other Means or Discovery,as that some of their own Writers have of late denied it; wherefore an Evasion.

Of the Nature whereof, the Reader may find a Thousand more from p. 4. to p. 304. of his said Great Mystery; as much to his purpose, as if he had entertain'd his Reader with a Story about his {Page 48} Magnified Hammock, and Exalted Glister-Pipe, &c. he so magnificently bestowed on his bigoted Proselytes in his Last-Will and Testament; for which Cause I think it not worth my while to spend Time in Transcribing the whole, wherefore shall only add these few following ones to the foregoing Catalogue, that his misled Adherents may see I have not wrong'd him.

One James Brown saying, I know that many of the Quakers are Temperate, Sober, Self-denying People! but this is but the Tything of Herbs, (meaning with relation to the fewness of them.) This doughty Champion could not be content to s small Favour, without making this Reflection in way of Answer to it:

That it was the Doctrine of the Apostles, who preached Christ, the End of Tything and Herbs6; and Self-denial, Soberness and Temperance, was not called The Tything of Herbs, &c. which with the rest of his Evasions on this Subject, is as much to the purpose, as if he had said nothing.

Quoting his Opponent Baxter's Observation7, That Tradesmen and Princes Labour preserves Health, but his consumed it; He, to show his Parts in his Confutation, tells him,

Here thou hast shewest, That thy Labour, Work and Ministry is not of God, that preserves Health and Strength; for the Work of the Ministry is to bring into the saving Health, and preserve it, and not consume it, as thy Work doth. Whereby, in applying his Scripture Proof to Health in an outward Sense, which related to Health in a Spiritual one; he, instead of answering his Opponent, (according to his usual Method) only evades him.

Quoting Francis Drake's Assertion, That the Will of Men remains in good Men and bad Men8, in Heaven, and in Hell, and in Earth; He for his Confutation thus tells him.

There is no Prophecy of the Scriptures came by the earthly Will of Man; but that Man's will be subdued and denied with the. ross and Power of G9d, whereby he that doth the Will of God abides for ever, as he {Page 49} that doth not, does not; with more to this purpose. Which, how true soever in a Scripture Sense, in some respect, is so far from being a Confutation of his Antagonist in his Sense in this respect, as that it appears no better to me than another of his Evasions. Again,

Reciting their Opponent Trever'sAssertion, That he that doth not expect the Resurrection of the Dead of his own Person, as Christ rose from the Dead, literally understood, hath no true Hope of eternal Life, born in his Understanding9. He, by way of Answer thus tells him,

The Saints rising is in Christ, and he is the Resurrection; they are of his Flesh, and of his Bone, and of his Spirit; and the Saints are of the Flesh of Christ, that saw no Corruption, and of his Bone; and that the Flesh of Christ the Jews did not know, &c. Wherein, to pass by his great Lye by the way [of the Jews not knowing the Flesh of Christ] his answer is so far from being a pertinent one to his Opponent's Assertion, as that it may well pass for another of his Evasions; of which his Book is too full by far, for me to spare Time to particularize on this Concern, of which Nature he hath also published many other; wherefore shall pass it by, with the rest of his scribing Impertinencies of the same Import, referring my Reader to our Friends Robert Rich, John Perrot and William Rogers, and further Discoveries of his Crimes of this Nature, in their Books in the Margin10; and proceed to his obedient Son and most officious Advocate, George Whitehead's Detection in his Transgressions of the same kind; in order whereto, as his Christ's Lamb's defended; Antidote against Venom; Rambling Pilgrim exposed; and Sober Expostulation, &c. are in a manner proved all Evasions, by the Authors he opposes, beyond the necessity of my further Detection, I shall only detain the Reader with a few of those many evasive Devices, His Light and Life within is composed of; that he may thereby see, what small heed is to be given to the rest of his Shufflings in others of his Controversial {Page 50} Books, he (in evidence of his great Pleasure in Unrighteousness) has so vainly spent his precious Time in.

1st, To begin with p.18. of his Light and Life,&c. where, in Answer to his Opponent Burnet's Representation, of Christ's coming in the Clouds of Heaven, as the Lightening out of the East into the West; That his is sure, a Man may see without turning his eyes within himself. He returns,

His coming will be terrible to you that deny his Light within; ywt we confess, the coming of Christ is in the Clouds; and is as Lightening, though he is yet clouded from many, as the Cloud at his Ascension received him out of their sight who stood gazing, so all the Gazers abroad from the Light within, may read their Figure, even the Cloud; with more to this purpose. Wherein his is so far from confuting the true Scriptural Faith of his Opponent, in Christ's personal coming in the Clouds of Heaven, in order to the Restitution of all Things, according to the Sense of the Texts referr'd to; as all that he has said for that end may well pass for Evasion. As also his Answer, p. 25. to the Baptist's Assertion concerning the Essence of Being of Christ at the Right-Hand of God, in the Heavens above the Clouds, compared with many others of his evasive Prevarications up and down his said Light and Life, to the same purpose may be accounted. Yet this is the Man, who not only aims at Truth and Justice on all Hands, as what he prefers above all personal Interests, but also has long resolved, not to decline or conceal Truth, to vindicate or excuse Error, or mistake in any, through the Lord's Goodness11, if you will believe him. As a further Evidence whereof, witness what follows, p. 30, 31, &c. of his Book above-mention'd.

Where, in Answer to his Opponent's Assertion, That the Law written in the Heart of Creation, is the principle ground of Conscience Conviction. Which Creation Light, though Man did not lose when he lost himself by Sin, yet there was not ability life in him to do good; with more to this purpose.

{Page 51} What he alledges in his Confutation, chiefly consists in his saying, And surely this Counsel and Law of God in the Heart, and this Knowledge God left in Man, is more than an erring Conscience. Did not God leave Ability in Man to do Good? How then did he by this Law in Man, require Good to be done? And how could he then condemn Man. for not obeying him, if he hath not given Power to obey? Does he require Impossibilities? No sure. &c.

In all which as he shows his great Ignorance of the End of this our Creation Light, or Law of God within, which is not, that we can be saved by our Obedience to it since our Loss by Adam's Fall, (as he and our depraved Quaker Brethren dream) but by its condemning Quality to bring us unto him, in and through whose Merits, &c. we can only hope for Salvation; according to Scripture Testimony and Christian Experience. So to pass by his perversion of his Opponent's Words, from Knowledge left in Man of God, to Knowledge left in Man, (as if he had owned, The Law written in our Hearts in our Creation, was God himself left (therein) a Trick George Whitehead often practices. His pretended Answer to his Opponent's Assertion, is so far from being a pertinent one, as that it is really like the rest, a meer shuffling Evasion; of which sort I could give a many more Instances out of this his Light and Life, had I Time and Place for it, which, not having at present, shall conclude him with a few I find in p. 62, &c. by way of Question and Answer, at a verbal Conference betwixt him and Jeremiah Ives, &c. as there published by himself, as follows,

To Jeremiah Ives Question: Whether the same Body of Christ, that suffered on the Cross, is in Heaven, Yea or Nay?

He George Whitehead Answers, The Body if Christ in Heaven is not Carnal, But Spiritual.

Which (considering his Opponent never asserted of Christ's Body as he suggesteth) is so far from being a proper Answer to the Question he asked, as that there is hardly any (besides a depraved {Page 52} Quaker) so blind as not to see it, a meer Evasion. Again,

Jer. Ives and Burnet's Question, But what became of the Body that suffered, is it in Heaven, Yea or Nay?

Geo. Whitehead, I do not read, That he is in Heaven with a Body of Flesh, Blood and Bones; it was changed.

Jer. Ives, Whether or no, that Blood that was shed upon the Cross, was a meritorious Cause of Justification? Am I justified and purged by it?

Which this G. Whitehead also like himself only Answers by way of Query, Whether or no, that Blood which purgeth, cleanseth and justifieth, is still in Being, seeing it is the Blood of Christ that cleanseth from all Sin, those who walk in the Light, &c.

All which are so far from being satisfactory and pertinent Answers to the Question ask'd, as that they are in effect, no better than Evasions, as well as what follows to his Opponents Assertion.

Jer. Ives. The Blood of Christ that was shed upon the Cross doth justifie and sanctifie. To which he, according to his foregoing evasive manner, only Answers by way of Query. Is that Blood still in Being?

Jer. Ives. Answer to the Body that was crucified, whether it be in Heaven, Yea or Nay?

Geo. Whitehead. It is in Heaven without the Blood in it?

These, with other such like, are the Answers he put off thosse enquiring Baptists with on those weighty Occasions, which, how pleasing soever to hs depraved Quaker Collegues, were so far from being satisfactory ones, as that they, with the generality of the rest, were only meer Evasions. Which brings to mind an Observation of their Friend William Caton, in p. 25. of his Truth's Character, &c. where, taking occasion to reflect on Oliver Cromwel's fqvouring the Priests against the Dissenters, contrary to his former Presentations, he tells us,

That he and his Parliament in Anno 1656, enacted, That if any molested, hindred or disturbed them, {Page 53} when they were officiating or doing their Duty, or in their going to, or returning from their Places of Worship, the Party so offending was to be committed to Prison, and there to remain without Bail or Main-prize, until the next General Sessions of the Peace, to be holden for the County, &c. And if upon information, Presentment or Indictment, such Person or Persons, shall at the General Sessions of the Peace, be found guilty, for maliciously, wilfully, or of purpose molesting, letting, disturbing, or otherways troubling such Minister or Publick Preacher &c. Every Person so convicted, shall forfeit the Sum of Five Pounds, or at the Discretion of the Justices, shall be sent to the House of Correction, to be set to hard Labour, with such moderate Correction, as in the Discretion of the said Justices shall be thought fit, &c.

Which Act, thought the Quakers condemn, as the Garlick of Egypt, and four Grapes of Canaan, (as they well may, as a-plied to such Messengers of God divinely Commissionates to detect intruding Pretenders,)

There is not one Word therein, but what may be vindicated in Terminis, according to their Method in answering Charges against them; but also in Substance defended, after the manner William Pen most unwarrantably vindicates their Friend Coles idolatrous Letter to their admired Apostle Fox, in his Judas and the Jews combin'd, as the Reader may find in comparing them.

In a deep Sense whereof, I have often thought Holy David might as well have defended himself from God Almighty's Charge against him, by his Prophet Nathan, in the Case of Uriah and his Wife Bathsheba, as those our depraved Quakers defended themselves against their Opponents, by pretending, That he neither kill'd Uriah with the Edge of the Sword, nor took his Wife for his Wife, as the said Prophet charged him; Uriah being slain by the Hand of the Enemy, and Bathsheba a Widow before he married her. But as that Royal Soul well knew, such deceitful Devices would do him no favour, he honestly comfest his Guilt in both respects, ( as {Page 54} our depraved Quakers ought also) without thinking to hide the same by such shuffling Evasions. Of which as their Elwwod's Answer to George Keith's first Narrative, and Whiting's Judas and the Chief Priests combin'd to the rest, with other of their Controversial Books, are too full for me at present to particularize on this Occasion. I shall conclude this Head with a few of those many palpable ones I find in their Wyeth's Anguis Flagellatus; wherein besides those noted by the Author of the Snake in his unrefuted Reply to it, I must remind them, That instead of answering his Opponent's Charge about their inveighing against Ministers being Magistrates; he, in a Sense of their Assumption of that Station in the Province of Pensilvania, wholly evades it. Again,

2dly*. Instead of answering his said Opponents Charge, concerning their Persecution of George Keith, for reminding their Pensilvania Friends of their Ancient Principles, upon their Declension from the same, in the matter of Defensive Arms; he also, as sensible of their Guilt herein, wholly evades it.

That of George Fox's being magnified by the , as the Lord's Anointed, &c. to set forthMethods and Forms of Church Government amongst the Children of Light, (as they fancy to call themselves) he in a Sense of the Truth thereof, in like manner wholly evades it: As he in p. 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98. also does those of the Snakes, about the Sacrament, Stealing, Devil driven, Dungy Gods, Womens Meetings, Overthrow of Kings, Princes, Governments and Laws, with abundance more in almost every Chapter of his Anguis, &c. that might be mentioned;compared with those Francis Bugg (in *p. * 33. of his Finishing StroKe) reminds us of; wherein, though they most grosly contradict the Ancient Christians Precedent (who accounted it Impious in any to dissemble, deny, or evade the Truth, what ever they suffered for their faithful Maintainance thereof) according to Dr. Caves Relation12, yet have they the Confidence to tell the {Page 55} World. They have not as some others, gone about to conceal themselves with devised Fables, but in Sincerity and Truth, &c. have laboured to be made manifest to all Men, &c.

Whereas they are so far from discovering themselves by their written Defences, or verbal Conferences,, in order to the Manifestation they speak of13; as that I, in a deep Sense if their ignominious Concealment in the first, am first to Request our Superiors in Parliament, to Summons them to the latter; well knowing, they'll ne're subject to one without, if they can by any means evade it, how much soever they have pretended to it; the consideration whereof brings me to my next Charge of their Inconsistency, as natural Consequence if the Cause that leads to it.

  1. Tyranny and Hypocriʃy detećted, p. 5. compared with the Snake in the Graʃs.  ↩︎

  2. P. 16. of his Great Miʃt.  ↩︎

  3. P. 17.  ↩︎

  4. P. 46  ↩︎

  5. P. 47  ↩︎

  6. P. 259  ↩︎

  7. P. 269.  ↩︎

  8. P. 287.  ↩︎

  9. P. 324.  ↩︎

  10. Rich's Hidden Things, Perrot's Letter, and Rogers's Quaker diʃtinguiʃhed, &c.  ↩︎

  11. See his Juʃt Inquiry, p. 19, &c.  ↩︎

  12. P. 374. oʃ Dr. Cave's Primitive Chriʃtianity.  ↩︎

  13. Viver's Vicar oʃ Bambury further correćted, p. 23.  ↩︎

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