Pride

PRIDE

In order to my proof of this Charge, I must tell thoſe our depraved Quakers, That as it was the effećt of Pride in their magnified Patron Fox, to pretend to Anſwer two hundred of their Opponents Books, in his Great Mystery of the Great Whore, as he calls it: When as it is ſo obvious by his impertinent Eſſays therein for that end, he neither understood thoſe Books, or rightly knew how to anſwer thoſe few Scraps he cull'd out of them; ſo it is no leſs than Pride in his depraved Collegues, to attempt to defend his ſeveral Anſwers, in order to ſupport his and their proud Pretences to Infallibility in their religious Sentiments; whilſt by their deceitful Shufflings in their Eſſays for that purpose, they ſo plainly prove themselves Self-Condemned. Again,1

As it was no less than Pride in their ſaid Patron Fox, to pretend to write an Epistle all in Latin, to the Magistrtes of the Ilſe of Militia, &c. entitled, Scrlptu uncula, Quadum Anglico Latinæ, &c. per G.Fox; whilſt he was well known to be wholly ignorant of the Rules of that Tongue; ſo to paſs by his Einige Fragen Ankgegeben, &c. to all Elećtors, Princes, States,en, &c. It was a high degree of the ſame Spirit of Pride in him, not only {Page 131}to ſet his Hand, in the firſt place, to the Book ſtiled, A Battledoor for Teachers and Profeſſors to learn Singular and Plural, of above Thirty Languages in General, but also to ſubſcribe his Name to the Latin, Italian, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldea and Syriac Battledoors, in paricular in the Body of it; under pretence, that as they were forced to uſe ſome of their T'rms of Art, which he was quite over, all Languages being no more than Duſt to him who was before Languages were, &c. in order to perſwade the World, He was their chief Translator; when by thoſe ſcandalous Shreds of Nonſense, called His Laſt will and Testament, 'tis ſo obvious to all the World, he understood not his own Mother-Tongue; Again,2

To paſs by his Primmer for all Doctors and Scholars, &c. amongst others if the ſame Nature, wherein he proudly calls them, Novices, Fools, &c. crying, Don't hip nor skip, anſwer; fir you have ſometimes Tongue enough, let's ſee now how it can wag, with more ſuch Inſolence.

As it was no leſs than Pride in him to pretend, (in his Title-Page to his Vindication of the Anſwer to the Twenty three Queries, ſubſcrib'd by him) That ſuch as read his ſaid Book thorough, might find ſuch Things in it, as had never been written or printed; (wherein he muſt needs be wrong, unleſs he meant for Nonſenſe); ſo to paſs by his pretences to be propheſied of, and Name not known in the World, &c.3

It was no leſs than abominable Pride in him, to ſet forth divers Volumes of Directions and Orders, under pretence of the Spirit, as Divine Rules for us to obſerve, with reſpećt to Diſcipline, Doćtrine and Practice; as we expećted to avoid the Penalty of thoſe ſeveral Cenſures he therein {Page 132} beſtows on their Tranſgreſſors. When as thoſe voluminous Direćtions, Rules, Orders, &c. are ſo far from being the reſult of the bleſſed Principle, he as falſly as proudly laid claim to, as that they are (generally ſpeaking) no other thanh!s own groſs Comments on certain partially pick'd Paſſages out of Holy Scripture, by the help of a Concordance, in behalf of 4falſe or frivolous Subjećts, as may be found upon Examination. Again,5

As it was a high degree of the ſame Spirit of Pride in him, to presume, as the Prince of Life, to Diſcipline the Emperor, Turk, Pope, Kings of England, France, Spain, Portugal and Poland &c. in crying out, I'll break your Names, and mar your Images with the Spirit of Truth; wherefore, come out, I challenge you all, &c. under pretence, That as they who had the ſame Spirit that raiſed up Jesus from the Dead, were equal with God, he had not only Power to bind and loose whom he pleaſed, but the Rod of Gid alſo committed to his Hand for to correćt the Nations,and who trampled upon Princes like Morter. So it was no leſs than abominable Pride in him, to take upon him to ſettle a ſort of pretended Spiritual Commonwealth amongſt us, by inſtituting Men and Womens diſtinćt Monthly and Quarterly Meetings of Diſcipline, to execute his Orders, and then proudly call on us To take our Poſſeſſions in it, and {Page 133} come and ſit down with him on his Throne; who, as he was the Establiſher of Righteouſneſs, had Infallibility of Judgment committed to him, in all Things, if you will believe him.6

Wherefore whilſt the Head was thus infećted with the hateful Sin of Pride, through which Lucifer(that Son if the Morning) first fell in the beginning,it is the leſs Wonder the Members alſo hould be found tenćtur'd with the ſame Crime in order to their eternal Ruin, if not prevented by their ſpeedy Repentance; in proof whereof

As it is no leſs than Pride in them, to represent themſelves as the only proper Perſons to Rule the World; under pretence, That the Godhead dwells bodily within them; whilſt yet they are ſo unfit for that Station, as to renounce the Executive part of Government, in denying the uſe of all outward Weapons, in the Hand of the Chriſtian Magiſtrate, as Unchriſtian, in the Nations Defence.7

What more abominable Pride than for them to be ſo conceited in their pretended Infallibility, notwithſtanding, as to refuſe to subjećt their Foxonian Impertinencies to an impartial Examination in their own Meetings of Diſcipline, in order to {Page 134} their amendment. In pursuance of which provoking Insolence,

As it is no leſs than abominable Pride in them, to ſet themſelves forth as God's Jewels and renownable Children, to whom he hath given the Spirit of diſcerning betwixt the Righteous and the Wicked, between him that ſerveth God and him that ſerveth him not, according to Malachy iii. 17. Whilſt yet they are ſo far from any ſuch diſcerning, and that they have not hitherto diſcerned the groſs Errors in Doćtrine and Diſcipline, or great Wickedneſs in Praćtice that is amongſt themſelves: So 'tis no leſs than notorious Pride for them to ſtile themſelves God's peculiar People and whole Heritage; under pretence, that as God is only known among them, none others are in the Truth butQuakers.8

Again, As it was the effećt of proud Spirit in them to cry out, Oh what will become of you in that Day, when a Dog not lift his Tongue againſt the Quakers.

'Tis no leſs than horrible Pride in them to affirm, That People may as well burn the Scriptures as their Quaker-Books; under pretence of their Books being wrote from the ſame Power and Spirit the Holy Scriptures proceeded, for which Cauſe (as there is nothing therein but what may be defended as eaſily as ſome Parts of the Holy Scripture) they are ready to vindicate them with their Blood when called to it.9

So what is it leſs than abominable Pride in them, to give it as their Senſe, Advice, Admonition and Judgement, That no ſuch ſlight and contemptible Names (Page 135) and Expreſſions, as calling Men and Womens Meetings, Courts, Seʃʃions, Synods, &c. or their faithful Friends Papers (as they call their unlawful Laws and Orders) Mens Edićts or Canons.10

As it is no leſs than Pride in them to represent their Books, as preferable to thoſe of the Greek and Latin Fathers; under pretence of George Keith's being guilty of Irreverance, in ſuppoſing them to be written by no better Guidance, than theirs who lived and wrote in thoſe dark Times of Apoſtacy: So as it is through this proud Conceit, that we have been made to believe, that all their Church Laws and Orders (with their ſeveral Books in behalf of them) are like the Medes and Perſians, infallibly unalterable; they will struggle after a most ſurpriſing rate, rather than give the least Cause of Suſpicion to the contrary, by razing out any of their Yearly Meeting Minutes once agreed on amongſt them, how ruinous ſoever to their own Proceedings, and pernicious to their own Proſelytes. In evidence whereof, as to their continued Refuſal to vacuate their Order againſt Marriage if first Couſens (amongst others I have confuted beyond their Attempts of Defence) is good proof; it may not be amiſs, on this occasion, to notice another pleaſant Instance, that came within my Observation, with relation to ſome Reflećtious Papers ſent from Penſilvania to their Yearly Meeting in Anno 1691, in the Caſe of George Keith, which they finding themſelves under an absolute Obligation to read therein, by {Page 136} Vertue of a former Order of their Inſtitution contrary to a Minute they had then precipitantly drawn in their Journal, upon account of the unacceptable Report that had been given concerning them, by the Persons deputed to examine the Contents of ſuch as were proper to be preſented them; they, to extricate themſelves from this unhappy Dilemma, a long while ſqueez'd their wits to no effećt moſt amazingly, till their famous Ellwood finally found out the Way to unlooſe this Gordian Knot, by giving it as his Judgment, That they might read all in Order, as Perſons ignorant of the well known Contents of them, notwithstanding their Record, to his no ſmall Applauſe, and infallible Collegues great Conſolation.10

All which, as it ſhows the horrid Pride of their Hearts, in not owning themſelves Fallible in their Church Capacity, on the moſt evident Demonstration in the proof of it; I know no better way to make them ſenſible of this their Enormity, than by thus expoſing the ſeveral Cauſes on't, ſince their blundering Patron Fox was ſo far from contributing any thing towards that righteous Purpoſe, as that he greatly ſtrengthened them in it, by noiſing them with a We be the Royal Seed Elećt and Precious before the World began; We be the anointed of God, and as the Apple of his Eye, amongst whom he is only known; We are of the pure Religion that never changes; We are the Preachers of Righteouſneſs, whom all the Nations of the Earth ſhall call bleſſed, and of whoſe King, all the anointed Kings on Earth are but as a Figure, and ends all; with much more to this purpoſe. In order to ſecure which high Favours to his enſlaved Proſelytes, as he proudly told them, They might come into a Temperance above all the World; and a Patience above all the World; and a Moderation above all the World; and a Wiſdom above the World; and an Understanding aa-bove all the World; and a Sobriety above all the World; and a Gravity above all the World, &c. So he puffed them into ſuch a Fool's Paradiſe, through their imaginary {Page 137} Attainment of thoſe Excellencies, as that they will not only needs have their perfećt Quaker, to be Meeker than Moses, Stronger than Sampſon, Wiſer than Solomon, Patienter than Job and as Innocent as Chriſt; but also ſtrenouſly perſwade themſelves (as they would all others) That the Name Jeſus and Chriſt belongs to every Member of them, as well as to Chriſt the Head; in favour of which proud conceit as this their Reverend Fox proudly tells the World, That the Quakers are in the Power of God, and in the Authority of the Lamb, above all Houſes upon the Throne; ſo in order to their unquestionable Belief of it, he adviſed them to keep down the wiſe Part till they come to despiſe it, that he might the more easily ſubject them to thoſe his Fooleries, whereby he has enslaved us; which, whoſoever does but offer to tell our depraved Teachers of, are ſure to have a Wasps Neſt abiut their Ears, whereby they ſhall be ſtung to purpoſe, through their abuſsive Exclamations, as my ſelf, amongſt many other of our true Friends hath often experienc'd, as will be largely proved in my next Charge againſt them; in the interim muſt tell them, That as this their Patron Fox hath greatly provoked God by his proud Pretences, to be raiſed up to reform the State, a nd correćt the Errors of the Learned, as his officious Collegue George Whitehead hath done also by his Defence of him, in thoſe his preſumptuous Undertakings; ſo as he hath moſt juſtly caused the groſs Ignorance of the one to be providentially exposed to all the World, by the Probation of ſome Nonſenſical Scribbles of his in Doćtors Commons, as his Last Will and Testament, he hath alſo moſt righteouſly led the other to be laſh'd by the Mob, throughout England, &c. for his officiousneſs in ſolemnly witneſſing the ſame to be his own Hand-Writing, for the more full ſatisfaćtion of ſuch as might question it, on account of his lofty Pretenſions, That Fox was not ſo ignorant of thoſe ſeveral learned Languages in his Battledoor, as his Opponents repreſented him. The conſideration of which juſt Ignominy, as I may be a {Page 138} perpetual Warning to all ſuch aſpiring Pretenders amongſt us, how they encroach on God's Prerogative for the furture; ſonas a further Caution againſt the irreligious Effećts of their Tranſaćtions, I ſhall deſcend to give Instances of their Railery, as a natural Consequence of their proud Aſſumption. In order whereto.11

  1. Pen's Spirit oʄ Truth. Wyeth's Primitive Chriʃtianity, p. 6. Vindiciae Verit. p. 2, 218, 224, 225. Roger's Chriʃtian Quaker, 4th Part, p. 30.  ↩︎

  2. See his Preface to the ʃaid Battledoor, compared with p. 19 oʄ his Something in Anʃwer to the Maʃter oʄ King Edward's Free-School, near the Concouʃion of it; whereby ʃome of his enʃlaved Vaʃʃals have been led to believe, that he had not only 7, but 70 Languages given him in one Night by Divine Revelation, oʄ which Joſeph Rogers, a noted preaching Quaker, now of late oʄ Great Markham in Nottingham, is a pregnant Inʃtance, who declared himʃelf lately one oʄ thoʃe implicite Noncons *amongʃt others referr'd to in p. 60. oʄ the Hiʃtory of Quakeriʃm.*  ↩︎

  3. Title-Page to News coming up, &c. compared with p. 60 oʄ his ʃeveral Petitions anʃwered.  ↩︎

  4. Such as the Unlawfulneʃs of all Oaths, Tythes, Skimmingdiʃh Hats, Boot-hoʃe-Tops, taʃled Bandʃtrings, Fidlers, Pipers, Bedr-baiters, Cock-fighters, Miracles by Dead Men's Bones, you ʄor thou, with a high Commendation of pa inted Bed-ʃtaves, Saws, Andirons, &c. on our Sign-poʃts, amongʃt a many other ʃuch Nick-a-Nacks he was perpetually amuʃing us with.  ↩︎

  5. Truths Defence, p. 1. compared with their Paper about Edićts, Canons &c. ʃet forth Anno. 1675. Selećt Epiʃt. p. 360, &c. compared with his Journal and Doćtrinal Works, p. 259, 160, 166. and Epiʃtle recited at the End of Tyranny and Hypocriʃy, &c.  ↩︎

  6. See Deʄence of the Snake againʃt G.W.'s Antidote, 2d Part p. 160. compared with Fox's Reply to the pretended Vindication afore-mentioned. Several Papers given forth in English and Latin, p. 5, 10, 270. Papiʃts Strength broken, p. 56, 93. Saul's Errand. News out of the North, p. 15, 16. and Rice Jone's Manuscript, &c. with Roger's Chriʃtian Quaker, 4th Part, p. 30. Tryanny and Hypocriʃy detećted, p. 15, &c. Penyman's Life p. 104. Bugg's Narrative, p. 150. and Fox's good Counʃel rejećted, p. 26, 37, &c.  ↩︎

  7. R.H. Good Old Cauʃe. Anʃwer to the Baptiʃts Declaration, p. 6, 23, &c. Dewsberry's Works, p. 139. Claridge's Counterfeit Clergymans Letter to a Clergyman. Chriʃt exalted, in Anʃwer to Jihn Timſon, p. 18. Together with Fr. Hiwgil and Ed. Burrow's Collections on this Subjećt, &c. *Which Principle of theirs brings to mind the Observation of the Author of The Theatre of God's Judgement upon Rebels, ch. 3. part 2. p 24. where he truly sells us, There is another ʃort oʄ Treaʃon, and another Rank as pernicious as the former, and as odious to God and Man, ʃuch are they as ʄorʃake their Country in the Time oʄ Neceʃʃity, or reʄuʃe to Fight in the Deʄence oʄ it; as the ʄormer are called Fugitives, the latter are Cowards; who deʃerve no leʃs Puniʃhment, as appears by divers Examples; ʃince, as the ʄirʃt were noted with this Ignominy, To eat their Meat ſtanding, whereto they were ʃworn, ʃo the latternwere ʃo hareʄul to the ancient Romans, as that they eʃteemed them not worthy to be redeemed ʄrom Captivity, who had rather be taken baʃely, than dienhonourably and valiantly in Defence of their Country, as our Traiterous Quaker would it ʃeems, rather than Fight for their Liberty, through the Strength of their Foxonian Deluʃions.*  ↩︎

  8. Whitehead's Truth prevalent, p. 42,43. Serious Examination, p. 5, 8. Dewsberry's Collection, p. 171, 193, 201. To the Camp of the Lord, p. Immanuel, p. 1. Elwwod's Anʃwer to G. Keith's ʄirʃt Narrative, p. 2, 11, 212. Apoʃt. Incendiary, p. 3. Ambroſe Rigg to the whole Flock, p. 2. Fox's Great Myʃt. p. 31, Pearl ʃound, and Eccles's Quakers Challenge.  ↩︎

  9. New-England's Enʃign, p. 8 Several Petitions anʃwered, p. 38. Hubberthorn's Truths Deʄence, p. 2. Anʃwer to Westmoreland Petition, p. 30. Vindiciæ Verit. p. 2, 218, 224, 225. Serious Apol. p. 69. F. Howgil's Work. Wyeth's Primitive Chriʃtianity, p. 6. Ang. Flag. p. 31. Advertiʃement in the Poʃtman, as cited p. 173. oʄ F.B.'s Narrative. Account of the Life of J. Penyman, p. 78. and Quakers Contradićtions. Serious Examination, p. 13, 14, &c.  ↩︎

  10. Yearly Epiʃtle oʄ Anno. 1675, as cited p. 68, &c. oʄ G. Whitehead's Sober Expoʃtulation.  ↩︎

  11. See Fox's Viʃitation to the Jews, Title-Page. Epiʃtle General, p. 12, 13, 14, 15, &c. with p. 130, 132, and p. 232. oʄ his Great Myʃt. together with p. 133, 134, 278. oʄ his Selećt Epiʃt. compared with p. 7, 8, 138. oʄ F.B.'s Prologue to his Great Myʃtery of the Little Whore, &c. Selećt Epiʃt. p. 138, 139. Shewings's Trestiʃe of Thoughts and Imaginations, p. 25. &c. cimpared with Iſ. Peningon's Queʃtion to Profeʃʃors, p. 27. Dewsberry's Collećt. p. 147. and G. Fox's Grest Myʃt. p.* 31.  ↩︎

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