OCR Text |
Show The Rife and Progrefs Vo1:. I. 86s . . Jon fince left the Guidlnce ot" God's Generality of Chn{hans, who bad ~ I} lvcs up 10 Snperjltf1D11, rv,u. ~ meek and heavenly Spint, and gzve;_ ~ ~: Supcrfimon is Blind, (o it 1s - - Worfhtp and Voluntary Humdft>'ft n ro it's blind and boundlels Zeal or Heady ;nd Furious, for all mu oop eJfecuttng the very Appe:uance of Perifh by it: l11 tl~e Name of 1 ~ :P'~fi'n[ thlt in others, which lhey refiitcd the Spint of God 10 others, t" G~!e and Spmr of the l,.ord ]rjm Cbrijl ~ inthemfelves, vtz tber.Lzg ''r lnnovarton Htrefo, Schifm, or f ame jllch bur alwaJ'S under the 1\orC~r~fhamty allo~s of no Name, o_r Pretence ~ha~· IJaujible Name '!houfh Man for Matters of meer RellglOn, bemg m H s ever, for perfecutmg o any anl Forbearmg; and confiffs of Fu11h, Hope very Nature, Meek, G:njit!e, r can have, wbrljl be remazns a Pcrfuuur; llnd Chanty, wbzch no rer ecuto h e ~ell or have a (}Jtmtable or Tenin that a M.tn cannot behf.vljlc 't'll, ::;ut:/ VJo!at/ !J1s ltlmd, or Perfecute lm J,u Repard to another, W'Jt JC jh ward.; bn God. Bdy Jor .ltfatters of Faab 01 Wor rp rod mounted the Cbmr: But thou~h Thus the Falfe Church fpfl[J upd l~ p her Good Name of the Lambsfhe loft her Nature, fhe wou nee sf ~Je Fazrbful: Conlhaining all toreBrule, rbe True Cb~rcb, ~mi. .illor~~r:h:ad, or Rlght Hand ; that is, pubceive her M_ark, en her m .r~elrd and in Truth Ole was .lt1yflery Bahylon, the. lickly, or pnvately. I Bbt mifee!. ife that wllh all tbezr Show and Outfide ~{ Mother of Harlots, .ft ot er 0 / JO jj :rz tbe Spmt Rautre and Ltfe OJ J{ehgzon, fl3ere aJII/terareJ.w_n Mfon~~~rzotn, UJvct;us, Cruel, &.c. which Chnft, and grown Vard, or d }'~t of the Spint. . are the Fruits of the Flef~ an Chn reb (l,:d mto the Wz!Jernefs, that ts, from Now lt was, That tTJe rue 11 d S lrary ond Londy St ,tte; brdden, Superjlmon and VJO!cnce, to "f%~re ;bo: rb no~ out of the World. 'llfhlch. and dJ tt were, our of Stgbt o n, or :gEffential to the Bemg of a True fhows th:u her wan red VlfibJlayHwas Gnbo/l· She bezng tU True a Cbu~eb m Church m the Judgment ofJr~[,l o~ Lufirr~tH tU wben j!Je wtU zn Per forthe Wt!de,nefs, rho' not tU IJ<· e a!t S tc man'y Attempts {he made w remer Splendor of Profejfion. In thiS t~ h and her Way blocked up, and turn but the Waters were yet. to~ tg t'Nations and Cen[Unes, fell by rn:mY of her excellent Children, .~~ rera ld ROt faU from rlmr Fazthfulthe Cruelty ofSuperfimon, hecauJe t Jty wou . nefstotbeTrurb. d · both as to Doarine, Worflup The bfi Age did fer fo.meSre.PsJow::n~J~' for Wickednefs ftow'd in a and Pra8:ice. Bur PraEhce quiP. J.:ffi. t/rbe Reformation, as thofe they little Time,~~ as well among the fo ~ or sf ConverHnion they were nor to be Reformed tram ;- fo that b~ the rur\o Reformels, if not the Reformers difiinguiflled. And the Chtldren, o ~:l~l to Earthly Policy and Pow~~, to themielves, betook themfelvesf \cry. h~t had been begun with Spmtual uphold and carry on their Re ormauon t bee one of the grel teft H.eafon.s Weapons; which I have often thought, has r: rbe Life and Soul of Reb~ the Reformation made no better Progrer~:ty and Spiritua11y Minded, and gion. For whilfi the Reforme!s wered rved in his Fear and confulted not trufied in God, and lookt to htm, an . 1 in their, oWn \V:~y, there with Flerh and Blood, nor fought Dehvera~c~i ht reafon:~hte fay {hould were daily added to the Cbur;_h, fuc~ t\~n be fa~e from Perfecution, :IS to be faved: For they were not 10 c~re u . r concerned to fpread the be faithful and inoffenfive u~der u.: Be~ng ~one han to et the Worldl_Y Truth by their Faith and Pane~cft~a ftulr:'Sufr!rings u:on them : And I[ Power out of their Hands that m 1 e t £:11 b the very fame Way they will be well if the Lord fuffer them not to a , J . took to ftand. . Th" 1hort. in other Things, to avotd In Do8:rine they wer~ m feme .tngs d for Worfhip, there was for :.h.e one Exm:am, they ran m_to~no~her.ftnd They owned the Spirit, lnlpl· Generality, more ofMan m lt t :~no o .d h ·r Se aration and Reformaration and Revel3tion indeed, and g!ounde ~e~~ivelfrom ir, in the Read.~ tion upon the. Senfe and Undherfi~n~ngh~h~as their Plea, Tbc $cripwre n iog of the Scnprures of Trut · n t 15 rbe Vox.. I. Of the 'People caUed Quakers. the Text, the Spirit the lnurprcter, •Jt.ltha! to tt:ery one for bimfelf. But yet. there was ~oo mu~b of Humane Invention, Tradition and Art, that remamed both 111 Pr_~y1ng. and. P.reachmg; a.nd o~ Worldly Authority, and Worldly Grearnefs tn theu M1mfiers; efpec1ally m thi1 Kingdom Snmlen Denmark,. and feme Parts of Germrmy. God was therefore plea fed in Eng: • lan_J_ro fhtft ua from Vefi"el to VelTel: And the next Remove humhlcd the M1mftry, fo th:H they were mar~ Stria in Preaching, Devour in Praying, :tnd Zealous for keeptng the Lords DJy, and Catechizing of Children and. Serv~nts, and Repeating at Home in their Families, what they had heard ii'J P.ubhck. But even as the~e grew Into Power, they were not only for Whippmg fott?e. out, but others t,nto the. Temple: And they appeared Ri&hl i• rbetr.Spmts, r~ther thJn Severe 10 the1r Liveo;, and more for a Parry than afonrd Pfteelteytl .: Whtch brought forth another People, that were yet more retired. They would not Communicate at l:.trge, or in common with others; bur formed Churches among themfclni of fuch as Could give feme Account of their Converfion, at lealt, of very promifing Experiences of rhe Work of God's Grace upon their Hearts~ and under mutual A~reements and Co\'e• nants of Fellow(hip, they kept together. Thefe People were fomewhat of :1. fofter Temper, and feemed to recOh'lrftend Religion by the Charms of it's Love, Mercy and Goodnefs, rather thah by rbe Terrors of it's Judgmentsand Punifhments; by which the former Party would have awed People into Religion. · They alfo allowed Gre4ttr Liberty to Prophecy than thofe before them 1 for they admitted any Member to Speak or Pray. as well as their Paftor wh?m they always chafe, and not the Civil Magifirate. If /11cb /o11nd anj TbzngJrej/ing 11pon thtlll to e1ihti' D~tty, even wit built the DiflmOion of Clergy or Lauy, Perfons of fill} Tradt hrrtl their Li6erry, be it never fo Uw 11nd Mechanical. But alas! Even thefe People fuffered great Lofs: For tafting of Worldly Empire, and the FlfVOllr of Princer, and the Gain that enfued they degenerated but too much. For though they had cried down Natlonai Churches and Minifiry, and Maintenance too, fame of them, when it was their own Turn to be rryed, fell under the Weight of Worldly Honour :zod Advantage, got into profitable ParfOn:~ges roo much, and outlived and contradiCl: ed their own Principles: And1 which Wls yet worfe, turned, feme of them, MfoiTitc Perfect~tDrs tif other .Men for God's Sa1e, that but fo lately came themfelves our of the Furnace; which drove many a Seep far. ther, and that was into the Water: li11other Baptifm~ as hc:lieving they were not Scripturally Baptized; and hoping to find that Pre fence and Po wee of God in fubmitting to this Watery Ordinance, which they defired and wanted. ThFfe People alfo made Profeffion of Negletling, if not Renouncing and Cenfuring, not only the Neteffity, but Ufe of all Human Learning, as to the Miniitry; and all other Qualifications to it, belides the lielps and Gifts of tbe Spirit of God, and thofi: Natural and common to Men. And for a Time they feemed like John of Old, .A B11rning and tJ Shining L;_gbrto o1ber Societies. They were very Diligent, Plain and Serious ; Strong in Scripture, and bold in Profeffion; bearing much Reproach and Conrradi&ion. But that which or hers fell by, proved their Sna1e. For Worldly Power fpoiled them too; who had enough of it to try them what they would do if rhey had more: And they refted alfo too much upofl their Watry Difpenfat.ion, in .. fi:ead of plffing on more fully to rhat of the Firt and Holy Ghofl, which NIZI His Baptifm, tl!ho C4m& with a Fan in hH Hand, that he might rhrot~g_hiJ (and not in Parr only) P11rge bH Floor, and talle away the Drofs mrd the Tm of b.H ~op!e, and make .r .Man Finer than Gold. Withal, they grew High, Rough, 2nd Self~ Righteous; oppofing farther Attainment: TOo much forgecting the Day of their Infancy and Linlenefs, which gave them fometbing of a real Beaury; infomuch that m:~ny left them, and all Vi6ble Cht~rches and Societies, and W1111drtJ up and down, 41 Sberp wi1bolll a Shephtrd, ond a1 Doue& 86~ •6n ~~- |