Anfwering the Quakers Common Objection against all that hath hitherto been faid. T HERE is no Caufe fo bad but fome varnish may be made to hide its flaws, fome pretences to render it seemingly justifyable. The Quakers therefore that they may feem to give fome plaufible Anfwer to all which hath been before in the former part produced against them, will be apt to fay, as fome have of ten faid, OBJECTION. What if all fhould be true that hath been be fore faid, that there is a real Concordance and Agreement betwixt the Quakers and the Papists in all the Doctrines and Practices above mention'd? Does this therefore juftly conclude them to be Papists? What, muft we deny all which the Papist's hold, for fear of being counted Papists? Doth not the Church of England allow, that they Hold and Preach many fundamental Truths, as might be instanced in many particulars? Now muft all these be difcarded by us, because held by them? Where's the reafon in all this? ANSWER. ANSWER. God forbid that all which is taught by Papists, fhould for that reafon be rejected by us. But on the other hand: what is taught by them as Papists, and hath been fo often and learnedly confuted by our Writers, of which we have been for fo many Years paft, and to this very Day fo fully convinced, God forbid that any new dress of theft old Errors fhould now make us fond of them. They have,we confefs, many Orthodox, found Doctrines Preached, and defended by them, all which we bighly Honour and Embrace. Thefe we quarrel not with, by whomfoever Preached, nor do we call them Papists, who joyn with them in a full and open profeffion of them. But with thefe, they have mixed many Heterodox Doctrines and Opinions, deftructive to the true Christian Faith, and made it Herefy to oppose any of them. Now these are the Doctrines which we call Popery, and the Owners and Defenders of them (under what dreß foever they appear) we think we justly call Papists. To make this clear by a comparison: He who receives vaft Summs of Brafs Money from the hands of him that Coined it, on purpose to put it off and defraud the People: tho' that bafe Metal were mixed with like quantities of Lawful Money, yet will not that mixture excufe this Man from being a partner with the faid Cainer; and upon his Ap prehenfion, Examination, and Commitment, when he comes unto his Tryal, fure enough this will not prove a fufficient plea to Acquit and fave him, that he thus pleads, The Man from whom I received the Money for the putting off whereof I now ftand indicted is a very Rich-Man and daily parts with, σε τα "(to Men of all Ranks) vaft Summs of good and un“ questionable Money. And therefore it is unreafon"able to account all Men Coiners who put off the Money they have received from this Man, meerแ ly because from him they Received it. Is any Man fo blind (think you) as not to fee thro' this weak Defence? Will not all Men prefently conclude, that this Criminal was not Indiated for putting off the good and true,but the bad and falle Coin? In like manner here, we Accufe not the Quakers as Papists for their owning and putting off any true Doctrine, because they received the fame from a Papist (fuppofing they had fo received it,) but we Accufe them for obtruding Doctrines never Coined in the Royal Mint of the Scriptures, but derived from the Papists only, and which have been fufficiently proved to be falfe, and have been over and over, again and again, rejected by us, even as often as that Church has endeavoured to put it off among us. And therefore now that we fpy it offer'd us again, we now again (as falfe Coin) reject it, and Indict thofe as Papists who thus again attempt to put it off among us: And by new Notions (as by a new Wash) to endeavour to make their Cheat undifcerned by us. Nor do we call Doctrines which are built upon the Rock of the Scriptures, and which have been owned as fuch, in all Ages of the Church, Doctrines of Popery. But we call that Popery which has no Scripture to warrant its Authority, and which was unheard of in the first and pureft Ages of Chriftianity, and which was not obtruded upon the Christian Churches as an Article of Faith;but by the fole Authority of the Church of Rome, and of their Bifhops and Councils. And we call thofe Papifts, who first made thile Articles of Faith, and afterwards as fuch) Preached them up, and Defended them: And alfo all fuch who at this Day joyn with them therein, under what Difguife foever these Men thrust themselves among us. And therefore, if the Quakers, in the Doctrines before, and hereafter mentioned, do joyn with the Papists against the known Mind of God contained in the Scriptures, defended by all Protestant Churches, and Sealed with the Blood of fo many glorious Martyrs, and fo by their hidden Arts promote their Designs; in this respect it is, and in none elfe, I call them Dapifts. And that they thus joyn with them, I think I have in great Measure herein already fairly and clearly difcovered. But there is yet another Objection, which hath been often made to clear the Quakers from being Friends to Popery, and fo from all probability of being Papifts which must in the next Chapter be removed. CHA P. I I. Answering The Quakers being pretendedly as Zealous against Po pery as the hottest of thefe who tax them with fufpitions thereof. OBJECTION O any Men (fay they) teach, and write more warmly against the whole Hierarchy of Rome, as Popes, Cardinals, Jefuites, and all others of their Orders and Fraternities, than the Quakers? How then can any Man in his Right Wits fufpect them to be Papists? ANSWER |