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Faith you know is of a purifying nature, he that hath this faith in him, purifieth bimfelf, even as he is pure, 1 John 3. 3. For which end, the Holy Scriptures were given us not only to inform our Judgments, but alfo to reform our lives; it was given to purge both our heads and our hearts. Now are ye clean by the word that I have poken (faith our Saviour) John 15. 3. And again fanctifie them by thy Truth, thy word is Truth, John 17. 17. And there fore doth it irrefiftibly break the hard and flinty heart, and bind up and heal the broken and bleeding heart. I might enlarge exceedingly but I forbear.

Sect. III. The Quakers deny the Holy Scriptures to be the fole rule of faith and manners.

Thefe Men, in exact concurrence with the Pa pists, will by no means allow the Sacred Writings of the old and New Teftament to be the fole Judge of our Faith and Doctrines, but fend us thence to the leaden rule of their own light within, as the Papifts do to their Traditions.

Their great Apoftle, George Fox, is brought in (by the Author of his Legend I mean his Journal') thus affronting the Minifter in the great SteepleHoufe (as he calls it) at Nottingham, and faying. Oh no, it is not the Scriptures, but the Holy Spirit, by the Holy Men of God gave forth the Scriptures, Whereby Opinions, Religions, and Judgments, were te be tried, &c. See Fox's Journal, p. 26.

Samuel Fisher, in his Difpute with Mr. Danfon, faith thus, "I deny thofe Books of the Old and "New Teftament to be the standing rule for faith "and Life. And turning himself to the Minifters there prefent, he added with a very lowd Voice, and faid, "I am fure the Gofpel you Preach will ne

ver bring Men to Heaven. And then turning himfelf again to the multitude, with the like Voice he faid, "I am fure People it will not, indeed it will

not. And James Naylor in his Goliah, p. 77. faith, "If Men will follow the light within, they fhall not "have their light to feek in a Book without (meaning the Scripture.) See his Salutation alfo, p. 29. Where he useth the very fame Expreffion: fo fond was he thereof. And in his Love to the lost, p. 3. he faith thus: "Minifters and right believers of the writ

ten Scriptures are the Children of Darkness. See also p. 8. and 16. And John Tamey, p. 63. faith, "My "Teacher hath no Books: nor have I any to read, nei"ther will 1, for my Teacher is God. And George Fox faith, "The law is the light, &c. and here you want "(faith he the thing it felf (meaning the light "within) and have put the Letter for it, &c. (meaning the Sacred Scriptures.) See the Priests and Profeffors Catechism, p. 31. And indeed that whole Book, in the Main Scope and defign of it, is to advance the light within, in opposition to the Scrip

tures.

Now all this too, as well as the former, is hammer'd on a Popish Anvile, and for the fame end too: only difguifed for the prefent turn, with the newfangled notion of the light within. Which was at firft devised by their Popijh Speakers, and ftill is defigned for the fame purpofe (tho' the unlearned fort of them are utterly Ignorant thereof) (viz.) thereby in the end to bring us to Traditions.

For as (at the first) they cried down all Preache ing, and external Vocal Inftructions (by our Minifters) from the Scriptures, and lead all Men to be internally taught of God, by their light within.

Thus George Fox declared that God was come himfelf to Teach his People himself, and to bring them off from all their Man-made teachers, to bear his San. See

George

George Fox, Journal, p. 30. And again he faith I was moved to fpeak to the People in the great. Love of God that they might come off from all Dens Teaching unto Gods Teaching. This the Journal faith was done at Chester-Field in Darbyhire, p. 31. And fo by that Artifice, they leaned our Congregations, and fatned their own.

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But they then quickly turn'd their Note, And [having gained that point against us, to affright our People from us they then juggled off that point unfeen [I am fure unobferved by the People. And what they had fo fharply, and feverely condemn'd in us, they allowed in themselves. And now they can tell them how neceffary it is to have affiftance from a light without, to fafe conduct them to their light within or if you will to help to blow it in again, when it is well nigh extinguished. Whereupon as foon as ever they were able] they formed Congregations, fet up meeting Houses, and had Speakers plenty, who [ after their way] Preached often, and lowd enough unto them, and all this while, not the leaft notice feemed to be taken, or obfervation made, that this was [and ftill is in flat contradiction to their own Principles. Both of their light within and of their Holy Undion. So alfo in the matter here before us, no foo ner fhall thefe Men, by their Ignis fatuus wheedle us out of our fure and fafe entrenchments in the Scriptures, but they will then find it no hard task, at last to lodge us in Traditions. For when they have ripened their defign for a discovery, they will take down their Scaffolds, and then let all the World fee what [all this while they have been in building. And then when they have finish ed all which they defign'd by light within, they will as faft explode it, as they did as firft exalt it: and will open then their Dark-lanthers, and let you

fee

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fee the Cheat, that what you have all this while followed is but a weak and filly Gloeworm. But for the prefent, nothing can be more useful, or hath been more ferviceable.

For you must know, this Light within hath ever been (and ftill is) to the Quakers, as a certain Hocus pocus, by which many Juggling Feats have been, and ftill are performed; by the Liegerdemain Presto whereof, they have made not only the Scriptares, but all the Sacred Ordinances of God to vanish and disappear in all their Congregations, and with their Corrupt Breath, have blown them all off, to make room for their wicked Blafphemies.

And indeed what cannot Light within do? It can turn it self into all fhapes, and become any thing when dexterously managed by a disguised Popish Priest in the plain habit of a Simple Quaker, who makes it his chief Engine to batter down all the truly reformed Proteftant Churches.

Now to return, what I pray are all these wild Extravagancies against the Scriptur's, being the only certain Rule of our Faith, Vented by the Quakers as aforefaid, but fo many Gleanings from the Papists?

Hear what a whole College of them together, faith of this matter. If fay they) we should (when we come to years of difcretion) be fet to pick our Faith out of the Scriptures, there would be mad work, and many Faiths among us. Rhem. Annot. oni Cor. 1. 5.

And Alb. Pigh. faith, The Scriptures should not rule our Faith: but rather, they should be under and ruled by our Faith, and our Religion. Pigh. Hier. L. I. c. 2.

Yea, Sanders the Jefuite as boldly as wickedly affirms, That it is no better than Herefie to Translate shem. Sand. Vif. mon. Hær. 19.

And

And to fill up the measures of thefe Blafphemies to the full, Perefins adds, That it is the Devils Invention to permit the People to read thom. Per. de Tra. p. i. Aff. 3.

And have the Quakers been backward in filling up the measure of the Abominations of these their Fathers? Did they at the first ever allow them any better Title than that of the Letter only? And have not fome of their prime Speakers applied St. Pauls words, fpeaking of the Law in oppofition to the Gospel, 2 Cor. 3. 6. unto all the Holy Scriptures. Saying, The Letter (that is the Scripture) Kills; and fo makes it dangerous for any Man to read them. See Truths defence p. 101. and G. Whiteheads Book against Clapham.

O these Brethren in Iniquity! How like Twins they look.

However this I can fay for the comfort of the Generality of this Tribe, and of their Speakers also, that the far greatest part of them are far enough out of the reach of this danger. For fo little are they acquainted with Letters, and fo great is their Ignorance of them, that they cannot reasonably apprehend any the leaft hurt from them, to whom may be aptly enough applied Sir Thomas More's witty Epigram on one of their Popish Brethren.

Ta bene cavifti ne te ulla occidere poteft
Litera, nam nulla eft Ettera nota tibi.

I need not spend time to Evidence the Extraor dinary Ignorance of all the first Speakers of this Sect, untill the Romish Seminaries mingled with them. Even G. Fox their firft Founder had but very flender acquaintance with Letters; and that which he had, ferved but to kindle his Anger, and enrage his Spirit against them: and to defie, and decry

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