THE Quakers VVhitest DIVELL UNVAILED, And their sheeps cloathing pulled off, that their Woolvish inside may be easily discerned. In Answer to a Letter subscribed Iames Naylor, A Professed Quaker. For even Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of Light; no marvell then, if his Ministers transform themselves into the Ministers of righteousnesse. Written by ELLIS BRADSHAVV.
Printed, Anno Dom. 1654.
The Quakers LETTER, To all the faithlesse generation of the world, and to all who desire to know in what faith and hope we live, and what faith and hope we deny.
THat Faith which we own and witnesse, John 1. 9. John 8. 12. is that Faith which stands in Jesus Christ the everlasting Covenant of Light, who is the Light of the world, and hath enlightened every one that comes into the world, and this Light we believe and follow, and by this Light we are led out of all the wayes, works, and worships of this dark world, and the effects of this Light we witnesse by faith, and by this Faith we do deny all who say this light John 10. 4, 5. is not sufficient, without the help and teaching of man, to 2 Tim. 4. 5. lead and guide in all the wayes of God, and all such we deny, for these are they who know not the voice of Christ 2 Cor. 4. 10, 1 [...] and therefore hear ye stranger and hireling, who heaps up teachers, having itching ears, who cannot endure sound Doctrine; and in this Christ we believe, who is our life and salvation; and all them we deny, and their faith, and who say they have Faith, but their life is not the 1 John 3 8. Life of Christ, but lives in sin and worldly pleasures, and say, they cannot be saved from their sins in this world, but Heb. 7. 25. in part, and this faith we deny, and them, for these are [Page 2] they who deny the end of Christs coming in the flesh, who cannot believe that Christ is able to save to the uttermost 2 Tim. 1. 19. all that come unto him, and this Faith is reprobate, Rom. 1, 4. 16. and these deny the Lord that bought them, and have made shipwrack of Faith and a good conscience, and makes the bloud of Christ of none effect to them who are not elected by it; and all them and their faith we deny, who say they believe and know the will of God, but they have not the power; but that Christ in which we believe is the great power of God to salvation in all that believe; and who hath this Christ hath power, and in him we have power to do the will of God, but these are they who 2 Tim. 3. 5. know not Christ nor his power, but run after men into notions and formes, but denies the power, and from all such we turn away: for such know not him in them who is greater than he that is in the world, but are willing to serve sin, Rom. 5. 17. and to be led captive at the devils will, not minding the Light and power of Christ, to be guided by it, and then would seem to cast the fault on God, as though he Rom. 3. 22. had given a Christ which is not able to set them free till after death, and these are they which put him to open Rom. 10. 3, 4. shame, whose Faith and Profession we deny: And we deny all these who say they have Faith in Christ, and yet their righteousnesse is not perfect, but this Faith we witnesse, that receives the righteousnesse of God, even the free gift of righteousnesse by Jesus Christ, and this is Rom. 10. 27. perfect which is the righteousnesse of Faith, and all who have not this righteousnesse, are in the self righteousnes which is not perfect, and those come short of the Righteousnesse of God, and would establish their own righteousnesse, Psal. 3. 9. but these are the boasters which justifie themselves, and despise others, but by the righteousnesse of Faith is boasting excluded, and here is no justifying of self, but denying self, and self-righteousnesse, and exalting Psal. 1. 11. the Righteousnes of God, w ch is perfect, w ch is in Christ Jesus, who is made unto us righteousnesse and sanctification: And by this Faith we deny all who say they have Christ, and have not this Righteousnesse, but whose righteousnesse [Page 3] is imperfect, and that Christ, and that righteousness we deny which is not perfect, and witnesse that Christ in James 2. which we are made the righteousnesse of God, and this Christ is our righteousnesse and perfection, and this faith Eph. 2. 10▪ we own and witnesse, which is not a talk of faith, as the worlds Professors, who say they have Faith, but are dead in sins and trespasses, and cannot witnesse the work of 1 John 5. God in them, but that Faith we own which is lively, by which the work of God is witnessed in us, working out sin, and by which we are his workmanship, created in Gal. 1. 4. Christ Jesus unto good works, and this Faith we witnesse which overcomes the world, and the devill; and all you we deny, who have a profession in the world, and in 1 John 3. 3 whom the works of the devil are brought forth, and their faith and hope we deny, who say they hope to be saved, and yet live in sin, making a Profession, and this is the hope of the hypocrite, which shall perish, and not the Heb. 6. 19. hope of Christ, for he that hath this hope of Christ purifieth himself even as he is pure, and this faith and hope Rom. 10. we own which purifies the heart, and enters into the place of holinesse within the Vail; but that which is without holinesse we deny, which is not in Christ, but in a vain minde: And we deny all who say they have faith and Heb. 8. 10. yet their word and light is without them, for the word we witness which is nigh even in the heart, and this is the Heb. 7. 19. word of faith which the Apostles preached, and he that hath Christ or faith hath this word, which is Christ the Light, not in Letter but in Spirit. And all them we deny whose Law is without, and morrall, and that Law we witness which is spirituall within written in the heart, and 1 Cor. 12, this Law is perfect, and endures for ever, and all the 1 Cor. 14. changeable Lawes we deny, and all those Lawes without, we see to be in the old Covenant of works, which made nothing perfect, and the felf righteousness which is filthy rags, and by the Light of Christ are we convinced of that righteousness; not to be of Faith: therefore whose John 4. 23. faith and works stand here, them we deny, and see them all worshipping without the new Covenant, in the oldness [Page 4] of the Letter, whose Law is without, and their Light without, their word without, their Church without, their Baptism, praises, and singing without, their Christ without, their righteousness without, and so their Faith without, all which we witness to be, within, and within we worship in newness of Spirit, and we see all that are without God, and his Righteousness to be in the world, and strangers to the Covenant of Grace, and that faith and worship we deny, which God denyes, who seeks such as worship him in Spirit and Truth, and this Faith and worship we own, not known to the world, and therefore hated.
THE ANSVVER To IT. To all the faithfull Generation, as so they professe themselves) of the people called Quakers, who desire to know in what faith and hope we now live that are called Christians: In direct opposition by way of counterpoyse, to a Leetter subscribed James Naylor, one of the professed Quakers, whom they call the Messenger of the living God.
THat Faith which we own and witness too, is that which worketh by love, and is in Christ Jesus our dear Lord and alone Saviour, who is that true light who lighteneth every one that cometh into the world; and in this Light we believe and desire to follow, that we might be led out of all the wayes, yea works and worships of the darknesse of this world; and all the effects and fruits of this Light we own and witness too, in the sight of God, by believing and acknowledging both by word and deed in love and meekness, and by means also of this Faith and love, which this essentiall light hath wrought in us by his Word and Spirit. We are seriously engaged utterly to deny their wayes and doctrines; who go about to exclude and disparage all helps and means and teachings of men; and of such especially whom the Lord of the harvest hath thrust forth as faithfull labourers into his harvest, for the leading into, and for the guiding in all the wayes of God, and of Christ our Saviour, whose voice we know and resolve to follow, and not such strange doctrines and devices of men, whom as Christ hath promised we can know by their fruits, that though they come unto us; and would onely appear all in sheeps cloathing; yet inwardly they are ravening wolves, and speak lyes through hypocrisie, having their consciences seared as with an hot iron; [Page 6] pretending to believe in Christ as their life and salvations and to deny all them and their Faith and wayes who say they have faith, but their life is not the life of Christ, but they live in sin and worldly pleasures, and say they cannot be saved from their sins in this world, but in part, implying, that they, for their parts, live the life of Christ in fulness of perfection here in this life, when it is evident to the contrary, and easily demonstrable, that they are led away with a spirit of defusion to believe lyes.
1. For first, the Spirit of God teacheth us to honour all men: But their Spirit of delusion teacheth and leadeth them not to honour or reverence any man at all, though in never so high or honourable a place or condition of life.
2. The Spirit of God teacheth us to be courteous and tender hearted towards all men; but their Spirit teacheth and leadeth to be courteous and tender hearted towards no man, but teacheth them meer incivility, like the bruit beasts that are led with sensuality as utterly void of rationality.
3. The Spirit of God teacheth us to judge nothing before the time; yea, even Christ himself biddeth us, Judge not that we be not judged; but their Spirit teacheth them both to judge and condemn, and with a most austere countenance call men damned, and carnall, and hirelings, and deceivers, and proud, when they can demonstrate no such thing, but in the judgement of charity might judge the contrary, if they had that spirit and faith which worketh by love.
4. The Spirit of God teacheth us to let other men praise us, and not our own mouth, strangers, and not our own lips, and to let our works praise us in the gates, like the verteons woman: But their fruits teacheth them to praise themselves, as if they were perfect already, even as Christ himself, intimating, as if Christ already had impowered them to do the will of God.
5. The Spirit of God teacheth us to speak the truth in love and meeknesse, and not to trust in our selves that we are [Page 7] righteous, and despise others, like the proud Pharisee, but their spirit teacheth them both to falsifie and belie our doctrine and Profession, intimating to the people by their false suggestions, that we should teach such doctrin as are quite contradictious to the word of God; to wit, That Christ is not able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by him; or that we should not account him the great power of God to salvation of them that believe; All which we utterly deny to be our doctrine or faith.
6. But we have learned from that Spirit which teacheth us not to exalt our selves, but to think soberly, and to speak modestly of our selves in respect of our present attainments, as not accounting our selves already perfect, nor to speak of our selves, above that which may be seen in us, or heard of us: though yet for ought they know, we utterly forget that which is behinde, and presse forward to that which is before, even the mark and the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus: If possible that we might attain to the Resurrection of the dead: A mark which they know not as yet what it meaneth, though they prefesse themselves perfect, and to have Christ within them, and that so many as have Christ have this power, and what have they not (by their own Profession, if we can believe them) already within them; But I hope we may know the tree by its fruits: better than their own testimony.
7. The Spirit of God teacherh us not to own any perfection that is in Christ as properly ours, but acknowledge it his, though we have Christ in us: For though the life we now live is by Faith in the Son of God, who hath loved us and hath given himself for us: yet it is not we that live, but Christ that liveth in us.
But their Spirit teacheth them to own every perfection that is in Christ as properly theirs; affirming that they that have Christ have power; and they that believe have power to do the will of God, and they deny all those that say they have Faith in Christ, and yet their righteousnesse is not perfect, because the righteousnesse of Christ is perfect, which yet is not properly theirs, but onely through [Page 8] faith, and that by imputation, and they also deny all those, and their Faith and hope, who say they hope to be saved, and yet live in sin, making a profession; for, say they, he that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure: so that if he be not purified in perfection like Christ, they say, it is but the hope of the hypocrite, which shall perish: And they also deny all who say they have Faith and Christ, and yet their word and light is without them; for he that hath Christ or faith, hath this Word and Light which is Christ; as if a man could not have Christ by Faith, but he must of necessity have the fulnesse of Christ, the essentiall Word and Light wholely within them, whom the heavens of heavens are not able to contain, conceived as God, nor are all creatures able to comprehend. Again they affirm, that he that hath that Word of faith which the Apostles preached, hath this Word not in the Letter, but in the Spirit, as if the Apostle had onely spoke of Christ the essentiall word, and not inclusively of the spirituall ministration of the Word of God, in his sacred Name: And so again they deny all them whose law is without and morall, for they own that Law which is spiritual within wr [...]tten in the heart, for that Law, say they, is perfect, and endures for ever, and therefore they deny all those Lawes without, and see them to be in the old Covenent of works, which made nothing perfect; as if we ought not to own the Law without us in Tables or Books, as well as that within us, and the rather as a Rule to try that within us by, whether our Spirits be of God; a subtil delusive doctrine of Satan this must needs be, to disparage the Word and Law of God: that men might onely listen to his lying spirit, or to their own corrupt and deluded hearts.
8. The Spirit of Truth teacheth us, That Christ our righteousnesse was sacrificed for us, and that his righteousnesse onely may be called perfect, and depended on for our justification, and not our own inherent righteousnesse; yet we also endeavour to purifie our selves even as he is pure, and do press onwards towards perfection, [Page 9] though with no intent to establish our own righteousness, as their lying spirit would hint to the world.
9. The Spirit of God teacheth us also to own that Faith which purifieth the heart, and produceth holiness both within and without, and to own that word and light within, and that Word and light without also, for Christ is within us, and without also, so is the Law without us and within us also; yea, we also worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, and utterly disclaim all false righteousness: But we have also a word without, and a Church without, and a Baptism without, praises and singing without, and a Christ without, and righteousness without as well as within, and so we ought.
But whether their spirit teach them to hold forth the profession of their hope & faith in these respects, as wel externally as they profess to do it internally; whether they will shew forth out of a good conversation their works in meeknesse and wisedome, and whether they will shew forth the vertu [...]s of him whom, they say, hath called them out of darknesse into light, and whether they w [...]ll shew their faith by their works, that we may believe them, and judge the tree good because the fruit is good; and whether their faith will ever appear to be such, a faith as worketh by love, that so all their things may be done in love and in the spirit of meeknesse, as if they had learned of himself to be meek and lowly of heart, is more than some of those know, to whom those people write: And again whether it be not utterly in vain to write these things in answer unto them, considering we have cause to doubt that some of them are perverted, and son, being damned of their own consciences; and whether they be of those to whom God hath sent strong delusions, that they might believe a lie, because they have not received the truth in love, but have pleasure in unrighteousnesse; and so being already rejected, and delivered up of God, and under the power of Satan, whether they dare resist him that he might flye from them, or whether they can resist him stedfastly in th [...] faith, or they are now already led captive by him, as servants a [...] vassals to do his will, is not easie to determine, [Page 10] nor will we absolutely determine, nor judge of them as they do of others: But this we say, They professe to know God, but in their works they deny him; and they profess to have the Word and the Law of God written in their hearts, but as for fruits of love we cannot discern any that proceedeth from them: Now the end of the commandement is love out of a pure heart, and good conscience, and faith unfaigned, and love or charity suffereth long, and is kind it envye [...]h n [...]t, it vaunteth not it self, is not puffed up, d [...]th not behave it self unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, think th no evill, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, it beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things: It never faileth; But if there be this Charity in the heart, it will act accordingly, upon all occasions: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak and all the body will act; But if it be not, then they have not the Law written in their hearts as they pretend: They may therefore compare their wayes with these rules of Charity, if they so please, and so may know themselves whether Christ be in them, by his blessed Spirit, or they are led by a Spirit which is not of God; For if Christ be in them, he hath shed this love abroad in their hearts: And if the contrary, if this love be not there, it is another spirit than the Spirit of Christ and another Law than the Law of Christ that acteth them: And if their spirit within will not suffer them to parallel their case aright, if they please to write to us, they shall have some further help; And in the mean time we leave them to their proper Steersmen in these respects, and spare our labour: So resolveth he, who without any more complements subscribeth his Name.