The Sauciness of a Seducer Rebuked, Title page – Preface
THE Saucineſs of a Seducer Rebuked OR The PRIDE and FOLLY of an Ignorant SCRIBBLER Made Manifeſt In ſome REMARKS upon a Scurrilous LIBEL written by JOSEPH NOTT a Silly Conceited Quaker of Exon againſt a BOOK of the Reverend Mr. GEORGE TROSS In VINDICATION Of the Lords-Day.
TOGETHER With a Confutation of ſome Errors of the QƲAKERS, in a BOOK call'd (by an Antiphraſis) Goſpel-Truths Scripturally Aſſerted.
Written by JOHN GANNACLIFF and JOSEPH NOTT.
Ne Sutor ultra Crepidam.
Profana & excitanda profecto hominum improbiſſimorum Secta, cujus Religio nullam Religionem aeſtimare eſt. Hor…beek Summa Controv. p. 39.
Quakeriſm is a meer Flam of the Devil; a ſmooth Tale to Seduce the Simple from their …llegiance to Chriſt. Dr. More's Myſtery of Godlineſs. p. 533.
London Printed for J. Salusbury at the Riſing-Sun over againſt the Royal-Exchange in Cornhill. 1693.
THE PREFACE.
THE hard uſage which the Chriſtian Religion meets with on all hands at this day in England, may well fill the ſerious Profeſſors of it with ſorrowful Reſentments. Almighty God hath highly favoured us, and wonderfully appear'd for us. He hath bleſſed us with Proteſtant, Religious, and Indulgent Governours. He hath cauſed the glorious Light of the Goſpel to ſhine upon us, with the greateſt Splendor. Our Peace and Plenty are the Envy of ſome, the Wonder of all that are about us. The great Husbandman may juſtly ſay concerning England, as once He did concerning Iſrael *Iſa. 5.4.What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it? But notwithſtanding all our Enjoyments, horrid Wickedneſs prevails among us, and dangerous Errors grow upon us, while the looſe Debanchees, join hand in hand with daring Atheiſts, to overturn all Religion, others endeavour with both hands earneſtly to ſubvert the Foundations of Chriſtianity. How do the Idolizers of Reaſon, with great Blaſphemies and leſſer Criticiſms, aſſault the Doctrine of the Sacred Trinity, the Deity, Incarnation, and Satisfaction of our Redeemer. How reſtleſs are the Roman Emiſſaries with their forged Citations, and Thread-bare Fallacies, to lay the Authority of Scripture, and the Scepter of Chriſt at the Pope's Feet. And how h…ve the eager Contentions of Proteſtants among themſelves facilitated the deſigns of theſe our Common Enemies. But beſides theſe, there is a Fanatical Sort of People, commonly called Quakers, from their Trembling and Raving, when they told their Dreams, at their firſt appearance among us; being acted in the ſame manner as the Heathen Sooth Sayers of old, of whom the Poet — Non vultus, non color unus, non comptae manſere, comae, ſed pectus anhelum, & rabie ſera corda tument.
This Tribe ſince they felt the warmth of Toleration, ſwarm among us; and by their Noiſe and Numbers, which alone render them conſiderable, begin to moleſt us; buzzing the ignorant and unſtable continually in the Ears, with their unintelligible J…rgon.
'Tis ſca…ce worth the while to inquire into the Original of this odd, u…red Sect. Whether they were the Spawn of the Munſter-Reformers, a By-blow of the Jugling J…ſuits; or derive their Pedigree from the Irenopolitan Fathers: Or whethe… they be a Mung…el Race, who have lick'd up Socinus his Vomit, are inſpir'd with John a Leyden's Enthuſiaſms, and have ſuck'd in Popiſh Perfection and Inf llibility,; let who will exami…e.
My deſign is to beſtow a few Animadverſions on a Trifling Pamphlet I met wi h a while ago at Exon, Written againſt Mr. George Troſs, by Joſeph Nott, who is, as I am inform'd a Worſtead-C…mb…r, and Holder forth among the Quakers. The known Abilities, profound Learning, and exemplary Piety of Reverend Mr. Troſs, ſet him far above the reach of our worſhipful Penny Author's Reproaches. I doubt not but he ſmiles at the Snarles, of this puny, curriſh Enemy. 'Tis b…neath him to take any Notice of ſuch a ſorry Scribble, As to him, or any People of …enſe; a Reply to Joſeph Nott, is altogether needleſs; therefore expect not a Vindication of Mr. Troſs. What I aim at is to …ebuke Joſeph Nott, and others of the ſame Bran, who leaving their Looms and Combs, their Laſts and Awls, ſet up for Teachers of others, and blaſphemouſly Intitle the Spirit of God, to the Dreams and Whimſies of their own weak Brains:†Fanatici Spiritus quiquid ſomniant, volunt eſſe ſpiritum ſanctum. Melaneth. And not content to make their Meeting-Houſes ring with Raving, and noiſy Nonſenſe, they preſume to load the Preſs with their Impertinencies. When they induſtriouſly diſperſe their virulent Pamphlets, among their giddy Proſelytes, and obtrude them upon other unwary People; when they uſe all baſe Arts to bring a Learned Goſpel-Miniſtry into contempt, and to wound the Reputation of Dead(a)Witneſs their Pamphlet againſt Mr. Flavel. as well as Living Miniſters; when their fulſome Pride, and raſh Confidence prompts them to Challenge, Cavil at, and write againſt our ſtouteſt Champions: 'tis high time to take them off, and correct their Inſolence. 'Twas hop'd that the Contempt with which their Pamphlets againſt pious Mr. Flavel, and ingenious Mr. Hallet, were treated, would have reclaimed them from this Scribbling Humor; and that they would have been aſham'd of thei… Folly, when they ſaw that none thought their Trifles worth the Anſwering: But ſeeing they abuſe this Indulgence, leſt they ſhould think themſelves conſiderable, and their Pamphlets unanſwerable, 'tis ſit they ſhould ſmart for their Folly.
I ſhould be quite aſham'd of fouling my fingers about ſuch a dirty Fellow, or Commenting upon his Gibberiſh, were it not in hopes, that by manifeſting his Folly and Ignorance, I may cure his I…h of Scribbling, and prevent ſome unthinking People from throwing away their Time and Mony on ſuch worthleſs Pamphlets.
No…e I preſume will blame the ſharpneſs of my Stile againſt him, who obſerve how rudely this Illiterate Mechanick treats that Grave and Aged Divine, whom he writes againſt; and how rotten and dangerous, as well as contagious, ſome of his Notions are.
'Tis ſad to obſerve how unſtable and uncatechiz'd people wander after the New lights, and walk in the pernicious ways of theſe buſy falſe Ap…ſtles. Some follow them (and ſuch like Eliterate Teachers, whom they heap up to themſelves) for the Novelty of their Opinions, ſome are gull'd by their ſeeming honeſtly and ſimplicity, ſome are pleaſed with their affected Cant. Others give heed to their pretended Viſions and Revelations; Some who at firſt go to hear them out of Curioſity, at length ſuck in their Errors: It being juſt with God to give them up to ſtrong Deluſions, to believe Lies, who forſake the Sound and Solid Teaching of Learned, Ordained Miniſters, and give Ear to Fables: And not a few moroſe Sectaries, who place much of their Religion in finding fault with every thing in the Liturgy and Ceremonies of the Church, who can ſmell Popery in the Creed, and Idolatry in a Form of Prayer, who condemn uncovering the Head in time of Preaching, as Carnal compliance, and bodily Reverence in Prayer as Superſtition: not a few of theſe I ſay, at length fall to down right Quakeriſm. And of thoſe who fall into this Sink of Errors, few return again to the Truth, or take hold of the paths of Life.
If what I have written in this Treatiſe, be an Antidote to any againſt the Infection of this ſpreading Evil, my labour will not be loſt. That He who neither ſlumbereth nor ſleepeth, would rouz his Wa chmen, when the Church is ſo beſ…t on every ſide; That the great Sheph…rd and Biſhop of Souls, would excite his faithful Paſtors, to a more narrow overſight of the Flock, when the old roaring Lion, and ſo many ravenous Wolves, lie in wait to deceive and deſtroy; That the weak and ignorant may be better inform'd about, and confirmed in the preſent Truths; That true Proteſtants may ceaſe to bite and devour one another, and having unfeign…d Love to the Truth, and one another, may contend earneſtly for the Faith, which was once delivered to the Saints; is the Deſire of
One Studious to know and practice …h… Doctrine according to Godlineſs.