George Fox Digged Out of His Burrows, To the Quaker reader – To the reader
To the People called Quakers.
Friends & Country-men:
1. THe occasion of these Discourses you may see in the first Page: the 14 Proposals in the second Page, and the occasion of the Title in the 34.
2. The truth is (as Edmund Burroughs, and others of you say of your selves) from my Childhood (now above three-score years) the Father of Lights and Mercies toucht my Soul with a love to himself, to his only begotten, the true Lord Iesus, to his Holy Scriptures, &c. his infinite Wisdome hath given me to see the City, Court and Country, the Schools and Universities of my Native Country, to converse with some Turks, Iews, Papists, and all sorts of Protestants, and by Books to know the Affairs and Religions of all Countries, &c.
3. My Conclusion is, that be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee, Mat. 9. is one of the joyfullest sounds that ever came to poor sinful Ears: how to obtain this sound from the mouth of that Mediatour that spoke it, is the great dispute beween the Protestants and the bloody Whore of Rome: this is also the great point between the true Protestants and your selves: as also (in order to this) about what man is (to the utmost) now by nature, what the true Lord Jesus Christ is, and all other controversies (discussed in this Book, not unworthy this your serious weighing (as Mary did) in the hearts and spirits, &c.
4. Bear with me while I say, that as the Iesuites pretend to deifie the Pope, but it is known, the end is to deifie themselves under the cloak of the Popes Name: so Satan pretends to exalt and deifie you, under the name of God, and Christ, and Spirit, &c. but his end is as Peter tells us, to exalt himself, and fill his hellish Paunch with Souls.
5. I endeavoured, but could not procure a Short-hand writer, so that I am forced to recollect Transactions from my Memory, and I believe (as in the holy presence of God) that I have not failed to present the true substance of passages without advantage to my self, or disadvantage to my Opposites.
6. I have used some sharp Scripture Language, but not (as commonly you do) passionately and unjustly: I sometimes call you Foxians, (as Nicolaitans from Nicholas) because G. Fox hath appeared the greatest Writer, and the greatest Preacher amongst you, and the most deified that I can hear of, sure it is that here he subtly run for it: he ordered that my Letters to our Deputy Governour Captain Cranstone (in which my Proposals to G. F. were, should not be delivered to the Deputy, until G. F. was some hours under sayle, that he might say he never saw my Paper, though it is as clear as noon-day that he knew all matters by Copies, Letters and Relations, perfectly many dayes before his departure.
7. My disadvantage (in our Contests (especially at Newport) were great and many: for though I. Stubs. and I. Burnet were more civil and ingenious: yet W. Edmondson was nothing but a bundle of Ignorance, and Boisterousness, he would speak first end all (though all three were constantly on me at once) no man might speak at all in favour of my Positions: any might freely speak against them: they sat in the midst of the Governour & Magistrates (of their Opinion) and the whole Assembly (of their way) W. Edmundson (though I. Stubs twice said in publick, that I had not inter-interrupted them) yet W. Edmundson would frequently and insolently interrupt me: so that I was not only forced to bear patiently (through Gods only help) but to suppress my thoughts, which here I have added in some places. 8. I know that a great weight of your Opinions and Actings lye upon your believing your selves guided by the immediate Spirit of God: but I believe that I have proved that it is no more the holy Spirit of God, that speaks and acts in you, then it was the true Samuel that spake such heavenly words in the appearance of Sam. Mantle amongst a cloud of other witnesses you shall never perswade Souls (not bewitched) that the holy spirit of God would perswade your Women and Maidens to appear in publick (streets & assemblies) stark naked, &c. of which I have spoke more particularly in our disputations. 9. It is hard to perswade a Fox or a Wolf that he is so, &c. or that he doth Rob or Steal, or Murther; it is hard to perswade a man while he dreams that he is in a Dream: yea though he be a filthy Dreamer as Gods Spirit speaks: In our Dreams we believe lyes and impossibilities to be true as that we are many thousand miles of, that we talk with dead men, &c. that we are at Marriages or Burials and are Kings and Queens. &c.
10. All that I can hope for (without Gods wonderfull mercy) is to give my Testimony in my generation: for (as Solomon speaks of the Whore) few or none of you return. Yet I know Gods foundation is sure he knows who are his amongst you as amongst other perswasions. I have proved, and will prove (if God please) that spiritual Pride, that is Pride about spiritual matters, is the Root and Branch of your whole Religion, and that the King Eternal, who did cast out proud Angels out of his Palace, will hardly open his Gates to proud and scornful Dust and Ashes:
Providence, March 10. 1672/3 (so called) I am one of your best Friends, R. W.
To those many Learned and Pious Men, whom G. Fox hath so sillily and scornfully answered in his Book in Folio
Especially to those whose Names I have been bold to mention in the Narrativt and Apendix, Mr Richard Baxter, Mr Iohn Owen &c.
Sirs,
THrough your sides the Devil by the Clawes of this wily Fox, hath tore at the heart of the Son of God; it is no wonder then if he tear at the Heart of his Love-Letters, and Institutions, and the true Professors of his name, who are innumerable in Abrahams Bosome, and the rest travelling uprightly thither.
For Brevity sake I was forced to omit many excellent Passages, selected by Fox out of your Writings & to select short Sentences of yours unto which he gives short Answers. As to matters in Difference between yourselves and me, I willingly omitted them, as knowing that many able and honest Sea-men in their Observations of this Sun (one picture of Christ Iesus) differ sometimes in their Reckonings, though uprightly aiming at, and bound for one Port and Harbour.
Eternally praised be the Father of Lights, and mercyes, that we are one in that most glorious ever fixed Cynosura (about whom his true Prophets & Messengers ever have and doe and shall move: and he holdeth them in his right hand.
I humbly beg of you. 1. That you will more and more earnestly, candidly and christianly study the things that differ without reflecting upon Credit, Maintenance, Liberty and Life it self, remembring who it was that said it; He that loves his life shall lose it. 2. More and more to study the Prophesies and the Signs of the Times, You know when it was that sive Bishops, twenty-two Ministers & almost three hunared other precious Believers in the true Lord Iesus, were sacrificed in the Flames, for his ever blessed sake, against that monstrous Man of Sin and bloudy Whore of Rome. These Foxians fancy is but a feather to to those high Pico's and Tenariffs, the Pope and Mahomet whom some of you may live to see flung into the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone.
Were it not that the infinite Compassions of Heaven had made our gracious Sovereign the Breath of our Nostrills, the fiery Fornace had certainly burnt seven times hotter against Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah: Surely as for Conscience sake we ought to obey, so sor Conscience sake we ought to be Instant and Constant at the throne of Grace for his Royal Preservation and Salvation.
Prov. March 10, 1672/3. I am unworthy to be yours R. W.