The Quakers Confuted, Letter 1
A Coppy of a Letter which Richard Waller a Quaker, ſent to a Gentlemans Family, near Stockport in Cheſhire: in which both he and his wife had been formerly ſervants: Wherein he pleads for an abſolute perfection, and for Quaking.
Dear Friends,
MY dear love in the Lord preſents it ſelf unto you all in the power of the truth; deſiring the Lord to eſtabliſh you all in the truth it ſelf, that you may grow and become faithfull unto the Lord to bring forth much fruit, that the Lord in all things may be glorified by you. Dear friends, I did long ſtand in oppoſition againſt a company of people by the World called Quakers; So it pleaſed the Lord in his time to let me ſee my condition; So that I did plainly ſee that I had got the Saints words to talk of before I came to witneſs the Saints condition: Now the Scripture ſaith, Jeſus Chriſt was made manifeſt to deſtroy the works of the Devil. Whoſoever can witneſs Chriſt manifeſt in him, can witneſs ſin deſtroyed: But he that ſaith Chriſt is manifeſt in him, and committeth ſin, is a lyar. For whoſoever is born of God, ſinneth not, 1 Job. 2. 4. For his ſeed remaineth in him, and he cannot ſin, becauſe he is born of God; Now the Prieſts of the World tell us we cannot be perfect here: So they leave a hole for Satan here contrary to Scriptures; and when will they have him caſt out? As for me, I deny all the Teachers of the World: For I can really witneſs that I have found my Teacher within me, which is a myſterie to all the World. Now, I and the reſt that can witneſs that Chriſt is made manifeſt in us, we are hated of the World; for we diſown the Worlds ways, Worlds worſhips, and Worlds Cuſtoms, and they diſown us. Now the Scriptures ſaith, He that is a friend to the World, is an enemy to God: The World calls us witches and mad men; they did ſo by Chriſt; they ſaid he was a Devil: and they ſaid Paul was mad, and Stephen ſpoke Blaſphemy: It is juſt ſo now as it was then; they Jear and ſay, Never any of the Saints Quaked and Trembled. Read theſe Scriptures at your leaſure, and you may find them lyars, Heb. 12. 25, 26. Ezra. 9. 3, 4. Heb. 12. 21. Moſes quaked and trembled. David trembled Pſal. 119. 120. Pſal. 18. 7. Heb. 3. 16. When I heard, my belly trembled, my lips quivered. Jerem. 23. 9. Iſa. 66. 2. Ezek. 32. 10. Dan. 10. 7. and 11. Daniel Trembled, Acts 9. 6. Joel 2. 10. Job 26. 11. Amos 8. 8. Jer. 30. 6, 7. Acts 13. 40. 41. See here is a Cloud of Witneſſes againſt them: And whereas they deny that perfection is to be attained, here they are found lyars. See Phil. 3. 15, Let us, as many as are perfect, be thus minded. Col. 1. 28. Col. 4. 12. 2 Tim. 3. 17. Heb. 6. 1. Heb. 10. 14. He. 12. 23. Heb. 13. 21. Jam. 1. 4. Col. 4. 12. Deut. 18. 13. Joh. 17. 21. I in thee, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one. I plainly ſee the Prieſts taught deceit, and we believed them: But the Lord hath diſcovered their deceit to his, and he will teach all his himſelf. Oh therefore wait upon the Lord, and ceaſe from man whoſe breath is in his noſtrils, and mind the light of God in you which diſcovers deceit; and the peace of God be with you all, and keep you all in the ſenſe of him ſtaid in your minds, that you may be kept in his feare which keepeth the mind clear, and pure, and open to receive his teachings, and to forſake the evil, and chooſe the good, and ſo bring you into obedience; and it will ſuffer you to joyn with nothing but what is of it own nature, pure and clear, and it will keep you from the evil of the World. The Lord cauſe you all to grow up as trees of Righteouſneſs, and ſtabliſh your hearts in the living truth, that his name in all thing may be glorified.
Dear friend Chriſtian, I have ſent you a little book, read it without partiality, and you may ſee deceit diſcovered; My wife deſires you to preſent her ſervice to her Maſter and Miſtreſs, and all the children, and her love unto you and all the ſervants; We are both well, and our child grows faſt. As for me, as I begun with my dear love unto you all, ſo I end: For I dare not complement, becauſe it is a Cuſtom of the World. Farewell,