The Quakers Confuted, Title page – Dedication
THE Quakers Confuted, BEING AN ANSWER VntoUnto Nineteen QUERIES; Propounded by them, and ſent to the Elders of the Church of Duckenfield in Cheſhire;
WHEREIN Is held forth much of the Doctrine and practiſe Concerning Revelations, and immediate Voices, and againſt the holy Scriptures, Chriſts Miniſtry, Churches and Ordinances &c.
TOGETHER With an Anſwer to a Letter which was Written and ſent by one of them to a Family of Note and Quality in the ſaid County, which pleaded for perfection in this life, and for Quaking.
By Samuel Eaton, Teacher of the Church of Chriſt heretofore meeting at Duckenfield, now in Stockport in Cheſhire.
LONDON, Printed by R. White for Thomas Brewſter, and are to be ſold at the ſign of the three Bibles at the Weſt-end of Pauls. 165….
To the Supream Authority of the Nation, the Parliament now ſitting in Weſtminſter.
Right Honourable,
IT is the Duty of all that Love the Lord Jeſus Chriſt in Sincerity, to contend for the Faith that was once given to the Saints, every man in his place, according to the Calling, Office, Power, Intereſt, Gift, Ability that he hath received from God. And I in my place (though the weakeſt of many, being yet led forth thereto by ſpecial inviting Providences) have done it both formerly and at preſent. And I Aſſume the boldneſs to preſent my poor, plain, weak and ſlender labours to your Honors view, and moſt humbly beg your favorable conſtruction of my deſign and ſcope in them. It is not to aſperſe any who are innocent; it is not to bring Saints who are weak and frail under contumelie; Neither is it to exaſperate the Supream Magiſtrate againſt any Perſons in whom the viſibility of Saintſhip ſhall be found; Nor is it to conivnce theſe Perſons (betwixt whom and my ſelf the conteſt lies) of their Errour; for had there been any hope of that, I ſhould have found out another way; but it is to preſerve thoſe who are yet ſound in the Faith from infection, and it is to awaken others (who are far more able in the Scriptures then my ſelf) to appear for God, for Chriſt, and for the Truth, in ſuch times of the great Apoſtaſie of ſo very many from the Faith. And it is to provoke your Honors to a ſelf-reflection, if thereby you may diſcern what your own Duty may be, and whether there be not ſomewhat which the Supream Magiſtrate, according to his Power, Place and Intereſt is called to do, in obedience to that command. I know you will manifeſt very much tenderneſs to all Saints, though in different forms, and of different judgements in circumſtantial Truths, and no queſtion Chriſt will take it kindly from your hands; but there is a company of Apoſtate Chriſtians who are diſperſed all over the Land, and who do ſow much corrupt ſeed (which comes up with great increaſe in many places) who yet do paſs with ſome for precious Saints. But my hope is, and my Prayer ſhall be, that the Lord will make you wiſe to judg ef Saintſhip according to Scriptural Rules, and not according to the large Charity of ſome who are truly good, though too much friends to them. You are not ignorant what a Character Chriſt himſelf gives of falſe Teachers, though appearing a Righteous, Innocent and Harmleſs People, (as theſe Quakers ſtile themſelves) he calls them Wolves in Sheeps clothing. And Paul ſpeaking of ſuch, compares them to Satan in this, That they will transform themſelves (as he doth himſelf into an Angel of Light, ſo they) into Miniſters of Righteouſneſs. And John in his Epiſtles makes them all Antichriſts, And the Scope & Drift of all the Apoſtles in all their Epiſtles almoſt, is to confirm the Faith which the Saints had received, and to preſerve from, & recover them out of Errour; and it is to impugn ſuch Doctrine as Seducers brought in among them, & the Zeal that they ſhewed is worthy of obſervation. You know alſo that as God is a righteous God, & loves Righteouſneſs, and therefore if you advance Righteouſneſs (as my hope in God is that you wil) you ſhall not loſe your reward; For he is alſo a jealous God in the things wherein his Glory is more immediately concerned; And his Honor is not more concerned in any thing then it is in the Doctrines which men hold and teach, and in the Worſhips which men give to him: therefore if you alſo ſhew your ſelves jealous of his Glory in theſe things, it will be aſſuredly written down in Gods Book of Remembrance what Zeal you had for your God, and the Lord will bleſs you thence forward. Are Magiſtrates for a Praiſe to good works, and for a terrour to evil works, while only they are good and evil, but when they come to be beſt or worſt (as they alwayes be when Religion is in them) is it ſo that they then have nothing to do, neither are they to meddle with them? If this be the ſenſe of the Apoſtles words (as all Perſons which do exclude the Magiſtrate from having any thing to do with the matters of God) will have it to be; it is a ſtrange one, and hath nothing to bear it up, either from that Text, or any that I know of. But you are ſufficiently inſtructed (I doubt not) concerning your own power, and your Zeal ſhewed where the honour of God is engaged, will provoke many whereto they will the rather be carried, conſidering that no ſins do bring more & greater plagues upon a Nat on that profeſſeth Righteouſneſs, then ſins againſt the firſt Table do; Now Magiſtrates are the Fathers of the Commonwealth, and therefore ſhould ſtudy to preſerve it from thoſe judgments that would deſtroy it. Or elſe why are Laws made againſt Oaths, and ſuch kind of Blaſphemies, if they be not to intermedle with matters of the firſt Table; and are there no ſins againſt the firſt Table that God hates ſo much as he hates Oaths? yea, there are Blaſphemies of opinion that are of a more hateful and harrid nature. But what ought to be done in this caſe, I leave that to your Honors wiſdom to find out by ſearching of the Scriptures; knowing that the Lord hath made many of you very dextrous and skilful in the underſtanding of the Scripture. When you meet with Crimes of a Civil Nature mentioned in the New Teſtament, as Murther, Adultery, Theft, &c. You cannot Read their Penalties there which ought to be inflicted; you find the ſins, but not the Puniſhments againſt ſuch Offenders; What courſe do you take? you are forced to fly to the Old Teſtament, and to fetch your Light thence. There are Apoſtates from the true God, from the true Chriſt, from the true Faith in the great Fundamental of it, and from the true Worſhip in the very Subſtantials of it, and who alſo are Teachers of Apoſtaſie, who yet were once enlightned, and knew the Truth; What ought to be done to ſuch, or what courſe ought to be taken, that Diſhonour to God may not be increaſed, nor the Land troubled by Gods Controverſie againſt it? I leave it to be ſeriouſly thought of; and I hope the Lord will guide your minds (among the multiplicity of other weighty and ſerious thoughts within you) to the ſeaſonable conſideration of it. But if there be Sorcery and Familiarity with the Devil to be found among a People, who challenge Propriety in God, excluding all others from Intereſt in him; I have no cauſe to doubt but that ſuch groſs polluting Evils will be ſearched out. The God of Wiſdom direct, and guide your Honors in all things that you take in hand, that by well doing, you may gain the Teſtimony of the Saints and World, that you are raiſed up of God, to exalt God, Chriſt, Faith, Truth, Godlineſs, Righteouſneſs, and Mercy in this Nation. I moſt humbly beg pardon from your Honours, for my boldneſs in ſuggeſting theſe thoughts of my heart, and ſpreading them before you, and remain
Your Honors in all humble Duty Samuel Eaton.