The Quakers Quaking, Title page – Prefatory letter
THE QUAKERS QƲAKING: OR, The Foundation of their Deceit ſhaken, BY SCRIPTURE, REASON, Their own MOUTHES at ſeveral Conferences. By all which will appear, That their QUAKING, MINISTERY, DOCTRINE, and LIVES, is a meer Deceit, And themſelves proved to be the great Impoſtors of theſe Latter Times:
By JEREMIAH IVES.
Matth. 24. …, 5.
And Jeſus anſwered, and ſaid unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you: For many ſhall come in my Name, ſaying, I am Chriſt, and ſhall deceive many.
Rom. 16.18.
For they that are ſuch, ſerve not our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, but their own belly, and by good words, and fair ſpeeches, deceive the hearts of the ſimple.
Prov. 14.15.
The ſimple believeth every word: but the wiſe man looketh well to his goings.
Job 6.25.
How forcible are right words? but what do your arguings reprove?
1 Tim. 1.7.
That deſire to be Teachers of the Law, underſtanding neither what they ſay, nor whereof they affirm.
London, Printed by J Cottrel, for R. Moon, at the Seven Stars in S. Pauls Church-yard. 1656.
To the Churches of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, that are called to be faithful, and that are baptized into his Name, and meet together in his fear, to ſtand for that faith that was once delivered to the Saints.
BRETHREN,
I Know none to whom theſe enſuing lines will be more welcome, then to you, becauſe you are the men about whom Satan hath laid his cloſeſt ſiege, and levied his greateſt force: I therefore thought it my duty to ſend to you ſome relief, and (if Poſſible) to raiſe the ſiege that hath for a long time been laid againſt you, by the great and ſubtile Adverſaries to your Faith and Order, which the Lord help you to continue in, that ſo you may be terrible as an Army with banners: and that you may ſo be, it ſhall be my daily requeſt to the Lord on your behalf, that love and unity may increaſe among you, that you may all minde one thing; that ſo the Adverſary may have no occaſion given him, to ſpoil you of your joy and rejoycing in the confidence that you have in Chriſt Jeſus: For when you ſhall divide and ſeparate one from another, and have bitter envyings among your ſelves, rendings and tearings of the Body of Chriſt, upon offences given or taken by ſome particular perſon, or for ſome particular Opinion; doth not this (if I may uſe the phraſe) make the daughters of the Uncircumciſed rejoyce, and ſay, How are the Mighty fallen? even you that were once valiant for the Truth, will they not ſay, What? are you become like us? Therefore, for the Lords ſake, let the bond of love and holineſs be kept inviolable by you all, that ſo you may be preſerved from falling into the gulfs of Apoſtacy, that many in theſe latter times have fallen into. And that you may ſo be kept, let me intreat you to keep high and honorable thoughts of the Scriptures; let none of the words of our dear Lord Jeſus, ſlip out of your minde; have a care of ſucking in ſuch Principles that will impair the Credit and Authority of Gods Words; as, That the Scriptures are not the Word of God; and, That the Light within you is of equal or better Authority; and, That it doth teach us how to Worſhip God without the Scriptures: And prize the Ordinances of God; and remember what a bleſſed thing it is, for Chriſtians to meet often together, and to think often upon Gods laws, and be frequent in the obſervance of them, in a time when men ſay, What profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances? knowing, that your labour ſhall not be in vain in the Lord. And thoſe that God bath made your Elders and Overſeers, ſay unto them, That they take heed to their Miniſtery, left the Lord charge the Souls of them that ſhall be ſeduced upon their ſcore; and if God hath ſet ſuch over you, that do wake and watch for your ſouls, have them in double honour; have a care of ſlighting them that are your Watchmen, left the Lord remove them from you into corners, and you be left as a City forſaken, for the wilde Beaſts of the field, and Boars of the foreſt to prey upon: from which the Lord deliver you. Oh therefore that you would every one in your places and callings watch and pray, that you enter not into the temptations of theſe times, eſpecially theſe Quaking temptations, that like the ſnares of the Fowlers, are ſpread in all corners of the Nation; and remember that you are for your lives, that ſo you may eſcape the ſnare of the Devil, into which many are led captive, and are taken at his will: and that you might be the better acquainted with his wyles, I have preſented you with a few of their ſnares, that you might know how to eſcape them, if they ſhall ſpread them before you: And I doubt not, but if you ſhall carefully obſerve, and ſeriouſly examine the Truth of what is here propoſed, you will be throughly furniſhed to withſtand theſe ſubtile Adverſaries at every turn, and preſerve your ſelves from falling, unto his heavenly Kingdom: which ſhall be the Prayers of him, who is willing to bow his knee for you all, to the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
Jeremiah Ives.