The Reviler Rebuked, Title page – Dedication
THE REVILER REBUKED: OR, A RE-INFORCEMENT OF THE CHARGE AGAINST THE QUAKERS, [So Called] For their Contradictions to the Scriptures of God, and to their own Scriblings, which Richard Farnworth attempted to anſwer in his pretended Vindication of the Scriptures; but is farther diſcovered, with his Fellow-Contradictors and Revilers, and their Doctrine, to be Anti-Scriptural, Anti-Chriſtian, and Anti-Spiritual.
By JOHN STALHAM, a Servant of the Great Biſhop and Shepherd of Souls, appointed to watch his little Flock at Terling in Eſſex.
Titus, Cap. 1. ver. 7, 10, 11, 13.
A Biſhop muſt be blameleſs — holding faſt the faithful Word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able, by ſound doctrine, both to exhort, and to convince the gainſayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers — whoſe mouthes muſt be ſtopped — wherefore rebuke them ſharply, that they may be ſound in the Faith.
Zach 3. 2.
And the Lord ſaid unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, even the Lord that hath choſen Jeruſalem, rebuke thee.
London, Printed by Henry Hills and John Field, Printers to His Highneſs. 1657.
To His Highneſs OLIVER Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, AND To the Right Honorable, The Council of State.
SIRS,
IF the Higheſt himſelf ſhall eſtabliſh Pſalm 87. 5.Zion, there is encouragement, ſufficient and abundant for You his Servants rejoycingly to ſerve him, in the countenancing of his Truth, and contending with the men of this Generation for the Faith once given unto the Saints, by the moſt proper means and methods which the Lord of lords in his wiſdom hath directed, and ſhall lead you unto. The Liberty proclaimed to Godly-Goſpel-Preachers, and your foſtering of Orthodox Paſtors and Teachers, will much conduce, by the Spirit of Chriſts mouth, to the conſumption of the Man of Sin; and what abuſe ſoever is made of the Preſs for the ſpreading of Anti-Scriptural and Antichriſtian Errors, yet it needeth not to be feared, while Pulpits and Preſſes are open (through Your Highneſs and Honors favors) for a Teſtimony againſt them, but that God will confound their Language, who by falſe and perverſe Interpretations of the Scriptures, would ſeduce the mindes of the ſimple, into an expectation of nothing but Immediate Raptures and Revelations.
Some indeed cry up nothing but Clublaw againſt the men, called Quakers, and can give no other meaſure then their Prelatical Fathers to thoſe that diſſented from them: But by Your Indulgence and Forbearance of Saints erring and otherwiſe minded, many have conſcientiouſly made enquiry after thoſe Truths which lay hid, or were defaced; and have the more heartily embraced them, and do hold them faſt, after Scripture-conviction. And however the Men, I deal with, for the preſent do debate the Scriptures, and decry the Miniſtery, Churches, all New Teſtament external Worſhip, and whatſoever beareth the ſtamp of Divine Authority, as not to be found among us, yet by Your Lenity and Gentleneſs exerciſed towards them (while You eſpouſe, or patronize none of their Errors) it may be firmly expected that the Elect (ſuppoſing ſuch among them) ſhall be reduced: And as for others that are evil men and ſeducers (from that perverſe Principle of their Self-adoring Light) they ſhall wax worſe and worſe, and as the madneſs of ſome is evident, ſo ſhall the folly of other be made manifeſtforeign 2 Tim. 3. 9. to all who are not bewitched with their Spiritual ſorceries.
MY LORDS, Let but the Saints, and the Churches of Saints, according to Scriptureevidence, be protected and cheriſhed (as You have graciouſly begun) and the Officeminiſtery will ſoon be known, ſetled and eſtabliſhed. Let every ſtumbling-block, as ſpeedily and ſafely as lyeth within Your Power, be removed from the way of the blinde, and occaſion cut off from them that ſeek occaſion, and ere long the Lord himſelf will rebuke them to ſilence, that they ſhall neither talk nor write ſo preſumptuouſly, nor ſhall arrogancy come out of their mouth. The lip of truth ſhall be eſtabliſhed for Prov. 12. 19.ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Let Learning be advanced among pious men (for God hath his Wits, and his Learned ones) and through the ſanctified Improvement thereof, Ignorance (its froward enemy) will creep into corners, as darkneſs vaniſheth before the light. Some of theſe men *Lip of truth opened, by Tho. Lawſon, page 13. Chriſts innocency pleaded by Tho. Speeds Epiſtle, with his Guilty covered Clergyman unvail'd. page 69.begin to appeal unto the Conſciences of the Learned, for Idioms and propriety of ſpeech, in Hebrew and Greek, with the Dorick dialect: they will give us leave then to make uſe of our Engliſh dialect alſo, and ſpeak vulgarly, while we think as the Philoſopher. Our contentions with them are not about foreign, foreign, tu, or foreign, or foreign, but pro aris & focis, for the lamp & life of our Religion, the Rule of the Holy Scriptures, the Glory of the Bleſſed Trinity, the peculiarneſs of the Covenant of Grace; the ſole matter of our Juſtification before God, the continuance of our Chriſtian warfare, during this natural life; the truth and efficacy of Chriſts own Inſtitutions, &c. Amidſt which digladiations, our Lord Jeſus is fighting againſt them with the Sword of his mouth, and him wee'l truſt with the iſſue of the battel; whereupon
I humbly ſupplicate, That every perſon whatſoever may not, impunè, ſtrike them corporally, in the Steeple-houſe, ſtreets or priſon; for they think it a great triumph to have this to object, That any are tolerated with this mutinous word in their mouths, *Anſwer to the Quakers Catech. p. 19.Fight Lads for the Goſpel; and they'l ſtill cry out Perſecution, as they have done, if every Turn-key or Tapſter in the priſon, may, without check, be permitted to wreak their teem and ſpite upon them, with ſome baſe, illegal and inhumane uſage or other. But while any of this Sect, for their exorbitant courſes, meet with legal and due correction, Be pleaſed to let them all know that we are guarded by a better Law then what they *Teachers of the world unvail'd, p. 29, 30upbraid us with, enacted in the Marian times: And, that while they carry Popiſh and Jeſuitical Doctrine along with them, they are to have no more liberty for divulging it in our Aſſemblies, then the men of that profeſsion. Popiſh Doctrines and Idolatries are as abominable as ever were the Paganiſh: And ſome of theſe mens Tenents are as reprobate ſtuff as the Jeſuits; Their blaſphemies as horrid as the Popiſh Paraſites. What is Rome but Babylon the Mother of Abominations? And what is this Sect, but a daughter of that great whore? who doubts but the Romiſh Emiſſaries are abroad to ſeduce? Some quondam Profeſſors of the Goſpel have loſt their Garments, and men ſee their ſhame. They bid farewel to Imputed Righteouſneſs, in the Scripture-ſenſe, and how they can be girt with inherent Graces, who put off the Saints, or believing ſinners beſt robe, I ſee not. The Setters and Abettors of this Sect, would be more narrowly watched, and according to their crimes ſtigmatized. There is one *This for each Parliament man, by George Fox, page ult.hath ſuggeſted to the Right Honorable Parliament, after this maner, All that have a word from the Lord ſeek not to ſtop them, and limit them from ſpeaking it, by the counſel of thoſe Teachers which are made by the will of man, and have not the word of the Lord; according to the word of the Lord they are to be ſtopt, and to be ſilent. And after the ſame meaſure, ſhall it not be meted out to them? But whereas he concludeth with an Interrogation that hath a ſting in the tayl, Is there any law or limit to be made to limit the Spirit of God? I ſhall cloſe with Chriſt his own charge (for the purity and peace of the Churches) which ſome *Brightman Cotton.of no mean account do conceive was partly fulfilled by the Edict of Darius, Ezra 6. 11 13. *Cant. 2. 15.Take us the Foxes, the little Foxes, that ſpoil the Vines, for our Vines have tender grapes.
Now, that Your Highneſs, and Your Honors may be all as Angels of God, diſcerning the falſe ſpirits and the true; ſuch as proceed out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beaſt, and out of the mouth of the falſe Prophet, from Him that proceedeth from the Father, and from the Son; that Ye may be eſtabliſhed in the old and preſent Truth; that Ye may be preſerved blameleſs; that all men may acknowledge their Mercies under Your Government; that Your Graces may be heightned yet to farther Service of the Lord, and his peoples Intereſt in the three Nations; And, that Ye may be proſpered in all Your high undertakings, at home and abroad, for Glory to the Higheſt, is, and ſhall be the Prayer of
Your HIGHNES and Your HONORS Meaneſt Servant in the Goſpel, JOHN STALMAM.