Some Reflections upon Francis Bugg's Book, ENTITULED, The Pilgrims Progreſs, &c.
ALL Pious and Learned Men of my Acquintance, cannot but know that I am as ready to Vindicate the Truth I find among any other ſort of Men, as among the People called Quakers: And I wiſh Francis Bugg would be as ready to Deteſt the Wicked Errors of other Diſſenters from the Church of England, as of any Perſon of that Denomination. I do not believe that any one of the Quakers, now living, do Adhere to ſo wicked a Conceit,•as that which GEORGE TROSSE of Exeter has Publiſh'd in his Book Entituled, 'The Lord's Day Vindicated, viz. that our Bleſſed LORD was not actually Jeſus (i. e. a Saviour) before He had actually Suffer'd:which is as Falſe as it is True, that He was the True Light, which Enlightneth every Man that cometh into the World: which Text the Quakers Interpret according to the Interpretation of that moſt Learned, and Pious Man, John Chryſoſtom, and other Learned Writers of the Primitive Church. This Principle, that it is every Mans Duty to follow the True Light, manifeſting himſelf in our Hearts and Minds, as our Chief and Principal TEACHER, does moſt certainly lead every Quaker, that is ſincere in this Profeſſion, nearer and nearer to a clear and explicit Knowledge of All Truth; I cannot but have an high Value for theſe Words of a Quaker, being to me ſo clearly Expreſſive of ſuch Truth, which is of the greateſt Importance to the Souls of Men. 'The great reaſon of our ſo much Aſſerting Chriſts Inward Appearance, and Spiritual Manifeſtation, as a Mediator, Sanctifier, Juſtifier, and Saviour within, has been (as to aſſert the Truth1〈1 page duplicate〉2ſo) to counterpoiſe (if I may ſo ſpeak) the contrary Doctrine, and Aſſertion of thoſe, who deny him to be, with reſpect to theſe Offices, at all within, and ſhut Him wholly out; making the Work of Mediation, Sanctification, Juſtification and Salvation, to be only, and altogether outward, whereas we acknowledge to the utmoſt, whatever Chriſt hath done, or doth without us, in order to our Salvation; yet cannot exclude the Inward Work.To which I ſhall add theſe ſound Words of W. P. in his KEY, 'Though none are Juſtified that are not in meaſure Sanctified, yet all Man does, is Duty, and blots not out old Scores; that is Grace and Favour purely, upon Repentance, through Chriſt the Sacrifice and Mediator: So that Men are not Juſtified becauſe they are Sanctified, but For His ſake that Sanctifies them, and works all their Works in them, and for them; to wit, Chriſt Jeſus, who is made unto them, as he was to the Saints of Old, Wiſdom, Righteouſneſs, Sanctification, and Redemption; that he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord, 1 Cor. 1. 30, 31.
F. B. Chap. 2. has theſe Words: 'I went to their Meetings in the Afternoon, and gave great heed to what was Spoken, whoſe chief Subject was the Light within, and that Light to be Chriſt — I and others were catch't by theſe and the like Fallacious Arguments, not being well grounded in the Principles of the Chriſtian Religion, nor underſtanding the Wiles of Satan.
This certainly is one of the ſubtileſt Wiles, one of the ſtrongeſt Snares of the Devil; a Conceit that CHRIST is not the LIGHT within every Man: For without a Virtual Belief (where there is no Formal or Explicit Belief) that CHRIST is the Fountain of Light to our Souls, 'tis impoſſible for any Man to Do any thing but what may juſtly be term'd a Work of Darkneſs.
Chap. 3. 'The Ten Commandments are not the Quakers Rule: No, no: not unleſs they be convinced by their Light within, of the Reaſonableneſs of their Obedience.
Anſw. They are not any Mans Rule; that is, no Man can uſe them, as a Rule, 'till he is convinced by the Light within, of the Reaſonableneſs of his Obedience: But this Conviction is certa•nly wrought by the Light within, when ever any Man does not Rebel againſt it.
3Chap. 5. 'The Journal, and our Friends Books t•ach both by Precept and Example, that the Light in every Man is the Higher Power, to whom All muſt ſubmit and obey.
Anſw. Certainly they ought ſo to Teach, ſince the Perſon of Jeſus Chriſt, or Jeſus Chriſt Himſelf is The Light in every Man. By calling Him the Higher Power, they ſhew that nothing muſt be DONE, but in Obedience to Him, being King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Therefore I Affirm that theſe Words of F. B. are very Fooliſh and Abſurd. 'Let us then begin to remember how Zealous Kings and Parliaments have been, ever ſince the Reformation, againſt ſuch as adher'd to a Power Superiour to the King, Lords and Commons, which our Proteſtant Divines have held to be the Higher Powers, and to which we are commanded by the Apoſtles to ſubmit our ſelves. Now any People that adhere to a Forreign Power to be Supream in England, beſides, and above that of Kings, Lords and Commons (who under God are the Higher Powers) are to be ſuſpected to undermine the Government, whether they mean the POPE of ROME, or their QƲAKER LIGHT in their BODY Aſſembled in COƲNCIL.
Anſw. Moſt certainly the Quakers mean no other Light, by the Light, they ſay, they are to follow, or take heed unto, when they are Aſſembled in Council, than The True Light, The Light of the World: And certainly 'tis plain Blaſphemy to call Him a Forreign Power, or to compare Him with the Pope of Rome.
Chap. 19. 'All true as Goſpel. This is a PROFANE Expreſſion. F. B. p. 110. in a Sermon he makes in the Perſon of George Whitehead, has theſe Words:'To be plain with you, according to our Ancient Teſtimony, we own no other Trinity, nor God, than is within us; for the Light is God, the Light is the Son of Man, the Light is the Holy Ghoſt.
Anſw. All this is true, that there is no other Trinity, &c. If it be true, that GOD IS LIGHT, and the WORD IS GOD, and that the WORD was made FLESH, and that the Father, the Son, and the HOLY GHOST are the One True and Eternal GOD, the One True and Eternal LIGHT. What Cenſure Francis Bugg deſerves for his groſs and horrid Ignorance in ſcorning this Teſtimony of the Quakers I leave to others to Determine.
4P. 111. After F. B. had receited the form of ſound Words, wherein the Quakers had made their Confeſſion of Faith to the Parliament, he makes this Malicious Reflexion, Perſonating G. W. 'Now my Friends, tho' this Confeſſion be as contrary to our Ancient Teſhimony, as Light is to Darkneſs, as by our Books quoted you may ſee, yet we kept our meaning to our ſelves.Anſw. By the Obſervations I have made upon the Life and Profeſſion of the People called Quakers above Fourty Years, I am induc'd to believe that this their Confeſſion of Faith contains nothing elſe, but what has ever been the SENCE of their Community. And therefore I ſhall again declare (as I have lately done in a Paper Entituled 'Reflections on a Paſſage concerning the Light within, in a Book Entituled Primitive Hereſie,&c.) 'That to me it is moſt Evident and Unqueſtionable, that theſe People called Quakers, deſerve more Favour than any other ſort of DISSENTERS from all Perſons throughout the World, who make their Solemn VOCAL Confeſſion of the Chriſtian Faith in that form of Words, which we call the NICENE CREED; what they mean by the Light within is nothing elſe, but what is implied in thoſe moſt important Words, LIGHT OF LIGHT: That is to ſay, the True and Eternal GOD, the SON of the True and Eternal GOD.
Though I ſhould have no cauſe to be offended with any Man, that ſhould ſay of Me, I am a Man of Strife, and a Man of Contention to the whole Earth; yet GOD is my Witneſs, I am in perfect Charity with all Men, even with thoſe that have done me the greateſt Injuries. The Peculiar Affection I have for many of the People called Quakers. ariſeth from a Belief that they concurr with mein a Sincere and Effectual Approbation of theſe excellent Words of a Perſon of that Denomination, in a Book of his, Entituled Some Fruits of Solitude.
Let us then try what Love will do: For if Men did once ſee we love them, we ſhould ſoon find they would not harm us.
Did we believe a final Reckoning and Judgment; or did we think enough of what we do believe, we would allow more Love in Religion than we do; ſince Religion it ſelf is nothing elſe but Love to God and Man.
Love is above all; and when it prevails in us all, we ſhall all be Lovely, and in Love with GOD, and with one another.
ΕΡΧΟΥ ΚΥΡΙΕ ΙΚΣΟΥ.