Christian History Institute Presents Pastwords #79:The Great Mystery of the Great Whore Unfolded and Antichrist's Kingdom Revealed unto Destruction by George Fox ©2007

FOX, GEORGE (1624-1691), founder of the Society of Friends (Quakers), was born in July 1624 at Fenny Drayton, Leicestershire. His formal education was slight. As a child he was of an unusually tender and serious disposition. At the age of 19, in deep distress at men's vanity and immorality he left home and work and, thirsting for God, wandered the countryside. Later he valued this time of testing as equipment for helping others in like case. At last he found himself brought "by the power of Christ" through this "ocean of darkness and death" into the revelation of God's love. "And this I knew experimentally": henceforth his religion went beyond the Bible, which he treasured, as a direct experience. In its strength he believed himself to be sent to bring people "off" from false religion and worldly ways to a new and living experience of Christ. In 1649 he interrupted a preacher and was imprisoned, and in 1650 he was again imprisoned, for six months, for alleged blasphemy; but his force of character and speech never failed to win men, and many were eagerly seeking the message with which he was aflame. During 1651 by itinerant preaching he began to make converts, including James Nayler. In June 1652 he convinced some hundreds at meetings in Westmorland, and the Society of Friends was born. For the rest of his life Fox traveled continually throughout England, and to Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany, and even to the West Indies and North America. He appealed to "that of God in every man," the light of Christ which both exposes sin and overcomes it and then endows men with simplicity and integrity. He was frequently in conflict with authority. Between 1653 and 1675 he suffered six further imprisonments, one lasting two and a half years. But in his desire to touch men's hearts he sought to exercise forbearance toward those who persecuted him, and he gladly used his times in jail as opportunities to release those who were also imprisoned spiritually. Through his combination of tenderness and gentleness with honesty and courage Fox attracted a large body of men and women, including some from a class above his own (among them William Penn and Robert Barclay), who not only shared his principles, sense of call and way of life but were devoted to him personally. He also possessed considerable organizing powers, and by establishing in 1667-68 the system of monthly business meetings which is still in use prevented Quakerism from falling apart or simply fading away. In 1669 he married one of his earliest converts, the widow of a judge of assize, Margaret Fell, of Swarthmore Hall, Ulverston, Lancashire, who for many years had given powerful leadership to Friends in the north of England. He died in London on Jan. 13, 1691, and was buried in the Friends' burial ground near Bunhill Fields.

THE EPISTLE TO THE READER.

To all the world to whom this may come to be Read, that they read with a good understanding, and hereby they may come to the perfect knowledge of the ground of difference between the Priests, and Professors, and all Sects in these Nations; and Us, who are in scorn called Quakers, shewing that the controversy on our part is just, and equal, against them all, and that we have sufficient cause to cry against them, and to deny their Ministry, their Church, their worship, and their whole Religion, as being not in the Power and by the Spirit of the living God, as commanded of him or ever practiced by his Saints; But this declareth the ground, and foundation thereof to be another thing, and not the same, on which the true Church, and Ministry, and practice, and worship, and true Religion was builded in the dayes of the Apostles; And also this is an Invitation to all Sects, and professions of People to come forth, and try if what they hold, and professe be according to the Scriptures of truth; and to do this in tryall, by evident, and sound Arguments, and by the best spiritual weapons they have, and to lay aside all this persecution and unrighteous dealing, and stocking, and whipping, and imprisoning of us for speaking against their Religion, and that they come forth in fair dispute, to contend in the Spirit of meekness, for what they professe, and practice, and to prove according to the Scriptures, their Ministry, Church, and whole Religion, that it is in, and by the spirit and power of God, or otherwise to renounce, and deny all their Religion, and the profession, and practices thereof, that every man may be satisfied who it is that are in the true and right way, and of the true worship, and true Religion, and who it is that are not, and this is desired by us who are called Quakers, and also a true account; of our first beginning and coming forth in the world; and of that great sufferings we have sustained, and how we have been carryed on and are preserved to this da

Hear this ye Priests, and howl, and lament for the misery that is coming upon you, the Lord hath laid you naked, and made you bare, and you are seen as you are, and the Elect is risen amongst us which ye cannot deceive; but alas, wo is me, how have you caused the people to erre, and how have you led the blind out of the way, and how is truth fallen in your streets, and you have daubed falsely with untempered morter, and have cried peace to the wicked, and condemned the righteous, and all this hath vexed the righteous soul, and the Lord will now arise, and is risen, and you shall not resist, and escape the stroak of his hand, which will come upon you, and bruise you as a millstone, for you have caused the wicked to rejoyce and the righteous to mourn, and you have made sad his heart, whom God hath not made sad, have not you fed your selves with the fat, and clothed with the wooll, and hath not the peoples souls been starved, and leanness been upon them all, your plants are dry, and barren trees that brings forth no good fruit, and your people are like a wilderness that is untilled and unploughed and undressed, and your flocks are like wild asses upon the mountains that is untamed, as rude as the Horse, and mule, that knows no bridle and now it is seen what the end of your Ministry is, and what fruit it hath brought forth, the Lord hath taken notice, and he hath beheld, how you have loytered, and laid idle, and the Nations lies yet like fallow ground, that bears no fruit, and mens hearts are untouched with a sense of Gods word, and there is no sound, true, and perfect sense amongst your people of the dealings of the Lord, nor of the operation of his spirit, but they remain in great blindness and ignorance, void of the knowledge of God, for ye have not caused them to hear his word, but you have told your dreams, and your false visions, and you have spoken imaginations of your hearts, and not from the mouth of the Lord, neither have you stood in his Counsel, nor hearkened to his voyce, and therefore people remains unprofited; but what they and you know, is naturally, and not by the spirit of the Father, but as dry trees you are, not taught of the Father, and as rough goats in the nature of swine that is polluted in the filth of the world, and in the nature of dogs, and Lyons, devouring another, and biting one another, and killing one another, which things were not in the Churches of Christ, and we have a great controversie with you, and that from the Lord; we have tried you, searched you, and discovered your foundation, and its not sound, nor will not stand in the triall; we have fetcht your Line from the first original, and we have found out your beginning, and we find you are of that Rave, which Christ prophesied of that should come, which should deceive many, having the sheeps cloathing, but inwardly ravening, and which John saw was come, and went out from the Apostles, and true Churches, which went from the truth, and went into the world, and had the forme of godlinesse without the power; here began the Race in the Apostacie of the Churches, and when they Apostatized from the true faith, then came your original up, and the world went after them, and all that dwelt upon the earth worshiped the beast, that hath reigned through all this time of Apostacie, which hath been since the daies of the Apostles; and we find your original goe no further then to the false bretheren, and false Apostles, which went out from the true Apostles, and run for gifts and rewards, and preached for filthie lucre, and through covetousnesse made merchandize of souls, seeking monie and gain to themselves; I say we find your Original begins there, and your Line goes no further, and never came your first rise so far as the true Apostles, you were not in your beginning of their life nor birth, nor cannot be reckoned from their Original, for you succeed not them; but you truely succeed the false Apostles, and false bretheren, which Christ prophesied should come after his daies, and John saw was come, and coming in his daies; and we find you of this stock and generation, and now you are discovered to be contrarie to the true Apostles, and agreeing with the false Apostles, in call, in practice, in maintenance, and in all things' and the Line of true judgement is laid upon you all, and you are measured, and found too short, and weighed and found too light, and we will deale truely with you in judgement; first we do hold controversie with you as concerning your call, your Ministery, it agreeth not with, but is contrarie to what the Apostles call was; they were called by power from on high, and were made Ministers by the gift of the holy spirit received from God, and their Ministrie was an absolute gift from God, and not to be bought and sold for monie, and they were anointed of the Father, by his spirit of promise and to preach the Gospel; but your call is at schools, and Colledges, in such, and such orders, which are attained through naturall industerie, such, and such arts, and sciences, and degrees, having been so many years brought up in studying naturall arts and naturall Languages, this is your ordination and your call, having no respect to receive, or to wait for the gift of the holy spirit to be made Ministers thereby, and this is different from the Apostles and true ministers, and equall and according to the false prophets and deceiver

Secondly, Againe you are not according, but contrary to the true ministry and Ministers of Christ in practise; for they were led by the spirit of the Father which dwelt in them, and they preached the Gospel by the spirit, and spake as the spirit gave them utterance, and went up and down the world through Nations, converting people to the knowledge of the truth, and what they had handled, tasted, seen, and felt of the word of life in them, that they declared to others, and preached the Gospell, which they had not received from man, nor by man, but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ in them; But your practise is not such, but contrary, for the spirit of this world leads you, and it you follow in all your works, in your preaching, praying, and in your whole worship, in forme and tradition, what you have studied for, out of books and old Authors, you preach to people, and what ye have noted in a book, that you preach by an hour-glasse, and not as the spirit of God gives you utterance; and you seek out and enquire after great benefits, and much money by the yeare, and where there is much Tithes and Gleab-lands, and such like, thither and to such a place you goe, and seeke after, to be Ministers there, and there you remain 20, 40 more or fewer yeares as you can agree with the people, and while they will give you so much as will content you, and maintain you, your wives, and families as you say, and respect not whether any be converted to God by your preaching, but people remaines alwaies in blindnesse and ignorance generally, and without the knowledge of God; for you preach other mens words, and what you have collected in your imaginations from the Saints words an hour by a glasse, leaning upon a soft cushion, and for money and hire, preaching to the people, and this is your manner of practise, and Ministery, in these Nations, but thus did not the Apostles, nor Christ's Ministers; but the contrary; and by your fruits and works it appeares that you are not followers of that spirit that Christ and his Ministers were guided by, neither are lawfull successors of the Apostles, but by your fruits and practise you manifest that the Lord never sent you, nor Christ never called you into his service to be his Ministers, for in all your practises and in your whole performances of worship you differ, and doth not agree, but are contrarie to what the practise and worship of Christs Ministers, and Churches were in the daies of the Apostles; this I charge upon you, in the Name, and by the Authoritie of the Lord God, and am able to prove it against you, face to face, or otherwise to shew that you are not of the same spirit, but contrary to the Saints and Apostles of old, and so not true succeeders of them, nor lawfull Ministers of Christ, as to all people it is, and shall be made manifes

Now Reader, whosoever thou art that reades this following volume if thy mind be sober, and they heart right towards God, thou may come to a good understanding of the ground and cause of this great controversie, between the Priests and the professors of this Nation, and us, who are in scorne called Quakers, for it is not unknown to Nations, of this great debate and battle, now for some yeares of continuance in this Nation, no man can be ignorant, what putting in prisons, and what persecuting, and what preaching, and printing against us, and what reports and fame hath been through this Nation for some yeares past; and the Quakers so called, have written, and spoken, and printed, against the Priests and their worships, and waies, and doctrines, and declared against them, as deceivers and false prophets, and such as never were sent of God; and on the other hand, thus have the Priests, and more abundantlie cried out against, and printed against the Quakers as hereticks, and deceivers, and witches, and all what they could say thats evil, and these things being not unknown, but publiklie brought to passe; therefore it will be good to discover unto every man, the first ground and cause of this great strife, and the matter of it, and its beginning, so that all may know the certaintie of these things, and know they are not without just cause to do, and strive against that generation of Priests and Teachers, and that we doe nothing rashly, and without sufficient reason. It is now about seven years since the Lord raised us up in the North of England and opened our mouthes in this his spirit; and what we were before in our Religion, profession, and practices is well known to that part of the countrie, how generalie we were men of the strictest sect, and of the greatest zeal in the performance of outward righteousness, and went through and tried all sorts, of Teachers, and run from mountain to mountaine, and from man to man, and from one forme to an others, as doe many to this very day, who yet remaines ungathered to the Lord, and such we were, (to say no more of us) that fought the Lord, and desired the knowledge of his waies more than any thing beside, and for one I may speak, who from a child, even a few yeares old, he set his face to seek and find the Saviour, and more than Life and treasure, or any mortal Crown fought after with all his heart, the one thing that is needfull, to wit, the knowledge of God: And after our long seeking, the Lord appeared to us, and revealed his glory in us, and gave us of his spirit from heaven, and poured it upon us, and gave us of this wisdome and the true condition of the Church in her present estate; first the Lord brought us by his power, and wisdome, and the word by which all things were made to know and understand, and see perfectly that God had given to us, everie one of us in particular, a Light from himself shining in our harts and consciences, which Light, Christ his Son, the Saviour, of the world had lighted every man, and all mankind withall; which Light in us we found sufficient to reprove us, and convince us of every evil deed, word and thought, and by it, in us, we come to know good from evil, right from wrong, and whatsoever is of God, and according to him, from what is of the Devil, and what is contrary to God in motion, word and work; very false and right ways, and it perfectlie discovered to us the true state of all things, and we thereby came to know man, what he was in his creation before transgression, and how he was deceived and overcome by the devil; and his estate in transgression, and in disobedience, and how he is drove and banished from the presence of the Lord, and the sorrow and anguish which he is in, and to undergo; and also by the Light in us, we perfectlie came to know the way of Restoration, and the meanes to be restored; and the state of man being come out of transgression and restored; these things to us were revealed by the Light within us, which Christ had given us, and lightened us withall, what man was before transgression, and what he is in transgression, and what he is being redeemed out of transgression, and also the Light which shined in every one of us, as to it our mindes became turned, and our hearts inclined, the perfect estate of the Church we came to know; her estate before the Apostles daies, and in the Apostles daies, and since the daies of the Apostles, and her present estate we found to be as a woman who had once been cloathed with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, who brought forth him that was to Rule the Nations; but she was fled in the Wildernesse, and there fitting desolate, in her place, that was prepared of God for such a season, which season in the very end thereof, when the time of her sojourning, was towards a full end, then were we brought forth, if any have an eare they may hear, so that all these things concerning man, and concerning the times and seasons, and the changing and renewing of times, and all things that pertaines to salvation, and Redemption and eternal Life, needfull for man to know, all this was revealed, discovered, and made knowne to us, by the Light which was in us, which Christ had lighted us withall. And we found this Light to be a sufficient teacher, to lead us to Christ, from whence this Light came, and thereby it gave us to receive Christ, and to witness him to dwell in us, and through it the new covenant we came to enter into, to be made heirs of life and salvation, and in all things we found the Light which we were inlightned withall, and all mankind (which is Christ) to be alone and onelie sufficient to bring to Life and eternal salvation, and that all who did own the Light in them which Christ hath enlightened every man withall, they needed no man to teach them, but the Lord was their Teacher, by his Light in their own consciences, and they received the holie anointin

And so we ceased from the teachings of all men, and their words, and their worships, and their Temples, and all their baptisms, and Churches, and we ceased from our own words, and professions, and practices in Religion, in times before zealously performed by us, through divers formes, and we became fooles for Christ's sake, that we might become truelie wise; and by this Light of Christ in us were we led out of all false waies and false preachings, and false Ministers, and we met together often, and waited upon the Lord in pure silence, from our own words, and all mens words, and hearkened to the voice of the Lord, and felt his word in our hearts, to burn up and beat down all that was contrary to God, and we obeyed the Light of Christ in us, and followed the motions of the Lords pure spirit, and took up the Crosse to all earthly glories, Crowns, and waies, and denied our selves, our relations, and all that stood in the way betwixt us and the Lord, and we chose to suffer with and for the Name of Christ, rather than all the pleasures upon earth, or all our former zealous professions and practices in Religion without the power and spirit of God, which the world yet lives in. And while waiting upon the Lord in silence, as often we did for many hours together, with our mindes and hearts toward him, being stayed in the Light of Christ within us, from all thought, fleshly motions, and desires, in our diligent waiting and feare of his Name, and hearkning to his word, we received often the pouring down of the spirit upon us, and the gift of Gods holy eternal Spirit as in the dayes of old, and our hearts were made glad, and our tongues loosed, and our mouths opened, and we spake with new tongues, as the Lord gave us utterance, and as his spirit led us, which was poured down upon us, on Sons and Daughters, and to us hereby was the deep things of God revealed, and things unutterable was known and made manifest; and the glory of the Father was revealed, and then began we to sing praises to the Lord God Almighty, and to the Lamb for ever, who had redeemed us to God; and brought us out of the captivity and bondage of the world, and put an end to sin and death, and all this was by and through, and in the light of Christ within us, and much more might be declared hereof, that which could not be believed if it were spoken, of the several and particular operations, and manifestations of the everlasting spirit that was given us, and revealed in us; but this is the sum; life and immortality was brought to light, power from on high and wisdom was made manifest, and the day everlasting appeared unto us, and the joyful Sun of Righteousness did arise and shine forth unto us and in us; and the holy annoynting, the everlasting Comforter, we received; and the Babe of glory was born; and the heir of the promise brought forth, to Reign over the earth, and over Hell and death, whereby we entered into everlasting union, and fellowship and Covenant with the Lord God, whose mercies are sure and infinite, and his promise never false; and much might be spoken, but this is the sum, we were raised from death to life, and are changed from Satans power to God, and gathered from all the dumb Shepherds, and off all the barren mountains, into the fold of Eternal Peace and rest, and mighty and wonderful things hath the Lord wrought for us, and by us, by his own outstretched Army. Then being prepared of the Lord, and having received power from on high, we went forth as commanded of the Lord, leaving all relations and all things of the world behind us, that we might fulfill the work of the Lord into which he called us, and with flesh and blood, nor any creature, we consulted not, nor took councel of men, but of the Lord alone, who lifted up our heads above the world, and all fears and doubtings, and was with us in power and dominion, over all that which opposed us, which was great and mighty, and gave us power over it all, and to bind Kings in chains, and Nobles in fetters of Iron, and this is the saints honour, and the word of the Lord we founded, and did not spare, and caused the deaf to hear, the blind to see and the heart that was hardened to be awakened, and the dread of the Lord went before us, and behind us, and terror took hold upon our enemies; And first of all our mouthes were opened, and our spirit filled with indignation against the Priests and teachers, and with them and against them first we began to war, as being the causers of the people to erre, and the blind leaders that carried the blind into the ditch, and against them, as the fountain of all wickednesse abounding in the Nations, and as being the issue of prophanes, for from them hath profanes gone forth in all nations, and against them we cryed a loud, as being redeemed from their mouths who had made a pry upon us, as they do upon all that follow their waies, and in steeple-houses we did visit them often, and in markets and other places, as the Lord moved and made way for us, shewing unto all them and all their people, that they were not Lawful Ministers of Christ, sent of him, but were deceivers and Anti-christs, and such whom the Lord never sent, and we spared not publikely and at all seasons to utter forth the Judgements of the Lord, against them and their waies, and against their Churches, and worships, and practices, as not being of God, nor commanded by him, by which they deceived the world, and this was our first work which we entered upon, to thresh down the deceivers, and lay them open, that all people might see their shame, and come to turne from them, and receive the knowledge of the truth, that they might be saved, and this we did with no small opposition nor danger, year often times we were in danger of our lives, through beating, abusing punishing, haling, casting over walls, striking with staves, and cudgels, and knocking downe to the ground, besides reproaching, Scorning, revilings, and shoutings at, and scoffings, and slanderings, and all abuses that could be thought or acted by evil hands and tongues, and often carried before Magistrates, with grievous threats, and some times put in the Stocks, and whipped, and often imprisoned, and many hard dealings against us, the worst of tongues or hands could execute, sparing life; of this all the North countries may witnesse, and all these things are sustained and suffered from people and Rulers, because of our faithfulnesse to the Lord, and for declaring against the false deceivers; for nothing save onely the hand of the Lord, and his power could have preserved us, and carryed us through all this, neither for any reward outward whatsoever, or advantage to our selves, would we have exposed our selves to that sufferings and violence, and dangers, which befell us dayly, but the Lord was our exceeding great reward through all these things, and kept us in the hollow of his hand, and under the shadow of his wings, and gave us dominion in spirit over all our enemies, and subdued them before us, and though Rulers and people were combined against us, and executed their injustice and violence upon us, yet the Lord made us to prosper, and grow exceedingly in strength, wisdom and number, and the hearts of the people inclined unto us, and the witnesse of God in many stirred for us, for to that in all consciences in our words and sufferings, and waies, we did commend our selves to be known and approved.

And in the beginning we were but few in number, onely a few that thus were carried on and dealt with all, and that had received the power from on high in such a measure, and for such a work; and no sooner did the Lord appear to us, and with us, but the Devil and his power rose up against us to destroy us, and it wrought in Rulers, Priests, and people, and all the waies and meanes invented by the Devil that could be executed by his servants were brought forth, to quench the work of the Lord, and to stop our passage in what we were called to; did ye but perfectly know, as we perfectly found the craftinesse and policie, and wickednesse of the Devil, how to overcome this new borne babe? and how to root out for ever this plant, that was newly sprang forth? it would make you admire and wonder with admiration; all the priests and Rulers were in an uproar, the Priests they petitioned to the Magistrates, and run up and down from one sessions and Judicatory to another, and took wicked oathes and slandered the just with lies and reproaches, on purpose to incense all people against us, and the Magistrates gave forth warrants for the apprehending of some, and made their orders to break our meetings, and that we should not meet in the night season, and such men might not passe abroad, and such stir and opposition was made against us, it can hardly be expressed or declared, there was uproars in steeple-houses, and uproars in markets, and often haling before Magistrates, and abused, and threatned, and slandered, and all manner of evil done, and spoken against us, and great injustice, cruelty and oppression acted against us, where ever we came, and all through the meanes of the Priests, who spared not to enact and conceive mischief against us, and sought dayly to the Magistrates for persecution, preaching in their Pulpits, and praying against us, and setting daies apart to seek their God against us, crying with out ceasing in publike and private, heresie, hersie, Error and blasphemy, and that we were deceivers witches, and seducers, and such like the worst they could say and Imagine to stir up the hearts of people against us, and running often to the Assize and Sessions, and Courts to complain, and in forme upon false oathes against us, and through them were the whole countries in a rage and madnesse, Rulers and people often imprisoning and abusing and resisting us with violence, banishing us out of towns, and putting of us out of our Innes, and often threatning to burne the houses over our heads, the whole company of rude people in a town, often gathering and besetting a house or Inne about where we were entered to lodge, in our travels; we were often exposed to difficult and hard travels and journies, giving our selves to the Crosse, to take it up against all earthly, often drinking water, and lying in straw in barnes, after a hard daies journey, and yet for all these things, the power and presence of the Lord was with us, and we were carried on in much boldnesse, and faithfulnesse in courage, and without fear or doubtings, through the often hazard of our lives many waies in uproars by evil men, and in markets, and Steeple-houses, and also in travels by robbers, and every way were we exposed to dangers, and perils, but through all and over all were we carried, and are preserved to this day. But notwithstanding, all what was acted against us, and spoken, many hundreds of the honest and sober people owned us, and also many rude and ungodly persons were converted to the truth, I say many hundreds in all these counties in two yeares time, were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, and to own us, all which time we laboured, and traveled in patience, giving up our selves to live or to die, and to all manner of sufferings and reproaches, and hard trials, that we might fulfill faithfully what we were called unto; sufferings without, from open enemies, and from our own kindred and relations, and sufferings within, for the seeds sake, and we are well acquainted with griefs, yet in all our trials and afflictions, the Lord never forsook us, but his wisdome, love, and life, and presence increased in us, and with

Then in the yeare 1654 as moved of the Lord, we spread our selves South-ward, and entred into these South parts, and came the first of us into this City of London, in the fifth Month that year, and laboured in the work of the Gospel, in continuall sufferings and oppressions divers waies, and were oppressed and gainsaid by the wife-men, and by the learned, and had in reproach and contempt by all the high and lofty and proud professors, and we were set at nought and rejected by the fat beasts of the South, and it is well known to thousands in this City and South countrie, what opposition we have had from all sorts of people, opposed in our own meetings, and scorned, and slandered by envious and reproachfull tongues, publikely and privately encountered withall by the wisest of the City, and country challenged, invited, and engaged to disputes by the high Priests and Church-members (so called) and written against, and printed against, by the chiefest of men, accounted wise and religious, which of any sect, and who of all the wisest in profession, and the most zealous in practices of Religion, (so called) have not at some times or other beset us, and encountered with us in high disputes and controversie, opposing of us to our faces, and gain-saying our doctrines, and practices, and denying of us, and resisting of us wholly, and crying against us to be deceivers, deluders and hereticks, and blasphemers, and such like, and that our doctrines were deceivable, and error, and factious and what not, and that our practises were destructive to men, Lawes, and Government? these things in the worst nature have been spoken against us without ceasing, buy the wisest and men of greatest parts and most Religious (falsely so accounted) for this certain yeares in the South, as well as in the North, besides what losse have we sustained other waies in the South, by beatings, and strikings, and abuses, and slanders, and false reproaches, and halings before Magistrates, and imprisoning, and all the like dealing from Priest, Rulers and people, as we did in the North, yea, the same hard dealing and cruelty from all sorts of people we have suffered, and doe daily, as we did in the North; Insomuch we are new accustomed to the yoke, and well acquainted with sorrows and griefes from all sorts of people, and were not the Lord on our side our enemies would swallow us up quick, and we had been long since devoured by the teeth of the ungodly, so that I may now call to witnesse all the Goales and prisons in the South, as in the North, and all the Magistrates and Judges, and Rulers, and all officers of the Law, what sufferings we have sustained, and what cruel and heard dealing we have undergone, and what injustice, and unequal and false judgement hath been executed upon us in this five yeares time, which of the Goals may appear free, where some of us have not suffered the losse of our liberties unjustly? and who of any Justice of the peace, or any other officer, from the Judge to the Constable, that can clear themselves from guilt in this matter, and that they have not had a hand in our unjust sufferings? and to the witnesse of God, in all people of all sorts, through this whole Nation, and some other, I do appeal concerning this matter, how we have been dealt withall, and what we have sustained in our persons, and in our names, and how many acts and words of cruelty and injustice we have borne and suffered, and these Priests been as the fountain and cause of all this, and the foremost in all this iniquity and injustice by all what they could do to incense the Rulers and people against us, by Preaching, and praying, and writing, and printing, for the space of this seven yeares, yet notwithstanding all this, the mighty power and presence of the Lord have been with us, and preserved us from dangers great and many, and carried us through trials and perplexities, and sufferings, and not onely so, but he hath increased us in number; so that thousands and ten thousands have and may own us, and the truth which we give witnesse of, and live therein? for the eyes of all people are beginning to be opened, and the deaf eare is unstopped, and the way of life eternall is made manifest, and the Lord is gathering his flock, which hath been scattered in the cloudy and dark day, whilst these false idle shepherds, (these Priests and Teachers I meane) have fed themselves with the fat, and cloathed themselves with the wool, and laid down in slumber, and not gathered the flock, nor fed them, but scattered them, and driven them away; and with force and with cruelty have they ruled over the heritage of the Lord; woe, woe, unto these shepherds, saith the Lord God, they shall be confounded and put to shame perpetually, and they shall be broken down and never builded any more, and the Lord will pluck them up by the roots, and they shall never again be planted. And besides all there Petitioning the Magistrates against us, and Preaching and praying against us, and all the evil and wickedness, in work, word, and desire brought forth against us from time to time; yet here (sober Reader) thou hast a Catalogue and whole number of books Printed and written against us, and abundance of their Doctrines uttered against us, and in opposition to us, gathered up in this volume in a sum, with our answers to them; and if thy heart and minde be single, thou maist hereby understand, in measure, the difference in Doctrine between them and us, and compare each of them with the Scriptures, and see whether their Doctrines and Principles laid down as the subject of their books, or our Doctrines and Principles laid down in answer to theirs, be according , and agree with the Scriptures, and if thou be impartial in this business, and single in this search and Judgement, I doubt not, but thou wilt in a great measure satisfie thy self and be resolved concerning their Priests, and Professors of England, and us who are called Quakers, and then when thou thus hast done, own and deny whether them or us, as the Lord shall perswade thee; for thou maist fully perceive we differ in Doctrines and Principles, and the one thou must justifie, and the other thou must condemn, as being one clean contrary to the other in our Principles; And I wish also, thou wouldst measure us, and compare us in lives and conversations, and truely Judge whom of us, whether they, or we do the more follow Christ and his Apostles in practise and conversation; And in all things lay us and them to the line of true Judgement, and with an upright heart, Judge accordingly; for know this, there is not any Principle we hold, nor any wok which we practice in our Religion and worship, but we are willing, and fully desires we might be brought to the Barr of true Justice together, and in every particular, of Principles and practices, examined and tryed to the full, and each of us judged in truth and equity, whether it be they or us that are of the true Religion, and true faith, and true worship of God that the Apostles were in, and which of us it is that are in a wrong way, and in a false Religion, and false faith and worship, and in this we will joyn issue with them, in the fight of the whole Nation, if they will come forth to triall; if what already is brought forth by them against us, and by us against them, for this seven years in disputes, and in printing, and otherwise, be not sufficient for all people to try us in, and judge us by, whether they, or we be in the right, and whether in the wrong. And now to all people in the Nation, I do appeal to that of God in all their consciences, to judge between the Priests and Professors, and all the Sects, and us, ye have heard their Doctrines, and ye have heard something of ours, ye have seen their conversation, and ye have seen something of ours, ye have heard them long, and something of us ye have heard for a little season, and now give your evidence, is it not with them as we have said? are not your Priests in the steps of the false prophets and of the deceivers, and do not they seek for their gain from their quarter, as they did that Isaiah cryed against? do not they Preach for hire and Divine for money, as they did which Micah cryed against? are not they such by whom you have not been profited, as Jeremiah cryed against? let that of God in you answer to these things; and are they not proud men, and covetous men, and envious men, and heady high-minded men, and given to filthy lucre? and are they not such as through covetousnesse makes merchandise of souls, and that by good words and fair speeches deceives the hearts of the simple, such as Paul and Peter declares against? And are they not such as the true Prophets, Christ and his Apostles cried against? and doe they not b ring forth the same fruits as did the false Prophets, and false Apostles? I leave it to your consciences to be the judge; compare them, and lay them to the line of true judgement, if you shut not your eyes, you may see it is thus; and have we charges them falsely, or have not we spoken the truth concerning them? we have said they are false ministers and deceivers, and not true Ministers of Christ, and is it not so? let the light in your consciences answer; we have said they have run, and never was sent, and that they have not profited the people at all; and is it not so? to the witness of God in you I do appeal, and let that justifie that we have spoken nothing but the truth; examine and try in all things that we have charges them with, and are they not guilty in all things that we have charged upon them? let the witness of God in you testifie to this; and what do you judge of them, are they not of that stock which Christ said should come, and should be wolves in sheepes cloathing, and should deceive many, and which John saw was come in his dayes, and which the world went after, and the whole world run after them; are not they in the nature of wolves? devouring and tearing the Lambs of Christ? and do they not tear people by causing their bodies to be imprisoned and their goods to be spoiled? and do they not deceive many? and yet they have the sheepes cloathing, the Saints words and their practices but inwardly are they not ravening? and doth not the world go after them, and hath not the world run after them for many ages; and is it not thus with them? And have they received the gift of the holy Ghost, or are they not made Ministers by the will of man, and not by the will of God? do they not differ and are contrary in call, in practice, in maintenance, and in fruits and effects to the true Ministers and true Apostles? and do they not agree and are they not according to the false Prophets, and false Ministers, and deceivers in their call, practice, maintenance, fruits and effect

And so gladly would we be made manifest to all the world; if that after the reading of this book any be unsatisfied still in this matter, And if any, especially of the heads and Rulers have doubts or Jealousies raised in them, concerning us, and the Priests, and that they further would be satisfied and resolved; for that end let any wise men propound for full satisfaction of all sorts of people, that we (with the consent of the chief in Authority that have power in this Nation who may preserve peace and safety among people, and thereby to stop all Jealousies) may freely and chearfully, four, ten, twenty, thirty, more or fewer of us; give as many of the wisest and ablest of the Priests and Professors a meeting for dispute, at any place in England, at what place, time, and for what continuance, as they shall ascribe and consent unto, and to dispute, and controvert betwixt us and them any such thing, and every such particular as shall or may be objected, by any of the heads and Rulers, or other grave understanding men, wherein they are doubtful betwixt us, and would thereof be satisfied, that by such dispute and opening of such causes, objected, full, and real, and total satisfaction may be given to the whole Nation, and every particular man and member therei

And let all the Priests and professors lay aside and give over their houses of correction, and imprisoning people, and whipping of them, and stocking of us, and dealing in this manner of violence and cruelty, as for years by-past they have done in defence of their Religion, and resisting of ours, and let them lay aside their carnall weapons, and fighting against our persons, and imprisoning of us about our Religion, and let them come forth in found arguments, the best they have, and let us see what spiritual weapons they have to resist us, and defend themselves, and let us try, whether their spiritual weapons or ours be the strongest, and the most powerfull, and mighty, and let theirs that are so, prevaile against the other, be it ours, or theirs, and this is the way to try the truth, and to make all things manifest, and to decide and end all the whole controversies between us and the, which hath been great this many yeares, and let the truth be set up and exalted, where ever it is, and all deceit thrown down to the ground, and let us war wityh the weapons of the spirit, against errour and false religion, one in the other, but lets not hurt creatures, nor imprison persons, nor stock and whip creatures, and make them to suffer, but let us thresh deceit, and whip and beat that, and all false opinions, let us throw them down where they are found, whether in them or in us, and let us fight with the weapons of the spirit, that are spiritual, and let them fight no longer with such cruel carnal weapons, and then let such as get the victory, and overcomes, appear to be in the truth of the Church, and such as falls and is overcome, be manifest to be in the error, and of the false Church and Religion, and let us love one anothers persons, and let them act no otherwise towards our persons, then we do upon theirs, and towards them, and let them take the liberty to deal with us, and our persons, as we deale with them, and their persons, and no otherwise. And let such, whether them or us, that cannot prove ourselves to be the true Church of Christ, nor of the true worship, and true Religion, nor in the truth, but is found to be in the error, and out of the truth, let such deny their worship and Church, and renounce all their Religion, and confesse to all the world, under their hands, that they are and have been deceived, and for ever hereafter stop their mouthes, and never professe nor practice any more what they have done in such Religion; And freely upon these Issues and conditions we will joine trial with them, let them appoint time, place, and profer terms at their won pleasure, and then to all the world it shall be manifest, and to all people discovered, whether we have not good ground and sufficient reason, to war against these Priests, and it may perfectly appear that what we have said and written against them these divers yeares, have been upon a good foundation, and we have had sufficient cause to speak and write against them, as we have done, and none thenceforth shall have cause to say, or doubt, that what we have spoken and written against them hath been out of malice or envy, and without cause and good reason; but on the contrary all shall know the ground of quarrel is sufficient and full of equity on out part. And upon these or any equal terms and conditions, would we, and are we willing to engage with these Priests, and all, or any one of these Sects, in a lawful tryal, in disputes, or writings, for the tryal and searching out of the truth, and the true Religion; And were it not equal and reasonable, that we had the same liberty among all these Priests, and in their Church and Assemblies freely to declare our minds, and to set forth our selves in what we hold and profess, without being violently haled, and beat, and whipped, and sent to prison, as we have been this many years; which liberty we do freely grant and allow among us to all, to query, or declare what is upon them, without such violent dealing, or whipping, or sending them to prisons and houses of correction; and the same and no other do we desire of others in this particular of freedom to declare the truth, and what we hold, then what we do and would allow to others; and that no weapon be used by them against us, nor dealing towards us, but the weapons of the spirit, the best they have, or can bring forth against us, and let them let creatures alone, and not hurt nor do violence to them, and no other weapons shall we use against them, nor deal with them by any other thing, but the weapons of the Spirit of God, which is powerful, and will bring down strong holds; and as for creatures, we shall not hurt, nor do violence, nor imprison them, and whose weapons are the strongest, let such overcom

And this is the protestant Church (so called) and her Ministers, with whom I am now dealing, which seems to be the true Church, and more than the Church of Rome; for you Protestant Ministers do deny and cry against the Church of Rome as a false Church, and her Ministers to be deceivers (which in it selfe is very true). But yet your hypocrisie in this doth appear, and your double-mindednesse; for let me tell you while you cry against the Church of Rome as a false Idolater, and a persecutor of the true Church, and against her Ministers to be deceivers, and contrary to the Apostles, are not your spirits the same, and your works the same in nature (though not in measure) and in particular, this work of yours to imprison people, and ship them, and put them in the stocks, and beat them, and abuse their persons and bodies, who doth but speak against you and your Religion? is not this worke of the very same nature as the work of the Romish Church? she to defend her Church hath Inquisitions, and banishment, and many cruel tortures, and with these things her Church she defends, killing and afflicting of peoples bodies, that doth oppose her Church and deny their Religion, and you have stocks, and whips, and houses of correction, and putting great fines and taskes upon people, and banishing people out of townes, and spoiling their goods and casting men into Prison who doth oppose your Church, and deny your Religion, and is not this equal and justly according (in Nature) to the persecution that is in the Romish Church? and what difference between the defence of the Church of Rome and your Church of Protestants? they have their inquisitions, and you have your houses of correction; they have their slavery in the gallies, and you have whips, and stocks; they have their divers torments, and cruel dealings towards persons that oppose them, and upon their bodies in one manner, and you have your torments and cruel dealings towards us in an other manner, though not in the same measure, yet in the same nature; and what difference between you and them? And herein doth the hypocrisie of the Protestant Church and their Ministers appear, in that they cry against and denies the Church of Rome and their persecution and cruelty acted against others, and yet in nature and manner doth practice the very same upon us, as in England this day is witnessed; And not onely in this particular may the Church, and Ministers of the Protestants be condemned for hypocrisie, but also in many other things, even the most of their practices in their worship is of the same nature, and by the same spirit, which the practices of the Church of Rome is practised by and in; and not onely so, but it may be truly proved and made manifest, that the original and institution of many of your Church practices proceeded from the church of Rome, and the Church and Pope of Rome did ordain and institute many of your practices, and great a part of your worship, which is performed in the church and by the Ministry of the Protestants (so called) and this in its time and season I may make fully appear, and discover to the Nations, and I may shew in the particulars, what particulars of the worship and practice in the Protestants Church had their first rice and beginning and originall in the Church of Rome, though they are minced and degressed with diminishings and addings, according as their imaginations have guided them, yet still they retaine the strongest taste and favour of the Church of Rome, and had their rice and original there, though in the performing thereof, they may be altered and changed in appearance and form, but are perfectly the same in ground and Nature, as springing from the Church of Rome, and she the mother of the Protestant Church, and of the practices of the most of her performances in worship, and this may be proved, as God willing upon occasion, as the Lord moves, I may let forth my mind, and what I know in these things, and may shew though that the Church of the Protestants have disserted the Church of Rome, yet their Ministrie, its Call, and ordination, and its practice, and maintenance, hath a dependancy upon the Church of Rome, as being the original of that which is by them therein practised, though in some things deviated from the perfect form and practice thereof; And also the whole worship of all the particulars in relation to the Protestant Church, and Ministrie, and worship, hath a dependance upon the Church of Rome, as Being the first original thereof, and though they cry against her and her Ministers, and have denied her, yet is she the mother and wombe in which was bred, and out of whom proceeded the Protestant Church, Ministry, and worship, and practices, and this may be manifest at full that the Protestants Church, Ministry, and worship, chiefly tasteth and favoureth of the Church and worship of Rome, and had their original out of her; And also further may be shewed, that the Protestant Church, and worships and Ministry, are not an other in nature, and being, then the Romish Church, Ministry, and worship, but is sprung out thereof as a branch out of the same root, the ground being one and the same though differing in appearance; for in her beginning and first dissenting from the Romish Church, she did not deny her in ground and being, as not being at all the Church of Christ; but onely in some particulars dessented alwayes then, and to this day retayning divers of their practices in worship and Church government, which doth shew, that the Protestant Church is not perfectly another, nor her Ministry, and Government, and worship another then is the Romish Church; but is the same in ground and being, onely digressed and deviated in particulars; and this may be fully manifest in season, that he Protestant Church and worship, and Ministry, is of the Romish Church sprung as a branch out of her, not contrary to her, and against her; and all these things is the Lord discovering and laying open that Nations and peoples may come to behold the mother, of harlots, that mistery of Iniquity, and all her children, and may see the state and turning of times, and things, ever since the daies of the Apostles, and true Churches, and how that all these divers sects, and all these Churches, falsely so called, are risen up and spring out one of another, and coming from one seed and wombe, and though divers in appearances, and sundry in practices, and professions, yet are they all one in the ground and nature, spring from the mother of harlots, all of them, and being her children, and she hath corrupted the Earth with her Fornications and Whoredomes, and made Nations and Kingdomes drunk with her cup of idolatry.