PA R r I. Reverend Mr. Reichard Baxter. 77 There could never Se&wife in the World, that was a Lowder Warning to Pro- feffors of Religion to bebumble, fearful, cantelola, andwatchful : Never could the Worldbe told more lowdly, whither the Spiritual Pride o ungrounded Novices in Religion tendeth and whither Profeffors of Stri&nefs in Religion may becar- ried in the Streamof Se&s andFa&ions. I have Peen my felt Letters written from They were Abbington, where among both Soldiers and People, this Contagion did then pre- fo veryfeu, vail, full of horrid Oaths and Curfes and Blafphemy, not fit to be repeated by the-doff°°' Tongue or Pen of Man ; and this all uttered as the Effe& of Knowledge, and a contmuanre part of their Religion , in a Fanatick Strain , and fathered on the Spirit of one God. of them. But the horrid Villanies of this Se&did not only fpeedily Extinguifh it , but al- fo did as much as ever any thing did, to difgrace all Salaries , and to rettore the Credit of the Miniftry and the fober unanimous Chriltians : So that the Devil and the Jefuits quickly found that this way ferved not their turn,and therefore they fuddenly took another. § xa.;. And that wasthe fourthSe&, the Quakers ; who were but the Ranters turned from horrid ProphanenefsandBlafphemy, to a Life of extream Aufterity on the other fide. TheirDo&rines were molly the fame wich the Ranters : They make the Light which every Man hath within him to be his fufficient Rule, and confequently the Scripture and Miniftry are let light by: They fpeak much for the dwelling and working of the Spirit in us ; but little of Jultification, and the Pardon ofSin, and our Reconciliation with God through Jefùs Chrift :. They pretend their dependance on theSpirit's Condu&,againft Set-times of Prayer, and againftSacraments, andagainft their due efteemof Scripture and Miniftry. They will not have the Scripture called theWord of God : Their principal Zeal lyeth in railing at the Miniftersas Hirelings, Deceivers, Falfe Prophets, etc. and in re- futing to Swear before a Magiftrate, or to put off their Hat to any, or to fay [Yon] inBeadof[Then] or [Thee] which are their words to all. At full they did ufe to fall intoTremblings and fometime Vomitings in their Meetings, and pretended to be violently a&ed by the Spirit ; but now that is ceafed, they only meet , and he that pretendeth to be moved by. the Spirit fpeaketh ; and fometime they fay no- thing, but fit an hour or more in flence, and then depart. One while divers of them went Naked through diverschief Towns and Cities of the Land , as a Pro- pheticala&: Someof them have familhed and drowned themfelves in Melancholy; and others undertakenby the Power of the Spirit to raffe them (as Snfan Pierfox did at Claims near Worcefler,where they took a Man out of his Grave that had fo made awayhimfelf, and commanded him to arife and live ; but to their fhame). Theirchief Leadergames Nayler a&ed the part of Chrilt at Briflal, according to much of the Hiftory of the Gofpel, ( andwas long laid in Bridewell for it, and his Tongue bored as a Blafphemer by the Parliament). ManyFranofcan Fryers and o- ther Eapifts, havebeen proved to be difguifed Speakers in their Aflemblies, and to be among them ; and it's like are the very Soul of all thefe horribleDelufions. But of late one William Penn is become their Leader, and would reform the Se&, and fee up a kind of Miniftry among them. § 124. The fifth Se& are the Berbmenifls, whofe Opinions go much toward the way of the former, for the Sufficiency of the Light of Nature , the Salvation of Heathens as well as Chriftians, and a dependence on Revelations,óc. But they are fewer in Number, and feem to have attained to greater Meeknefsand conqueft of Pailîons than any of the reif: Their Do&rine is to be feen in facob Bebmers's Books, by him that hath nothingelfe to do, than to bellow a great deal of time to underftand him that was not willingto be eafrly underllood , and to know that his bombatted words do lignifie nothing more than before was eafrly known by common familiar terms. The chiefelt of thefe in England are Dr. Pordage and hisFamily, who live toge- ther m Community, and pretend to hold vifible and fenfible Communion with Angels, whom they fometime fee, and fometime fmell, &c. Mr. Fowler of Red- dingaccufed him before the Committee for divers things, (as for preaching againit Imputed Righteoufnefs, and perfwading marriedPerlons from the Carnal Know- ledge of each other,&c.) but efpecially for Familiarity with Devils or Conjuration. TheDo &or wrote aBook tovindicatehimfelf, in which he profeffeth to have fen- fiEe Communion withAngels, and to know by fights and [melts, &e. good Spirits from bad : But he faith, that indeedone Month his Houle was molefed with E- vil Spirits, which was occafioned by one Everard whomhe taketh to bea Conjurer, who hayed fo long with him, as defiring to be of their Communion. In this time he.
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