An impartial comparison between Fox, Muggleton, *and * Oliver's porter; Wherein is contain'd Fox's own account how he came by his Inſpiration.
COMPARISONS in some cases are odious; but when they are just, they set things in the clearest light; and we judge most impartially of our own faults, when we see them reprehended in another. For this reason I have pitched upon this compa rison, and began with it in the Introduction, p. 24, and will conclude this last section with it, to shew the Quakers that their pretence to inspiration is built upon no better or other foundation than theirs whom they mostly condemn, and whose madness is apparent to all the world: that if they be not able to shew any better plea or authority (as hitherto they have not) for their separation from the church than Muggleton or the porter have done, they would seriously bethink themselves, and return. And to begin with what they most value themselves upon, their gift of prophecy, and even of the fire of Lon don, upon which Mr. Penn lays so great a stress, and makes particular instance, as above; this is to let him and others know that none of their prophets told more expressly of the fire of London than did Oliver's porter, and great notice was taken of it; and I can produce those who heard him pro claim it publicly; that is, general threatenings of fire, &c. He knew as little as the others; but when the fire happened, then these general sayings of his and others were thought of, and who pleased might think them prophets.
Here let me intercede for a little acquaintance of mine, and one very well known to Mr. Penn, that he may not be forgot, nor lose his place in this college of the prophets. And he shall produce as good vouchers for his gift of prophecy, especially in cursing, as G. Fox himself, or any Quaker ever was in England. His name is Lodowick Muggleton, who pronounced a curse against several Quakers by name, some of whom (Jos. Coale was one) died soon after; which he attributed to the weight of his curse, and urges as a proof of his prophetic spirit; and it was as good a one as that which G. Fox tells in his Journal, p. 488: That baron Weston died soon after he had fallen into a great rage against me, says G. Fox. But Muggleton has many such miracles to shew, and is a liberal cursing prophet, next to the great Fox, who must always have the preeminence. But Muggleton claims the second rank of worthies.
And one of his disciples told me that they had a register of his prophecies, which in due time may be made public.
(I.) He got his inspiration about the same time with George Fox, and both equally qualified. Fox, a journeyman to a shoemaker, (which Mr. Penn does not mention, but makes him keep sheep, as a just figure of his after ministry and service) and Muggleton, a taylor. And as they were equal in their endowments, so the ground and occasion of their enthusiasm was the same; that is, despair.
For so G. Fox tells of himself in the beginning of his Journal, p. 3, 4, 5, 8, &c.
And I had it as to Muggleton from his own mouth, long before Fox's Journal was printed.
And their case was so exactly the same, that when I read the Journal, it seemed a very repetition of Muggleton's story as he told it to me.
They were both so deeply seized with despair, that, like the possessed man in the gospel, they for sook all human conversation, and retired into deserts and solitary places, where they spent whole days and nights alone.
And Fox tells, p. 5, that when physic was pre scribed him for this, and bleeding, they could not get one drop of blood from him either in arms or head, (though they endeavoured it:) My body, says he, being as it were dried up with sorrows, grief, and troubles, which were so great upon me, that I could have wished I had never been born.
This was the first instance we find of a prophet who submitted to be cured of his inspiration by physic.
But in this sad condition, and rack of soul, he (and Muggleton, as he told me) wandered about to several priests and professors (as he called them) seeking rest, some relief from his despair; but find ing none, no advice that could ease his tortured mind, he (as Muggleton) concluded the fault to be in his physicians, (who themselves had run into schism upon pretence of their own enthusiasm, and now read their sin in their punishment,) and therefore re turned to his house whence he had come out, his own disordered and distracted mind. And, as he tells us, p. 8, when all hopes in them, and [for their sakes] in all men was gone, so that I had nothing, says he, outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do—In this most dismal of all conditions, quite overrun and given up to despair, (the blackest fury in hell,) no wonder his brain was turned; (despair in that height is downright distraction, and the greatest spiritual madness.) In this lamentable state, the least glimpse of comfort, the smallest re spite from these intolerable pangs seemed heaven and paradise to him. Now was I come up in the Spirit, says he, through the flaming sword into the paradise of God. All things were new, and all the creation gave another smell unto me than before, &c.
This does lively express the mad joy which a despairing soul does find in the least shadow of relief, in one drop to cool a flaming heart. And then Fox, being prodigiously ignorant, took every new thought that came into his mind (though common to almost all the rest of mankind) to be no less than imme diate divine inspiration; that this was the very voice of the Lord to him, that thus the Lord had spoken to him, as he blasphemously boasted, in things which every body of common sense knew as well as he: but his ignorance made him think it a secret to all human kind; and the very thought of it was worthy to denominate him a prophet sent.jrom God, and exalted him to the height of spi ritual pride; and many other devils entering in with him to his house ready fitted to receive them, his poor, ignorant, and deluded heart, his last state be came worse than the first.
Thus, p. 5, he tells us as a wonderful opening (to repeat his cant) which the Lord gave to him, and sets it down as a most extraordinary discovery, no less than miraculous, in magnificent manner. Thus: About the beginning of the year 1646, says he, as I was going to Coventry, and entering towards the gate, a consideration arose in me how it was said, that all Christians are believers, both pro testants and papists; and the Lord opened to me, that if all were believers, then were all born of God. Here was a mighty discovery!
At another time, he goes on, as I was walking in a field, on a first-day morning, the Lord opened to me, that being bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not enough to fit and qualify men to be min isters of Christ: and I stranged at it, because it was the common belief of people. But I saw it clearly, as the Lord opened it to me, and was sa tisfied, and admired the goodness of the Lord, who had opened this thing unto me that morning.
Now this extraordinary opening, which this cunning Fox so stranged at, because as he thought it was the common belief of people, was never the belief of any one man in the world that was not in a fit of distraction as great as possessed him or his neighbour Muggleton.
Nor did ever any man in his right wits say, That being bred at Oxford or Cambridge was enough to make a man fit to be a minister of Christ. Then could no bishop refuse to ordain any man that was bred at Oxford or Cambridge. It is true, that learn ing is a great and (without miraculous endowments, such as were given to the prophets and apostles) a necessary qualification to fit a man to be a minister of Christ, so as to be able to discharge his office with profit and advantage to his flock; and such learning is generally to be had at universities and schools; and if this cobbler and his brother botcher had been bred at Cambridge or Oxford, in all probability the nation had been freed from both these madmen. They had not been so mad, so sottishly ignorant, as to take the commonest notions in the world for such wonders, such supernatural revelations, and to have magnified themselves above all mankind, for what all mankind knew better than they did.
Fox had never recorded it as such a wonderful opening what he tells, p. 6; At another time, says he, it was opened in me, that God who made the world, did not dwell in temples made with hands. And this at the first, says he, seemed a strange word. Mighty strange! Fox, it seems, did not know before but that God dwelt in a church, as a man does in a house, so as to be locked up, and to be nowhere else when he was there! This is a worthy man to make a prophet of! And these are notable discoveries that he has made! And such are all his discoveries, all his new light. Even this fun damental, distinguishing principle of the Quakers, of the light within, that is, as all the sober of them do now pretend to explain it, and say that Fox himself meant no more by it, than that we are not only to look to Christ without us, and, by a mere historical faith to believe that he died, rose, &c. for us; but that we must receive the influence of his Holy Spirit within us, in our hearts; and that this is it which does enlighten and sanctify us, &c.
And this no sober Christian ever yet did deny: so that, if this be all they mean by it, Fox brought no new principle into the world, no more than all the Christian world knew and believed. Only he was ignorant of that: and his own gross ignorance is all that he has discovered to us.
But he, being thus prepared, came at last to be fully possessed with the spirit of enthusiasm; and whatever roving imagination (which is strongest in madmen) took place in his head, he did dictate it forth as the immediate command of God; and per haps (for who knows the length which enthusiastic madness may run?) might come at last to believe it himself.
When the Lord, says he, p. 24, sent me forth into the world, he forbade me to put off my hat to any and I was required to thee and thou all men and women.
Such hideous stuff is all the rest of that Journal' And perhaps when Muggleton is dead, some of his disciples may after this example give us a legend of his mission, life, and miracles; which will be no thing behind this of his colleague Fox: for he began in black despair as the other, and both carried it on with the most ignorant and wild enthusiasm that, it may be, was ever heard of.
(II.) There was a third prophet of the same grass, who might have gained as many proselytes, and been as famous in his generation, as either of these; but that he was hindered from travelling by the temptation of a very convenient and proper lodging provided for him in Moorfields. His education and accomplishments were equal to the others; but he came to greater preferment. He was by profession a porter, to which he was advanced in Oliver's court; where having learned to cant in the then mode, he commenced an enthusiast preacher, and (as Fox) never recovered to the day of his death. He could quote scripture as fast, and to as little purpose, as either Fox or Muggleton: nor did he want his disciples.
I was one day making a visit to him with the rest of his collegiates; and upon a grass-plat before his window, which was the end room of the building next the postern, I saw some women very busy with their Bibles, turning to the quotations as he preached to them out of the window: and they did sigh and groan, and shewed as strong motions of devotion as could be seen at any Quaker meeting. I thought indeed they had belonged to the family, and told the keeper, that he ought not to dispose of these so near one another, but should separate that preacher and his congregation, because they fed one another's madness: but he told me that he had charge of none but the preacher, and that there often came persons to hear him preach, and would sit many hours under his window, with great signs of devotion.
This gave me the curiosity to speak to one of these women, a grave, sober-like matron; and I asked her what she could profit by hearing that madman? She, with a composed countenance, and as pitying my ignorance, replied, that Festus thought Paul was mad: which made me reflect that there were several sorts of madness, and what ill luck some mad folks had, to be closed up, whilst others went about the streets.
This, and not prisons, had been the proper lodg ment for Fox and Muggleton, (who boasts too of his sufferings,) as well as Oliver's porter.%
(III.) But (if there could be any diversion in mad ness) it would make one merry to behold the civil war as there was constantly betwixt Oliver's porter and the other less madmen, who called him mad, and he called them wicked and profane, and pro nounced curses against them in the name of the Lord, for despising his gifts and mission: so do the Quakers and Muggletonians curse one another bitterly, and call one another serpents and sorcerers. I have heard a Quaker say, that Muggleton de served all that he met with, that is, Newgate, pillory, and his books burned; because, said the Quaker, he was a deceiver of the people. And Muggleton says the same of them, and that Fox met better treatment than he deserved: and the authority of the one is as good as the other. And there we leave them.
(IV.) But this I must say, that Muggleton sticks truer even to Fox's principle of enthusiasm, than either Fox himself or his followers.
For Fox's chief and only principle was at first to direct men to the inward anointing, and that they needed no man to teach them, but as the anoint ing teacheth them: therefore that they should come off from all men's teaching unto God's teach ing; for that God was come to teach his people himselfi. But Fox would not trust to this; for he went about teaching outwardly, and has erected an outward church discipline and authority to overrule that anointing, if it prove refractory. And though they have rejected the sacraments as outward things, yet they keep up an outward ministry and preach ing, which are more inconsistent with their principle of reducing all to the inward, and waiting for the Lord in silence, within, &c.
But Muggleton has no outward either sacraments or teaching, nor any outward worship or assemblies, for any thing relating to religious matters; but leaves every man free to follow his own im pulse, and to an universal liberty of conscience. If any embrace his principles, welcome; if not, let them go.
This is true liberty of conscience, and sticking to the inward principle; with which the Quaker preaching and church discipline is altogether inconsistent, even as at first taught by themselves.
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