The Snake in the Grass - Sect. 24.

The Conclusion

I WILL make no excuse for the length of this discourse, because that would make it longer; but I think it necessary to give the Quakers this satis faction, (if they will take it as such,) and to assure the reader, that there is no mixture of any personal prejudice in this undertaking; for I do freely own that I have a real kindness and good wishes for every one of the Quakers that I have hitherto been acquainted with; and I never received any sort of disobligation from any of them in my whole life; and that it was in a great measure for their sakes that I engaged myself in this controversy, out of an earnest desire to open the eyes, at least of some of them, to see those horrible delusions wherein they are led; and, in the next place, to hinder the increase of such pernicious doctrines, and prevent others fThrom falling into their snares.

But because it would be too great hopes to expect the conversion of all of them at once, (I wish I may be mistaken,) and that I am told it is their cus tom to answer all books which are printed against them:

I do beforehand give a necessary caution to whom soever shall be appointed to this task, that they should not, after their usual fashion, carp at some word or expression, and neglect the whole substance of the matter against them, or give one general eva sive answer to the whole, as they have done to the seven queries, bearing date the 15th of May, and presented to their late yearly meeting the 17th of the same May, 1695, (the same day that they excom municated George Keith,) whereby the better to conceal their Janus answers, which all carry two faces, looking two direct contrary ways. For being cautioned in the introduction to the said queries, in as plain terms, I think, as words can bear, of their manner of double answers, particularly as to the na ture of Christ, how that they can subscribe the whole Creed, (as above told,) and yet not mean one word of it of a personal Christ existing now in heaven in his own true human nature, without all other men; or that he is now any otherwise a man, than as existing in his saints; but that they mean all they say of their own light within, which they call a spiritual Christ, and shedding spiritual blood, &c. within them: and being thus cautioned and desired to clear themselves from this imputation, (if it was one,) by giving a plain yea or may to the said seven queries, of which the first query was, Do you be lieve in Christ without you, now in heaven? And query 6, Is Christ now, at this day, and for ever to come, truly and really a man, in true and proper human nature, without all other men? These are plain and short queries, and yet they say in their answer, that they cannot give their yea or may to each query as desired, because they were not plain and direct queries; and therefore put them all off together with one general answer, wherein they pro ceed in the same manner against which they were cautioned, and which, they were told, was laid to their charge as a trick and deceit of theirs, to hide and cover their monstrous heresies: but, notwith standing all this provocation, they still use it, they must use it, for they have no other way left to blind the eyes of the world, and to preserve the least pre tence to the name of Christian. Accordingly, in their said answer, they tell of Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, &c. but they keep off from the whole stress of the queries, viz. whether they believe in such a Christ, as without them? and that he is now, at this day, a man, without all other men 2 No, not a word of this; this pinches too close. And I think this is a full confession of their heresy, while they will not by any means be brought in plain terms to disown it; and then give such a senseless and apparently false excuse for it, as that the queries were not so plain and direct as that they could answer to them particularly, and refer in general to their books al ready printed.

Out of some of which George Keith has collected their true and genuine answers to each of the said queries: and they are printed, together with the queries and their answer, by Walter Kettilby, at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1695, under this title, Gross Error and Hypocrisy detect ed, &c.; to which I refer the reader.

And I may perhaps present him with a further examination of the abovesaid Quaker answer to the seven queries, of their waving to answer as to the satisfaction of Christ, wherein they dare not deny themselves to be direct Socinians; and of some other material points, which I will not insist upon in this, that has already swelled so much beyond its first in tended bounds.

Only I do now give this caution to those Quakers who shall be ordained to answer this book, (if they so think fit,) that they serve it not as they have done the queries before told, but that they would reply distinctly to each section by itself, and not answer a book, as rats do, by nibbling at some corners of the leaves; stealing through it like moths, to no other purpose than to deface some words at a ven ture, without any need so much as to open the book or examine into the sense and meaning of it.

Otherwise, let them pass it in silence, and that shall be taken for a full confession of the charge.

But if they will answer, I desire that they would (for brevity, and to give us a taste of their spirit) begin with a plain yea or may to the two of the seven queries, which are above inserted, viz. the first and the sixth. These are not so long nor so intricate as not to admit of a plain yea or may in answer to them. But if the Quakers refuse this, or shall ever again, after all this caution, give only a general and evasive answer, then I shall conclude, and I believe all the readers with me, that nothing fair is intended by them, or to be expected in their answers to all the rest of this book; and that they are not sound in the faith.

24th of February, 169 6/7.

Being St. Matthias's day, who was chosen in the place of the traitor Judas: and the Collect prays for true and faithful pastors to the church, and to pre serve her from false apostles and teachers. Amen.