Quakerism no popery, or, A particular answere to that part of Iohn Menzeis, professor of divinity in Aberdeen, (as he is called) his book, intituled Roma mendax Wherein the people called Quakers are concerned, whom he doth accuse as holding many popish doctrins, and as if Quakerism, (so he nick-names our religion,) were but popery-disguised. In which treatise his alleadged grounds for this his assertion, are impartialy and fairly examined and confuted: and also his accusation of popery against us, justly retorted upon himself, and his bretheren. By George Keith.

The Epistle to the Reader.

Freindly Reader,

AMong the many Calu••nie•• wherewith those that have opposed this appearance of Truth, have endeavou∣red to aspress it, and render it Odious to the People; that Imputation of Popery hath been as frequent and constant as ••ny other, almost alwayes in the mouthes and hands of such as have spoken and write against us. So that I hardly remember I ever saw a book, amongst those many hath been written by our Opposers; which had not some reflexion of this kind in it▪ This might perhaps have some weight with easie and simple people, who understand not how frequent it is for persons of different perswasions, even among those called Christians, to use such sinistrous means to weaken one another▪ a crime so much the more to be regrated, that it is contrary to that truth, which all lay claim to: it is not unknown to those that are acquainted with the history of the Protestant-re∣formation; how it was a common practise among those that op∣posed Luther and the Protes∣tants, to compare him and them to Mahomet, and the Turks; because that as the Turks op∣posed the Pope, so did the Pro∣testants. And yet it is for this same reason our Adversaries brand us with Popery, which can no more conclude us Pa∣pists, then the former did the Protestants Turks. But after the Protestants became divided among themselves, and that the suspicion of Popery was a ground to render them odious to their respective people, they have all of them branded each other with this crime, and com∣pared

each other with Papists. As first the Lutherans have and doe compared the Calvinist•• with Papists and Iesuits, as in ma∣ny other of their writings may be seen in Lucas Osiander his E∣pistle to the last part of his Ecclesiastick History, where he clas∣ses the Iesuits and Calvinists as equall enemies to the Church. Yea and because all the Calvinists were no•• so rigid in the matter of Justification as excluding all good works from be∣ing necessary thereunto, the Lutherans have often branded them with Popery. So that ••o•• Himmelius a Lutheran Divine upon this account wrote a book, which he called GALVINO-PAPISMUS. On the ••••her hand the Calvinists have often ac∣cused the Lutherans of Popery, for their keeping up of Images▪ and many other ceremonies. How much the Calvinian pres∣byters doe brand the Prelatick par•••• with Popery, few in this Nation are ignorant of, but especially those that are of age to remember that PULPIT PROVERB, which for the fre∣quencie of its use, might have past for a piece of the PRES∣BYTERIAN-DIRECTORY, (to wit) that expression which they used both in their Prayers and Invectives against the Bishops, terming them and their followers, the POPISH PRELATICK MALIGNANT PARTY. And indeed in those day••••, P••pery and prelacy were still classed together, as being TWINS of ONE MOTHER, and both LIMBS of ANTICHRIST. And I suppose such as frequent the Conventicles can bear witness that this dialect is not yet out of use among the Presbyterian Preachers. On the other part the Episcopalians doe not scruple often to compare Popery with Presbytery, and doe look that the Pope and the Presybter are very near of kin in their presences over the Magistrat, and those who are in authority, in their method of handling them, where they can compass it: So that Bishop Spotswood in his Church History lib 7, pag 457. sayes

that at the conference of Hampton court, Doctor Buckrige Bishop of Rochester preach∣ing upon Rom 1••.1. Let every soul be subject &c did sound∣ly and learnedly handle the matter to the satisfaction of all: only it grieved the Scots Ministers to hear the Pope and Pres∣bytery so often equalled in their opposition to Soveraign Princes.

Yea many Episcopalians doe not scruple to affirm that the COVENANT Which passeth for the SACRED

OATH of GOD in the presbyterian account was a IESUI∣TISH INVENTION made and contrived abroad among papists to creat troubles and distractions at home and to defame the protestant Churches. But to proceed, the Sectarian Con∣gregations of Independency and Anabaptism hade no sooner stept aside from their presbyterian Bretheren, and begun to set up for Themselves; but the presbyters begin to deterr their prosel••ts from them with the old imputation of popery, alleadg∣ing that such seperations was a draught of Popish Policy to de∣fame the glorious fabrick of Presbytry. Such as have read the gangren or history of Independency writt by a Zealous presby∣ter will find enough of this sort of stuff. For the gifted (but Vnordained) Preaching Bretheren among Independents and A∣nabaptists were alleadged many of them to be Iesuits, and Moncks metamorphosed into the shapes and appearance of Souldiers and Tradse men to doe mischeif the more securely. In one of the first books printed against the people caled QUA∣KERS by a presbyterian preist near Bristol, lie affirmeth

that the Pope sondeth forth his Emissaries to preach in England not only under the shape of QUAKERS; but also of In∣dependents and Anabaptists.

But the Independents have not been farr behind with the presbyters in this matter, and therefore have very often compared Presbytry and Papacy. Peter Sterry a noted man among them preached a Sermon before the chiefest in authority at that day; which Ser∣mon being Printed, he intitules it Englands deliverance from Northern Presbytry, Compared with its deliverance from Ro∣man Papacy. In which Sermon, He often classes together the Pope and the Presbyter and proves them One in several particu∣lars. And Iohn Owen a man though pretty sparing towards his Presbyterian Brethren, doth nevertheless not spare to af∣firme in his answere to Doctor Cawdrey, That since their Mi∣nistry is derived through Rome, it must needs be a Romish Ministry. How much the Anabaptists accuse the Rest of Pope∣ry for their retaining the SPRINKLING of INFANTS, and S••T SINGING of PSALMES, is not unknown. Thus READER thou may see this calumny is not New; but an OLD THREED-BARE Argument, wherewith each of these sects have

been long beating one another, and therefore no wonder if they also throw it upon us, but with how litle reason, this smal Treatise will inform thee, where the Imputations of Pope∣ry cast upon us are fairely and modestly examined, and Iustly and rationaly retorted upon the Accuser. Also that the subjects treated of, might not be too sterile and jejunt, and so disgust thee; if they hade been only simply vindicated; from Popery and barely retorted. The Author hath for thy further satisfaction found freedom to open our sense and judgement breifly in the severall particulars here handled, manifesting not only the falsness of the Accusers calumnies, in evidencing that we differ widely from Papists in these paerticulars; but also shewing how Our Beleife of them is aggreable to the Scrip∣turs, to the purest antiquity and to the judgment of many of the most famous primitive Protestants. So that the Author of this treatise hath well observed Iohn Monzeis his affinity and de∣pendency upon Popery, in that he acknowledgeth his Mission and Ministry to be derived to him by Popish Succession, and so is by his own concession a BASTARD of that PAPAL-WHORE the Church of Rome, whom he termes Rom•• Men∣d••x, and as it is usual for the of-spring to resemble its proge∣nitor and according to our countrey proverb, Hard for to take out of the Flesh what is bred in the Bone. The Impartial Rea∣der will observe by seriou••ly Reading this Treatise that I. M. as by his own confession he deduces his Ministry from ROMA MENDAX i. e. LYING ROME; so also he inherits through her as a part of her goods, that property of LYING, so that it may be truely said MENDAX MENESIVS ROMAE MEN∣DACIS FILIOLUS. For one may know him to be a RO∣MISH-BROOD, he is so like Her in this faculty though he hade not been so ingenuous as to acknowledge it.

Be it also known unto the READER that we are necessitat to this Controversie being drawn thereunto through the impla∣cable malice of Our Opposers; for I. M. in his contensions with the Iesuit, would needs concern us by often reflecting upon us who otherwayes were not medling in these matters. Also we have several papers by us, vindicating us and our Testimony not only from Popery, but divers other calumnies unjustly laid

upon us by the PREACHERS of ABERDEEN, which we have forborn, and yet doe forbear to publish. Because for severall years we have been threatned with a full confutation of all our principles from GEORGE MELDRVM his Collegue, as he him∣selfe and some of his Bretheren have told us: yea we are infor∣med that the BISHOP and SYNOD of ABERDEEN hath parti∣cularly recommended that work unto him▪ and now we are the more confirmed in that expectation, that I. M. in his foresaid book page, 88, shuns (as he saith) to refute the Quaker whim∣sies, because he hopeth that ere long it shall be accurately done by the penn of a learned and judicious person in this place, to wit ABERDEEN. Thou must needs judge READER, this is a MIGHTY WORK in the mens own esteem, that needs such PREAMBLS to goe before it; and though the waiting for it might have also in reason excused us from I. M, his pass∣ing Flings; yet we did judge it our Concern for the TRVTHS SAKE to entertain thee in the Interim, (untill that GREAT∣ER VOLVME appear;) with this small treat••se, which (if seri∣ously and Impartialy considered,) will no•• a litle contri∣bute to let thee understand how much we are abused; Which that thou may rightly observe, and by observing truely im∣prove to thy souls advantage is the earnest desire of thy Well-wisher,

ROBERT BARCLAY.

Notes

• as in Pope Adrian his Am∣bassadors speech ••o the Prin∣ces of Germany Sl••id. lib. 4. Ibid in the Emperours let∣ters to the Princes from Spain also book 13 in Cardinall Farnesius Nephew and Le∣gat for Pope Paul the third, his speech to the Emperour Charles the fifth,