The reviler rebuked: or, A re-inforcement of the charge against the Quakers, (so called) for their contradictions to the Scriptures of God, and to their own scriblings,: which Richard Farnworth attempted to answer in his pretended Vindication of the Scriptures; but is farther discovered, with his fellow-contradictors and revilers, and their doctrine, to be anti-Scriptural, anti-Christian, and anti-spiritual. By John Stalham, a servant of the great bishop and shepherd of souls, appointed to watch his little flock at Terling in Essex.

11. Head of Self-contradiction. Concerning Forms of Religion.

Section 26.

WHereas they pretend against all mens Forms, and are against Gods Forms of administring water-Baptism, and a Bread and Wine-Sup∣per; yet they take up a Form of keeping on the Hat, a Form of words, Thou and Thee, &c. All this R. F. passeth over, as having said enough (to the latter at least) in a Pamphlet of a sheet that he entituleth, The pure language of the Spirit of truth; where also he defendeth nakedness, or some mens going naked in these times, as a figure and sign of their nakedness who are naked from God, and clothed with filthy garments; all this upon supposition, if the Lord bid them go naked: But doth not his fellow W. Dewsbery * 1.1 tell him, the Scripture saith, Let your adorn∣ing be with modest apparel: and till R. F. can prove that God sends any in these days, as he did Isaiah to go bare∣foot, and naked, he must contradict Scripture and his Fellow, and give us leave to challenge them of affected forms, and habits, placing Religion where there is none, besides their mistake of the Lords meaning in Isaiah 20. 2. about the Prophets going naked and bare-foot (at Gods command)* 1.2 which was not stark naked, for then it would not have been added bare-foot, but onely his upper garment was to be put off, with his shooes, and he was to go in some disguised ma∣ner, as Acts 19. 16. the word naked is used.

As for the forms of Thou and Thee;

1. Where they not spoken out of affectation, and in con∣tempt of Magistracy and Order, and from a Levelling spirit, the expressions are proper enough: but if they stick to these terms as proper, they are as loose at other times in their Solecisms, incongruities, and improprieties; And R. F. in this is Self-contradictious; for while he would have Thou

and Thee to be the proper and pure language of the Spirit, he denies the Scripture properly to be called the word of God: whereas if Thee and Thou in Scripture be the* 1.3 pure language of the Spirit, all the Scripture (to which Thou and Thee is joyned) is so, whether spoken in proper or figurative expressions; And if all the Scripture be the pure language of the Spirit, it is all the pure word of the Spirit; and consequently the pure word of God; why then doth he and others deny to call the Scripture the word of God? but that they are given up both to contradict the Scripture and themselves.

2. This language of Thou and Thee when it is given to God, it is given reverently (except from Satan, Job 1. 10. or wicked men, as Cain, Gen. 4. 14. &c.) not as a term of equality with God, but in adoration of his Majesty, and with respect to his greatness: and when it is used in addres∣ses to Kings and great Persons, it is joyned with some note of honor, as Dan. 3. 10. Thou O King, ver. 18. Be it known unto thee O King; in like maner as when Abigail tendred her Petition to David, 1 Sam. 25. 25. Let not my Lord, I pray thee, &c.

3. If the Scripture be a Rule for Thou and Thee, it is a Rule for respect to Superiors, and that in words and gestures; and therefore Thou and Thee, and putting off the Hat may stand together when used in humility, but keeping on the Hat before them, with Thou and Thee in the mouth, speaks impure pride in the heart, when they think they have pure language in their lips.

4. George Fox, in his late News out of the North, * 1.4 brings in Christ thus speaking to his Father, [Father you in me and I in you] here is Thou and Thee, the expressions in Joh. 17. 21. either denied, or forgotten, and strangely varied, that they who are captious at others varying from Scripture-language, may be seen in their own inconsistencies.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Discovery of persecution in Northamp∣tonshire. p. 8.
• * 1.2

  Isai. 20. 2. vindicated.
• * 1.3

  The language of the Sp••rit, and the word of God all one.
• * 1.4

  Page 25.