Montanism Revived BY Philip Hermon, A Quaker Cobler, And Chief SPEAKER at the SAVOY MEETING; Confuted, with some of his Antichristian Principles and Prophecies: To which is added some Reasons for my leaving the Quakers.
By CLEMENT JOYNES.
But there were false Prophets amongst the People, even as there shall be false Teachers amongst you, who privily bring in damnable Heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift Destruction.
LONDON, Printed for the Author, 1700.
Montanism Revived, by Philip Hermon, the Quakering Cobler.
I Shall not insist upon the Fundamentals of Quakerism at this time, but only give you a tast of the Spirit of one of their chief Teachers, belonging to the Quarterly. Meeting at the Savoy; desiring of you to judge, whether it be lawful for him to Preach till he is better instructed in the Fundamentals of the Christian Religion; and whether it is not the Christian Man's Duty to absent from such, as bring in damnable Doctrine, deceiving, and being deceived.
‘Montanius taught, that when God revealed himself to Man, it was under those great extasies, that they had not the use of their Reason.’
Divers Bishops, and Fathers of the Church of Christ, in the early and primitive Times, wrote against Montanism, as an Enthusiastical Spirit, destructive to the Christian Religion.
And by Permission I shall undertake to prove this Enthusiastical Cobler a Disciple o [...] Montanius, [Page 2]although I believe he is ignorant of what Montanius held.
First, he pretends that in these Extasies he receiveth Divine Revelations of God, and doth not exercise his Reason, insomuch that he knoweth not the intent of his Revelations, like to his Sister, that Female Poet, that pretends to Divine Revelations, and yet ignorant of the intent of their pretended Revelations, or rather, Diabolical Delusions.
Secondly, Their Revelation leaving them puft up with spiritual Pride, exalting themselves as it were like to an omniscient God, as his Pell-mell Sister hath been so bold to assert in Print, that none shall hide any thing from she and God.
Thirdly, their judging that every whim that is infused in their disturbed Brains, is the Word of God, and yet are not ashamed to deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God, all confused Stuff.
I shall not enlarge at this time, upon every part of his confused Doctrines, but dispatch, and so proceed, the Word of the Lord as he saith, opened in him, after this manner,
‘Mark the Cobler's Commission.)’
But take notice though he received these Revelations under such an Extasie, that he did not exercise his Reason therein, not knowing the Intentions of them, yet he is puffed up with spiritual Pride from working in a Cobler's Stall, with suppositions to be greater than a King; what, may he act under these Pretences of an impulse, or Motion of the Spirit, for my part, by following his, and other damnable Doctrines and nonsensical Stuff, I have been one of those that have joined my self with that Party, that deny the Lord that bought them, but I have retracted my Errors, and reformed my Life, and hope for the time to come, through the Prayers of good Christians, will be ordered according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
‘This Cobler was heard to pray at Guttershege Meeting-house, where several Friends was present, that God would bless the holy Child Jesus.’ Blush, O Angels, and ye glorified Saints, at the most astonishing Impudence and ignorance of this Philip Hermon: What Philip? had the holy Child Jesus, the Son of God, the Word of God, him who was crucified by the Jews, whom God hath made both Lord and Christ, God and Man, glorified for ever. Need of thy Intercessions and Meditations for him, lay thy Mouth in the Dust, and [Page 4]humble thy self in Ashes, lest the holy Child Jesus plead the Cause with you, for robbing him of his Honour.
‘Secondly, thou wast heard to preach in Barnet Meeting, that Zion was a safe Habitation, a glorious Dwelling-place, and O that all would get into Zion, and when thou sattest down, thou arose again, and asserted that the Word of the Lord rose in thee, that Zion should come through Judgment;’ Oh! Contradiction upon Contradiction, and all is fathered upon the blessed holy Spirit. Surely the Sin of Murther is not to be compared unto it. O! what Account will this preaching Cobler give to the great God that made him. I am warmly concerned thus to appear, that as my Eorrs have dishonoured God, so my Reformation might bring Glory and Honour to his renowned Name.
‘Thirdly, thou wast heard to Preath at Horseydown Meeting, thus that God had opened his Mysteries to thee, and at this present time made a great Revelation of Gospel mystery after this manner.’
‘Friends, the Word arose in my Heart, what is the Gift of God? and I queried within my self, and I reck'ned my Wife, and Health, and Children were the Gifts of God, but I could make no reply; but while I was considering the matter, the Word of the [Page 5]Lord rose in me, after this manner, I am the Gift of God.’
Now consider, if he had been a Preacher for about Two Years, and yet knew not the Gift of God, I leave it to your Judgment to consider what he preached upon. But let me inform the Reader, that according to my small Experience of the Work of God, since I left the Quakers, I cannot conceive how he could witness the real Work of Conversion, without the Knowledge of Jesus Christ, to be the Gift of God, I may make this reply to him; Philip, if thou hadst known the Gift of God, then thou wouldst not run before the Gift, for out of thy own Mouth I'll judge thee, for thou art a Thief. I affirm, thou stol'st the Words of the Prophets, and saith, thus saith the Lord, and yet ignorant of the Gift of God; and I affirm again, that thou art a Thief by craft; thou servedst thy time to a Baker, and stole the Art of cobling Shoes, and afterwards for hope of Advancement, turned a nonsensical preaching Quaker.
Again, I affirm that thou knowest in thy Conscience, that Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, is an Institution of Jesus: For when I was sunk in Quakerism, I was angry with him for asserting that, Matth. c. 28.19. verse, was meant of Water, I asserted that it was spiritual and not outward Water: But he asserted [Page 6]it was meant of Water, his Reasons are as follow.
‘First, the Apostles were wiser Men then we are and would not act contrary to the Commission given, if the Apostles had not understood that the Commission contained Water, they would not obey it, but the Apostles understood it so, and practised so, and so were obedient to their Commission.’
‘But his Reasons are, that the Lord's Supper, and Water Baptism, are not now to be perpetuated; because when he was thinking of these things, it was opened to him that he should be obedient to what he knew, and when they were commanded him, he would practise them; if he practise it not, judge ye, if he is not guilty of Disobedience.’ The Question that Gilbert Latecy asked thee, who made thee a Minister of Christ is pertinent to the matter? I must confess Confusion is amongst you, but I may reply if Gil. L. would not give you Ordination, I suppose, and am satisfied the Second Days-Meeting hath; but you pretty well fitted G. L. for it, for you told me that you looke upon G. L. to be no more a Minister then the back of your Hand, O rare Cobler!
‘Indeed, W. Mather hath spoken plainly in his Switch for the Snake, that there is no hopes for Reformation of Doctrine amongst you, [Page 7]until the Camp of your ignorant Ministry be purged: Where must you be Philip?’
Concerning his Prophesie.
A Man need have the Courage of little David, when he encountered with great Goliah, to discourse concerning Religion with a preaching Quaker: (Philip) had been at Meeting one Week Day, preaching and coming where I was, (one would have thought, he was in a sweet composed Temper) we began to discourse concerning G. Keith, which was the first time that I spake in the Praise of his Doctrine, concerning the crucified Jesus. So involved was I in Quakerisms, but no sooner was this Prophet entered into Discourse, but he said that the first Year that he witness the Gift (of preaching) it was opened to him, that the Lord would bring G. K. to nothing, and all that joined with him he would judge, what, saith I Philip, for believing in the crucified Jesus? yea saith he, let it be what it will, Christ is as much worshipped and honoured, where he is not named, as where he is (and so [...]onsequentially where they do not believe in [...]im) Well, sometime afterwards this Prophet [...]ame and told me, he did not judge me, I [...]sked him who he judged, he replied, the [...]isputer of the World, I asked him, who the [...]isputer of the World was, he replied, the [Page 8]Devil: Thus ye may see, when they are put to it, they may see cause otherwise to word the Matter, and yet their Intentions may be the same.
Secondly, as for his Prophecy, that I should confess, that I had departed from the Truth before I died (because I believed the Doctrine of Christ crucified, taught by G. K.) which I was a Stranger too, and by this should I know that the Lord had spoken by him.) Isa. 44.24, 25. The false Prophets are to be stoned to Death for prophaning his name.
Thirdly, his Prophecy, Sept. the 23. 1700. That the Lord would lay me as low as Sodom (that is, as the lowest Hell) If he had the Keys of Hell I should be afraid of him. Report say they, and we will report, my supposed Friends, how have they waited for my halting; but good old Jacob's Staff is strong enough for me to lean on; to speak nothing concerning his carnal Knowledge of God, as imagining that he was such a one as himself, as he told me the other Day, that God the Father had a Body, because Moses saw his back Parts; Oh brave Muggletonian! and his imagining that the Body of Christ was all pure Holiness, and not of the Virgin Mary.
I shall not expose him much farther, bu [...] abundance more I could say of him; but th [...] let him except for the present to abate h [...] [Page 9]Pride. I don't question, but in a short time by his preaching he will leap out of the Stall into a Shoemakers Shop, if he knows but how to manage it, if his cobling Trade fail him. I'll help him (or his Friends may) to be a Pedlar in that great Day, that Stephen Smith speaks of, in his Trumpet sounding to Persecutors, p. 139. ‘Come Persecutors, Awake, Awake, hearken what a dreadful Noise is amongst the Pots, Kettles, Skillets, Frying-pans, Dripping-pans, Pewter Dishes, Flaggons; Chamber-pots, Beds, Cloaths, Corn, Hogs, Horses, Butter, Cheese, Bacon, and all sorts of Commodities, Shoe-Leather, and abundance of other things too long to name.’ Come Philip, when this great Day comes, then you may come to your Throne.
Some Reasons for my Leaving of the Quakers are as follow, notwithstanding I could give abundance more, but think it not material to trouble the Reader with a multiplicity, seeing these few are material, against the very Foundation of the Christian Religion; as I could also give many hundred of Quotations out of their several Writers, being as so many Proofs of these and other their Errors and Antichristian Principles, viz.
1. Their Denial of the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
2. The Blood of Christ outwardly shed, undervalued by the Quakers.
[Page 10] 3. God and Christ in Heaven.
4. Justification by the Righteousness of Christ.
5. Their Equality with God.
6. The Death and Sufferings of Christ.
7. The Resurrection of the Body.
8. Jesus of Nazareth, denied to be the Son of God.
9. The Holy Scriptures.
10. The Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper.
11. They call all false Ministers that Preach Faith in Christ without.
12. Their Blasphemous Adoratious, given to George Fox, and vindicated by other Quakers.
13. The moral Law and Ten Commandments doing servile Work on the Lords Day.
14. In this present year 1700. I went to Geo. Whitehead, the Head leading Quaker, in London, and asked him a simple Question, concerning my Salvation, the Question was thus, Geo. Whitehead, I desire thee to inform me upon what my Salvation doth depend, after some pro and con, he gave me an answer in these following words, Repent speedily, or else the Lord will confound thee, and bring thee to naught, and this is the word of the Lord to thee, I desire you to take notice that the said Geo. Whitehead, and three more Quaker Speakers, Judged the glorious Trinity; to the Pit and the [Page 11]Lake, if any Question the truth of it, I offer to produce the Book: Those that are desirous to be farther informed, I refer them to a Little book, called the Quaker Creed, containing 13. Articles of their antichristian Doctrine, Sold at Mr. Gwillam, Bookseller, in Bishop gate-street.
POSTCRIPT.
I Hope I have sufficiently detexed Montanism in this Cobler, and Mugglet onian, in his asserting that God had a Body, because Moses saw his Back parts, which is a blasphemous Contradiction of the first Article of the Church of England. ‘Which plainly asserts that God is without Body, Parts, or Passions, and contradicts the saying of our ever blessed Jesus, that his Father is a Spirit.’
If he be free from Socinism, by praying for the holy Child Jesus I leave the Reader to judge, if he believeth not that Christ is a Creature, what reasons had he to think that the holy Child Jesus had need of his Prayers.
Take notice that every Whim that cometh into his, or their Brain, they presently conceive it is an opening from the Lord.
By what Rule must I try him by, if by his Brethren, then he will assert they are not inspired as he is, as he hath often said in my hearing, that G. Whitehead is a dry Preacher, and [Page 12]that G. W. could preach when he had a mind to it, which doth imply that G. W. often speaks by school Craft, and not always by immediate Inspiration as he doth. But I desire that he might be tryed by Scriptures, and if his preaching be concurring there, will I leave the Reader to judge.
In Long-Acre Meeting he was heard to preach after this manner, Friends, I think Joseph had not the Law, I think the Law was not writ before his time, to the best of my Remembrance he had not the Law,) Oh brave Infallibility.
O my Country-men what a Day is come upon us, such a Day that was prophesied off. Many shall run and say, thus saith the Lord, and the Lord hath declared that he never sent them.
He confessed in my Brother's hearing that the Body of Christ partook not of the Substance of the Virgin, and said it was an opening from the Lord. I shall proceed to shew that this Error, and Heresie, was broached and condemned in the Days of the Apostles, this is it which St. John reprehends, 1 John 4.3. Every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come into the Flesh, &c. or as Socrates saith, evey Spirit that separates Jesus from God, is not of God, this was wrote in the ancient Copies, and he observes that this Text and other parts of this Epistle was altered by those that would separate the Divinity of Christ from his Humanity. [Page 13]Now this Spirit that openeth this Doctrine that the Body of Christ partook not of the Virgin is a false Spirit, and it's evident that this Spirit that opened it in the Cobler, and G. W. is the Spirit of Antichrist. For G. W. in his Son of Perdition revealed, hath denied that there is Two distinct Natures in the Person of Christ, and denies that the humane Nature is Christ, or the Son of God by temporal Generation, and denieth that the Soul of Christ is a humane Soul: The Baptist Jos. Wright, declared that the Spirit of Holiness is the Son of God by eternal Generation, and that the humane Nature also of that Person is the Son of God by temporal Generation, yet there are not Two Christs, but one, &c. But. G. W. plainly says in answer to the Baptist, did ever the Apostles preach such a Christ as this, either there must be Two Christs in one Person, or else the humane and divine are both one, and this was his Faith in 1661.
By which you that believe in the true Jesus may see what a necessity there is to receive the Counsel of Ignatius that glorious Martyr of Christ, Bishop of Antioch who flourish'd about the Year 70, after the Birth of Christ was Disciple to St. John the Evangelist writes thus in the Epistle to the Trallians. ‘Stop your Ears therefore when any shall speak to you without Christ Jesus.’ Even Jesus of Nazeroth (not the Light within) as some Atheists [Page 14]that is to say Infidels, do say, that he only appear'd to be a Man, but took not a Body in Reality, and in Appearance only seemed to suffer and dye. Now I shall prove that this Cobler, by Ignatius, is called an Infidel, or Atheist, for imagining and affirming that Christ partook not of the Substance of the Virgin, and most consequently be an imagined Christ, as some have been so presumptuous to affirm. Now the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ bring into the Way of Truth all that have erred and are deceived: And have Mercy upon all Men.