The Grand Impostor Discovered Or, The Quakers Doctrine weighed in the Ballance, and found wanting. A Poem, By way of Dialogue: wherein their Chief, and most Concerning Principles are laid down, and by the Authority of Gods Holy Word clearly Refuted. By B. K. [i.e. Benjamin Keach] |
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The Epistle TO THE READER. |
 | The Grand Impostor Discovered |  |
The Epistle TO THE READER.
Courteous Reader, for no other end,But as the Authour is a real Friend
Unto thy soul, these lines that do ensue,
Are nere presented to thy serious view;
'Tis not to please thee with variety,
But to preserve thy soul from death, that I
Doe once again upon the stage appear,
To vindicate Gods word, whose Name I fear,
I do in very deed my self perswade
That God doth love the work his hands have made
And to preserve man from his enemy,
God doth design, kinde Reader, so do I.
It was in favour unto man God made him,
But of meer malice Satan would invade him;
God by his wisdom, man from th'earth did sever
And for that end, that man might live for ever,
Twixt God and man, the tempter stirs up strife,
That man might to his maker subject be,
God also did appoint another tree,
Upon whose fruit he puts a prohibition;
Man must not eat thereof on this condition,
That if he doe, he must assuredly,
Forfeit his life, take but a taste and dye;
Well, man transgrest becomes a debter now,
But how to pay his debt, he doth not know.
God in his mercy seeing man distrest,
Provides a Saviour, even Jesus Christ,
Until this Saviour came, the Lord did send,
Man to his Prophets, that he might attend,
Upon their words, and be directed still,
To worship God according to his will,
And from that Rule man must not turn aside,
And by their words all notions must be tryed;
Who hears their Doctrine must obey the same,
Untill th'appointed time, the promise came.
The Prophets unto Christ do witness bear,
But when Christ came, man must to him give ear;
Christs words are now mans law, as heretofore
The Prophets were; only we are much more
Oblig'd to make Christs word our rule of Faith,
Than Israel were the Prophets; for God hath
Exalted him, and made him to excell,
Angels and Prophets, for in him doth dwell
The fullness of the Godhead bodily,
And now because the Quakers do deny,
Of Christs informing man from words without,
And by their subtilty would quite bereave us,
Of all that precious counsell Christ did leave us.
VVithin the Volumes of his holy word,
For faith and practice Quakers will afford,
The world no other rule to worship by,
But th'light within and its Authority,
Presumptuously they would impose one man,
VVhat never was impos'd since th'world began,
To credit them without a rule of trial,
Or satisfaction why they give denyal;
I therefore do present before thine eye,
Some of their craft and secret subtilty,
Derived from the Serpent, whose design,
VVas by his craft at first to undermine,
Mans stedfast Rule, which was the Lords command
And would perswade man then to understand
Gods Precepts at another rate than he
Receiv'd it from the Lord, some Mystery:
The subtill Serpent makes the man admire,
And did send him for Counsel to inquire,
Not at Gods mouth, which was indeed his sin,
But reasons with himself, and from within
He fetches counsel, there he doth advise,
He's thence inform'd 'tis vertue to be wise;
To be as Gods, both good and evil know,
He thinks it's life, it but proves his overthrow;
Which was the sad effect of Adams sin,
Who lift Gods word which should his rule have been.
Thy fatal overthrow give not consent,
To leave the sacred counsel of Gods word,
Follow that good example of our Lord;
Who with the written word of God, defends
Himself against the tempter, who commends
Him to unwriten Notions, to sustain,
His present hunger, but Christ tells him plain,
Thus it is written; thus Christ overcame,
Thy tempter and temptations are the same:
To rob thee of Gods word, while they pretend,
VVith flattering speech, to be thy real friend;
VVith feigned words they labour to entice,
VVhilst of thy soul they would make Merchandise;
No better weapon to resist a Quaker,
Than holy writ, the word of God thy maker,
To which i'le leave thee with my souls affection;
To take from thence thy counsell and direction.
| The Grand Impostor Discovered | |