Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress, of the Christian People Called Quakers: With Several Remarkable Occurrences Intermixed; Written Originally in Low-Dutch, and Also Translated Into English
It can t be denied that there have been at times, among this jbciety, forne people of an odd behaviour, who in procefs of time embraced _/lrange opinions and perverde notions but that's no new thing fince this hath happened ado among tho/� of other perfuaf ons tho none of thcd� would allow that this was the cordequence or effect of their doc'trine. L/vefind ltzfllc'lftl writ, that even in the primitive chri/lian church there were apoftates, either fuch as maintained/irange dottrine, as the Nicolaitans, or fisch who finding the fir aight way too narrow for them, left it, and like Demas, falling in love again with the world, entered into the broad way. And therefore it can now no more than' then, be argued from thence, that the exorbitances to which fome launched out, were the edec'ls of the docrtrine they forfook.
Since in this Hdloryfome predictions are ado mentioned, and that forne biaded by prejudice, will perhaps look upon them as frivolous imagining that the Qiakers pretend to have the ?oirzt of prophcdy I' ll ardwer to this, that tho among thozdands of them there may have been one that prophetically foretold a thing, which afterwards truly happened; yet others of that fociety prediimed to have that gdt, no more than to have that of being a preacher: and all are not called to that work. There mufi be artecgdors and leaders in the religious oe conomy, as well as in the 1 ck fiate for d every one not qualified jhould a ume the ofice of governing, things would foon run into conf f on Now the fome have had this fa fe conceit, that to be able to pr edzc'l firture things was a quality the _quakers attributed to them felves, as proceeding from their doc'lrine, that chrzfiians ought to be led by the jpirit of God; yet this is a very jini/zer and prepo/ierous conceit for what they fay concerning the leading and guiding (d the fpirit of God, is agreeable with the dottrine of the apo/tle.
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