I now come to take Notice of a Postscript to G.F’s Answer, written by John Blaykling, who lives at Sedbergh in {Fifth Part 77} Yorkshire, which by the Way puts me in remembrance thus to premise, That though G.F. in his Answer to some part of my Paper (which he accounted a False Charge) hath thus said, And I do believe that are there many in Bristol that have not let in Prejudice and Enmity against me, that will witness against this False Charge, Yet I doubt not but he might on as goodground, have said the same with respect to John Blaykling, and many in others Places, though they may know nothing of the Matters whereof they may pretend to vindicate him, because I have lately had (over and besides what John Blaykling adds in his Postscript) no less than six Letters, in Vindication of George Fox; and condemnation of me (right or wrong) some whereof are subscribed with Two Letters, whose Names thereby I cannot understand, and dated from no Place; other some with a Name not known to me, nor yet dated from any Place; this I may justly term a sort of mean and underly work, that is so far from adding Credit to G.F’s cause, as that ‘tis to me plain enough, that he can get a John Blaykling, a T.B. or an S.D. to write, or sign any thing when written (right or wrong) that may, in his sense, tend to his Vindication and my Condemnation. And now to proceed:
As to John Blaykling’s Postscript, I find it contains about a Sheet of Paper, which thus begins, Here followeth the Testimony and Certificate from John Blaykling, to the clearing of the Aspersions that William Rogers and others would cast upon George Fox, as afore-mentioned, Therein he gives a large Testimony for George Fox, as a man that renders not Evil for Evil, that’s blessed with Honour above many Brethren, and that thousands will stand by him in an Heavenly Record unto the Integrity of his Soul to Truth, that still lives with him; that his Life reigns, and is Spotless, Innocent, and still retain his Integrity, whose Eternal Honour and Blessed Renown shall remain; yea, his Presence and the Droping of his Tender Words in the Lord’s Love, {Fifth Part 78} was my Souls Nourishment. On which I observe, that if those thousands are such as John Blaykling, John Ware and the twenty seven other persons, that signed the aforementioned False Certificate, they will never add by that Spirit that led them so to testifie (as aforesaid) unto his nor their own Credit; and though in a Dark Spirit, they may term it an Heavenly Record, yet I testifie, such a Record can never bear date from Heaven, because nothing that maketh a Lye can therein enter.
Moreover, as John Blaykling hath given so large a Testimony to George Fox’s life, as Spotless, and as one still keeping his integrity to God, and his Truth, though he is hereby detected of many Lyes, (which Method of general Applause, at so high a rate, used by John Blaykling, when undeserved, is more like a Parasite to an Earthly Prince, than a Serious, Well meaning, Consciencious Christian to a Servant of Christ, that seeks not the Praise of Man:) so on the other hand hath he vilified me, at so large a rate, as better became the tongue of a Scold, than a Sober Man; for therein amongst many other prophane and Scandalous unjust Reproaches in general terms (without assigning particular Matter of Fact, to prove his general Accusations) he hath rendered me one that hath cast lying Slanders upon George Fox, though no Lye is proved, either by him, or George Fox, to lie at my Door, and that also from a Spirit that through its Envy and Rage against the Government of Christ in the hearts of them that believe, ceases not with all its devices with Lying Aspersions to defame the Instruments in God’s own Hand, calling my Paper a Lying Paper, to defame the Brethrens Care in the Church of God; whenas there is not a word in all my Paper, that can bear any such Construction, neither doth he quote any of my words that in Truth do manifest what he so asserts; and ‘tis well known, that I have been so far from being in Envy and Rage against the Government of Christ, in the hearts of them that believe, {Fifth Part 79} as that it hath been a great Concern of Conscience to me, for several years past, both by Word and Writing, to contend earnestly for the Exaltation of Christ’s Government in the hearts of Believers, which is clearly manifested by the import of what I have written in Answer to a part of Roberts Barclay’s Book of Government, my Postscript to my Narrative of Passages at Drawel, my Answer to the Brethrens (so termed) Narrative after the Meeting at Drawel, several of my Letters to George Fox, the Dissatisfactions subscribed by several (as well as my self) at Bristol, Anno 1677. and in divers other Papers, in the giving forth whereof, I have been concerned since that day, wherein it hath evidently appeared, that such as cannot be subject to some Outward orders or Prescriptions, given forth by George Fox or some others, assuming Authority so to do, are judged and condemned for refusing submission, without true regard to a Consciencious Scruple; as if the exaltation of Christ’s Government in the heart, consisted in Conformity to other mens lines made ready to our hands; a lively Instance hereof may be easily discerned by those who shall persue the forty four Articles of Accusation, drawn up against John Wilkinson and John Story, and proceedings in Relation thereunto, both before and after the four Dayes Meeting at Drawel, especially if compared with the Paper given forth form Ellis Hook’s Chamber, dated the 12_th of the 4_th Month 1677, subscribed by Charles Marshal and 65 persons more, and the Answer thereunto, all which are recorded in the Manuscript first made mention of in the Preface to the 1_st Part of the Christian Quaker_, ready for perusal of any Friend desiring to view the same.
In the sense of these things can I truly say, that my heart is even melted before the Lord, that Iniquity should grow to so high a pitch, in any that are Professors of Truth, as to write at so wicked and ungodly rate, as John Blaykling hath done, and yet bring forth nothing that doth in {Fifth Part 80} truth prove me worthy of the least of his evil Reflections, which now leads me to manifest unto the Reader, what are the particular Matters of Fact that he chargeth me with, since ‘'tis reasonable, that that should have been by him laid down, as evidence that I am worthy of his general and gross Reflections.
In order hereunto, I say, I have diligently perused his Postscript several times Over, on purpose to notifie every particular Matter of Fact, which in his or any ones sense I did suppose, might be accounted Evil, and do not find more then these two particulars following here cited, word for word, out of John Blaykling’s Postscript.
The First is on this wise, And as to that particular, Reflection cast upon him, which William Rogers, (if his Interrogation be an Affirmaton of the Matter) would ground an Accusation upon, viz. Art thou the man that hast taken Liberty to stay almost a Quarter of a year from Meeting? and did not John Blaykling, by name, manifest his Burthen and Exercise of spirit of thine, and the truths behalf for thy doing? [and having thus repeated my words, he proceeds and saith] I answer, if William Rogers affirm, that I had a burthen on my Spirit, with respect to George Fox, as out of God’s Counsel in that matter, or as departing from the Truth, I do testifie, that he affirms an Untruth, and that it doth arise in him from a Spirit of envy, watching for Evil, against an Innocent, whom God justifies.
On this I observe, that John Blaykling cannot lay all his general and gross Reflections at my Door on that account, because he himself doth not take it to be a Charge, unless my Interogation be an affirmation, which he doth not there affirm it to be, neither did I ever intend it so; yet ‘tis rational to conclude from the aforesaid words of John Blaykling, that I had ground so to query; and therefore I now appeal unto God’s Witness in all Consciences, whether John {Fifth Part 81} Blaykling be not found contradicting himself, since in his Postscript, he thus saith, Is this the Shift you are put to, that he (meaning John Wilkinson) should not be found a False Prophet, to charge a Lye upon me to defame the Innocent withal? meaning (as may reasonably be taken) with respect to what I query, as aforesaid, with relation to him and George Fox, which to me is an Evidence, that the Word of the Lord by John Wilkinson is fulfilling, since it appears, as aforesaid, that my Query was not groundless, and that George Fox accounts it a False Charge. And though John Blaykling proceeds to query, doth not the Lord confound you in all your undertakings? yet there appears to me no Ground for his so querying, but rather that his and G.F’s Confusion, to their Shame, is abundantly manifested, from what may be visible to every Impartial, Understanding Reader, that will be at the pains to compare all written by George Fox, John Blaykling and my self on this Occasion, without other proofs.
The Second particular matter of Fact laid by John Blaykling to my Charge, is on this wise, And whereas William Rogers asks, if George Fox would not have accounted this in another, the Fruit of a Careless, Slothful, Libertine or Dark Spirit, that was wither departed, or departing from the Truth, &c. implicitly thereby charging him with it [To which John Blaykling thus saith] Might not William Rogers have applied this at home, who knows in his Conscience what a Libertine, Loose and Dark Spirit, departing from his Subjection to the Truth, he hath given way to, and hath taken a Liberty to himself to make away his visible Estate, or at least a considerable part of it, to avoid suffering thereby.
On this I observe, that as to this particular, with respect to securing a part of my Estate, Jo. Blaykling cannot lay all his prophane and wicked Charges against me at my door on that {Fifth Part 82} account, with out contradiction to his large Testimony for George Fox, as a man that is spotless; because George Fox denies not (as before is manifested) that he advised Mary the Wife of Isaac Penington, to secure her or their Estate, from the hands of the Spoilers.
My last Observation is on John Blaykling’s beginning of his Postscript, by which it appears to me, that one of his ends was to appear thus publick, as a witness on behalf of George Fox, to clear all Aspersions, that my self and others had cast on him, as afore mentioned, and indeed he hath done it excellently well, if testifying that G.F. is spotless, without entring into the Merit of Matters of Fact, be a sufficient proof; but if not, his Testimony and Certificate is, for the most part, of no Credit. However, it occasions me to note what Irreligious Confidence attends him, thus to appear as a Witness to clear G.F. of many things he knows nothing of; for John Blaykling was not with George Fox at Bristol; and with Nathaniel Crips, when Occasion of Nathaniel Crips his Charge touching G.F’s advising him to but his Tythes was taken; and yet John Blaykling’s Certificate (as by the Scope thereof doth plainly appear to me) is to clear G.F. from all Aspersions whatsoever, or from whomsoever: To be plain, such Attempts are a Shame and Scandal to Religion, and are an Abhorrency to men of common and moral Honesty: but ‘tis to be doubted, that since that day, wherein John Blaykling, Robert Barrow and two others, gave it under their hands, in a Letter to Friends at Bristol, That they by the Authority of God’s power have an Understanding given them of God to act and determine in Affairs appertaining to the Gospel and its Order; John Blaykling hath been so puft up with spiritual Pride, as that the Lord hath suffered his Wisdom to be turned into Folly, and his Zeal into Envy, whereby he now is (as well as heretofore hath been, in another Case relating to John {Fifth Part 83} Story) so dexterous in giving forth a False Certificate.
And now to conclude, I recommend the whole to the Righteous Witness of God in all Consciences, nothing doubting, but that the Lord will yet more and more arise, to oppose that prophane ungodly Spirit, as the chief Instruments, to take away the Good Name and Reputation of such, as cannot bow to the Will of Man, nor leave to the way of the Spirit of Life, wherein they have begun, in Expectation to be made perfect through Conformity to Outward Ordinances, knowing this, that those who have begun in the Spirit, cannot be made perfect by the Flesh.
William Rogers.
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