The History of the Christian People Called Quakers

1692

Now time calls me to say something of the apostacy of George Keith, who being in Pennsylvania, made a great bustle there. He was a witty person, and esteemed very learned; and at the university obtained the degree of master of arts. He often also gave proofs of an high soaring knowledge, and was very ready to show from philosophy the reasons and causes of many things in the creation; but the doctrine of Francis Mercurius, baron of Helmont, concerning the transmigration of souls, became so palatable to him, that he not only in some manner approved it, but also was believed to be concerned in the book containing two hundred queries about that matter, a great part of which, as I have been informed, he acknowledged to have been put in writing by himself, though it appeared in public without the author’s name. But this notion meeting with no acceptance among the Quakers, his love to them began to abate; and his discontent increased, because two persons, who opposed him, had, as he said, used some unwarrantable expressions, and were not so sharply reproved, as he, who was of a fiery temper, desired. He accused them that they had said, that the light within was sufficient to salvation, without any thing else. From whence he endeavoured to prove, that they excluded the man Jesus Christ, as not necessary to salvation; but they denied this to be their doctrine.

He afterwards said of William Stockdell, one of those two persons at Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, that he had charged him G. K. to have preached two Christs, because he preached faith in Christ within, and in Christ without us. Now though Stockdell would not allow this to be true, and some of the hearers also denied it, though asserted by two others of his party, yet G. Keith blew the fire of this quarrel, and so got some adherents. He also charged the deputy-governor, Thomas Lloyd, to have said, that faith in Christ without us, as he died for our sins, and rose again, was not necessary to our salvation. But others said, that the words were not so, and that the matter was not fairly stated; since the question was not, whether faith in Christ without us, as he died for our sins, and rose again, was not necessary to our salvation; but whether that faith were indispensably necessary to all mankind, and that none could be saved without it, though they had not the means, opportunity, or capacity to know or receive it. Which being asserted, it was thought that such a position did not only exclude from salvation whole nations, but also infants, and deaf and dumb persons. Better had it been that such questions never had been started, for a passionate maintaining of a different position often breeds strife and contention. But G. Keith, with some others, having now separated themselves from the society, he said his dissatisfaction was only with some unsound Quakers in America; but he was in unity with all faithful friends in England.

And now he began to behave himself very disrespectfully, and was on that account sharply reproved by the aforesaid Thomas Lloyd; to whom he did not stick to speak in a reproachful way, charging him with impudence, and saying, that he was unfit to be a governor, and that his name should stink, &c. And because some members of the council did not expect to be better treated by him, since he had called one of the magistrates impudent rascal; this was much resented, and the more, because G. Keith having drawn in a printer, published a paper, wherein he not only scandalously slandered the diligence of the magistrates in restraining of robbers, but also the judicial proceedings against murderers. And seeing several Mennonites of the county of Meurs lived also in Pennsylvania, it was not much to be wondered, that they who count it unlawful for a Christian to bear the sword of magistracy, did stick to him; and to get adherents seemed the main thing he aimed at; for he himself was not trained up under such a notion, but in the doctrine of the kirk of Scotland. The consequence of this case was, that Keith and one Thomas Budd, who, with him, had been compiler of the aforesaid paper, were fined for it; but yet the government was so moderate, that the fine was never exacted: and for all that G. Keith did not stick to make a great clamour of his sufferings; and about two years after he came into England, to make his complaint to the church at London.

This year in the month called August, Stephen Crisp deceased near London. He had long been weak in body, and was much afflicted with the stone, performing nevertheless his ministry of the gospel; and his service was very acceptable, because he had a gift beyond many, being not only sound in doctrine and judgment, but grave and elegant in his utterance, and well qualified for convincing his hearers, and to touch them to the heart; so that he generally met with a great concourse of people. Four days before his decease, lying sick in bed, and being under great pain, he was visited by G. Whitehead, to whom he said in substance, ‘I see an end of mortality, and yet cannot come at it; I desire the Lord to deliver me out of this painful body: if he will but say the word, it is done: yet there is no cloud in my way. I have a full assurance of my peace with God in Christ Jesus; my integrity and uprightness of heart is known to the Lord; and I have peace and justification in Jesus Christ, who made me so.’ The day before his departure, G. Whitehead being come again to see him, found him in a dying state and almost speechless; yet he was understood to say, ‘I hope, I am gathering, I hope, I hope.’ G. Whitehead near parting from him, asked him whether he had any thing to his friends; to which he gave this answer, ‘Remember my dear love in Jesus Christ to all friends.’ The next day, being the 28th of the aforesaid month, he died at Wandsworth, about five miles from London. Many of his sermons taken in short hand from his mouth are published in print, and give proofs of his having been indeed an able minister of the gospel.

In this year died also Catharine Evans, who, as hath been mentioned here before, had been long imprisoned at Malta. She had suffered much for her religion; and in the year 1657, having at Salisbury exhorted the people to repentance, this so incensed the magistrates, that by order of Henry Ditton, justice, and Robert Good, mayor, she was stripped, and fastened to the whipping-post in the market, and then whipped. Afterwards coming thither again, and speaking to the people in the market, by way of admonition, she was sent to Bridewell, and put into a dark nasty place. After her return from Malta, imprisonment fell to her share several times; once at Welchpool in Montgomeryshire in the year 1666, for refusing to swear; and several years after she was also imprisoned at Bristol. And after many adversities and great sufferings, having lived to a great age, she died, and so entered into everlasting rest.