Letter from Jacob Dennis to his daughter Increase Woodward

This letter I found here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=qrAQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA31&lpg=PA1&ots=gZ-6qYDbwF&output=text#c_top

Friends' miscellany
By John Comly, Isaac Comly : Page 20




On account of the change in my religious principles, I (Increase Woodward ) received the following communication from, my father.

Shrewsbury, December 30th, 1771.

My dear child,—--Lately I saw a letter you wrote to your sister Hannah, by which I find you have indulged yourself in a serious way of thinking and se- dateness of mind, more than is common to persons of your years; which temper, if not kept within proper bounds and well regulated, may lead you into many fatal errors and mistakes. Your father's advice and assistance may be of advantage to you, in travelling such an intricate road; he having gone the same path before you these many years, and almost arrived at his temporary journey's end. I know not but this temper of yours may be hereditary; for, by the time I was ten or a dozen years old, I had an unextinguishable thirst after knowledge and the truth of things, and read all authors I could lay my hands on. About this time the contest among the Quakers,—George Keith and his friends on one side, and the rest of the Quakers on the other,—ran very high. I heard abundance of it, and read their books on both sides, and compared them one with the other, and with the scriptures: so that by the time I was twenty years old, I was master of that subject as well as most men. And ever since, through all parts-of my life, both in conversation and books, I have been searching for and finding out the truth, and how to make my calling and election sure.

We do not find, from Adam to Moses, that there was any way to communicate one man's thoughts-to another but by word of mouth; writing not being known. Although every man was born with reason, the characteristic of man which is called the image of God, and, being diligently attended to, was sufficient to deter them from idolatry; yet, in about sixteen hundred years, the whole earth was corrupt and-full of violence, so that almighty God destroyed the whole earth, except one family. But Adam was living above half that time, and Methusalem died only the year before the flood. Yet almighty God, out of his exceeding love to man, revealed his will to several before the flood,—to Noah,—and in a particular manner afterward to Abraham, with whom he made a covenant to continue forever; and that the same might be held in remembrance, it was marked in their flesh, that it might be continually before their eyes. Yet by this time, though Noah lived till Abraham's time, and Shem who saw the flood, lived till about the time Isaac was married, the world was strangely overrun with wickedness and idolatry.

But when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt by the hands of Moses and Aaron, he in a more wonderful and miraculous manner revealed and declared himself before the eyes of millions, and wrote them a law with his own finger, which was laid up in the ark from this time to the captivity of the Jews; and some time after, God of his infinite mercy to.frail man, kept up a constant succession of prophets and messengers, which he sent to his chosen people to admonish and threaten, and to put them in mind of their duty. But, for all this merciful love and care of their Creator toward them, the whole nation was several times almost overwhelmed in idoU atry and wickedness.

All this while the other nations of the earth lay stupified in idolatry and all manner of wickedness, worshipping the host of heaven and inanimate things; yet all were born with reason and the general illumination of mankind, which, as before observed, if duly listened to, would have kept them from these great sins.

About four or five hundred years after the close of the last period, learning, writing, and travelling both by sea and land, were so improved that they were in as great perfection as they are at present in those countries. At which time, our good and mer-. ' ciful God sent his only begotten son, of the seed of David according to the flesh, down amongst the children of men, as his last and greatest dispensation; that by his example and precepts he might reform the world, and leave the greatest sinners without excuse: the history of whose life, death, resurrection, divine laws and precepts, with the old testament, are all committed to writing by the same authority that sent him into the world, and are enjoined to be daily read, observed and followed; and are the certain standard and rule of faith and manners, by all those that call themselves christians, for above seventeen hundred years; and are of as great force and authority, as if they were every day repeated to us in thunder out of heaven. Which books have been translated into all languages where christianity is professed; and in spite of the devil and his angels, remain sure and agreeing one with the other to this day.

Now we may observe that the reason and light which every man is born with, and not assisted with God's holy spirit, without a written law and men set apart on purpose daily to instruct them in it,—have run into idolatry, which is the foundation of all other sins. But when writing came into use, though very uncommon from Moses to the captivity, they did not fall into it so easily as before; and after the captivity, when writing began to be common, they hardly fell into it at all, to our Saviour's time.

And when our blessed Saviour departed to his Father, he ordered his disciples (who were to order others) to preach the gospel to all the world (which, by the way, if that which was born with every man was sufficient, there had been no need of) which they did so effectually that the utmost parts of the then known earth had heard the sound thereof before the death of all his disciples. And wherever they were, they left copies of the before-mentioned sealed oracles of God, and promised to be with them to the end of the world. Accordingly, in all parts where christianity is professed, they are constantly read, adhered to and believed in, and thereby Satan's strongest holds are overturned; that is, ignorance and idolatry, they being almost rooted out where christianity prevails.

There is another observation may easily be made, that wherever God Almighty revealed himself to man in an audible and visible manner,he accompanied it with such signs and wonders that the devil or man could not counterfeit: thereby to testify that it was an Almighty Power that appeared to, and required such things to be performed by them, which he commanded them to do.

You tell your sister in said letter, that you have changed your principles, and joined yourself to the simple, despised people, the Friends; by which I understand the Quakers, and shall address myself to you accordingly. By which means you have espoused, and are chargeable with all the errors of those people, both in faith and practice.

You, by your parents in your infancy, was dedicated unto, and entered into covenants with God, and was baptized into or in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and was to continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant to your life's end; (your faith or principle in him being briefly comprised in the apostle's creed) and to obey his commandments as they are declared unto us in the above-mentioned written, revealed words of God, in the Old and New Testaments. That your parents had authority so to do, I shall say more on hereafter; but I cant help repeating, This faith, or principle, you have changed from!

The first Quakers that ever were heard of in the world, as a society, arose in the north of England in the year 1650, 51. For proof of which, see Edward Burrough's Epistle to George Fox's Great Mystery, a book in folio; which book I have seen in Cross- wicks; and, by some phrases in your letter, you have also.

You will find when you read the Holy Scriptures, that our blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ, was born, bred up, eat and drank, and lived as other men do in all respects, sin excepted, all the days of his life, and is often called the son of man, and was crucified for us that bitter death without the gates of Jerusalem. All this was outward, palpable and visible.

George Fox, the founder of the society or people you have lately joined with, says expressly in said book abovementioned, which I have read, " Now if there be any other Christ than he that is crucified within, he is the false Christ: the devils and reprobates may make a talk of him without." In the same book he tells one of his opponents C. W. " The devil was in thee. Thou sayest thou art saved by Christ without thee, and so hast recorded thyself to be a reprobate'." All christians, in George Fox's time, before and since, daily experiencing the blessed effects of his holy Spirit, and praying for the indwelling thereof in their hearts.

My dear child, stop a little and consider. It is impossible that both these above positions can be true: one must be false; the Holy Scriptures be wrong,—or George Fox and the other Quakers that are looked upon as sons of God, are: for the Holy Scriptures tell us he was crucified without the gates of Jerusalem, on mount Calvary, taken down from the cross and buried; and which if it were only within men, cannot possibly be so.

The beloved disciple tells us not to believe every spirit, but to try them. How shall we try them? By themselves? Must I try the light or spirit in my heart, by itself? ask it whether it be a true light or spirit, or not? It says it is. So does every false spirit say.— Then I must not take its word, but I must try it. I demand how I must try it. Therefore it must be by something else than its own dictates; which is the Holy Scriptures,—a certain rule to walk by! being plain directions in writing, asserted by the Holy Spirit of God, which will not be wanting if faithfully prayed for.

Now by this unerring rule, let us try the above doctrine of George Fox. St. John saith, " Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God." It is manifest that if there is no other Christ but he that is crucified within, he never could come in the flesh, and be crucified without the gates of Jerusalem; and that was once for all. I am loath to tell you what spirit the apostle saith it is, because my beloved daughter says she has joined herself with that people who believe G. Fox to be inspired by God.

Our blessed Saviour, the evening before he was betrayed, after supper took bread, blessed and brake it, and gave also to his disciples; and likewise the cup; and bid them eat and drink that he gave them, saying, This do in remembrance of me. St. Paul, who was not present, tells the Corinthians near twenty years after Christ's ascension, that by a special revelation it was revealed to him, how Christ, our blessed and (as I may say) dying Lord instituted it in the, same manner, as the disciples had done. This was outward bread and.wine. This the Friends you have joined with, never do; and some of the first .writers and setters up of Quakerism have vilified, in such a manner that I will not grate your ears with it.

When God made his covenant with Abraham (or promise, as it is frequently called in the old and new Testament) he enjoined him that every male child at eight days old, should have the said token or promise marked in his flesh: which covenant was everlasting; it made God one of the parties, and the child the other. St. Peter, in his first sermon to the Jews on the day of Pentecost (or Whitsunday) when they with great concern asked him what they should do,— told them they should repent and be baptized; for the promise was to them and their children. And St. Paul, in his epistle to the Galatians, tells them that they that are of faith, or believing in Christ, the same are the children of Abraham; and as many as are baptized into Christ have put on Christ; and if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. It is plain by these scriptures, that infants should be entered into covenant with God by baptism. Now, if we bring the spirit that actuates the Quakers to be tried by those oracles of God, we shall find they are not conformable thereto; for they practice it not, but scoff and flout at it.

The Friends to whom you have joined yourself, suffer the women to teach and preach in their places 0f public worship; which is a religion of heathenism; the devil's chief oracle at Delphos being officiated by women-priestesses. Now, if we try this spirit by the abovesaid oracles of God, we there shall find reiterated commands and express orders to the contrary, and a reason given why. One or the other must be wrong. Consider, my dear child, from whence such a spirit must proceed that emboldens a woman, in the face of God and man, to contemn and trample under foot the positive command of the tremendous Lord of heaven and earth. Read the first chapter to the Galatians.

I know very well that the Quakers interpret and construe the holy scripture, relating to. the abovesaid articles, in an inward sense: but, blessed be God, he hath left us an infallible rule to determine the sense of those controverted texts by. For he, by the mouth of his prophet Jeremiah, in the sixth chapter, saith, " Thus saith the Lord; stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest to your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein." Our Saviour saith, the gates of hell should not prevail against his church; and that he would be with them to the end of the world. Now, in obedience to this command, inquire for the old paths, and the good way; and thou wilt find that for more than seventeen hundred years after Christ, he had a visible christian church in Europe, in Asia and Africa,—and that in all those parts the holy Scripture was and is their rule and standard, as to their faith and manners. They made use of material bread and wine in the Lord's supper;—suffered no women to preach in churches, &c. This is made good by authentic records, besides the unerring word of our blessed Saviour. We upon search find this to be the old christian path, and the good way; and if you walk therein, God has promised that you shall find rest for your soul. O my dear child, for God's sake and your precious soul's sake, answer not as the rebellious Jews did, that you will not walk therein. This is a material point, and requires your most serious attention; for there never was a gathered society, or set of people that held the tenets the Quakers do, since our blessed Saviour's time, heard of in the world before the year 1650. So that it is come to this, That if there was such a visible church upon earth, the Quakers are in a wrong way, and a spirit not from God is within and actuates them.

When the Quakers rose in the aforesaid year, before education or interest bore sway, their meetings were attended with an extraordinary and remarkable power, which shook and convulsed their bodies; insomuch that even little children and strangers going into their meetings out of curiosity, were seized with it, and came out Quakers. Robert Barclay says in his Apology, he was seized with it in one of their silent meetings, and in part convinced by it. This power, or spirit, or life, or seed, I charge you strictly to examine, and, as you tender the salvation of your immortal soul, to try whether it be of God, or of sa- tan transformed into an angel of light. If it will stand the test when tried by the rules I have given you above, it is of God; otherwise reject it immediately.

This power, life, seed, manifestation, light within, or Christ within, &c. (for by their primitive writers all these names seem to be synonimous) they say every man that is born into the world hath; and, if truly followed, is sufficient of itself, without any thing else, to insure his happiness, and to guide him into all truth. Now, when this is carefully and thoroughly searched into, it is nothing more than the reason and natural light which Christ enlightens every man with that comes into the world (not Christ himself:) which light is fallible, and wants helps; and these helps are chiefly the assistance of the holy spirit of God, and the revealed will of God written in the old and new Testament. For, in the times before that was committed to writing, it appears how soon the general defection into idolatry was: and it is undoubtedly true, that if the revealed written will of God was totally disregarded by men, in a few centuries mankind in general would be heathens and idolaters again; for then there would be nothing to control or try it by. The deists (or free-thinkers) openly and aboveboarA do it; believing in God, but denying any revealed religion. The Quakers (I mean their first setters up) depreciated those sacred oracles, setting their own writings or speakings above them, and not to be determined by them: which I have read myself in their books.

So that what the Friends or Quakers call the light within, the power, or seed, &c. the deists call reason; and it is one and the same thing, and not to be by them controled or tried by the scriptures. The chief tendency of Robert Barclay's Apology, (though I charitably believe it was not wrote with that view) will terminate in the same thing; and is gloried in by the Quakers as an excellent piece to support their cause.

What authority for their tenets but their own bare word and say so, did Fox, Burrough, Howgill, Hub- berthorn, Fisher, &c. and those the first setters up of Quakerism, produce, that God sent them. They wrought no miracles to testify it: nay; if they had, christians are commanded not to give heed to them contrary to those oracles of God, the scriptures; which apparently some of those tenets are.

Our Saviour told the Jews to search the scriptures (there being then none but the old Testament) for they testified of him; and says that if his Father send any in his name, that is, according to the scriptures, him ye will not receive; but if any come in his own name, him will ye receive: and he points as it were with his finger at those times. " Let no man deceive you, saith he, for many false christs shall arise, and deceive many; and if it were possible, deceive the very elect. If they say, lo! he is here, or there,— in the desert, or secret chamber, go not forth; believe it not, saith he, I have told you before." -

Thus, my dear child, I have given you some of my advice, experience and assistance, to know and discern good spirits from bad; which they will assuredly do, if assisted by God's Holy Spirit, which will not be wanting, if you faithfully and daily pray for it. I dare say there is not one of the Friends in a thousand in these parts that has taken the pains I have, to find out the trufh; but they follow their leaders, as the Israelites did Absalom. I have a great deal to say to you, but I forbear till I see you, or hear from you. I think you are something blame worthy, in not imparting to me that you were tempted to change your principles, or faith, that I might have assisted you sooner, and examined.whether your reasons were sufficient to authorize you so to do. God of his infinite mercy grant that what I have wrote may be of service to you. God be thanked, your relations are all in health, and would be glad to see you here. You must not expect to see me at Crosswicks, for I am eighty-one years old, but hearty: God be praised. My love to Betsy and her husband,—to yours, your father, and all other my relations. I am, my dear child and beloved daughter, your loving father,

JACOB DENNIS