THE quakers Fiery BEACON: Or, The Shaking-Ranters GHOST: BEING A new Relation, and further Discovery of their strange and sudden Agonies, Trances, Quakings, Shakings, Raptures, Visions, Apparitions, Conflicts with Satan, Revelations, Illuminations, Instructions in new divine Mysteries, and seraphical Divinity; their several Callings, Missions, Messages, Orders, Sects, Places, and Persons; their inch●nted Potions, Ribbons, and Bracelets; their Declaration in Westminster-Hall, touching Heaven and Hell: And a Narrative of their present Actings and ecstasies, for the sweeping away of our good Fundamental Laws like so many Old Cobwebs.  
 woodcut of of barefoot, robed, bearded man  
London, Printed for G. Horton, 1655.   

THE quakers BEACON fired; Or, their extravagant Agonies, strange Raptures, Visions, Trances, Illuminations, Apparitions, divine mysteries, and seraphical Divinity, detected and condemned, &c.  
THere is a progeny of mankind, or parentage of people, that have born forth unto the world that uncomfortable Fraternity of Quakers and Ranters: These brethren in iniquity, are now in a state of desperate apostasy, who were once a people of most blessed principles, and great attainments; but now fallen off from the Gospel love, matchless beauty, and lively efficacy of the sacred Scriptures, despising the Ministers of the Word, and casting their fire-bals against them, rather choosing to eradicate then build the F●brick; as evidently appears by the preposterous ways of many of them, which like a strong gust of wind, violently ●u●ns about the Wind-mill of their affections, having no settled Tenets, but each Vulture-l●ke, gnawing upon the invented prey of his own brain-sick Fancy, whirling about, being dislocated from the true Centre; otherwise, surely, they could not have had the impudence to have come into Westminster-Hall( no long since) and there affi●m in the face of authority, 1 That the Scriptures in the Old and New Testament is not the Word of the Lord. 2 That the Scriptures are not the true light for Salvation. 3 That all men are enlightened with the true light, and it is not confined to the Elect only. 4 That we are not just f●●d by Faith in Christ, without Wo●ks in the Justification. 4 That there are no such places as Heaven and Hell, in which our bodies after they have rotted in the Grave, shall be raised up again and live to Eternity in. 6 That our bodies which die, and are butted, and turn to dust, shall not be raised any more to life afterwards. Monstrous times! And to the end, they may not lose any of their Atheistical proselytes, several Letters are sent to remote places( which ●hey term a fi●ry Beacon) to fore-warn them from being seduced, and prevent a falling off, as Mr Gilpin did, who since his Conversion, having set forth a book, fully discovering their abominable ways and pr●ctises, is now falsely branded for a l●c●ntious Liver, by a Declaration of one Dring a Quaker, which Paper is inte●la●ded with such notorious untruths, that it is fit for nothing but the Faggot; and therfore we shall wave it: Surely, the Devil of Delpho's never thought himself more wise in Oracles of State, then these Fire-brands did in their new birth, when they had further principles added unto their Ranting appr●hensions, holding forth— 1 That is God in all things, and all things in God. 2 That God is all in all in them, and they all in him, and then by consequence they are not themselves, neither can do any thing of themselves, but God acteth, and doth all in them, and by them. 3 That God acting all in them, will act nothing against himself, & all that he doth must be good; and therefore whatsoever they do must be good, because they are acted thereunto of God; and to the pure all things are pure, &c. These Ranters are the most unworthy of all sorts of creatures that ever were known, who dare presume to justify their ungodly deeds and actings, accounting them perfect, pure, and good, a● being done of G●d. There were a people deluded, and acted after the very same manner as these, in the dayes of the Apostles; for such were they whom St Peter and judas speak of, 2 Pet. 2.2. judas the beginning to v 20. Most of all those Apostates in the days of the Apostles were acted like unto these Ranters now; or else as mere worldlings, like unto Dema●, forsaking all former professions of the Faith and Gospel, to embrace this present world. And doubtless, those of these Times are of so unparalleled a function, that they may very well be termed to 〈◇〉 of the same Race as Lurchers and Tumblers, who seek their Game naturally; but in one sense, by the Divels inspiration, and withall, a Litter of Beagles lineally descended, their sick-brain phantismes being over-fuming with new Lights, like qualms from a queasy stomach; and their factious Noddles perpetually boiling over with some of Grand Plutors Quodlibets, which hath so free a Current in blood am●ngst them, that they out-tilt the subtle Jesuits, and pitch a bar beyond the learned School men, each simplo Dotterel conceiving himself infallible.  
Nay more, by the virtue of Hocus, they can knock all old frames in pieces, and blow up a new one in an instant, as they do bottles at the Glass-house; and all this without the help of Reason: Something rare, though mighty confused! And under favour, thou M. Quaker, let me query; Art not thou one of those that would sweep down our Fundamental Laws like old Cobw●bs, and never trouble thy head with new ones, but say the Judicial is best; so that if our Barresters mean to have trading, they must be bound apprentice to Moses; which is a rare device to turn ourselves Jews, that we may convert those, who desire a general Community, according to the Creation, saying, they will forsake all to take up the across of Christ, and yet fain would leap into a fifth Monarchy of their own erection, where they cannot want followers, because every man is to rule there, and none to obey, but we shall all be Princes.  
Did you ever know a people act through a more glorious show of Righteousness then these men do, who say they will cast off the world, and all the care and pains thereof, for ●hrists sak●( as they say) and their father, mother, wife and children: O what a fair colour hath this; yet extremely obscure and foul, by Satans transforming himself into an Angel of Light.  
Nay more, their enduring so much affliction, opposition, persecution, and disgrace from men, Is not this like the across of Christ? and like the sufferings of Christ and his Apostles? Their running and traveling so many miles from place to place, and speaking so boldly unto great men, crying out against their abominations, Doth not this bl●ze abroad mightily in the eyes of the world? And their plausible Letters, and plain dealing with men, carrieth a fair show of holiness; and yet they fly from h● Congrega●ion or public meeting to the Church on the Lords day, as scorning to enter such p●ophane Steeple-houses, or accompany amongst such known fi●ne●s, saying as the people did of old; We avoid the general Assemblies because they are sinners; contrary to Christs example, who accompanied amongst Prodigals and Harlots. Jo. 15.1, 2. Jo. 18 30. and contrary to the express words of the Bible, Heb 10.22, 23, 24, 25. And doth not the Spirit in another place hold out unto us, that the godly and the wicked cannot( neither ought) to be separated until the Lord doth sand his Reapers( the blessed Angels) who shall divide ●he one from the other? Mat. 13.24, 29, 30 verses.  
In a word, these people( if you observe them well) are such a people that would seem to be very blameless in their whole Carriage; and because they will not use a labour, pains, or care, which they suppose to be evil, they will neglect that which is honest, just, and good; and in a vain show of will-worship in neglecting th●ir bodies, seem to go beyond the very Servants and Ministers of Jesus Christ.  
I shall amplify no more then this; That when the D●vil hath transformed himself into an Angel of Light, and his Ministers into Ministers of Righteousne●s, he will not let them rest there( reckoning that to be too low an honour for such faithful friends) but will advance them even to become false Apostles, being transformed into the Apostles of Christ, and then they shall be qualified fit for their attainments, and made able to do deceitful works.  
Here let all persons note by the way how methodical Antichrist is in his School; first he will make them his Ministers, and afterwards they shalbe made like the Apostles of Christ; here is his subtlety in his gradations, he hath not j●dged it safe for ●im to begin too high for fear of being discovered, but doth walk softly, and so for himself more safely, like as though he had lea●ned that Philosophical maxim, Violentus motus nunquam diuturnus. This masterpiece of work is yet behind, I mean his making these creatures mechanical able to do deceitful works with their hands, as the Apostle did by laying their hands upon the sick, &c. And although these actings of Antichrist may seem lovely to some, yet happy are they who are hide from it, considering the exigency thereof.  
To conclude, It is the observation of many learned intelligent Protestants, who have most pried into the Opinions and practices of all our late new Sects, That their ways and actings, are interlarded and mixed with some Jesuitical and Popish tenants, Opinions, and Ceremonies; by which we way as visibly discover a Popish Priest, or a friar in them, as we may a lion by his paw. And nothing more clearly d●tects them to be the principal inventors and Rulers amongst ou● Quakers, then their pretended sudden extravagant Agonies, Tra●●●s, Quakings, Shakings, Raptures, Visions, Apparitions, C●nfl●cts with Satan, Revelations, Illuminations, instructions in n●● divine Mysteries and seraphical Divinity, whereof they pretend they were wholly ignorant of before, being illiterate persons; their intimate familiari y and communion with God and Christ, in and a●t r their agonies, and ecstasies; their extraordinary callings, missions, m●ssages, to such and such particular orders, places, and persons; their sudden speaking, and strange languages g●t by inspiration: all which are the very same in form and substance with those ridiculous l●ng Enthusiasm● Impostures, Cheats, Agonies, &c. of Popish S●●●●●, Freers, Priests, Jesuits, Nuns, recorded in the lying Lege●d● a●● lies of their Romish canonised Saints, by Capgrave, Surious, Lippomanes, and others of their Fraternity.  
And though they conceal their Jesuitism and grossest points of Popery from their Disciples at first, baiting their hooks onely with pleasing Novelties, shows of Superlative Sancti●y, and invectives against the Ministers, Ordinances, Church, tithes, Presbyterian government, and the like; that so they may the more easily catch the silly people; yet they discover their Jesuitical positions, & Popish Doctrines more openly by degrees, at last, crying them up for new Gospel Light amongst the ignorant vulgar, and crying down our Churches, Sacraments, the Articles of our Creed, Gods Ten Commandements, and the Lords Prayer. And it is evident by some lat● instances, that they are Anti-magistratical, as well as Anti minist●rial: yea, that these Quakers use enchanted Potions, Bracelets, Sorcery, and Witchcraft, eo intoxicate their Novices, and draw them to their party; As Simon Magus bewitched the people of Samaria with his Sorceries, Act. 6.9, 11. and other seducing false Teachers, bewitched the foolish Galatians, that they should not obey the truth, Gal. 3.1.  
FINIS.