QSCP Dedication

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To the Right Honourable

GEORGE,
LORD DELAMER
OF
Dunham-Massey, in the County Palatine of Chester.

My Lord,
Although the Author of the following Treatise doth give the World a good Account, concerning a Court-Spiritual, lately Erected among the men called Quakers, by their own Usurped Prerogative-Royal; yet I hear no News of any Court of Honour, held in the Society, except that Sordid Principle and Practice of theirs to be One whereby they Arraigned, Censure, and Condemn all Great and Honourable names, by which the King (the Cristal Fountain of Honour) is pleased to Dignifie, and distinguish many Noble, Reverend, and Worthy Persons in Church and State. Shall I therefore (my Lord) have leave to offer a few Words from the Scriptures of Truth, to these men in justification of Titles, Gestures, and other Significations of Honour; which I apprehend my self somewhat concern’d to do for these three Reasons:

1. That I might give you your due and proper Title (my Lord) not by way of Flattery and Complement, but according to Duty and Judgement, And
2. That these great pretenders to Light (if possible) might be Enlightened, in the Point of Honour, which they have been Taught (but not of God) to dis-use, yea, to Dispise and Villifie.
3. That I may maintain the Honour and Reputation of True Religion, which doth not teach men to be Clowns, but is in Truth the best Breeding, and most exact Education in the whole World; teaching us how to behave our selves with Reverence and Godly Fear towards God, and with all due Respect to all men, especially to Superiors in Church, State, and Families. Let Jacob, a person of signal Piety toward God, and of very great Civility to man, be well weigh’d by those that profess themselves to be his Seed

Moses in his first Book Called Genesis in the 32 and 33 Chapters, hath Recorded at large the Prudent, Decent, Civil, Courtly Carriage of Jacob toward his Brother Esau, and when Esau and he were on their March to meet each other, and at their meeting and Inter-view. It’s to be seen in those two Chapters, that Jacob did call himself five times Esau’s Servant; and call’d Esau eight times, my Lord, Esau and bow’d himself seven times to the ground when he came into the presence of Esau.
To me (my Lord) ‘tis very evident that this lofty Language, and lowly Gesture of Jacob, came only from his great Prudence thus to pacifie the suppos’d Displeasure and Wrath of Esau, and from his well-inform’d Conscience, which told him, it was his duty to Honour his Elder Brother Esau, upon the account of Seniority, and Premogeniture. For,

1. The Love of God mentioned in Malachi, and the Promise made to Rebecca, as recited by St. Paul, Rom. 9,10,11,12,13. Seem to single out, and solely to refer to the Person of Jacob, not of Esau. When Rebecca had Conciev’d by one, even by our Father Isaac, it was said unto her (by the Lord himself Gen. 25.23) the Elder shall serve the Younger, as it is written (Mal. 1.23) Jacob have I Loved but Esau have I hated. This promise and Declaration of God, seems to absolve Jacob from all Service and Homage to Esau, and to oblige Esau to serve and bow before Jacob, as his Lord and Superior; but ‘tis apparent, that though the names of the Two twins, Jacob and Esau, are only nam’d, yet not their Persons, but their respective Posterities are intended as any man may easily see, that will compare Rom. 9.10 &c. Mal. 1.2,3 Gen. 25 21, 22,23. That Jacob understood the Promise made to his Mother, not of any Personal Election and Submission of the Elder Brother to the Younger, Jacobs Fact fully shews: who did, notwithstanding the Promise aforesaid, Serve and Honour Esau, as he was Jacob’s first-born Brother; and as Esau was not grown Great, Rich, and Potent.
2. It was not want or necessity that made the good man bow before Esau; for God had blessed Jacob also with a very fair and plentiful Estate at this time; the very present sent to Esau, was a good Estate of it self, Gen. 32. 13, 14, 15.
3. Jacob was now distressed, and greatly afraid (Gen. 32. 7,11.) of Esau’s real Force, and suspected Violence, looking every moment, when He and all His should be slain by the hand of Esau, who was now not far off with 400 men at his Heels; and would so Good, so Holy a man as Jacob dare to die Dissembling and Lying? No certainly, not to save his own Life and the Lives of all His.
4. Jacob prayed earnestly to his God for Deliverance; and is it Reason and Charity, to think that a Soul so devote as his was, would Call on God in Truth, (as doubtless he did, Gen. 32.10, 11, 12.) and multiply Lyes in reiterating my Lord, &c. thy Servant, &c. to Esau at the same time?
5. God did so Graciously appear to Jacob at this juncture, that he saw God face to face, Gen 39 from vers. 24 to 31. And durst tell he tell to Esau so many Lyes? and look the God of Truth in the face at the same time? Surely No, except we will suppose him much more prophane than Esau, who is for a far less Offence than Lying, called prophane, Heb. 12.16.
6. (And Lastly,) Let it be consider’d: That Jacob is said in Scripture, to be a plain men; it may be said of the Quaker I confess in short, Planus est, which is plain enough in the Narrative; but Honest, Holy, Condescentious Jacob was Vir integer, Gen. 25.27. Therefore his Words and Gesture toward Esau, were in Singleness, and Integrity of Heart.

I have (my Lord) said the more upon this Subject, because this Dedication will (with the Book) come to the View of the Sort of men mention’d in St. Jude, v. 8 Who despised Dominion (Lordship) and speak Evil of Dignities, though the very same stupid Souls do Dignified themselves with a more Arbitrary Power, than the Papal Supremacy; Witness, their Bull, and Sentence of Excommunication against Nathaniel Smith, the Author of the following Account.
Now I come (Right Honourable) to tell; first, why this Narrative touching the Quakers, is Dedicated to your Lordship: And secondly, how the Dedication came to be drawn by my pen.

1. You may (my Lord) please to remember that I did the last Moneth, shew you the Manuscript, and left it in your hand to be perused at your Leasure, in order to it’s Publication; and about a Week after, I again attended you, to know your Thoughts, concerning the Copy: you were then pleased to tell me, it was your Opinion it ought to be Printed, and not yours only, but likewise the sense of an other Noble Lord, the Right Honourable William Lord Brereton of Brereton in Chesire; your Lordship having it seems shewed it to the Person of Honour: It was no small Encouragement toward the Printing, to have the Imprimatur of two so Virtuous, Learned, and Sollid Lords; which was in part the Reason of this dedication to your Honour.
2. The Author was born in the County of Cheshire, and there he first took the Infection of Quakerisme, which he did not only profess, but Industriously Publish in those Parts: Wherefore he thought fit to direct his Recantation thither, under the Patronage your Noble Name.

As to the last Query: How came I to Pen this Epistle Dedicatory?
I Answer. 1. The Author (who was always Infirm) fell sick, and died shortly after I had reciev’d his Manuscript from your Lordship: Who, though he had liv’d a Quaker too long, yet dies not the Death of those Self-righteous men, but departed this Life like St. Stephen, Calling upon the same Lord and Saviour, to who Stephen pray’d, and in the same Words which that Great Saint And Proto-martyr us’d in his last Prayer; Saying with-that holy man to the last, Lord Jesus Receive my Spirit; and I dare not doubt but that the Lord heard his Prayer: for he called (I question not) upon the True and Only Lord and Saviour, with a true and contrite heart. He did (my Lord) a little before his Departure, desire me to prepare a Dedication to your Lordship, which I have accordingly done, to gratifie the Desire of my Deceased Friend and Country-man.
2dly. I was willing (my Lord) to attempt this publique Epistle, that thereby I might the better declare and signifie, that I heartily Love and honour your Lordship; Wishing you, and your Noble, Curteous, and Religious Lady, all Happiness in this World, and in that to come: And so, Subscribe my self your Lordships Ever Oblig’d, and very Faithful Servant,
Randolph Yearwood.
London. Feb. 13. 1668.