Person Here to shew thy Learning in the Latin Tongue thou tellest us of a COERANTO which is no good Latine to be sure and thou mayst be questioned in what Language thou hadst the Expression I suppose thou hast lately heard Discourses of Quo Warranto about the City-Charter upon which from thy own imaginary conceit thou writest us COERANTO in a large Italick Character that it may appear how learned and skilled thou art in Latine and Law and likewise we must have a Latine Title to thy Book second Part i. e. De Christianâ Libertate But where thou learnedst this Title and what stress or Emphasis canst thou place upon its being in Latine more than if it had been in English i. e. Concerning Christian-Liberty For Liberty of Conscience asserted is not the English of thy Latine Title but varies from it in the Terms as well as in the Nature of it And thy prosecution for Liberty of Conscience as asserted by thee appears a Liberty not only in opposition to Persecution but also to our Godly Care Advice Counsel and Admonition relating to good Order and Church-Government amongst us and testified unto in our Paper opposed by thee in thy Book from page 41 to page 51. And if this must be the extent of thy Christian-Liberty thou mightst better have entituled thy Book Pro Libertate Carnali for it seems the Liberty pleaded for by thee admits not of Spiritual Censures Reproofs Advice or Judgment according to Christ's Law exhibited as appears by thy scurrilous opposition infamous Characters thou givest to our said Paper partly cited in thy Book and most Unchristianly and Unjustly made thy great Proof of our Doing Violence to our first Principles of Vnion and consequently turned Antichristian and such thou renderest William Penn George Whitehead Alexander Parker Stephen Crisp Thomas Salthouse John Burnyeat whose Names thou hast exposed in Print as the Persons unjustly charged by thee But we have not yet concluded thy Learning in Coeranto but must view a little more of it in thy Book on the passage thou hast borrowed on trust from William Rogers his Translation as he confesseth for which we have only his own Authority in these Words viz. Which for the sake of some I thus Translate 7th Part Christian Quaker p. 62. 'T is in thy 125 126 127 128 pages out of Bishop Hooper the first Words Scitis quod res sancta et vera quo magis examinatur Thou accepts his Translation hereof in these words KNOW YE that by how much the more c. Here Scitis the very first Word which is Ye know in the Indicative is falsly translated know ye as Scite in the Imperative whereas by Scitis in this place was intended Indication Demonstration or Proof and not imperatively Teaching and likewise Nam quod variis modis tentatur ac probatur modo pium ac sanctum FVERIT Jacturam ab hostibus nullam sentit is thus translated viz. For that which is tryed and proved after various manners if IT HATH BEEN c. instead of IT SHALL BE for FVERIT is exact future as they term it Many things of the Types and Shadows under the Law as Tythes and Offerings c. have been holy but shall not be again afficitis is made afflict instead of affect and also Legem Evangelium Dei are translated The Word of God instead of The Law and Gospel of God then at last Judicio is to the Judgment when it should be more properly by the Judgment But the most material Mistake is in the very first word Scitis falsly translated as to the Mood But these Instances are only to shew thee what a ridiculous Novice and Ludibrie thou hast rendred thy self both in Writing and Print even to School-Boys I saw lately a School-Boy of Eleaven Years old Laugh at thy Absurdity as a Person wise in thy own Conceit Yet whilst thou wouldst make a show and flourish of Learning thou hast here taken a false Translation upon an implicit Faith and blind Credulity Thou that art such a fierce opposer of implicit Faith and blind Obedience and hast so often scoft at me for the Words Learned Friend in reference to R. R. I wonder thou art not ashamed of such scornful treatment and medling so often with Latine when I find thou canst not write true English in many things This is only a small Check to thy Pride and empty Conceits this not being one of the absurdest Faults or Falshoods thou hast presented the World withal Come down and be humbled before the All-seeing God From thy antient Friend and yet Well-wisher though insolently abused by thee G. Whitehead Middlesex the 22d day of the 7th Moneth 1682. The Second Part of the said Letter Francis Bugg NOw concerning thy Book stiled DE CHRISTIANA LIBERTATE or Liberty of Conscience c. 1 st I observe thou beginest unjustly to accuse and reflect upon the People called Quakers in the very Title page in these Words viz. And the mischief of Impositions amongst the People called Quakers c. In two Parts And that thou concernest the Magistracy with it both in thy Epistle dedicated to H. North Knight as being obliged to publish it for the Information of the Magistracy c. as also in thy Epistle directed to the Noble Bereans thou concernest the Magistrates as having in the Book prefixed i. e. thy first Part laid before them many weighty Arguments for Liberty of Conscience c. So that to the Magistrates thou hast given thy Information against the People called Quakers as having mischievous Impositions among them which we utterly deny and thy Scornful Malicious Book proves it not Thus thou art turned Informer to the Magistrates against an Innocent suffering People whom thou hast so long walked amongst How darest thou appear in their Meetings and thus act the part of a treacherous malicious Informer against them even to the Magistrates Oh! Blush and be ashamed of this thy hateful Work 2 dly Thou having entituled thy self to to the matters contain'd in a Treatise entituled Liberty of Conscience asserted and vindicated by thy high Commendations given of it to H. North as Being perswaded it will be of Good Service and in thy Epistle to the Bereans A clear Demonstration c. And in thy Preface to the Reader of the Author thou thus sayest viz. His Judgment upon this Subject is my Judgment Now observe what this Author's Judgment is concerning the Light in men whereupon he chiefly placeth his Demonstration for Liberty of Conscience In page 4. he saith viz. Their Natural Light derived to them from their first Creation dictating to them what they ought to do and what not and enabling them to pass a Judgment upon themselves of their due behaviour towards God c. With some other passages of like nature in the said Treatise Here Francis thou hast presented H. North and the Magistrates with unsound and unscriptural Doctrine and appearest Apostate and corrupt in
this Concern for 't is his own And I do tenderly refer the spreading of this Treatise to the Discretion of faithful Friends where they shall see a Necessity and Service for the Truth I not designing nor desiring this may be otherwise or farther exposed to the view of the World but where any of these Adversaries or their Party have given or do give occasion by spreading theirs as there are some busie Agents among them that neither regard the Fear of God therein nor the Reputation of his Truth or People in spreading their defaming Books and Pamphlets for which Treacherous Injurious Work I am assured the Righteous Judge of all will Reckon with both the Authors and Spreaders thereof To each of whom this Scripture appears justly applicable viz. Jer. 2.19 Thine own Wickedness shall Correct thee and thy Back-sliding shall Reprove thee Know therefore and see that it is an Evil thing and bitter that thou hast 6forsaken the Lord thy God and that my fear is not in thee saith the Lord God of Hosts I wish they may yet find a place of Repentance and Forgiveness before the Judgment be executed which hangs over their Heads G. W. Judgment fixed upon the Accuser of our Brethren CHAPTER I § 1. W. R's Hue-and-Câ—y 〈…〉 empâ—y Flourish § 2. His 〈…〉 § 3. He iâ— proved guilty of 〈…〉 the People called Quakers 〈…〉 § 4. His Concessions to Truth do 〈…〉 him conscientious in his writing nor 〈…〉 man guilty of Blasphemy § 5. His slighting and insulting way of writing his own abasement § 6. His writing in 's own Justification to clear himself from giving Judgment on Reports and Jealousies call'd in question and prov'd untrue by divers Instances § 7. His Reflection on G. F. A. P. and my self about the Barbadoes Subscription which we had denyed proved Malicious and Vnjust § 8. His comparison between some of our Friends and Pope Leo the tenth shewing more favour to the Pope than to Friends c. § 9. His rendring R. R. and the Pen-man like Papists for quoting some of their Authors brings great Reflection Contradiction on himself § 10. He upbraids us often with the words Learn'd Friend yet useth the same word Learned to a Friend § 11. His false Suggestion and Jealousie of great Idolatry touching G. F. and his sordid abuse of John Blaikling and foul Vntruth and Infamy therein manifest § 12. His Charge against J. B. about ascribing eternal Honour and Perversion of his Intention and against G. F. about Infallibility distinguished § 13. His denying the sence of his and party 's own words for a select Company of Elders and Deacons to order in Church Affairs § 14. His pretence for amicable Conference Hypocritical His charge of meer Hypocrisie and Deceit and the Fruits of manifest Injustice abusive and unjust § 1. AS concerning William Rogers's Hue-and-Cry after the Name of the Pen-man of a Treatise entituled The Accuser of our Brethren cast down and that this Hue-and-Cry is in pursuance of his Name because not subscribed thereunto page 1. How Insincerely and Fallaciously does he herein begin with a silly Boast an empty Flourish and Vapour containing also an unjust Reflection compared with his false Scoff pag. 21. i. e. That the Pen-man was ashamed that his Name should be publish'd with the great Bull entituled The Accuser c. Which is a falshood also And why an Hue-and-Cry after his Name He is not fled into Obscurity nor any Criminal Treasonable or Fellonious Person in any sense that an Hue-and-Cry need to be divulg'd in Print after his Name Nor has he either deny'd or conceal'd his concern in that Book which W. R. falsly terms The great Bull when modestly asked But why is W. R. so very ignorant of his Name that he must needs make the noise of an Hue-and-Cry after it when but in pag. 25. he pretends a Description of the Person and of his Habit to wit As being one that hath forgotten his low and mean Estate and arrived to a Beautiful City-dress c. And this is not all but in pag. 34. he queries about the Pen-man as having been that no mean Person viz. of our Society that hath solicited the Powers under which we have peaceably lived c. Could he so positively describe the Pen-man's dress and condition and yet not find out his Name without an Hue-and-Cry in Print after it What empty Flourishes does this Person dress himself in But what Beautiful City-Dress is that he reflects upon the Pen-man that becomes not Humility or his Call to the work of the Ministry or his soliciting the Powers on behalf of suffering Friends And wherein is he condemnable of Excess in that case of his Habit or Dress And wherein does he exceed all W. R's Brethren even them he has counted Honourable I would have him speak out plainly in this matter and not to mutter and smite in the dark § 2. He says He will not conclude the Pen-man to be a Vagrant a Night-Bird a Wanderer c. because his Name is not to his work pag. 1. And what if he 'l not thence conclude him such an one what better Character does he give him both by the Instance and comparing his or his Brethren's Actions to the ugly Vizzard of a Night-walker pag. 3. Thus he detracts and reviles § 3. He affirms it A notorious Vntruth that his Book contains Reproach against the People called Quakers in general and that the Pen-man quotes not a word to shew it so pag. 2. But his Affirmation we may rather justly conclude a notorious Untruth For in his Preface p 6. to the first part of his falsly stiled Christian-Quaker he thus reflects upon the People called Quakers which was quoted by us viz. These kinds of Declarations frequently publisht amongst the aforesaid People viz. Let 's exclude the Wisdom and have an Eye to the Brethren c. I cannot but be full of Jealousie that these things have a tendency to insinuate Submission without Conviction and nurture up Ignorance instead of Wisdom as much as ever was where this Maxim to wit Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion is c. By all which 't is apparent that his Book contains unjust Reproach upon the People call'd Quakers in general as being under such a Popish blind Ministry For what means the aforesaid People but the People called Quakers in general See now that which he calls a notorious Untruth is proved apparently true from his own Reflection on the People called Quakers and therefore he himself thereby proved in the notorious Untruth Was it not a Reflection upon the Church of Thyatira to suffer the woman Jezabel to teach and seduce c And what better doth his Reflection on the said People render them § 4. He says He finds what 's cited out of his Book of above Eighty Sheets is less than Two and one considerable part thereof acknowledged to be Concessions to the Truth so that the Light sometimes interposeth But
this account Now he would not be thought that his Principle is against visible Order and Form of Government under Christ's Dominion Nor against some visible Persons being exercised in some outward Order under his Government Thus far the point is granted and gain'd upon him and his Concession thereto the farther confirm'd in deeming our rendring his great Book to be against Church-Government outward Methods Orders and Rules c. A false Assertion Though we cannot reckon that Book of his to look with a better Face in the mian purport and Series of it especially considering his Third part from what 's mentioned in the Title and against R. Barclay's Book for Church-Government and in many other places and passages of that Book and in his Epistle in this his 7th part he is smiting at Establishing an outward Vniformity outward Things outward Directory c. But now we must take his meaning and principle to be not against visible Order and visible Form of Government under Christ's dominion nor against visible Persons being exercised therin How then shall we understand his meaning and principle Why did he not then more plainly distinguish it first and brought the Controversie into a more narrow compass and not have writ thus confusedly and shatteredly one while against another while for visible outward Order and Form of Government under Christs Dominion in his Church As in this Treatise the matter is further Evinced against him hereafter But wherein lies his Charge of Prevarication He gives us to know it is in twining the Word REPRESENTED into CONCERNED pag. 43. We are yet to seek and study how to find this Prevarication pretended considering the purport tenure and conexion of his Words For though now he owns visible Persons to be exercised or concerned in an outward Form of Government and Order under Christ's Dominion yet not that his inward Government is represented by them yet his Distinction before excluding visible Persons not only from representing Christ's inward Government but also from being invested with Power to execute i. e. to minister give forth or put in practice outward Laws Edicts c. in an outward Form of Government Visible appears to bespeak his sense than to exclude them from being concerned in an outward Form of Government and Order in the Church of Christ under his Dominion For if they do in no sense or degree represent Christ's Government how are they concern'd in it And if they have no power to execute minister or put in practice outward Order and Form of Government visible How are they either exercised or concerned in an outward form or order of Government under Christ's dominion But this is now granted us in the Affirmative So then wherein must we understand W. R's opposition to lie against outward Order outward Form of Church-Government outward Laws Edicts Rules Prescriptions c I presume not against any of his own making but against such as he calls G. Fox's c. as he has told us of a slighting G. F 's Rules Methods and Orders with respect to Church-Government see the Accuser c. pag. 83. But then I would know whether it is against all or some that G. F. has writ or given out If he says not against all but some then I intreat him to let 's know what SOME they are particularly What Instructions Rules or Methods they are he Condemns and that he deems condemnable as evil or unlawful in themselves We have divers times prest for a Catalogue of them that the Controversie might be more plainly distinguishable and brought into a narrow compass which now lies not only prolix and tedious in W. R's Books but also scattered confused and ambiguous in his Writings wanting in many places the supplement of his latter Thoughts and Meanings So that when he has write one Book it wants another to declare its meaning he has taken a great compass to write a very little matter in § 4. For his distinction between the words Represented and Concerned he says That many thousands are exercised in an outward Order under the Government of the King who if they should thence declare that they are the Representatives of his Government 't would be deem'd a Mood of Speech tending to the annihillating of the King's Prerogative And concludes the like in relation to Christ's Prerogative p. 43. But herein the man is under a Mistake in this Allusion his skill in the Law and the King's Prerogative and Government has fail'd him in this point For the King's Government is represented in all Courts of Judicature legally acting in his Name and by his Power whereby the King is look't upon to be present in all his Courts Yea every legal Minister and Conservator of the King's Peace even from the Justice to the Sheriff Constable or Peace-Officer does in his place and legal Office in some degree represent the Kings Government in the doing Justice and Conservation of his Peace And this no ways lessens but promotes the King 's legal Prerogative For the King in the Eye of the Law is Justitiarius Capitalis the Head or chief Justice and hath his subordinate Ministers and Justices under him legally impowered by him according to his just and legal Prerogative Now seeing W. R. is so much out and has lost his aim in his Comparison these things are mentioned to rectifie his Judgment And the Comparison as now stated may be better applied to Christ's Kingdom and Government who though he be the chief Overseer and Shepherd the great Apostle and Minister the great Ruler and Governour c. he has his Overseers his Apostles his Ministers and Servants and Helps in Government which is none other than Christ's Government in his Church and Kingdom and under his Dominion which I hope our Opposer dare not deny however he differ with us in the Application § 5. As concerning an Angry Waspish Pen wherewith thou twice over chargest the Pen-man adding That the more he stirs therewith the more will the Cause which he espouseth stink pag. 17 44. I must tell thee first I never met with a more Angry Waspish Pen than thy own though thy Malice and Wickedness hath been in divers parts of our Book deservedly reprehended thou hast in much thereof been mildly treated 2 dly I know no cause espoused by us therein than the Cause of Christ his Church and People which will live and remain sweet and pretious to all the upright in Heart when thy malicious Work and corrupt Cause will more and more appear naucious loathsom and stink above ground till swept into the Pit from whence it came and which thou art very near and without Repentance canst not escape it 3 dly What occasion have we or any of us given thee to rage and roar against us and like a persecuting Informer to go about to expose us in Print tending to disgust Authority and to bring more severe Persecution upon us as seeming to be at Vnion with the Papistical party
expression a Proper Looking-Glass The Bishop's saying The Popes Light is come into the World and men love Darkness better than Light Is this thy proper Looking-Glass to see our Faces in 'T is but a dull one Where did we ever in all our Councils Expressions or outward Directories as thou callest them so much as resemble such false Doctrine and Blasphemy No we abhor it What a false Looking-Glass hast thou presented here It serves only to shew how Evil and False thy Eye is and how bad thy Sight is how Impertinently and Sordidly hast thou cast upon many Servants of Christ those accounts against Popes c. which thou hast gathered out of the History of the Council of Trent And how easie is it to make Books at that rate Thou hast known better things of the Ministers of Christ's Light among us than thus to represent them with thy false Similitudes and mayest remember that our frequent Testimony has been as still it is to excite People to Christ's Light within as being that true Light which is come into the World and to his Counsel that proceeds from his Light and not to the Pope nor any of his Councils And thy pretended Godly Jealousie That G. F. hath been endeavouring to exhalt his own Imaginations instead of Christ's Light appears Ungodly and False as many more of thy Jealousies which are no Proofs do § 7. And now thy Similitudes of Disunion or difference between the Pope and G. F. and his Friends p. 21 22. to render him and them worse than the Pope are as scornful and wicked as thy former as for instance to thy saying The Pope publisheth his Bull or Decree in his Name and doth not usually say 't is not for want of freeness in Spirit that I desire my Name should be hid But it appears to me that the Pen-man was ASHAMED that his Name should be publisht with the great Bull entituled The Accuser of the Brethren cast down Thus thou wherein thou hast told a gross Perversion and Untruth for the Pen-man neither said I desire my Name should be hid nor yet was he ASHAMED that his Name should be publisht with that Book thou falsly and scornfully callest The Great Bull nor doth he or any others concern'd therein find any Cause to be ashamed thereof but to stand by it against thy Malice and Abuses in thy Great Bull as it may be rather term'd for thy attempting therein to Unchristian and Unchurch a great number of faithful Servants of Christ. Again the Reason thou givest why thy Adversaries as thou callest us have not punisht thy Body nor taken away any of thy Estate is But blessed be the Lord they have no Power so to do Herein thou accountest is some little difference between them thou smites at and the Lords Inquisitors of the Popish Inquisition p. 21. I must tell thee I think this a very Uncharitable censure and smiting implying that they would both punish thy Body and take away thy Estate and so be as bad as the Lords of the Spanish Inquisition if they had but Power so to do Which bespeaks great Prejudice and Darkness to have entred thee And then to aggravate the matter thou turnest it about again That they i. e. thy Adversaries have not suffered thee to see the Faces or know the Names of thy Judges In that respect sayst thou the Lords of the Spanish Inquisition have been ore just p. 21. How odiously and grosly hast thou here represented thy Opposers who have not divulg'd their Names against thee of whom I take the Pen-man and thee to mean my self to be one And if so I must tell thee thou hast insinuated a gross Slander to render the Lords of the Spanish Inquisition more just and by a Lye justifiest the Papists who clap men up in Prison all their dayes never letting them know their Accusers see the History of the Inquisition for though the name of the Writer was not divulged with that Treatise entituled The Accuser c. Many others have given their Names in the same judgment concerning thee and thy work of Discord and Enmity and many more also do own and stand by that Judgment and Treatise And I must farther tell thee in the sight of God I see no cause to retract but to stand by that Treatise and own my share in it notwithstanding thy opposition to the contrary picking and nibbling and quarrelling here and there but giving the GO-BY to the most material parts thereof wherein the Controversie is most fully opened and distinguished Of those Popes with whom W. R. compares our Friends § 8. Seeing W.R. esteems the Popes yea even the worst of them good enough to bring us in comparison with and to cite and make them as Instances against us As Pope Leo the Tenth p. 6 22. Pope Paul the Third p. 19 28. Pope Julius the Third p. 31. It may not be amiss to give some description of these Popes according to a late History or Abstract of the Lives of the Popes printed Anno 1679. Among the Atheists Leo the Tenth is ranked who hearing Cardinal Bembo speaking to a point concerning the joyful Message of our Lord answered most dissolutely It is well known to the World through all Ages in how great stead that Fable of Christ hath profitted us and our Associates This man neither believed Heaven nor Hell after our departure out of this Life And such were Alexander the 10th Sylvester the 2d PAVL the 3d Benedict the 19th John the 13th Clement the 7th and Gregory the 7th Among the Magicians Conjurers Paul the Third is ranked as having obtained the Garland in Astrology and in that kind of Speculation which is assisted by the Ministry of Devils He altogether kept familiar Acquaintance with Negromancers and such like Imposters c. Among Warriours Blood-succors Paul the Third was also accounted viz. A great Persecutor of the Saints of God raised and fomented the German War which proved the Destruction of many thousand Families Among Paricides Impoysoners Paul the Third also impoisoned his Mother and Niece that the whole Inheritance of the Farniesian Family might accrew to himself His other Sister also whom be carnally knew upon fancying her freeness to others he slew by Poyson And so he is recorded among Incestuous Persons also Among the Favourites of Whores It s said That Paul the Third kept a Roll of forty five Thousand Whores who paid him a Monethly Tribute Among Sodomites Julius the Third used one Innocent as his Minion and created him Cardinal Of whom this account is also given in Dr. Gilb. Burnet's History of Reformation Book 2. Abridgment pag. 121. viz. That Pope Julius the Third when Cardinal Pool was rejected for his being too good was chosen for his Badness who gave his place of Cardinal to his man that kept his Munkey saying He saw as much in his Man to make him Cardinal as the Cardinals saw in him to make him Pope Query
Comparisons against him and thy rendring him a Persecutor of his Brethren agree with his being Dear W. P. This Noble man c as thy Brother F. Bugg and consequently thy self have rendred him being in thy Book pag. 73.74 As for their not mentioning any particular Doctrine or Vitious Life that others might know the matters alledged against them what wouldst infer that therefore the Pope's Bull against M. Luther was more reasonable or just That 's a mistake for thou confessest a Judgment to be given against that jealous rending and separate Spirit from which thou hast not cleared them but rendred them the more Guilty if thou beest their Representatives as impowered by them to write in their Vindication according to thy own reflection on us And was that no Reason then to give others notice and warning against such a Spirit Is Schism no Sin or not reproveable But how Unjust is thy Comparison I ask thee if thou darest say that Pope Leo that Atheist was in the same Sense Religion Gravity and tender Exercise toward M. Luther that in thy own Narrative thou hast rendred these Friends in that were concern'd in dealing with J. S. and J. W. at Drawell And I ask thee further If ever thou readst any such Acknowledgment Submission or Condemnation made by Martin Luther to the Church of Rome as the said J. S. and J. W. with thy own assistance made as satisfaction to their Brethren and the Church of God in general Though afterward thou comparedst it to a Rattle to please Children And hath a Christian Society no Power to reprove and judge a dividing self-separating Spirit in whomsoever it be that makes Rents and Schisms as well as Heretical Doctrine and Vitious or Scandalous living Mark them that cause Divisions and Offences and avoid them c. If thou grantest the Principle and such power in a Christian Society or Church what will thy attempts to Unchristian and Unchurch us avail unless thou canst prove us guilty of Vitious Lives and Heretical Doctrine Which if thou canst not then hast thou and thy party assumed a Power to judge of Spirits wherein you fairly give away your Cause and overthrow much of your own opposition to the Churches Power and Determination in such cases And your Judgment to Unchristian us or our Spirits being but your Imposition we shall as little value and the day will yet farther discover whose Spirits are Unchristian and whose Spirits are Christian. And 't is not thy boasting either of the Numerousness or Scores of thy party p. 23. that will decide the Controversie nor wouldst thou accept of such a Plea on our parts but doubtless esteem it no Christian Proof or Argument but an Imposition and begging the Question But seeing thou layest so much stress on thy Numbers and Scores I must tell thee that if they amounted to as many as the third part of the Stars which yet they are far short of that followed thee or owned thy Work of opposition strife they would be but wandring Stars and have lost their Habitations and Glory and are darkned whom the Dragon's Tayl has drawn and cast down to the Earth But blessed be the Lord our God the greater part of the Stars among us his People called Quakers have kept their Station and Splendor in the Firmament of his Power and in living Union Concord and Love wherein they live above that Spirit of Enmity and Discord which thou and thy party are in and which the Lord will yet farther discover and deliver those who are at unawares betrayed thereby yet have some secret Breathings unto him and that they may come into clearness of Judgment so as on the Restoration and increase of the number of the Faithful and Upright And by the spreading of the Gospel day thy Numbers shall decrease and many will come to see thee more and more in thy dark and mischievous attempts and how insuccesful and disappointed thou wilt be therein And those that come to be recovered and many Thousands that shall be gathered to the Lord and us his People shall be found better and more worthy than thy self and those that go out and separate from us § 3. W. R. is pleased to make a Charge and draw severe and seditious Inferences upon our Advertisement and conclusion of our Introduction especially against the Pen-man for vindicating the People called Quakers in their Church-Order and Discipline and writing in the Name of the People called Quakers when vindicated from his Scandals But he has very unfairly and dis-ingenuously left out the distinguishing expressions in the first as Peaceable Christian Conscientiously Christian Society p. 23. in the passage of ours viz. We the peaceable Christian People called Quakers are Conscientiously vindicated and cleared in our Christian Society Where 's then his exception against our vindication and writing in the Plural in the Name of the peaceable People called Quakers But that 1. We could not write in the Name of such as encouraged the publication of his Treatise entituled The Christian-Quaker in five parts who yet are a part of the People called Quakers saith he 2. Nor in the Names of such as are disaffected with laying Marriages before Womens Meetings And these are numerous and called Quakers quoth he To the first Answer No How should we write in their Names who encouraged the Publication of his said Treatise against us if any such were for they keep very obscure as not willing to be known in such encouragement It is a Book of Envy Strife and Discord and they no Peaceable Quakers who encouraged it 'T was the Peaceable People called Quakers that were concerned in our Vindication And therefore W. R. saith true as 't happens The Pen-man could not write in the Name of such as encouraged the Publication of his Book Whence it follows they were not of that Peaceable sort which he vindicated nor W. R's Book a work of Peace or in the least tending thereto but a great Abuse and Scandal to and against the very peaceable People called Quakers Secondly Nor are they who oppose our Godly Women's Meetings and laying Marriages before them so peaceable and clear in their minds in that point as we could wish they were and they should be better informed and hear Instruction However they also are concluded by W. R.'s words not to be of that Peaceable People called Quakers intended in our Vindication in that he saith The Pen-man cannot be understood to write in their Names when 't is most evident he did write in the Name of The Peaceable Christian People called Quakers Though W. R. as one in some wise Conscious leaves out the word Peaceable that he might with the greater colour draw his Charge and severe Inferences upon the Pen-man c. But such kind of slighty mean shifts will stand him in no stead when we strictly look into his Fallacious dealing And granting him that we cannot represent nor be understood to write in the Name of such
Quakers so called as encouraged the publication of his persecuting Books and Pamphlets against us nor of such as either oppose our Womens Meetings or laying Marriages before them or are disaffected there-with nor in the Names of the several Scores he tells of who gave Testimony in Writing against Charles Marshall and Sixty five more The greatest part whereof being known to be Faithful men of Sincerity and service in the Lord's work Nor in the Names of such as he saith appear Neutral in the present Controversie and yet own the same Principles which he and his party do Where is then their Neutrallity is it in having no concern of Conscience outwarly to appear on either party as W. R. saith Then they are only Neutrals in appearance but secretly of his party and Principles some whereof are very perverse and unpeaceable as well as unsound Now I say we grant that we of the Second day's Meeting did not represent such kind of Quakers as those of W. R. his party nor could they impower us in our writing for and representing the peaceable People called Quakers or that peaceable sort of Quakers who are for Unity Love Concord and Peace in the Church of Christ among us nor was it our intention to represent personate or vindicate such pretended Quakers as are in a Spirit of discord and strife causing and making Divisions Rents and Schismes in the Church first disturbing and troubling then reproaching the Society they sometime owned but only those of a peaceable Mind and Spirit and therefore his not knowing that we can represent any under that Name more than our own Second day's Meeting is a false insinuation for there are many Thousands of the People called Quakers yea of the most sincere and peaceable minded besides our said Meeting whose real sense and judgment in the matters treated on in our Book against W. R's great Book we have represented and who really do and will own the same Where now hath W. R. shown the Pen-man guilty of great Impudence in writing in behalf of the peaceable People called Quakers The word Peaceable in our Advertisement left out by him doth really distinguish it with respect only to the peaceable sort which are they that live in Love and Unity who may properly be termed The PEOPLE called Quakers as united in one Society and become one People and not dividing separate Spirits who are gone out from us And though in our Introduction we say the terms We and Vs are used sometimes in the Name of the People called Quakers when vindicated from his Scandals I say so still And this intends no other than the Peaceable People as before explain'd in our Advertisement and not any such pretended Quakers as W. R. his party and Abettors who are unpeaceable and turbulent to the Society and People among whom they sometime walked And therefore his roaring and clamouring out great Impudence Pride and height of such towring lofty spirited Persons as the Pen-man c. are but empty Clamours and Abuses as is also his Jealousie That the Pen-man counts himself one of the Representatives of Christ's inward Government who alone is Lord over the Conscience Whereas the Pen-man never so accounted of himself nor ever assumed to himself any such Government or Lordship over the Conscience as is peculiar to Christ alone but only accounts himself a Servant of Christ and a Subject under his spiritual Government And therefore W. R's still proceeding in his roaring and bitter Exclamation against him as That he would represent in Print as if the People called Quakers without râ—â—triction a Lye still were Persons impowering such an imperious Map of Pride and Drollery as the Pen-man shews himself to write in their Names The matter is answered before but yet I may further add as the Envy and Malice of this Adversary appears swelling high so his confidently repeated Falshoods and Abuses are numerous for we would neither so represent in Print nor yet did the Pen-man so much as pretend to be impowered to write by the People in general or without restriction and yet both in Charity and Christian duty might vindicate all them as the peaceable People caâ—â—ed Quakers who are really peaceable in their Spirits and Conversations And though there be some called Quakers who are unpeaceable in both such as W.R. and his party yet that cannot unpeople the other who are truly peaceable but rather unpeople themselves who are unpeaceable from being of that People Such our vindication of a peaceable People from the unpeaceable proves none of us Impudent nor any imperious Map of Pride and Drollery notorious Falshood c. as most unjustly rendred by an imperious proud Adversary For hath it not been frequent with us to vindicate the People called Quakers intending all those that might properly be counted a People in Peace and Unity and that from the general Aspersions and Calumnies both of open and secret Enemies And in this Controversie we vindicate them as that peaceable People who are sincere and faithful to God lovers of Peace Unity and good Order and whom W. R. and his party in their dividing and perverse gain-sayings are not able to unpeople nor justly to render themselves that People As for him and those of his party who promote his malicious persecuting defaming Books c. We cannot look upon them worthy to bear so much as the Name Quakers muchless to be deemed that People under the Title of Christian-Quakers whilst in their Unchristian spirit of strife and discord And they will yet more manifest themselves to be further remote from that peaceable People called Quakers if they Repent not and the peaceable and faithful who love unity and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ shall remain a people and live when all such spirits as lust to envy and contention shall be confounded scattered wither be driven back and come to naught in their evil Designs and wicked Attempts the Breath of the Lord shall scatter them for no Weapon formed against his Heritage shall prosper But alas our Adversary is still in a great fude and fret for our writing in behalf or in the name of the People called Quakers reiterating his Falshood again without Restriction p. 24 25. he should have said Peaceable People called Quakers But he goes on at an outragious rate on this subject confessing He wants words to represent the Action in as ugly a dress as it deserves And therefore when he hath as falsly asperst the Pen-man and set him out in as Vgly a Dress as he can so that the Devil and William Rogers have done their worst hitherto he supposeth a Comparison in the case against him but very unjustly in these words viz. Suppose a company of men never chosen according to Law should meet at Westminster and call themselves the Representatives of the People of England and accordingly in the Name of the People of England proceed to act as such Wouldst thou not abhor and detest the Action
Place or Person At that rate it may be a hard matter to prove Negatives against thee indeed Though thy charge be never so false so long as thou canst prevaricate and also vary the matter from a popular and publication to a particular Person Time and Place and neither tell us who when or where as FROM these kind of Declarations frequently publisht among the People called Quakers TO this Doctrine had been publisht amongst us Yet I did not mention either Time Place or Person p. 47. Like as to say You must take all the matter upon my Credit You must pin your Faith upon my Sleeve If you deny and judge what I say as an abuse I have a cunning way to shift it instead of making probation I can tell you I did not mention Time Place or Person 'T is void of sound Argument for you to go about to prove any sort of Negatives c. But William this kind of shifting and then retorting and scorning will not gain thee Credit nor Reputation in thy mean and feeble attempts to prove the People called Quakers frequently under such a kind of Ministry as is in it self Popish and tending to Introduce Popery it self according to thy own Inference that is Ignorance instead of Wisdom Bondage instead of Freedom in Christ Ignorance as the Mother of Devotion c. Answered in our Treatise ACCVSER c. p. 6 7 8 9. And not only so but that some blind Zealots are Principled to have an Eye to the Brethren instead of the Light in himself as in thy Postscript to thy Christian-Quaker But we can as well and truly deny that such Declarations as afore are frequently published among the People called Quakers and judge it a horrid abuse and reflection on the said People as we can deny that Jesuits frequently Preach among them which is also an Abuse of some and which thy Charge resembles And 't is no absurdity to prove Negatives in some cases either in Popular or Personal actions if Testimonies of Eye and Ear witness may be of any Credit As for Instance The Question was put to a Meeting here in London the greatest part being antient grave Friends Where ever they heard such Doctrine preacht among the People called Quakers as To exclude or shut out Wisdom Reason of all kinds without Distinction and to have an Eye to the Brethren instead of the Light in themselves And they never heard such Preaching nor any such Doctrine preached among the People called Quakers at all either in City or Country much less frequently And their with many others negative Testimony may be of credit in this case else how should we answer those that falsly accuse us with Jesuits frequently preaching among us but by our negative Testimony from our certain knowledge of those that do preach among us that they are no such Put case any of our peaceable Meetings should by our Persecutors be charg'd with committing a Riot at such a time and place We deny the Charge and declare it to be utterly false and produce evidence and proof sufficient and credible in contradiction to it that our Meeting at such a time and place was in a peaceable posture and nothing of violence or hurt done offered or threatned c. Here we prove a Negative that our Meeting was no Riot by proving the Affirmative that it was Peaceable And what 's frequently preached among us in our publick Meetings is as publick as they And set case a Person be falsly accused for committing Burglary at such a time and place and he produces sufficient Evidence that he lodged at an Inn twenty or thirty or forty Miles off at that very same time when the fact was done Here he proves a Negative i. e. that he did not commit the fact § 2. To thy saying viz. If in his sence I mis-express my self then my meaning shall not be taken to excuse the defect p. 47. That 's not true for wouldst thou be so low in thy Mind and so ingenious as either to confess such mis-expressing or defect where we meet it and clogg thee with it in thy writings and not be tenacious therein it would the more excuse thee and shorten the Debate I do not at all find that thou canst come clearly off as either a just or righteous man in thy Allegations and Instances in thy Postscript for thy proceeding to print and publish thy great Book by thy principal instance of the printed Epistle of two Sheets by Anne Whitehead and Mary Elson which thine when nigh printed did occasion for that could not be the occasion of thine when 't was not in being till thine was almost finished in the Press Thou producest no Plea to clear thy self but what 's presupposed anticipated and way-laid in our said Treatise pag. 26 27. However by thee impertinently slighted as Impertinent That the said Epistle was thy principal Instance for thy so proceeding is no false Assertion as thou wouldst make it is evident from thy own account on which 't is grounded The matter is fully evinced in our said Treatise under the tenth Disaffection from page 19 to pag. 37. Thy alledging Thou only assertedst Promulgation of the said Epistle to shew that they were the first Publishers in Print but not the first Printers Of what That there are Divisions c This will not clear thee nor evince thy Righteousness in proceeding to print and publish thy Book on thy Instance of the said Epistle of two Sheets which on this occasion was chiefly thy concern to evidence and mention and that in pursuance of thy own Justification to prove thy Righteousness in proceeding to Print which the other Instances given by thee about the publication of Divisions by Declaration by Manuscript do not answer nor seem to parallel but that chief one of Printing And what the said printed Epistle of two Sheets though the greatest part of thy great Book was printed before that was writ To thy now confessing That they i. e. Mary Elson and Anne Whitehead c. were the first Publishers in Print but not the first Printers Then their Publication could be no just plea nor instance for thy proceeding to Print as thou didst Thy not being the first Publisher but they does neither excuse thy intention as Righteous nor thy act of first Printing 'T was the bulkiness of thy Book that prevented its first Publication and the smallness of theirs though not writ till after a great part of thine was printed that did expedite its publication Thy saying Thou only assertedst Promulgation of the said Epistle is an evasion 'T was in pursuance of thy pretence of Righteousness in thy proceeding to Print as well as to promulgate or publish thy Book of Divisions that thou gavest that instance of the said Epistle being printed And as a supplement in thy Postscript to what thou hadst writ in thy Preface and Introduction which thou judgedst might give sufficient satisfaction to every Impartial Reader but
lest the Ignorance of any should be so great as not from thence to perceive the Righteousness of thy proceeding to Print they might by these Instances in thy Postscript which therefore relate to the same proceeding that the Preface and Introduction do See the case is plain 't is no evading it Therefore thou appearest not ingenious in thy Allegation viz. He represents not the state of the case aright for my own words were these viz. My Present proceeding to Print the word Present they leave out which could not relate to any thing more than the Postscript because the very Postscript informs the Reader that All the Treatise excepting the Postscript Index and Errata was then printed p. 49. This will not render thee either a sincere or just man in thy proceeding William we do not leave out the word Present in the citation of thy words for 't is incerted in our citation of thy own words relating both to thy Preface Introduction and Postscript all alledged for thy present proceeding to Print and to evince the Righteousness thereof And thou knowest in thy own Conscience that either thy Word PRESENT must relate to more than thy Postscript or else thou wast very Impertinent and defective If when in a Postscript by additional and supplemental Plea or Reasons to all that precedes in thy Preface thou art going about to make out the Righteousness pretended of thy present proceeding to Print and publish Divisions we must thereby understand it not to relate to any thing more than thy Postscript Then we must take thy meaning to be as if thou must have more plain and convincing Reasons for thy proceeding to Print thy Postscript of but four Sheets than for all the rest of thy Book of near four score Sheets And yet the plea in thy Postscript appears to supply what thou hast said in thy Preface in Vindication of thy publishing in Print thy Historical Relation or great Book of Divisions I cannot perceive that thou hast herein writ either Ingeniously Conscientiously or Consistently And thou mightest have seen how thou wast aforehand obviated which might have prevented thy present impertinent Excuses and vain Allegations if thou hadst but taken serious notice of the following recited passage in our Treatise viz. And further If to evade the charge of Fallacy and Injustice Deceit and False cover laid on W. R. in this matter he flies to his Grammatical sence of his Words and pleads his Intention c. as thinking himself safe in both 1 st We say His present proceeding to Print cannot in reason be confined to his Postscript wherein the Words are nor answer the SOME of the People called Quakers he tells of that have judged him wicked as for intending to Print against Friends Post. p. 25. whom he undertakes to answer in that case nor vindicate him as to his Historical Relation mentioned in the same page which includes his Book which therefore cannot be confined to nor included in his Postscript 2 dly The Reasons he gives in his Postscript to prove himself Righteous in his proceeding to Print cannot relate only to that his Postscript but to his whole Book because they are added for a supplement to his Preface to the Reader and his Introduction to the first and fourth parts of his Treatise which Preface and Introduction concern his whole Book or Historical Relation as he calls it And which Preface and Introduction he thinks may give sufficient satisfaction to every impartial unprejudiced Reader But lest the Ignorance or Blindness of any should be so great as not from thence to perceive the Righteousness of his present proceeding to Print c. he gives his additional Reasons and Instances in his Postscript the chief whereof is that relating to the two printed Sheets which came to his Hands the 8th of November 1680. as aforesaid wherein the supplemental Reason given was more clearly to evince the pretended Justness of his proceeding to Print than he had done before in his said Preface or Introduction as that it was even to prevent such great Ignorance and Partiality as would hinder any from perceiving his Righteousness in proceeding to Print which therefore must needs relate to more than his Postscript And William I find no Contradiction as thou accusest between our signifying That the two Sheets aforesaid was the Principal Instance for thy proceeding to print and publish thy Book that is to prove thy Righteousness pretended therein as 't was made appear from thy own Words AND signifying that thou declaredst a far higher necessity i. e. a great concern of Conscience c. That the Epistle of two Sheets aforesaid was thy principal Instance Reason or Allegation to prove the Righteousness pretended of thy proceeding is no down-right falshood as thou falsly renderest it but true for 't was CHIEFLY thy concern to give that Instance of the said Epistle after other Instances of less concern and less to the purpose of Printing c. And that thou also placedst a higher necessity on thy proceeding than the said two Sheets is also true The first was produced as a principal instance or cause to evince the Righteousness of thy proceeding to print an Historical Relation c. The second was thy own Assertion for the necessity of thy proceeding pretending it for the clearing of thy Conscience c. Such necessity pretended of proceeding was higher than thy said Instance or Reason for it as between an Immediate necessity of doing a thing and an outward Reason or Instance for doing it Where 's now the Contradiction If there be any it must be thy own in placing such occasion on the said two Sheets as to be so chiefly concern'd at them and yet a more immediate necessity of Conscience c. before that The Premises of this point considered in reference to thy being so chiefly concerned to instance the said Epistle of two Sheets thy Charge that a down-right Vntruth is the Subject occasioning his Words p. 49. which thou callest Drollery falleth to the Ground as a down-right Falshood That which thou callest Drollery in conclusion of that Detection we made of thy unrighteous and fallacious Vindication of thy proceeding to Print c. I am perswaded it hit thee and touched thee as in a way of answering a Fool that is such a one as is highly conceited and wise in his own Eyes according to his Folly And how natural and suitable that passage thou callest Drollery is to the subject and occasion given on thy part unto which it relates I leave to the impartial and ingenious Reader to consider and judge upon perusal of the whole matter concerning that point as 't is handled in our said Treatise entituled The Accuser of our Brethren cast down under the 10 th Disaffection from p. 19. to p. 37. Unto all which William thou hast but given an Impertinent Fling and the slie GO-BY to the substance even the most part thereof § 3. Whereas upon thy Confusion and
many yet are thou art secure in a Corner studdying and scribling against them to calumniate and defame them in Print as men of no Conscience towards God fitly qualified to say any thing right or wrong a Lying Spirit entred c. Such is thy Treatment to the Prisoners of Jesus Christ to add Affliction to their Bonds and to make void their Testimony and Suffering for his Names sake And not only thus but thou art cruelly mocking flouting and deriding at them telling a story against one of these suffering Friends of Bristol which thou sayst occasioned Derision and Laughter and that by a Lying Spirit entred them thou sayst they may become a derision both to Professor and Prophane and a scorn to Fools themselves p. 80. No doubt thy scornful and malicious Work against them though otherwise under Persecution and Suffering and against many others fearing God is to make them as ridiculous and as much the Subjects of scorn and derision as thou canst but 't will all return upon thy own head thou wilt reap the fruit of thy own doings Thy pretended Love Christian Charity Lamentation for thy Brethren c. in thy hypocritical Epistle directed to the flock of God go but a little way it seems but that and other Instances of thy Insincerity and Dissimulations are numerous § 6. And with what Sincerity or Conscience couldst thou not only pretend an inclination toward an accommodation of the Controversie but also propose to our second day's Meeting for thee To read thy Answer viz. thy 7th part when in Print amongst us and after so done to leave it with us and to pretend thy end was that if the Meeting should that day propose any expedient answering the Witness of God in thy Conscience to stop the Publication thereof thou shouldst then answer the same by forbearing a further Publication thereof as in thy Letter dated London the 17 th of the 2 d Moneth 1682 pag. 80. I do still question with what sincerity or conscience thou couldst make such Proposition and pretend such an end in it to that our Meeting when thou hadst already prejudged the same Meeting in Print as being Apostate Innovators c What capacity could such be in to answer the Witness of God in thy Conscience if apostatiz'd from it in themselves And what ground couldst thou have to expect such a change in them from Apostacy as that Now when thou proposedst the reading thy Book they might be in a capacity to reach thy Conscience as thou sayst p. 82. Besides can any in reason suppose thee real or sincere in thy Proposition for an expedient to stop the Publication of thy Book of about twelve Sheets when already Printed Was not the design of thy Proposition rather for a pretence to excuse thy self and for a flourish over us as thou hast made an empty one and what hast thou got by it And was it not manifest that thou wast still at least jealous of our said Meeting as being Apostate in thy not being free then to answer our three Questions which were very proper to try the reality of thy own Proposition and thy end pretended thereof in order to our hearing thy said Book read The Questions were these viz. Question 1. Whether thou art sensible thou hast done evil or hurt to Truth in the Publication of thy great Book entituled The Christian-Quaker distinguished c Quest. 2. Whether thou hast any better thoughts of our Second day's Meeting now than thou hadst when thou wrotest that Book as not now to esteem the said Meeting Apostate c Quest. 3. Whether thou lookest upon the said Meeting now in a capacity to answer the Witness of God in thy Conscience To which thou only gave us this return viz. I am not free to answer at present Our Reason for the Questions was That we might not spend our time in vain or to no effect in hearing thy Book read which we should do if we should undertake it and have no assurance of thy having any better thoughts then of our said Meeting than to deem it Apostate Or if thou didst not then look upon it as capable to answer the Witness of God in thy Conscience To which thou not being then free to answer we might very well then not be free to hear thy Book read among us nor be so imposed upon as to spend our time upon such uncertainty having no probability of thy performing thy own Proposition with respect to the end proposed whilst not prov'd sincere or Christian on thy parts Therefore thy Reflection upon our said Meeting and supposing us like a Company of lazy or guilty Priests for our refusal to suffer the reading of thy said Book amongst us is both very unjust and scornful and bespeaks thy Lording Imposing Spirit thus infamously to upbraid us for not implicitly giving up to spend our precious time to answer thy prejudicate will and humour upon thy reserved dark uncertainty And also as a farther aggravation of thy Injustice and Prejudice thy taking our said Meeting 's Treatment of thee on this occasion to be an Evidence of our affection to sit on the Seat of Vnrighteous Judgment This also is thy unrighteous Conclusion and false Judgment upon our affection and is no ways naturally deducible from our forementioned Treatment of thee I have omitted many other Instances of thy abuse of Truth and Friends leaving the righteous God to reckon with thee for all thy injurious dealing and hard speeches as thou seemest to refer the Pen man to such a Reckoning pag. 46 63. The Lord awaken thee out of this hardened gain-saying state and deliver them that are betray'd by the Enemy and preserve his Heritage in love and peace over this scornful exalted conceited crooked quarrelsom apostate Spirit The Lamb shall have the Victory CHAP. VII A Letter in Two Parts Which was sent in Manuscript to Francis Bugg Except two Passages left out in favour to him unless he will further expose himself to danger thereby IN the first part his fraudulent dealing against Samuel Cater about the 15 l. Fine His Abuses against him and others His Conceitedness Pride Scorn and Shallowness are detected and reprehended In the Second part of the Letter relating to Francis Bugg's Book is evinced 1. His unjust Reflection on the people call'd Quakers and his being turned Informer 2. His Judgment in espousing and presenting false Doctrine against the divine Light of the Son God in man 3 His unjust Charge and the collection thereof against certain Persons among us by name who are the Servants of Christ and against our faithful Womens Meetings 4. His Instances for Proof of his Charge and Contempt no proof thereof 5. His Opposition to our Testimony for Mens and Womens Meetings in the Church of Christ and his scoffing and smiting thereat no proof of his Charge nor of their having No Relation to Scripture 6. His upbraiding our sober and faithful Womens Meeting as an Idol and comparing it to
George Whitehead Stephen Crisp Alexander Parker Thomas Salthouse and John Burnyeat whom thou hast represented in Print as Apostates Antichristian Innovators Imposers Popish c. for their Christian advice in divers particulars cited by thee in thy printed Book De Christiana Libertate with thy scandalous defaming Observations upon them severally from page 32. to page 57. to prove thy Unjust charge of doing Violence to our first Principles of Vnion which they and we all utterly deny 4 thly And the more like an Informer hast thou appeared in ambitiously dedicating thy Book to a Great Man i. e. Henry North Knight and in shewing that thou designed it for the Magistrates in pretending to have laid before them a clear Demonstration for Liberty of Conscience thy Book being in two Parts as is confest in the Title and both Bound up and made to go in one So that if the Magistrates see the first Part for Liberty of Conscience which is not thy own they are liable to see thy second Part wherein as an Enemy to Christian-Liberty thou art bitterly inveighing and clamouring against many faithful Servants and Ministers of our Lord Jesus Christ who are well approved among the People called Quakers for their signifying and giving their Christian Advice and Sence in things needful to be practised in the Church whereby thou art opposing the Liberty of their Consciences which they have in Christ Jesus and art endeavouring to expose them as obnoxious and offensive to the Magistrate and outward Government rendering them Tyrannical and Popish like the Pope's Councils c. Thus false Informer-like thou hast broke all Bonds of Christian Friendship Society and Church-Order and hast acted the part of a treacherous persecuting Informer in the very nature purport and series of thy Book And I doubt not but thy Infamous work will become odious to all Serious Religious and Impartial Dissenting Protestants the more it comes to Light and to be strictly scand and that thou wilt appear thereby not only as a turbulent but perfidious treacherous Person and malicious Informer against thy own Society and therefore not to be trusted by any other Societies or People on any Religious and sociable account Thou hast also in thy Letter scurrilously abused and misrepresented S. Cater J. Parks and my self and also the Womens Meeting as That Samuel Cater had 10 l. presently sent him out of the Treasury from London And that The Women's Meeting gathered so much Money for James Parks upon his pretence of being Robbed Both which I have made enquiry into and find them false in Fact Samuel Cater belyed the Women's Meeting belyed and James Parks belyed in the state of these Accusations Be ashamed therefore of such Abuses or produce Proof both of Fact and Circumstance as stated by thee Be ashamed also of thy saying James Parks acted the part of an Oliverian Preacher or G. W. once at Snare-Hill or like some SVCH PENSIONERS Didst thou ever tell me of any thing thou hadst against me at Snare-Hill I am not Conscious to my self but am sure thou dost shamefully belye me and J. P. in calling us Pensioners What Pension Wages or yearly Stipend dost thou charge me or us withal What an unconscionable Defamer art thou Dost thou know what Pensioner means This is somewhat like thy espousing and printing the Report of Nicholas Lucas's saying That I went up and down to Cheat the Country And thy affirming That truly my Behaviour hath manifested the truth thereof page 150. of thy Book Thus in thy Letter before sent after me in Manuscript without the least occasion given thee by me that I know of since which to amend the matter of thy Scandalous defaming abuse of me before cited thou addest this Parenthesis viz. I reckon he meant not of Money but the People of their Liberty they have right to Which is also a Slander and base come-off and thousands of God's People are able to testifie against these thy defaming and insolent Lyes I never was accounted a Cheat and Pensioner before As also in thy calling Thomas Rudyard LYING LAWYER for saying Thou paidst thy Money Voluntarily before Distress was made on thy Goods This I shewed Thomas Rudyard and he counts it a foul abuse slander and defamation upon his Person and Employment to call him Lying Lawyer supposing thou placest his Lying upon the word Voluntarily If thou didst pay or deposit thy Fine on thy Appeal and so prevented Distress as he understood thou then didst at that time he accounted it Voluntary in respect of the Law because the Act of Parliament in that case doth not compel thee to pay thy Fine upon entring thy Appeal for that the Appeal may be entred within one weeks time after the Fine is paid OR Distress made so that 't is in the Appealants choice whether to pay the Fine or suffer Distress first for the Particle OR is disjunctive between both Where is now the LYING LAWYER Art not thou herein manifest to be the LYING DEFAMER that hast so little regard to the Reputation or Credit of others Where 's thy Conscience or doing as thou wouldst be done by Thy Envy and Defamation stops not here but thou hast falsly accused us of the Second days Meeting with loving to have the Pre-eminence He that searches and knows our Hearts sees and will judge thy false Judgment and Abuse in this and many other things as also in thy false and abusive Insinuation in telling of the Sums Gratuities and large Pensions privately extended to such speaking of James Parks and others of his Fraternity And which far exceed THAT of the Bason and Platter we usually and with too much confidence sayst thou bespatter the Professors withal seeing we do the same thing for which we condemn them only a little privater Thus far thy false and abusive Accusation against such as James Parks and his Brethren Oh horrid Impudence and Falshood be ashamed hereof Thou heapest up Slanders and Defamations against the Innocent for which God will rebuke thee 'T is not unknown how many of us spend our Strength Labour and Substance in the service of the Lord and his People in many respects wherein I for one have not had the least share though now by thee rendred a Cheat and a Pensioner Oh! blush and be ashamed of such abominable Lyes and scurrilous Detractions To conclude thy Letter on thy falshood against the Womens Meeting gathering Money c. thou scornfully inferrest that therein they have forfeited their Charter mentioned in thy Book p. 37. and deserves a COERANTO to be brought c. I cannot but take notice what a liberty thou takest to scoff mock and jeer against our Religious Christian Womens Meeting and how abusive and silly thou art therein although thou hast often scornfully twitted me with the words LEARNED FRIEND in thy Book and Letters as if it were such a great Crime to ascribe that to any Friend whilst yet thou art ambitious to shew thy self a learned
Assemblies are intended must needs be consistent with the same Principles of Love and Union and tend to the Increase thereof and not to the Violation thereof as thou hast falsly charged Upon our Admonition Not to discountenance or weaken their Hands in the Work and Service of the Lord. Thou maketh this observation viz. See what a strict and severe admonition is uttered forth even as if it had come from the Pope's Council of Jesuits and crafty Fryars Scoffing and Smiting still at the Womens Meetings p. 46 47. How now Francis is this thy treatment and comparison of us Hadst thou no better than the Pope's Council of Jesuits and crafty Fryars to compare us unto in our Testimony and Admonition Oh! be ashamed of such foul sordid and scornful and false treatment who instead of proving thy Charge of Inconsistence and Violence as before now abuseth us mocks and scoffs and scandallizeth us like a conceited proud Fool. 6 thly Be ashamed also of thy scornfully upbraiding us with our Womens Meetings as an Idol of our own erecting and asking Why should it not publickly be brought to Light and made as manifest as the Lord Cromwell made the Papists great Idol to wit the Rood of Grace which had goggling Eyes and would smile when a good Gift was offorded to it when he caused it to be brought to Paul's Cross where the People tore it all to pieces in King Henry the 8 ht's time p. 47. Oh thou ungodly Wretch and malicious Informer is this a fit Comparison and Instance to present the Magistrates with against our Christian Religious Charitable and Sober Womens Meetings And dost thou under such an abominable and odious Comparison thus expose them to the Magistrates for their Meetings to be torn to pieces Thou vile Wretch blush and be ashamed of such malicious scornful and defaming Impertinences thus instead of proving thy before-cited Charge to act the malicious reviling and false accusing Informer against God's People then scornfully concludest thy Observation with these words viz. This notable not Scriptural but Anti-scriptural Edict p. 48. Which is a false Conclusion without Premises and a shameful begging the Question wherein thou art an Imposer for not one sentence or word in all that said Paper of our sence and Advice hast thou proved ANTI-SCRIPTVRAL or directly contrary to Scripture as thy terms are p 79. Thou shouldst then have shewn us what Scripture forbids either faithful Womens Assembling or those Religious and Charitable ends and services proposed which their Meetings are intended for I dare challenge thee in this to prove thy charge of Anti-scriptural 7 thly I do affirm thou art so far from making good thy Charge that for all thy Attempts I have still occasion to return the same charge upon thee that we did upon William Rogers which for a pretence thou citest but dost not answer it p. 39. viz. What new and unchristian Doctrines and Practices are we fallen into We find no proof nor discovery thereof in all thy Book I do profess seriously however thou scoffingly callest me a notable serious George I see no cause nor reason thou shewest for the great noise rumble thou makest about outward Laws Prescriptions Orders Edicts or Decrees outward form of Government Apostacy Innovation Impositions Lording over Faith over Conscience c. To which I may add thy terms Womens Charter Grant Confirmation New Order Decretal Order New fashion'd Edict Popes Council Papists great Idol Canonical Rules New spiritual Lords Decrees Canons Edicts of Men Tyrannical proceedings c. whilst thou shewest to us no unjust no unlawful nor uncomely Order or Proceedings amongst us as a People nor yet givest us any Catalogue or Instance of those Impositions Innovations New Doctrines or Practices brought in and received amongst us which are INCONSISTENT with our first Testimony to the Light and Grace of God within and teaching thereof or thereby condemned as Evil or wholly unnecessary in themselves as our words are 8 thly This thou dost not answer but Marvellest that G. Whitehead should have the Confidence thus to call for a Catalogue of New Orders that are introduced among us or rather sayst thou Impudence to deny such things as are every Moneth put in practice among us And therefore sayst thou wilt bring forth Proof and President first the Confirmation of the Foundation of the Womens Meetings namely G. F 's Order by a general Council held at London 1675. To all which I must tell thee thou dost not follow the terms of the Challenge but ramblest impertinently telling us of New Orders such things the Confirmation of the Foundation of the Womens Meetings c. but provest not those things nor one thing practised among us as a People or that first Confirmation as thou falsly callest it to be Inconsistent with or contrary to our first Testimony to the Light and Grace of God within and teachings thereof 'T is not thy making a noise with New Orders Decrees c. shall serve thy turn in this point but I challenge thee to prove that the setting up and encouraging our faithful Womens Meetings are contrary to the Light and Grace of God within and teachings thereof This is matter thou hast undertaken to bring proof and president for This is close to the terms of our Challenge and thou hast but made shuffling slubbering work about it 9 thly Moreover what we propounded in our Paper aforesaid which thou callest The Confirmation by a general Council held at London Anno 1675. and which thou hast instanced for proof of thy Charge of Inconsistency and Violence and consequently as Antichristian was tenderly concluded in these terms viz. All which we recommend to the Evidence of Gods holy Witness in the Hearts of his People Why didst thou not take notice of this Conclusion to have prevented thy false charge of Imposition wherein thou hast contradicted thy Brother William Rogers for he hath divers times assented to and own'd the giving advice and counsel by way of Recommendation distinguishing that from Imposition as his own Books and Words are evidence But thou cryst out Impositions Inconsistency Violence to our first Principles of Vnion on that very same Paper which is concluded by way of Recommendation to the Evidence of Gods holy Witness in the Hearts of his People And to this and other Papers of Advice Judgment c. thou hast opposed Liberty of Conscience and so made void Spiritual Censures contrary to the very Author thou hast printed owned and espoused as being of the same Judgment with thee where he saith pag. 138. part 1. 'T is very fit that wheresoever you will suppose Errors to be sprung up all the means Christ hath appointed for that end should be used to suppress them and reclaim Men from them Let their Mouthes be stopped with sound Doctrine and Spiritual Censures The only Question is about the use of the Temporal Power in such things Principles and Opinions in the Mind were never extinguished by
the punishing the Body Here his Liberty of Conscience pleaded is not from spiritual Censures as thou hast perverted it but from corporal Punishments 10 thly Whereas in our Book Accuser c. pag. 127. we signified that having these things in our Eye viz. The great ends of true Religion and Christian Society a godly Care over one another provoking one another to Love and good Works we can the more easily concur and accord as to Circumstances and outward Methods and in the Wisdom of God so to condescend one to another and accommodate matters as not to divide about them c. Against this thou exceptest in these words viz. p. 96. I marvel that the Author of the Accuser c. which is said to be G. Whitehead should have the Confidence thus to appear in Print when his own Conscience tells him the contrary instancing R. Smith of Colne as not admitted to have his Wife because he would not go into the Womens Meeting The grand Opposer was G. W. It may evidently appear how far G. W. was from Accommodation or Condescention which he fallaciously pretends to the World in order to deceive them to cover their Deceit Hypocrisie and Arbitrary Church-Government Dominion and Lordship c. p. 97. And to aggravate the matter against G. W. in page 129. thou sayst That the pretence of the Author of the Accuser to Condescention and Accommodation is fallacious and false and a meer piece of feigned Hypocrisie to amuse the Reader and delude the World And likewise in pag. 150. thou art smiting at G. W. on the same account Here thou hast brought my name upon the Stage in Print but hast most grosly belyed me and abused me as to my Conscience in saying it tells me the contrary Be ashamed of this thy presumptious bespattering and abusing me in Print for my Conscience tells me I was real in what I proposed in Condescention and Accommodating matters and that I was no deceiver therein as thou proudly slanderest me The Condescention and Accommodation was to those that had the great ends of true Religion Christian care and love one to another in their Eye it was to the upright and tender hearted and not to the exalted hard and wilful And I gave my Christian and tender Advice to the Person who then proposed his Intention in order to convince him of the reasonableness of what I proposed and he shewed no reason against it but remained stiff and pertinacious which I cannot impute to a real tender Conscience the woman was tender and flexible and of a better Spirit Therefore be ashamed of abusing and belying me in Print as for appearing in Print contrary to my Conscience as thou hast shamefully belyed me and so falsly informed the Magistrates against me as about Condescention and Accommodation and divers other things about which I must farther tell thee The condescention of primitive Christians was to them of low degree the strong in bearing with the weak bearing one anothers burthens and so fulfilling the Law of Christ. The Persons unto whom the Condescention was were in a measure of the same faith and love it was not to false Brethren such as thou art or to false Apostles deceitful Workers who caused Divisions c. false Brethren that watched with an evil Eye to such the true Apostle gave not place by subjection no not for an hour What Apostolical condescention was then given to them There was an Apostolical authority and sharpness against such evil Agents of Strife and Division such as thy self that they should be marked as well as a condescention to weak yet upright-hearted Brethren 11 thly In the Certificate printed by thee from Huntington-Meeting to the Quarterly-Meeting in the Isle of Ely about the said R. S. his publishing his Intentions of taking to Wife A. O. of Aldred but grieved some Friends by rejecting their Counsel After some Friends there 's this Parenthesis added viz. Perhaps Richard Jobson and Tobias Hardmeat G. Fox 's two principal Studs in that Country This looks like a scornful Forgery of thy own framing and addition And I find no Advertisement to distinguish or except it as thy own as thou hast done in thy Letter to W. P. about the Copy of Orders Recorded as Your Canon as thou scornfully callest them in the Quarterly verbatim Parenthesis excepted sayst thou p. 139. Remember thou hast confessed That to expose and falsly represent a People would be very wicked and such a Practice is and ever was hated of God good men p. 208. Yet after thou hast promised to recite the said Certificate p. 96. thou hast as before inserted the said scornful Parenthesis viz. Perhaps R. Jobson and T. Hardmeat G. Fox 's two principal Studs in that Country p. 97 98. Unto which thou hast subscribed Jasper Robins Edward Neel William Whitehead James Parris Thomas Bundy Richard Tayler Thomas Bagly Nathaniel Cawthorn Nathaniel Neel Now I am perswaded that these very Persons Jasper Robins and the rest if they come to observe the said scornful Parenthesis inserted in their said Certificate unto which their Names are subscribed as well as the rest of it and that without such Advertisement or Exception as before they 'l look upon it and judge it as thy own Scurrility and gross Forgery and thereupon they may testifie against thee for exposing and falsly representing them in Print to that which is none of theirs and that therefore thou hast done that which is very Wicked a practice that is and ever was hated of God and good Men according to thy own Sentence 12 thly Whereas in thy printed Letter to Friends of our Meeting in London thou sayest That R. R. needed not be admired by G. W. in Print for his great Learning nor perhaps had not only he hath found out some History or Popish Author which sayes there were Deaconesses as well as Deacons which sayst thou was helpful to G. W. in his Preaching and Disputing for Womens Meetings lately in Huntingtonshire and elsewhere c. p. 178. Thou mightest have forborn these and other scornful Detractions cast upon R. R. and my self and upbraiding him with Oh! Profound Learning Logick c. He can easily answer thy Impertinencies and Silliness and evince thy Pride and Conceit in meddling with Learning and Logick which thou hast so little of As for R. R. he is known to be learned both as a Man and a Christian yet not admired by me for any acquired parts though without offence he may be allowed his due in those things without admiration or boasting and therein to be prefered to thy self who neither writest good English nor understandest divers words of Learning thou makest use of improperly and impertinently which I do not mention to detract from and upbraid thee meerly because of such defect in Learning but rather as a Reproof to thy high Conceit and busying thy self so much in Scribling and that about matters beyond thy capacity to mannage or render a Reason to
thus one while calumniatest and revilest and another while flatterest and prayest for the same Person one while judging and condemning the said Person as Antichristian Imposer Innovator c. another while counting him Noble Man A Dear Man c. Thou exclaimest against Religious Societies Excommunicating Condemning a Person as out of the Vnity when it was but that They have no Vnity with him in his SO doing i e. in his irregular Proceeding out of Unity and Order with them in proposing his Intention of Marriage but Once to the Meeting and that in the Womans absence whilst thou thy self art like an exalted Diotrephes yea like a Pope with thy printed Bull Excommunicating Condemning Deriding and Contemning the Servants of Christ by Name in Print as William Penn George Whitehead Stephen Crisp Alex. Parker Thomas Salthouse John Burnyeat c. for proceeding and giving their Christian Advice Sence and Judgment according to their Consciences and inward Perswasions relating to good Order in the Church of Christ. Thus inconsistent art thou conceited proud Scorner and false pretender to Liberty of Conscience who hast given more black Characters and made a worse to speak ad hominem Record even in Print against these and divers other faithful Servants of Christ than only for a Meeting to Record in Manuscript their having No Vnion with a particular Person in his Irregular Proceeding in this or that particular act for thou hast recorded these before mentioned Servants of Christ by name as Antichristian Imposers Innovators c. and compared them to the Popes Council in Print and that in thy Book intended for the Magistrates as by thy Epistle appears pag. 3. Thus inconsistent and contradictory to thy self art thou in thy pretended Plea for Liberty of Conscience whilst thou art Defaming Condemning and Excommunicating many of the Servants of Christ among us for the exercise and testimony of their tender Consciences in their Christian Advice and Admonition which is all one as to seek to stop their Mouthes from preaching exhorting others c. And this is not all thy Inconsistency and Confusion the fruit of thy Malice and Treachery but thou hast presented such a one as Henry North Knight and the Magistrates with such abominable Lyes and Abuses as if like a malicious Informer and Incendiary the Devil and thou designed not only the perpetual Reproach of the People called Quakers but an Aggravation of their Sufferings and Persecutions against whom the chief ground of thy Book also is a gross Slander and great Lye viz. That their way of Compelling and Antichristian way of proceeding to bring to and force an Vniformity Epis. p. 4. And thus raging against our Friends in these terms viz. These Tyrannical Proceedings have been used by our New Spiritual Lords Epis. p. 6. with much more Infamy Slander and Scorn cast upon us in thy Book for which the hand of the Lord will be upon thee Thy Envy and Wickedness is judged of the Lord take heed how thou persistest in it lest he make thee an Example In thy sixth Chapter thou art according to thy wonted course of Malice and Scorn inveighing against our Womens Meetings falsly charging them with usurped Authority unlimited Power and Rule placed in their Meetings by G. F. and others which is a gross abuse and slander Also thou art inveighing against presenting Intentions of Marriage before them by both the Persons p. 118 119. And this is not all the Fruit of thy perverse opposition but in the same Chapter p. 123. after divers Citations thou bringest a comparison or instance of eating Flesh or Fish as being indifferent and free and then addest that These with ALL other outward Works be Things Indifferent and may be used and also left I must tell thee Francis that this Position makes void all Christian-Discipline good Order Church-Government leaving all loose and uncertain And we are sure thou hast here asserted corrupt Doctrine tending to practical Ranterism it self for here thou makest no exception thy assertion is general not only of eating of Flesh and Fish but of ALL other outward works that they be things Indifferent that may be used and also left See now if this be not sordid Ranterism this loose gain-saying Spirit leads into both to thy own contradiction where thou pretendest for Church-Discipline Order and Government as in thy Title page thou seemest to grant were in the Primitive times i. e. among the Primitive Christians as we understand But what Discipline Order or Government in the Church canst thou Conscientiously plead and be consistent with thy Position viz. That all outward Works be things Indifferent c How contrary to the Apostles Doctrine also is this for all good Works which God hath ordained we should walk in these are not indifferent to be used and also left outward works of Righteousness Justice Goodness Charity c. commanded of God are not Indifferent to be used and also left Solemn contracts and engagements in Marriage are not Indifferent Persons may not break solemn Contracts due and orderly Proceedings Men may not leave their Wives when they please as an indifferent thing But this Libertine Spirit that gave out and printed the said Ranters assertion in placing such Indifferency upon ALL outward works or things as that they may be used and also left hath thereby cast off all Bonds Limitations outward Discipline Order and Government of Truth relating to Conversation We have much more in reserve against thy Book which at present I do forbear adding for brevity's sake and refer the Reader to R. Sandiland's single Answer Entituled Righteous Judgment placed upon the Heads of malicious Opposers and persecuting Apostates against thy malicious Book and also to Tho. Elwood's Antidote against the Infection of William Rogers 's Book miscalled The Christian-Quaker c. Your Envy Confusions perverse in-and-out ways and hard Speeches are judged by the Lord and his Hand is against you therein and I question not but God will more signally determine the Controversie against that proud contentious Spirit of Envy Scorn and false Jealousie And Truth lives and shall live and reign over it all CHAP. VIII § 1. Thomas Crisp being joyned with William Rogers as a busie Agent in Division as also his abuse of George Whitehead by part of an old Letter from B. F. The reason of their being linked together in this Treatise B. F. his late Testimony on G. W.'s behalf against T. C. § 2. Notice taken of a few Passages in Thomas Crisp's Pamphlets The reason thereof particularly about Tythes His unsound Proposition His Injustice unto and abuse of John Crook in impertinently quoting his Authority in the case contrary to John's Principle and Testimony § 3. How dis-ingenious Tho. Crisp is in his Authorities and Citatioâ—s about Tythes And how like his Brother John Pennyman against our plain Language Of J. Pennyman's furious roaring Letter against G. F. c. containing the like unjust Reflections with W. R. T. C. c.