be answered They say I did not exhibit to them a Copy of my Charge against them an Indictment they call it they would represent me as a Man setting up a Spiritual Court but my Printed Paper sayes W. Penn and G. Whitehead are justly desired to be present This is no Indictment nor Summons as they falsly call it And for the particulars I intend to prove against them they were expresly mentioned in my Printed Paper called An Advertisement containing Four Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity by them opposed I desired W. Penn to make good his Charge against me in a former Printed Paper which was That I was an Apostate and Impostour endeavouring to pluck up the Testimony of Truth by the roots This he said at a Meeting at Ratcliffe above Fourteen Months ago and while I was peaceably speaking in that Meeting he interrupts me and like a Clap of Thunder falls on me in the midst of my Testimony calls me Apostaâ—e c. I desired him also at the Yearly Meeting of the Quakers at London held 1695. to make good his Charge and I told him If he refused I would put him to prove it in the face of the Nation He justified his calling me Apostate saying He was in no Passion but he was so transported by the Glorious Power of God that he knew not whether he was Standing Sitting or Kneeling And since I have in Print desired him to prove his Charge and now at this Meeting but he declines to appear Ye know the saying Affirmanti incumbit probatio He ought to prove what he has affirmed Quaker H. Goldnay If those that thou didst summon had appeared I do not see thou hadst provided any convenient place for them G. Keith If your Friends had appeared they might have had a place There pointing to a Table and a Bench sâ—t on it opposite to the place where he stood is a place provided for them If you will fetch them they shall have a place or they might have been here with me where I stand Strangers that stood on the Table If they come we will give place to them Quakers N. M. and H. G. We came here to give an account that our Friends think not fit to be here and have given their Reasons for it G. Keith It is a strange thing that thâ—y cannot print a Paper but must have so many Falsities in it They call my Paper a Summons and an Indictment but I meant it not so But to leave that and come to our business The four things which I charge them to be guilty of are these and I appeal to all moderate persons whether my intimation of such a Meeting can be blamed when it is to defend such Points as these Faith in Christ as he outwardly suffered at Jerusalem to our Salvation That is the First Justification and Sanctification by the Blood of Christ outwardly shed That is the Second The Resurrection of the Body that dyeth The Third And Christs coming without us in his glorified Body to judge the Quick and Dead That is the Fourth All which have been contradicted by some of them as W. Penn G. Whitehead c. though these are Fundamental Principles belonging to the common Faith and are generally owned by Christians of all Professions Now if you please I shall proceed to my Proofs Most of my business whether they be here or not is to read my Proofs out of their Books that they are guilty of every one of these Four Errors opposing thereby Four Fundamental Truths The first is The necessity of Faith in Christ as he outwardly suffered for us at Jerusalem This is the first But that this is opposed by them I prove thus The Oâ—ject of Faith is opposed by them and therefore the Faith it self must needs be opposed I hope the consequence is clear enough it needs no Proof The Object of Christian Faith is Christ both God and Man and yet but one Christ But so it is that I offer to prove that G. Whitehead and W. Penn by approving of G. Whiteheads Books has denyed Christ both to be God and Man This is the thing which if I make out I make out my first Point And first I offer to prove that G. Whitehead in a Book of his has denyed Christ to be God and W. Penn has owned this Book The Book is called Light and Life recommended by William Penn in his Reason against Railing p. 186. in Answer to W. Burnet a Baptist Preacher Printed 1668. P. 47. Here he first brings in the Baptists words Says the Baptist Now as he was God he was Co-Creator with the Father and so was before Abraham and had Glory with God before the World was and in this sense came down from Heaven Now here is G. Whiteheads reply What Nonsense and Vnscriptural Language is this To tell of God being Co-Creator wiâ—h the Father or that God had glory with God Does not this imply two Gods and that God had a Father Let the Reader judge I shall read the Baptists words again and see if there be any thing in them offensive to Christian Ears I hope there are not many here but understand what Co signifieth it is with Now see if the words of the Baptist are offensive to Christian Ears As he was God he was Co-Creator with the Father Ye know John saith In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God John 1.1 2. See also Prov. 8. 22,3â— If these words offend any let them speak with all my Heart Quaker N. Mark If I might I desire to have liberty to speak when was the date of the Book Auditors If you will undertake their cause you may speak otherwise not Quaker Pray hear me The Reason why I askt him the date of the Book is because I believe it was a book antiently written and G. Keith did write in Vindication of our Principles and now for him to appear in opposition to our Principles it appears that he has apostatized from our Principles G. Keiâ—h Now let me Answer him I do say if it were my last words I know not that I ever read a line of this book till I came last to England which is about Two Years And if G. Whitehead be wiser since it is very well But then he should have retracted this For this book and some other books of his has leavened the minds of many in America as well as here with Poysonous Errors Stranger A Quaker Then George Keith ought to make a candid and full Retractation of what he has said contrary to Truth before he appeared against them G. Keith I own I have been mistaken in these Men But I hope this Auditory are sufficient Judges of that that if they cannot prove me to hold any Doctrine contrary to my former Principles nor any Unchristian Principle and that they have nothing against me Convâ—rsation they ought not to call me an Apostate I never heard that a Man was
false Accusation and Defamation and I offer to prove it at the said Meeting Fifthly Whereas the Second Days Weekly Meeting of the People called Quakers in Lombard-street London hath approved or Countenanced the above-mentioned Scandalous Books and another late Book from Pensilvania signed by Caleb Pusey falsly called by him A modest Account from Pensilvania of the Principal Differences in a Point of Doctrine c. I charge them to be guilty of great Injustice against me as also of being guilty of the false Accusations Perversions Forgeries and false Doctrines contained in the said Books by their approving the same and allowing them to be publickly sold next Door to their Meeting-place by one of their own Profession If it happen that few or none of the above-mentioned Persons shall be present at the said Meeting being conscious to themselves of the badness of their Cause yet I do hereby declare and publish my full intention to be present God willing with my Friends at the said Place and Time appointed to make good the Charges against them And any moderate and Friendly People of other Professions have freedom to be present so far as there is room in the place to receive them without Crowd or Throng to hear what shall be said and proved in these matters above-mentioned GEORGE KEITH London the 11th day of the Third Month called May 1696. And here I think fit to give a true Account of the Just Cause I have to intimate such a Meeting IN my book called A Seasonable Information and Caveat against a scandalous book of Th. Elwood I made a profer to Th. Elwood to meet him at any Place and Time that he would appoint to prove him guilty of gross Forgery in matters of Fact c. and also of false Doctrine But he did no wise assent to any such proffer nor gave any rational Excuse for his Rufusal pretending he would not give G K. an Opportunity to gratifie the Rabble and disgrace his Profession he yet made of Truth by so publick a discovery of his ungoverned Passions What is this but great hypocrisie And no doubt if he or his Party thought to get any advantage against me such a Publick Appearance either in regard of the Cause or of what he and they call my ungoverned Passions they would greedily embrace it But the reality of the matter is they are not willing their great injustice as well as their insolent carriage and most unruly Passions in clandestine places should be discovered shutting the doors upon all but themselves that none that were equal and impartial Hearers and Observers might be present to be a check to their rude and insolent carriage against me many speaking to me at once which some among themselves reproved at the first Yearly Meeting I appeared among them Thus they seek to murther the Reputation of the Innocent in secret places And instead of assenting to my just proffer he prints another book against me filled with more than double to what was in his former book of Forgeries Perversions False Accusations and Misrepresentations And I having neither time nor ability of outward Estate to print Answers to him and others that heap book upon book against me with no charge to them they having got a way without any charge or cost to them to Print what they please And things being thus I appeal to all moderate persons whether this my intimation of such a Meeting in the defence of the Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity as the necessity of Faith in Christ as he outwardly suffered at Jerusalem to our Salvation Justification and Sanctification by the Blood of Christ outwardly shed the Resurrection of the Body that dyeth and Christs coming without us in his Glorified Body even the same that formerly suffered Death for our sins to Judge the Quick and the Dead All which I offer to prove have been opposed and contradicted by some of them being the common Faith generally and in common professed by Christians in all professions and for the defence of which all sincere Christians are jointly concerned and also in my just vindication both as a man and a Christian be not justifiable and commendable it being the best way I have at present to clear the Truth and my Innocency and discover their great injustice towards me and to Answer the proud and insulting boastings of my Adversaries And whereas in my late Book called A short List of some of the vile and gross Errors of Geo. Whitehead c. I proposed a just demand to William Penn to give me an Opportunity for him to make good his Charge against me at any publick Meeting of the People called Quakers in or about London instead of his assenting to my just Demand there comes forth a Third Book of Tho. Elwood multiplying his gross Forgeries Defamations and Misrepresentations against me and also containing most false and Antichristian Doctrine to the great dishonour of the blessed Name of Christ and the Christian Religion And as if G. W. and W. P. were not alive or not able to Answer for themselves he will needs Answer for them and the said Tho. Elwood puts a most impudent and notorious perversion upon my plain words in my Proposition to W. Penn saying of me as he has worded his Demand he seems to have bespoke a Publick Meeting that he might have done it himself see page 159. and page 160. of his Truth defended As if saith he he wanted such an Opportunity to prove himself an Apostate Let the Reader but read my words in my own Book and at the first sight he will see the Cheat and Forgery Observe Reader my words p. 32. And let him signifie to me the time and place where he will make it to appear I say not when I will that his Charge against me is true May I not well say that ever such a gross and impudent Forgerer Wrester and Perverter of a Mans words should be allowed or permitted to be an Agent Patron or Champion for what they call the Body of the People named Quakers and their Ministry is a sign that they are at a low Ebb when they make use of such Tools as T. E. is whom I can and do offer to prove not only to be guilty of gross Forgeries and Perversions and Antichristian Principles but grosly ignorant in that which he pretends to have knowledge of Humane Learning and who is guilty of Pedantick trifling and quibbling from meer Errors of the Press not so duly corrected yet obvious to any intelligent Reader And to my demanding the like Justice to be done me as some Years ago we demanded of the Baptists against Thomas Hicks he answereth in his last book falsly called Truth defended pag. 158. That betwixt that and this of mine there is in parallel For saith he in that there was a people concerned on each side c. Whereas W. P 's calling G. K. Apostate affects no body that I know of saith T. E. but himself and
judged an Apostate for changing his Opinion of some Men especially when he finds cause so to do Quaker You are fallen from your former Principles G. Keith If you prove me not to have changed in any Fundamental Principle ye ought not to charge me to be an Apostate I know not any Fundamental Principle nor indeed any one Principle of the Christian Faith that I have varied from to this day ever since I came among the Quakers which is about Thirty Three Years ago therefore I ought to be cleared of that Imputation Quaker H. Gâ—ldneâ— began to speak G. Keith Art thou deputed to Answer to what I have Charged them with Stranger They have declined your Meeting and yet several persons it seems are deputed by them to speak Auditors G. Keith go on with your Charge G. Keiâ—h There is another passage in G. Whiteheads book wherein he denies the Divinity of Christ and he deceives the Nation and the Parliament by telling them They own Christ to be both God and Man and believe all that is recorded of him in the Holy Scripture and no wonder he has deceived me In his pag. 24. Light and Life he saith To tell of the word God Co Creator with the Father is all one as to tell of God being Co-Creator with God if the Father be God and this is to make two Gods two Creators c. For God Co-Creator with the Father implyes two Ye see this is positive and he puts this Censure on the Baptists words Thus Nonsense Confusion and Blasphemy is heapt up against the Light within Quaker We tell you that whereas G. Keith hath Printed several Books they have Answered them from time to time and he has left two Books unanswered and whatever he will print to the contrary we will defend our Principles G. Keith They have a Publick Stock I have not they are able to raise some Thousands of Pounds sooner than G. Keith can raise an Hundred Here some Noise being raised in the Meeting by some discontented persons Auditors Let there be a Moderator chosen G. Keith If there be any Offence do not charge it on me I desire you for the Honour of the Nation and of the City of London to be still It is a Mob from Grace-church-street to make a disturbance Then that passage in G. Whiteheads book was read again See here the Son of God his Eternal Generation is denyed If he had a Father then there are two Gods And here is as plain a denying Christ to be God as any Socinian can be guilty of Quaker Nat. Mark The casual dropping of words is no proof G. Keith I have proved to you already he disowns Christ to be God Now I will prove he has denyed him to be Man And then there is that great Article of our Faith lost and the Object of the Christian Faith denyed Here is G. Whiteheads Answer to T. Dansons Synopsis of Quakerism as he calls it p. 18. This is in the book called The Divinity of Christ asserted recommended by W. Penn Reason against Railing p. 185. See how G. Whitehead takes him up and how he banters him If the Body and Soul of the Son of God were both created doth not this render him a Fourth Person c. But the stress I lay is in the words following But herein whether doth not his and their ignorance of the only begotten of the Father plainly appear Where doth the Scripture say that his Soul was created For was not he the brightness of the Fathers glory and the express Image of his Divine Substance But supposing the Soul of Christ was with the Body created in time c. Here ye see he will not own that Christ had a Created Soul Th. Danson being a Presbyterian Minister did plead That Christ as Man had a created Soul This G. W. makes an inconsistency as if he could not be God also This was the Errour of Apollinarius who said Christ was without a Humane Soul for he was the express Image of his Father But supposing the Soul of Christ were created with the Body c. That which I would have you take notice of is this Where does the Scripture say his Soul was created Quaker Waite That was only a Question G. Keith Well it was his way of Disputing as is ordinary to him and many others Anâ— such way of Questioning plainly imperteth a Denyal Next I prove that G. Whitehead says He has not the Body of a Man And then I hope I shall have performed what I promised See his Nature of Christianity p. 29 41. Here I undertake to prove that G. Whitehead denies that Christ in Heaven has any Bodily Existence without us It he has said otherwise in any of his late Printed Books I am glad of it But let him retract these for these have done much mischief Now when I said he was Orthodox I mean not as he was Heterodox For there is a G. Whitehead Orthodox and a G. Whitehead not Orthodox I did not know G. Whitehead not Orthodox till lately I do not say there are two persons in George Whitehead he is but one and the same person in this and some other things Orthodox and not Orthodox George Whitehead contradicting George Whitehead he is accountable for these Contradictions and not I. I own it that I have cited divers passages out of his later books that are Orthodox to prove him sound but I did not then know when I so cited him that he was guilty of such gross Errors as since I have found by a further search into his books Let him retract his Errors and well enjoy his Orthodoxy Ye know contradictory Propositions cannot be both true I shall read to you p. 29 41. of his Nature of Christianity This is posteriour to his former book In Page 29. Or dost thou look for Christ as the Son of Mary to appear outwardly in a Bodily Existence to save thee according to thy words page 30. If thou dost thou mayst look until thy Eâ—es drop out before thou wilt see such an appearance of him This is but one place that is that Christ will not so appear But why will he not so appear but because he has no Bodily Existence without us That I come now to prove for which I shall read to you in his pag. 41. And that he existeth outwardly bodily without us at God's right Hand What Scripture Proof hath he for these Words And then what and where is God's right Hand Is it visiblâ— or invisible within us or without us only And is Christ the Saviour as an outward bodily Existence or Person without us distinct from God and on that Consideration to be worshipped as God yea or nay And where doth the Scripture say he is outwardly and bodily glorified at God's right Hand Do these Days express the Glory that he had with the Father before the World began in which he is now glorified And where doth the Scripture say And here is the
but knows the contrary you know the Substance of the Egg the White and Yolk by the force and heat of the Hen sitting on the Egg is changed into a Chicken Is here any Transubstantiation So that W. Penn and G. Whitehead are guilty of the Doctrine of Transubstantiation and not we and abuse the World with false Philosophy They warn People against G. Keith and his false Philosophy and I appeal to you to Judge whether they have not abused the People with false and vain Philosophy Auditors If you will answer one of these two things you that are a Friend of W. Penn do you have excommunicated G. Keith either answer or justifie it G. Keith If they will appoint a Meeting of Friends to prove me guilty of Error I will never refuse to meet them and here are many Persons of discretion I thank God that has given me that humble Heart that if they bring any Passage out of my Books that is not to be justified I will own my Error and shortness Now if they would do the like it would be well But the matter is here T. Danson says Our want of Infallibility is no Argument against our Ministry G. Whitehead says it is they that want Infallibility are not true Ministers Now I hope I have proved they want Infallibility and therefore by their own Doctrine they are no true Ministers of Christ Therefore I think it necessary to have the Passage read G. Whitehead's Voice of Wisdom pag. 33. Says T. Danson As for our want of Infallibility 't is no valid Plea against our Ministry c. Now here is the Answer His falshood here appears plainly for they that want Infallibility saith G.W. and have not the Spirit of Christ they are out of the Truth and are fallible and their Ministry is not of the Spirit seeing they speak not from the Spirit but from their own Hearts which are deceitful when they want Infallibility Quaker N. Marks I do make my further Appeal to you and if I am either impertinent or defective I beg your Excuse G. Kieth Then thou art not Infallible Quaker You may be ashamed to mention that Quaker N. Marks What I have to offer I submit to you The Person that has denoted me to be W. Penn's Friend has hit right and I own I am not capable to represent him And as you are Professors of Christianity I hope you will not conclude that Philosophy or Logick are any Essentials to Christianity G. Keith Who says it is But is it not sad that their false Philosophy should destroy their Faith and deceive so many People and destroy their Faith Quaker N. Marks I hope you will observe too that the Method taken to make the Proofs has been principally by the Rules of Philosophy and Logick Next I beg the Charity of you to consider how much it is the Right of every Man to give his own Interpretation of all he says and writes Therefore I hope you will not believe all you hear having the Illustrations of an Antagonist Next I would Apologize for the Persons they are not here it may be you are not all of you capable of knowing the Reason of things G. Keith has had his Conversation among us many Years between Twenty and Thirty Years G. Keith Between Thirty and Forty Years Quaker N. Marks Now for as much as these Writings were then extant long ago and he was then intirely passive still and quiet under all these Objections he now makes I hope as we know so you will believe it does not arise altogether from the matter of Fact For I do not think this a good way of proving to take a bit here and a bit there Next I say I hope you will reasonably conclude that we who knew the Circumstances of his Life and his Temper knew his Conversation has been such that we could not own him He stands not charg'd with us on the Account of his Principles I do not know but you will find when you have an Answer to what he has offered that those he charges and paraphrases on will agree with him in Principles nor have we any thing against his Conversation among Men in the World It was his Discontents with particular Persons because he was a little troublesome petulant Man and we could not pacifie him and it was for that Reason chiefly that we did disown him G. Keith A little petulant Man Quaker I would have you note I do not pretend to personate any of the Persons challenged Auditors What is this Discourse for then They are ashamed to come Quaker I am coming to give you a further Reason why they do not meet him We have had several Meetings with him before he was put from us And the Reasons why they did not think fit to meet him now you have heard the Paper gives you an Account of it Now since he is disowned by us and also by them where he lives we do not think our selves obliged to submit to such a peremptory Challenge G. Keith I suppose you cannot think I can answer to every particular because my Memory does not serve me He charges me to take a bit here and a bit there out of their Books I have quoted full Periods at length as all Authors do the Quakers when they refute Books of Adversaries do not use to recite the whole Author they write against Stranger About what you say as to Philosphy Dr. Sherlock says the Salvation of the Soul Depends not on such niceties but for you to charge G. Keith as an Apostate is one of the greatest Charges under Heaven and now for you to say that he differs not from you in Principles is to clear him from that Charge Upon which the People made some Shout G. Keith Pray be quiet and regard the Honour of your Nation Let me put you in mind of one very great falshood He says Here one Wyat or Wait a Quaker interrupted G. K. as they did oft on purpose to divert him from his matter Quaker Wait. There is an Apostacy from the Spirit of Christianity as well as from the Principles Friends have excommunicated him not for his Principles but for going from the Spirit of Meekness Charity c. G. Keith The Tree is known by the Fruits I was like a Lamb among I know not what where there were Two or Three Hundred I had scarce One that sympathized with me at their Yearly Meeting when clandestinely with their Doors shut suffering none that were my Friends to be present they passed false Judgment against me without any Trial A Notorious Falshood he chargeth against me and nothing else only he calls me a little petulant man and he is not a Story above my height He says I am Quaker I observe a Contradiction in G. Keith he said he was not disowned by half the Yearly Meeting and now he says by all G. Keith Let me answer that I say Divers in the Meeting were favourable but W. P.
for comparing the Books of Friends to the Books of the Greek and Latin Fathers p. 99. For further Discovery In comparing says Tho. Ellwood the Books of Friends to the Books of them called the Greek and Latin Fathers he has not done as a Friend and Brother but as an Enemy in supposing Friends Books to have been written by no better guidance nor clearer sight than theirs who lived and writ in those dark times You see how modest they are here Auditors They gave a shout signifying their dislike that the Quakers Books should be preferred so far to the Greek and Latin Fathers next to the days of the Apostles Quaker N. M. It is very well that the whole Paragraph be read that it may give the more satisfaction to the Auditory which was accordingly done T. Ellwood saith He viz. G. K. turns off and says I reflect not only on him but on the late Christian Teachers and Writers who have corrected the Errors and unsound Expressions contain'd in the Books of them called the Greek and Latin Fathers Now hear what he further says In comparing the Books of Friends to the Books of them called Greek and Latin Fathers ut supra Quaker J. Waite I have made few Observations on the whole one or two particular the other are general The first is that he charges G. Whitehead and W. Penn to destroy the Object of Faith Now when he speaks of some Doctrines that were preached by him in 1678 and that he was reproved for saying it was lawful to pray to Jesus Christ he has vindicated W. Penn as to this Point who said he did so Also he has vindicated G. Whitehead saying that He directed not to what either of them could say but what Scripture says and he cites them a clear passage that was then believed by him and I believed by all Quakers The other particular Observation I did note is that the Quakers have not used recite the whole Author they write against and I appeal to you whether G. Keith in the opposition he has made has ever repeated a whole Author These are my particular Observations The general is that what has been casually dropt and I believe there are none concerned on this occasion but I say they may sometimes be apt to drop some Expressions that they will not stand by But to urge these against the whole Party is too hard and is very uncharitable and therefore I hope you will not conclude the whole body concerned in it And G. Keith hath been conversant among us eight and twenty years or more and has preached the Doctrines owned by us and writ many Books that related to fundamental Articles of Faith I believe him that they were owned by the People he was joyned with And at the yearly meeting the charge against him and his expulsion was not matter of Doctrine but Practice which was turbulent And therefore he has apostatized from what he was before from the meekness and integrity that is agreeable to the Doctrine of Christianity Stranger G. Keith I see you are almost spent I will answer for you He says it was the whole body that was against you it was the worse that the Excommunication should be from the whole yearly Meeting without mentioning any thing in particular For a man to apostatize is to apostatize from the whole Faith but for a man to differ with respect to particular things this is not Apostasie G. Keith The words of the Excommunication run thus I am a man of no Christian Spirit I have dismember'd myself from the Church of Christ If they had said from this particular Society it might have passed but they say from the Church of Christ And why Because there is no Church of Christ on Earth but the Quakers and no Representative of them but the Yearly Meeting in Gracechurch-street You see how weak that man's Objections are The Auditory shouted Quaker H. Goldney This man asserts a Lye and then the People are taken with it as if it were a Truth G. Keith If I have spoken amiss I am willing to be brought to a tryal He says I have answer'd many Books wherein I have not recited all the Books I have answer'd It is true and I blame not them for not doing so But they say I only take bits and scraps here and there I say what cause have I to recite G. Whitehead and W. Penn's whole Books to you when they have not done so I think it sufficient to give an account of their sense from full Periods and Paragraphs He says I have already cleared George Whitehead and William Penn from that charge that they have not destroyed the Object of Faith And I say I have proved that they have destroyed the Object of Faith if they have at other times Owned it let them disown and retract their Errors I am not to account for their Contradictions They have Contradicted themselves they have disowned the Object of Faith and if I have charged them with it this is no Contradiction in me but in them Quaker H. Goldney made an interruption while G. K. was speaking as he oft did and gave great offence to the Auditory with his impertinencies and reflections calling G. K. Lyer Impostor Apostate G. Keith The reading of this Paper if ye please shall conclude this Meeting After T. Ellwood came out with his further discovery I made my Complaint to the Monthly Meeting at Bull and Mouth against the Forgeries and false Accusations that his Book was filled with and I begged of them that they would hear my Charge against him but they would not suffer me they said I might print as T. Ellwood did but I said I could not they have a Stock I have not Whereupon I went to some of the Church-Party that favour'd me and told them if I could not get a meeting to hear me my design was to give forth a printed Advertisement of a Meeting to clear myself of these things and they might be present if they would Some of their Party said to me George do not they or some of them would give me a meeting Accordingly they gave me a meeting They took notice of some of Ellwood's Forgeries and Abuses some of them have I hope that Courage that I believe they would not be offended nor afraid if I named them They have said in their Paper T. Ellwood has done me wrong Quaker H. Goldney Let us know their names who they are G. Keith We must use some little Policy as well as ye Some of them are eminent among you Here is a Copy of a Paper containing an account of the matter There were I think nine or ten of them H. Goldney if I should name them would not deny them to be his Brethren Quaker H. Goldney I dare thee to name their names or else thou art a Lyar an Impostor a Cheat I dare say it is a Cheat. And turning to G. K. he said O thou Lyer thou contentious Creature G.
all contained in the Scriptures when they did nothing less And whereas some have Objected to me that since I have acknowledged divers passages in my own Books need correction and have promised to do it I ought to have done that in the first place before I had charged Errors upon others otherwise it would look like the Hyprocrites seeking to pull cut the Mote out of his Neighbours Eye when the Beam is in his own Eye I Answer The things that need Correction in my Books compared with the vile Errors in theirs are but as my Motes to their Beams which I had so far already pulled out of my own Eye that I have freely acknowledged them to many viva voce and have them in readiness to Publish in Print with the first conveniency Nor are they such things as oppose any Christian Principles of Faith but of an inferiour nature And it must be one of these two things that are their greatest hinderances to publish any such Corrections that is either that they are still entangled in those Errors but are not willing it be known fearing lest the present publick avouching of them may bring some Persecution on them or great Infamy and Reproach or if they be in their Consciences convinced of those Errors and so are come to a better understanding of Christian Doctrines and Principles yet their Pride and high Authority that they have gained over their too credulous followers will not suffer them to make any such free acknowledgment but especially because any such free acknowledgment by their own argument and way of reasoning against all other Ministers in all Christian Professions would as much unminister them as others they have unministred on that account viz want of Infallibility or being subject and lyable to Errors and Mistakes in Articles of Christian Faith And this will also not a little stick in the way to be so humbled that they must acknowledge G. Keith has not falsly accused them as they have severely charged him to have done if they confess their former Errors But how much better were a sincere Confession in the case taking shame as due to them and humbling themselves under the power and victory of Truth than a haughty and arrogant standing out to justifie themselves in these things that neither God nor good Men will ever justifie them in And if they continue so bold as to hold such palpable Contradictions as are discovered in their former and latter Books and sometimes in the same Books all ingenuous Persons that know their Contradictions will conclude them not only still guilty of those Errors but great Hypocrites for nâ—ne but stark mad men and crased in their Vnderstandings as they have falsly and injuriously represented me to be will hold perfect Contradictions as such but Hypocrites may so dissemble and juggle with them that are weak so as to make them think these things that are real Contradictions are not so indeed but well consistent Truths It nothing I thank God moves me that they so severely accuse me as they have dâ—ne in their late Printed Pamphlets and Papers that Envy and Malice hath influenced me thus to expose them the Testimony of my Conscience and which is more of that holy witness in my Conscience clearing me of all such imputation is as a Brasen Wall to me against their evil and injurious Aspersions As they cannot prove it to be so by any of my words or deeds so the comfort I have in that inward Peace of Conscience in that discharge of my Duty both to them and to all in the Three Nations to whom this my so publick Appearance I hope will be of service is safeguard enough unto me against their uncharitable constructions And I do freely leave it to all Impartial Judges whether they or I be guilty of this severe Charge and let the Tree be judged by the Fruits Their pretended Excuses for not meeting me as desired at the Place and Time mentioned in my Printed Advertisement are so frivolous and weak that they are scarce worth noticing But however the chiefest of them I Answered on the Place as the following Narrative will certifie Their pretence of their not meeting me for the sake of Religion the Liberty granted us and the Civil Peace is an empty shift and poor evasion Is it contrary to their Religion to dispute their Adversary viva voce Why then did they dispute with the Baptists and mightily provoked them thereunto and that viva vocâ— And not only with them but with many others both at London and in many other Places in the Nation and that before promiscuous and mixt Auditories as they commonly call the World excepting their own Party whom they call The Elect People of God And why did W. Penn give such a daring Challenge to Thomas Hicks Reason against Railing p. 184. and complain against him in these words I must needs tell the World the base Cowardice of this Adversary in hand for we have offered him a free Meeting with his Books in our hands proffering to refute them viva voce before the World but instead thereof or any other way as several have been tendered he disingenuously slinks away and puts us off by meer Shifts and Evasions And let the Reader judge if W. Penn has not shown great Cowardice and his Party charged by not appearing at all whereas T. Hicks at least once appeared But why should such a Dispute viva voce be construed to be against the Liberty granted us and the Civil Peace more now than then when at that time those in Civil Authority were more severe whereas now they are very propitious And why should Disputes viva voce be more offensive to Civil Peace than Disputes in Print I believe they can give no Reason And it is altogether incredible that my undertaking the Vindication of the Fundamental Principles of the Christian Faith professed by the present Authority against such manifest Opposers of it as I have proved my Opponents to be can be construed by the Authority to be any breach of the Civil Peace especially when I had procured the Leave of the Lord Mayor of London for such an undertaking whereof my Opponents were not ignorant Their upbraiding me with vain speculations not telling what those are showeth their great impertinency But such who are but a little acquainted with the Religious Differences betwixt them and me may easily guess what they mean by my vain speculations even the Fundamental Truths of the Christian Faith and other solid and sound Articles of Doctrine thereunto belonging And if these be not they I dare them to name what my vain Speculations are whereof they accuse me But to be sure the plain and manifest Proofs I have brought out of their Books against the greatest Truths of Christianity demonstrate their Speculations not only to be Vain but Pernicious and Pestiferous Their Hypocrisie is manifest in making what they call my Passionate and Abusive Behaviour an Excuse for not
himself but justly neither is G. K. of any People now so far as I can understand Now Reader consider and judge by this Taste in the End of his Cask what sort of Liquor fills the whole W. P 's calling G. K. Apostate affects no body that he knows of but himself If this were true as it is most false is it not most unjust Reasoning G. K. is but one and the charge of Apostate affects no body but himself therefore he must not have Right done to him nor must his complaint be heard of his being wronged Hath not every single person as real and true Right to Justice as a great number Otherwise he must Justify all the Persecutions and Murthers that have been acted upon single persons who have had none perhaps to own them but God alone But T. E. knoweth that G. K. has Wife and Children that are affected with this unjust charge of W. P. tending to the exposing of them to ruin and want If so be either W. P. or T. E. could beget an universal perswasion in people that his Charge is true but that T. E. saith the Charge affects me justly is his begging the Question which neither he nor any else can prove for they cannot prove that I am declined in the least from any Principles or Practices of Christianity that I formerly professed But that without any change of Principles from what I formerly professed ever since I was owned by the people called Quakers I understand better some places of Scripture and that God has been pleased of late Years further to enlighten me and enable me more clearly to conceive and more distinctly and safely to hold forth the same Principles of my Faith formerly received by me is no sign of my Apostacy but of my growth in the Truth and in the knowledge of it And whereas there is one thing they mightily aggravate against me and think they have catch'd me in a great Contradiction that some time ago I had an Opinion of G. Whitehead and W. Penn and some others as being men of sound Principles and of late I have charged them to the contrary But to this I Answer This is no contradiction in Principle or matter of Doctrine the most it argueth is that I have been mistaken in these men but I never heard that a mistake only in mens persons was ever made a Badge or Character of Apostacy But they have no advantage against me in respect of the change of my Opinion of these men but I have the same advantage against them for they have as much changed their Opinion of me as I have of them And what change of Opinion I have had of them is occasioned by themselves in their late cloaking and excusing vile Errors which at last by a more diligent search into their books than formerly I made I found them guilty of But whereas T. E. saith G. K. is of no people now so far as he can understand I value not what he understands in the case I was then and now am a Member of Christs body which is his Church that is not limited to this or that particular Society nor was I ever so strait in my Charity to think none the people of God but them called Quakers And notwithstanding their Bull of Excommunication against me from a prevailing Party or Faction in the last Yearly Meeting I have been since well owned and my Testimony well received at a considerable number of Meetings within not many miles from London and many of them owned to be Friends and members of the same body whereof he professeth himself a member And if it were necessary I could easily bring a proof that some owned as his fellow-members do own me more than they own him And it is well known that these Abuses I have met with from T. E. and W. P. and the prevailing Faction in the last Yearly Meeting have affected many honest and Conscientious People called Quakers in divers places and have been a great scandal and offence to them However to take away all pretence of Excuse from T. E. and stop his mouth in the Case he may see where a Meeting of People have publickly owned me and my Christian Testimony in their printed Treatise called A Seasonable Testimony and these did own me then as now and have disowned the unchristian and false Excommunication given forth against me by that called The Yearly Meeting 1695. that gave themselves no particular designation of people nor mentioned any particular Meeting-Place where they met only Signed by a Raw Young Man that serveth for his Salary and dared not but Sign what they enjoyned him for fear of losing his hire G. K. THE Proceedings at TVRNERS-HALL BETWEEN G. KEITH and Other QVAKERS AT the Opening of the Meeting when G. K. stood up to make some Introductory Speech to give an Account of the Occasion of the Meeting Henry Goldney with some other Quakers of W. Pens Party came with a Printed Paper giving some Reasons why W. Pen and Geo. Whitehead did not appear which he desired might be read It was readily granted and the Reasons why W. Penn and G. Whitehead did not appear were read by G. Keith G. Keith Now if ye think it has not been well read let another read it if you think fit And I offer to Answer to every one of the Reasons if you desire it The Auditory No it is needless G. Keith This is their design to divert us in our Business The Reasons are so slender that I hope every Judicious Person here can answer them If I am such an angry person as they represent me I shall lay my self the more open and they shall have the greater Advantage You know well enough that they would be glad of any Advantage against me And then for any Offence to Authority as they suggest I have the Lord Mayors leave and he has sent his Marshal to preserve the Peace and therefore there can be nothing in that Their Paper rather reflects upon Authority the Authority of the Worthy Mayor of this Famous City to whom I went as I thought it was my Duty to desire leave for this Meeting which he thought fit to consent to and has sent his Marshal to keep the Peace And I would have you to take Notice now that they viz. W. P. and G. W. own those Books of Thomas Elwoods c. that are out against me that I knew not before I went to G. Whitehead and desired to know whether he owned a former Book of Thomas Elwood writ against me He said he would neither own it nor disown it And this is enough at present to Answer this Paper I hope in God the Lord shall preserve me which has been my Prayer on my Knees this Morning and many other times that I might give no occasion of Reproach to his Name or Truth and that Religion may not be scandalized by any thing I shall speak or act and I hope my Prayers shall
this 1. I tell you I am here accidentally 2. I observe that G. Keith takes the Liberty of putting his own Interpretation on the Passages of several Books and since G. K. has departed from the Quakers he has taken on him to write several Books which are extant and over and over he makes his Appeal to this Assembly which I desire you to consider how improper and impracticable it is to decide it here Therefore what he purposed to urge here if he will print it and proceed no further in this Meeting I will be at the Charge of whatever he shall print G. Keith I say If he would lay me down five hundred Pounds I would not break up this Meeting till it is over Stranger He will pay for it i. e. N. Marks G. Keith But it is upon Terms Quaker Began to speak thus they oft sought to interrupt him to divert the Proofs G. Keith Thou knowest thou art not so qualified to speak in this Auditory Let me go on with my Proofs I prove further that G. Whitehead writing against one Jo. Horn reflects on him scornfully he calls his Book the He-goats Horn broken Now see whether G. Whitehead has not broken his own Horn rather It is a Shame the Reflections they have made on Men sounder than themselves Let me read the Words The He-goats Horn broken or Innocency c. in answer to two Books against the Quakers Printed London 1660. Now if I understand any thing of true Divinity or Theology the Passage this Man or Men for there are two of them lays down here is a sound Passage which G. Whitehead contradicts Now here is the Passage and do you judg of it And where we lay down this as Tho. Moor's Principle That their Nature is restored in Christ and that their Nature is a filthy Nature This they say is falsly expressed and perverted and yet J. H. and T. M. a little after say thus viz. That our Nature Kind or Being as in us not in Christ is corrupt and filthy in it self yet Christ took upon him our Nature not as it is filthy in us by Sin in it And they say That we might as well have taxed the Apostle of Confusion for saying Men by Nature do the things contained in the Law p. 11 12. Now here is G. Whitehead's Answer We may justly tax these Men for Confusion indeed but not the Apostle for here they cannot discern between the sinful Nature and the pure Nature for the Nature of Christ is pure so that it 's not their Nature for their Nature is filthy and therefore it is not in Christ Observe Christ did not take upon him Jo. Horn's Nature No says he As I have oft told G. Whitehead that he and W. Penn will needs imbrace false Notions in Philosophy they will needs seem to be Philosophers by Divine Inspiration as well as Ministers and Preachers by it But it is a sad thing that their false Philosophy should destroy their Faith Now here is a false Notion that Christ could not take on him Man's Nature except he took on him the Pollution of it As if the Pollution of Sin were an essential Attribute of Man's Nature Now Sin if it be like Scarlet is no more essential to the Nature of Man than Filth to a Garment for a Garment is the same Garment still whether it be filthy or clean Therefore I say our blessed Lord might well take on him our Nature and the Nature in us be sinful and in him pure and holy And Jo. Horn distinguishes so Now judg ye whether G. Whitehead has broken Jo. Horn's Horn yea or no or rather whether has he not broken his own Horn Thus I have done as to the Object of Faith at present at least Now I come to the Act of Faith or the Vertue of Faith See for the Proofs William Penn his Quakerism a new Nick-name for old Christianity p. 12. Printed Anno 1672. This Book is without the Printer's Name and most of W. Penn's Books are without it tho they persecuted William Bradford in Philadelphia for printing some of my Books without putting his Name Here is the Point Jo. Faldo makes this Charge against the Quakers p. 12. Christianity was introduced by preaching the promised Messiah and pointing at his humane Person but Quakerism by preaching a Light within Now if I had this to answer I would have said Any Quakerism I know of that I learned was introduced into my Heart both by believing in Christ without and in Christ within at once and by one Faith but instead of that he answers thus I answer That this is nothing injurious to the Quakers at all but highly on their side for had they preach'd a Christ now coming in the Flesh they had dented his true and only great visible Appearance at Jerusalem which all true Quakâ—rs own Since tâ—en they believe that Appearance but therefore need not preach whâ—t is not to be again And that the whole Christian World besides have so long aâ—d lazily depended on it without their thirsting after his inward holy Appearance in the Conscience c. This is the thing I come to Since then they believe that Appearance but therefore need not preach what is not to be again if every one of them believe there was such a Man that was born of a Virgin and died for our Sins sixteen hundred Years ago they therefore need not preach that he was so born or that he died for our Sins c. Christ is not to be born again is not to die again c. We need not preach it but throw it over the Shoulder and give it up and bury it in Oblivion from Posterity Judg if this â—e not the true Consequence Let them retract these Errors and not say I am an Apostate for telling them of them As I told G. Whitehead there are Errors in thy Books as well as others and either thou or I must correct them and he was very angry with me Lâ—t them retract them and not count me a Liar for telling them of them But let me again râ—ad out the entire Paragraph Since then they believe that Appearance but therefore need not preach what is not to be again There it clinches they need not preach what is not to be again Take notice also of his uncharitable dealing here if he had said many it might have past But he says the whole Christian World has lazily depended on it Is there none in the Christian World but the Quakers that thirst after the Power of God in their Souls I was never so uncharitable to think so There is more yet p. 6. The Distinction between Moral and Christian The making holy Life legal I know none that do so of any that are sincere in all the Professions in Christendon and Faâ—th in the History of Christ's outward Manifestation has been a deadly Poison these latter Ages have been infected with to the Destruction of Godâ—y Living and apostatizing
of those Churches c. Another Proof I bring against W. Penn is out of his Address to Protestants p. 119. printed 1692. the second Edition corrected and enlarged But this Passage remains in it however I will begin a little before the main thing For it seems p. 118. a most unreasonable thing that Faith in God and in keeping his Commands should be no part of the Christian Religion But if a part it be as upon serious Reflection who dare deny it then those before â—nd since Christ's time who never had the external Law and have done the things contained in the Law their Consciences not accusing nor Hearts condemning but excusing them before God are in some degree concerned in the Character of a true Christian for Christ himself preached and kept his Father's Commandments and came to fulfil and not destroy the Law and that not only in his own Person but that the Righteousness of the Law might also be fulfilled in us Now comes the main thing Let us but soberly consider what Christ is and we shall the better know whether Moral Men are to be reckon'd Christians What is Christ but Meekness Justice Mercy Patience Charity and Vertue in Perfection Can we then deny a meek Man to be a Christian a just a merciful a patient a charitable and vertuous Man to be like Christ But in this way of arguing there is a Fallacy these Moral Vertues are a Part of a Christian as Animal is a part of the Definition of a Man and belong to the Genus of a Christian But there are two things in the true Definition of a Man the Genus and the Differentia they have the Genus but not the Differentia therefore it is true to say every Man is an Animal but it is not true nor good Logick to say every Animal is a Man Let us but soberly consider saith William Penn what Christ is what is Christ but Meekness and Justice and Mercy and Patience And now take notice I would not misconstrue what I have read by William Penn's Argument a Man may be own'd to be a Christian and yet disbelieve that Christ is either God or Man if he own or practise a Habit or Quality of Moral Vertue as that of Justice and Meekness c. and practise accordingly tho he believe not in Christ if he have but some Moral Habits So that here the Jew is the Christian the Mahometan is the Christian the Pagan is the Christian and the professed Pelagian is the Christian tho they deny any inward supernatural Principle and call the Light within only natural as many sober and moral Men do why then have they so fiercely contended against such Men denying them to be Christians in whom as much of Moraâ—ity has appeared as in many of tâ—em But it is strange to heathenise all Christendom through calling them the World and christianise Heathens for their Morality See again the Christian Quaker p. 125 126 127. let me but recommend it to you to read the Book This Christian Quaker it is a Folio Book he bestows about three Pages to define what a Christian Quaker is In all this large Deâ—â—nition not one word of the Man Christ who is God over all blessed for ever to be the Object either of this Christian Quaker's Faith Love or Homage it is too large to reciâ—e but I recommend it to you to read it and shall go to the next Again see the Preface to R. Barclay's great Volume p. 36. where he makes the Work of Regeneration greater than the Manifestation of the Son of God in the Flesh R. Barclay is my Country-man I will not be partial to him on that account but I do not now blame any thing in his Book I know he is the soundest Writer among them But the thing I blame is a Preface supposed to be writ by W. Penn and however commended by G. Whitehead and some others By the Stile it is thought to be W. Penn's and it commonly goes under his Name These are the Words O Reader great is the Mystery of Godliness And if the Apostle said it of the Manifestation of the Son of God in tâ—e Flesh if that be a Mystery and if a Mystery it is not to be spelt out but by the Revelation of the Spirit how much more is the Work of Regeneration a Mystery that is wholly inward and spiritual in its Operation Who is sufficient for these things Now pray take notice that I tell you I cast no Reflection on R. Barclay I blame nothing at present in his Books tho there may be things both in his Books and mine that may need Correction If there be any Reflection on him it is chiefly this that such an unsound Preface should be put to his Book for I can sufficiently prove that R. Barclay's Doctrine is plainly Antipodes to this Doctrine O Reader great is the Mystery of Godliness for which is cited 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the Mâ—stery of Godliness God manifest in the Flesh c. which all Christendom judg to be God manifest in Christ's outward Body of Flesh and but consequentially of his Spirit and Grace in Men and I think it 's the greatest Mystery next to that of the Holy Three in One and One in Three the Manifestation of the Son of God in that Body of Flesh is next to that Now you see how he makes Regeneration in a Believer a greater Mystery than the Manifestation of the Son of God in his Body of Flesh How much more saith he is the Work of Regeneration a Mystery For the other here 1 Tim. 3. â—6 he does not say it is a Mystery but he puts three ifs to it If a Mâ—stery c. Pray was our blessed Lord a mere Shell Was he like the Shell of an Egg without the Meat of an Egg or was he like the Shell of any Fruit and no Kernel in it Was there any Holiness ever in any Prophet or Apostle but it is like a Drop to the Ocean to what was in â—ur blessed Lord Therefore to compare the Work of Regeneration to the Incarnation of our Lord so as to equal it he prefers it and does not equal it only I appeal to you whether is it not a most abominable Error and whether it doth not make every regenerate Man not only equal to the Man Christ but greater for we truly value any Man as more holy according as the Manifestation of God is more in one Man than in another It is not enough to say he has unadvisedly dropt this Doctrine but it is his main Aim in divers of his Books See W. Penn's Rejoinder p. 330 337 340. where he makes Christ in the Gentiles a greater Mystery than Christ incarnate p. 335. J. Faldo is now in his Grave and I confess I never thought I should be raised up to vindicate J. Faldo I cannot say I ever read the fourth Part of this Book of W. Penn's called his Rejoinder till within this
and G. W. over-ruled them and influenced them against me with Prejudice and some they over-awed and frighted There was a Person that came to me and told me he would rather suffer his Life to be taken from him or his Right Hand to be cut off before he would sign a sentence against me And some others that were not free to consent to them did purposely absent and this I told them in their yearly Meeting that there was such a person that had so spoke to me that day they asked me who it was I told them I desired to be excused in not telling his Name that was not convenient After I was gone they called over the Roll one by one and the poor man seeing it coming to him says You need go no further I am the Man now what is this but to set up something like the Spanish Inquisition And there is one viz. T. E. hath applyed that passage in Scripture Master is it I but the question there was Is it thou And tho I had cause to think that divers then present did not in Conscience consent to their false Judgment but thought it too severe as some has since acknowledged yet I did not know as to the last Meeting that of all them that were present that I had one that Sympathized with me they were all silent and were-over awed by G. Whitehead and W. Penn's Party And this poor man above-mentioned has come to me since and disowned that false Judgment and declared to me before two Witnesses he did not joyn with them in it He says I am disowned by them where I live I suppose he means the Scots do I Live among them this is a notorious falshood Stranger All this is very impertinent to the business in hand G. Keith I happened to drop an Expression in Pensilvania finding the same Errors there I have now mentioned in their Books here that no Protestant Society would suffer such Errors as these no not the Church of Rome it self my words were that no Protestant Society would Tolerate them They began with me There was an universal neglect among them of Preaching Christ Crucified and concerning Faith in him Preaching only the Light within and Christ within Whereupon a little while after I began to Preach this and they stood up against me and charged me with new Doctrine and one appealed to the Monthly Meeting whether they ever heard of such Doctrine Preached in the Quakers Meetings directing them to Faith in Christ without us I answered The more shame and it was now full time to begin if it was never Preached in the Quakers Meetings before But that to witness against Error and sharply to reprove it is no Argument of Apostazy I have most effectual Proofs from the Quakers themselves Ed. Burrough's says It is no breach of the Peace to witness against Error Truths Princip G. Fox says He was moved by the Lord to testifie against False Teachers that deceive the People with false Doctrine Now if they be guilty of these things I say I am not to be blamed to withstand their false Doctrine They say I began first to Print which is true but they sent out their defaming manuscripts against me to England Barbadoes Maryland before I Printed a line against them What is the last Remedy against oppression Why Printing Therefore I began G. Fox p. 15. Some of the Principles of the Elect People of God called Quakers I hope this one Testimony of G. Fox will clear me that I am not guilty of the breach of the Peace in the Church for opposing their Doctrines Some Principles of the Elect People of God signed by G. Fox Says G. Fox Moved of the Lord written from the Spirit of the Lord for the cleansing of the Land of all false Teachers Seducers and Deceivers and witches who beguile the People and Inchanters and Diviners and Forgerers and Hirelings and which is for the good of the People Now was this man of a Turbulent Spirit What work did G. Fox and G. Whitehead make What breach upon breach did they make on all other Professions whereof they had been formerly as Church of England Presbyterian Baptists Do not mistake me I Reverence Divine Providence that I became a Quaker But if I had known they had had such Errors among them I would as soon have put my Head in the fire as have owned such among them But I am of the same Faith as I have been above this thirty years Quaker It has been here asserted that he has been a Quaker above thirty years and he has Vindicated their Doctrine he is a Studious man and our Books have been publick always now for him to come now and call over all Books that he has by not opposing consented to it looks as if he had Apostatized from what he formerly held Auditor Did he ever write against these Principles he now holds Quaker He has constantly Vindicated our Principles G. Keith Whereas they say I have not taken notice of their Errors I say I can appeal to W. Penn and G. Whitehead that in the year 1678. three Ministers of London rose up against me and I opposed their Errors at that very time Auditor What Ministers were they G. Keith They were Quakers They accused me of three Principles in my Book called The way cast up The first was That Christs body rose out of the Grave They said it never did 2. That I said It was Lawful to Pray to Jesus Christ Crucified They denied it and dared me to give an Instance of one English Quaker that I ever heard Pray to Christ Whereupon W. Penn said I am an English-man and a Quaker and I own I have oft Prayed to Christ Jesus even him that was Crucified And they answered He is not an Antient Friend of the Ministery and G. Whitehead a man Antient in the Ministery told them there were forty or fifty present It is neither what W. Penn nor what G. Keith says but let Scripture decide it and he took the Bible and oponed it and Read 1 Cor. 1.2 To all that call upon the Lord Jesus Christ both their Lord and Ours Their answer was Paul was dark and ignorant as G. Keith is For our part we know better Quaker Will you say this and not mention their Names G. Keith I will not do it it is not convenient there is one of them a Citizen of very good repute and therefore it will be better to conceal his Name Auditor Go on to the last head Quaker H. Goldney you ought to name his name particularly if thou dost not thou art an Impostor Auditor He has done enough G. Keith I think it not convenient we must use a little Policy as well as you Jo. Delawall Published a Manuscript against me wherein he charges me with Heresy for saying The Light within was not sufficient without something else and that something else was Christ without us Now they say there
I have a Paper that some persons concerned in this Challenge have sent that they desire may be read Which was consented to G. Keith The truth is I could be almost content to go away and say nothing to it there is so little of value in it They say I began with them but they began with me in Pensylvania I was doing my duty in preaching Christ without and Christ within they charged me with preaching two Christs I went to some of them about it but they took their part against me I laid it before the Ministry at the Yearly meeting they also took their part Now you know he that affirms on him lies the business of proving W. Pen when I was opening a place of Scripture he charges me with being an Apostate and Impostor Here he charges me with being an Apostate I say to him it belongs to make his charge good but he goes away At the Yearly meeting I put it to him to make it good I do not doubt but this meeting will sound through the Nation They urge me to Printing I say again I have not either Estate or Time to print Book upon Book And tho' I have not answer'd the said two Books why may not I say as they do They are not worth answering As for example There is a Book called The Snake in the Grass I would not vindicate all things in it but they have been urged to answer it their Answer is it is not worth answering This man that prints this half-sheet says it cannot be supposed that G. Keith can answer eighteen sheets of Paper in a Meeting Why can it be â—upposed But G. Fox can answer an hundred sheets of Paper in a few Pages He has answer'd Books of ten or twelve sheets in a few lines And as for their upbraiding my Friends for not bearing the charge of Printing my Books they that own me here are not many of them rich and I would not put them to it But now there is the thing the Controversie is whether the rich Church or the poorer Church be the Ch. of Christ G. Keith's is the poor Church and theirs is the rich Church and I am not asham'd of my Poverty seeing I have not done any dishonest thing I have weaken'd my Estate by printing what I have printed already there is a Printer here that can own I have paid near forty pounds to him for Printing Now they upbraid me for my Poverty Their Church is the true Church because the rich Church and ours the false Church because the poor Church Quaker N. Marks You should hear one side but with one Ear and leave the other free for the other side G. Keith I am perswaded the Reasons given in the Paper read at the beginning were no just Reason for their not appearing But though some comparisons are odious yet give me leave to make a comparison May a Malefactor make this excuse You shall not call me before a Justice without my consent If a man rob me I may complain of him as a Robber and without his consent call him to account but here is a strange thing injuring men may not be called to account without their consent it will trespass against the Law and intrenches upon liberty of Conscience I was advised to go before the Lord Mayor of London and I did and told him I hoped it would give no offence to Authority for the things I was concerned in were the common Doctrines of Christianity if there be any Tumult says I it shall not be on my side And the Lord Mayor was pleased to consent to it Now their printed Paper seems to reflect on the publick Authority and not what I have done And thus the Meeting peaceably ended between the second and third hour in the Afternoon Note If any of my Adversaries object That divers of these Proofs here brought were brought formerly in my Book against W. Penn and G. W. call'd A short List of the vile and gross Errors which T. Ellwood hath replied to in his printed Book called Truth defended I answer I know not any one of them that he has sufficiently answer'd unto to give the least Satiâ—faction to any sound Christian his Answers being meerly Evasions and Perversions as I should have shown if he had appear'd But beside there are many new Proofs here brought beside the former which I am well satisfied they can never truly answer but by a sincere and free Confession of their gross Errors and a hearty retracting and relinquishing them And if any that were present at that Meeting or may happen to read this printed Account with the proofs brought out of their Books in full Periods and Paragraphs as often as there was any occasion are desirous to see the Books and to read the Proofs in the said Books that were then brought or any others that may be brought I freely offer them that are sober and impartial persons to let them have the free sight and view of them leisurely to read and consider them if they please to call at my House And I the rather make this Offer because divers of these Books are not easily to be had not being in the hands of many And because I had not time enough to read divers other great Proofs that I had being hinder'd with the impertinent Digressions of those that interposed whom we had no just Cause to hear pretending no Deputation from the persons they spoke for and therefore only were permitted by Favour to shew their Impertinencies I therefore think fit to add some other few very considerable Proofs out of these mens Books and perhaps one or two out of Books approved and commended by them and some few more of W. Penn's and George Whitehead's Self-Contradictions AN APPENDIX CONTAINING Some other Considerable Passages for Proofs out of these Mens Books relating to the foregoing Heads and some few more of W. Penn's and G. Whitehead's Self-Contradictions which were design'd to have been read at the Meeting at Turners-Hall 11th of the Month call'd June 1696. but for the Diversions made could not then be read IN George Whitehead's Book called The Divinity of Christ he hath this most unsound and scandalous passage concerning Christ how a Sacrifice and his Blood In his Answer to T. Danson's Synopsis of Quakerism p. 70. first he sets down the words of John Owen thus The Sacrifice denotes his Human Nature whence God is said to purchase his Church with His own Blood Acts 20.28 for He offer'd Himself through the eternal Spirit there was the Matter of the Sacrifice which was the Human Nature of Christ Soul and Body His Soul was made an Offering for Sin Isa 53.10 His Death had the Nature of a Sacrifice Against these sound words of John Owen he quarrels and contradicts thus Answ These passages are but darkly and confusedly expressâ—d as also we do not read in Scripture that the Blood of God by which he purchas'd his Church is ever call'd
of all people on the face of the Earth many of the Preachers and Writers among the Quakers that I know of have been most guilty in this thing and doubled this guiltiness in fathering these sinful Words and their sinful Passion on the Spirit of God as W. Penn did when he called me Apostate and Impostor for defending Christian Doctrine common to all Christendom saying He was transported by the Glorious Power of God For my own part wherein I have at any time either in word or Writ exceeded in giving any uncharitable Names to any or in any uncharitable practise or behaviour I declare I am sorry for it and have begged and do beg God's forgiveness for it for his dear Son's sake and also the forgiveness of any whom I have at any time justly offended in Words or behaviour and I bless God who has taught me more patience by the late Exercises I have gone through of the strife of Tongues and I hope I can in measure say that I witness that place of Scripture fulfilled That tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and this I have divers times acknowledged to my late Adversaries who have made ill use of it against me but I never knew they made any such acknowledgment to any I am sure never to me whom they have most unworthily abused both by Word and Pen. And now before I have quite done with William Penn let me put him in mind of his Promise That he would answer me in the face of the Nation for I think I have made good my word that I have put him to prove his Charge against me that I am an Apostate in the face of the Nation and let him not put off this Work that belongs to himself to any Deputy or busy Intruder as Th. Elwood or John Pennington who have already sufficiently shewn their folly in print but let him perform his Promise by himself and also remind his words in his Christian Quaker pag. 1. who saith I was not willing that any should answer for my faults if any there were and if innocent I osteemed my self both sufficient and obliged to my own relief Some of Tho. Elwood his Vile and Gross Errors truly collected out of his Book falsly called Truth Defended I Shall pass by at present his many Forgeries and Perversions and Abuses against me in this his last Book and his two former Books to the first of which I have answered in print having collected out of his two last Abusive Books above an hundred manifest Perversions Forgeries and Falsities he hath heaped up against me which I have in readiness to shew and which I keep by me for a reserve until I find an occasion to publish them either by print or otherwise therefore I shall only now make an Index of some of his Vile and Gross Errors contained in his last Book called Truth Defended 1. The Blood that came out of Christ's Side its shedding was not done to compleat the Offering because before that Christ said Consummatum est it is finished p. 99. Note this is as much against his Death for before his Death he said it is finished 2. He justifies George Whithead's Doctrine and Words denying that the material Blood of the Beasts were Types of Christ's material Blood and yet fallaciously seems to own it p. 106. 3. He justifies W Penn's Doctrine saying The one Seed cannot be an outward thing for one outward thing cannot be the proper sign of another outward thing p. 113. 4. He denieth that the gift of the Divine Grace or Power within is the real Purchase of Christ's Obedience unto death arguing That if so that would not be the free Gift of God p. 121. This is contrary to Rom. 5.15 Eph. 1.14 and 4.7 8 compared with Psal 68.18 5. He blames me for saying Christ's Body is the same in substance it was on Earth p. 129. now if not the same in substance then that Body he had on Earth is not in being or he must hold the Doctrine of Transubstantiation in that case 6. He denieth that Christ came by Generation of and from the Properties of Man in Mary p. 136. and in so doing he must deny him to be the Son of David and Abraham 7. He perverteth the Apostle's Creed in that Clause Conceived of the Holy Ghost p. 138. by which he infers that Christ came not by Generation of and from the Properties of Man in Mary and in so doing he makes the Holy Ghost to be the material Cause of that Generation as if that Holy Thing conceived were of the Substance of the Holy Ghost whereas the Holy Ghost was the efficient Cause thereof but not the material Cause 8. His false way of reasoning against the Man Christ's being created from my reasoning if not created therefore not Man by retorting if created therefore not God and in this he chargeth me to be deeply drenched into Socinianism but this is his ignorance This is as foolish as to argue A. B. is no English Man therefore is no Man whereas it is good arguing A. B. is no Man therefore no English Man the Socinian Error is not that Christ is a Creature but that he is a meer Creature viz. only Man and not both God and Man p. 139. 9. His blaming me to make light of the work of Generation in comparison of Christ's Incarnation therefore according to him Regeneration is greater than Christ's Incarnation Oh great Blasphemy pag. 155. 10. His saying That the Author of Regeneration is Christ chiefly as he is manifested inwardly in the heart p. 152. This is as absurd as to say The Beams of the Sun that descend on the Earth are the chief cause of the Earth's fruitfulness and not the Sun it self that is in the Firmament My answer to John Pennington's Book falsly called An Apostate Exposed In his said Book he brings no matter against me either as to Doctrine or Life but sets down some Citations out of my Books and the Doctrine in all these Citations I own But that I thought it had been the Doctrine of the Quakers in general and of George Whithead and William Penn in particular in that I own my mistake but this is no contradiction or proof of my Apostacy for I did not positively say they had no Errors but according to the best of my knowledge they had no Errors this is no contradiction for Contradictions according to that true Maxim are secundum idem ad idem eodem loco tempore ratione But he hath not so much either Logick or common Sense to understand that this is no contradiction or what a true Contradiction is as neither his quondam Tutor Tho. Elwood hath As concerning Caleb Pusey his Book falsly called His Modest Account I have a full Answer to it in readiness but there is no present need of its publication But let it be noticed that my Adversaries have owned it as having unity with it and no doubt it was approved by
Quakers Books that seemed to me unsound but in an Excess of Charity I did construe them to be better meant than worded and that they had rather unwarily slipped from them than that they were the Expressions of their unsound Mind until that of late I had found them to justify the same and the like unsound Words in my Adversaries in Pensilvania and to hate and excommunicate me for telling them of them * And by this same Argument they need not preach his Example of holy Life nor the Example of the holy Lives of the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles nor the Creation of the World nor any of God's gracious Providences towards his Church and People in former Ages they all being past and Persons not to live again in Mortal Bodies But why do the Quakers labour to keep up the the Remembrance of their deceased Friends and their Works and Sayings and collect them in Print for Posterity Is not the keeping in Memory the Birth Life Death and Resurrection c. of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ infinitely of more Value to be remembred and what is the way to have it remembred according to God's ordinary manner of working if not by preaching O what great Blindness and Ignorance is this of W. Penns * See his and my Answer to the Students in Aberdeer called Quakerism confirmed in the Collection of his Works called Truth triumphant pag. 627. Prop. 3. we say That the same Seed and Life is in us which was in him viz. the Man Christ and is in him in the Fulness as Water in the Spring and in us as the Stream As the natural Life is in all the Members but more principally in the Head and Heart without any Division so this spiritual Life and Nature is both in Christ our Head and in us by which he dwelleth in us as the Spirit of Man doth in the Body Again p. 628. Prop. 10. As for the Satisfaction of Chritst without us we own it against the Socinians c. And pag. 629. The Doctrines of the Incarnation Sufferings Death and Resurrection of Christ c. are necessary every where to be preached See the Places at more length than which nothing can be more contradictory than W. Penn's Doctrine as will appear in divers Places in this Treatise from his own Words faithfully quoted out of his Books ‖ This Writer is J. Reuclinus de verbo mirifico lib. 3. cap. 2. Gal. 3.16 ‖ But is not the Serpent or Devil without Men as well as within many Men (a) See W. Penn's Rejoynder pag. 284. And G. W. Light and Life p. 44. (b) See his Book pag. 35. called The Capital Principles (c) It is no more Nonsense than many good Christian Teachers have used to expound and open the Types of the Old Testament and to shew how they directed to Christ the Antitype yea divers Quakers Preach the Types as directing to Christ and his Spirit within And G. Fox used much to Preach upon the Types of the Old Testament as the Booths they made at the Feast of Tabernacles and the Lamps in the Temple and the Snuffers how they had a Spiritual signification And shall any Christian say that none of these Types signified Christ without but only Christ within (d) See for this in the Church-History of Socrates Scholasticus lib. 2. c. 7. and c. 25. (e) Note The Meeting was for most part orderly and attentive if any little Disorder happened it was by occasion of W. Pen's Party and particularly by Henry Goldney that threw printed Papers among the People in the Meeting on purpose to make a Disturbance but what Disturbance happened it was soon ended by the Care and Diligence of the Marshal sent by the Lord Mayor to prevent any Disorders (f) Note here two Gods of one Kind and Nature by his absurd Logick and false Philosophy one that worketh another that is wrought Oh gross Darkness and Ignorance in G. Whitehead (g) The Saints are partakers of the Divine Nature and so are they of the Holy Ghost is therefore the Holy Ghost a Work or Effect wrought in us This is to comfound the Creator with the Creature and is a Divinity more fit for Bedlam than any sober Society of People (h) And in Egypt we hear that Chickens are bred of Eggs simply by heat without the Hen. (i) N. Marks doth not profess himself to be Infallible being not of the Ministry But whence is it that the Laicks should own themselves Fallible and the Minâ—stry Infallible But at last it is come to this that some of the Ministry are Fallible also but such Principal Ministers as G. W. are not (a) Tho some in Scotland being influenced with their false reports have seemed to disown me yet others have not and some of them have writ kindly to me and owned me (a) Arthur Cook a Preacher and Justice of Peace in Pensilvania (b) Too high a Title for such who are quilty of such gross Errors (c) The third was 〈◊〉 they blamed me for saying the best Saints had need to come alwaâ—s to God by the 〈◊〉 â—or the Man Christ Jesus they said They could come to God withâ—ut him and this 〈◊〉 of Doctrine is to be found in W. Shewen's Book a Quaker greatly owned by them Treatise of Thoughts see pag. 37.38 (a) And I was cleared by a publick Writ signed by the Deputy Governor C. Markham and the Counsel in Philadelphia which I have to show See the Nature of Ch. pag. 29. * The real Quaker A real Protestant Nature of Christian p. 29 * G. Keith doth not charge it on the whole but only on the Guilty and such as cloak and excuse them * Note They told me It was sufficient to name a Few of Many to prove T. E. guilty of wronging me in his Books Let the Quotations be read out of R. B's Anarc * There is not mentioned any Day Month or Year wherein the yearly Meeting at Philad was held (a) Note W. Penn as is proved hath said We need not preach it the necessary consequence whereof is They need not believe it (b) So nor have they answer'd my Book Gross Error and Hypocrisie detected nor my Book against Samuel Jennings So here are Two for Two But I think I have effectually answer'd them here as to the main and so I hope will many others judge (c) I call it not G. Keith's Church otherwise than as related to them as one of them as I call the other their Church N. Mark 's Church i. e. to which he is related but he did well to own his Fallibility seeing he gave so great a Proof of it not long ago by severely accusing a poor innocent Maid-servant of his of Theft whose Innocency soon after was manifest to him * Called the Christian Faith