Independent Baptist c. As ye are distinguished by several Denominations differing Doctrinally from one another and each reputing the other Erroneous in those things wherein they differ otherwise surely they would not have divided would ye that Men should do so to yo For is there not the same ground in Equity and Reason for me to oppose an Errour in you as for you in me And that the like liberty of openly impugning and refuting those supposed Errours held by the other and that in their open Meetings too every Party might justly expect and use Would this please you to have your Religious Assemblies made Stages of Debate and Contention Consider it Man by Man Society by Society Or would it not disturb the Peace of every Christian Society as well as hazard the Civil Peace of the Nation It would almost tempt one to conclude if the Doctrine of Revolutions were as probable an Hypothesis as G. K. hath represented it to be that the Soul of Erostratus were come again in this Incendiary VII His Endeavours to excite the Civil Authority against us G. K. And it would be a commendable and praise-worthy thing for the Civil Authority to Encourage such a Practice throughout the Nation Now lest you should want Encouragement he would fain instruct the Civil Authority what their Duty is in this Case Which if he by that Term mean the King and Parliament I query Is he so fond to think they will disannul a Law of so good a tendency to humour his Spleen But if by the Civil Authority he means the Magistrates Constituted by the King for the due Administration of the Laws can he imagine that they will to please him give Direction or Encouragement for the Breach of an Established Act of Parliament and thereby lay themselves open to the Lash of the Law who are appointed for and set in place to see to the due Execution of the Law What a Child doth this Man make of himself by talking after so foolish a manner VIII His high Opinion of himself in setting up for Directer both of Church and State in Methods to be used for the Preservation of the True Protestant Religion G. K. Surely such a Practice as this as it is no ways inconsistent with the Civil Peace and Liberty of Conscience granted to Dissenting Protestants would be more Effectual to preserve the True Protestant Religion in these Three Nations than all the severe ways in former Times used against them of Fines Imprisonments c. This shews him very Opinionative of himself and as I have already observed is directly Contradictory to the Liberty given as any Rational Man whose Eyes are not blinded by Prejudice as are G. K's may easily see let him say what he will But as Conceited as he is of his own Abilities our Wise Senate exceed him I hope and as they by Experience had found that Fines and Imprisonments were no proper Methods for the Preservation of the True Protestant Religion so have dissented from him in their Judgments about Disturbing of Meetings by publick Opposition else why did they impose the aforementioned Penalty upon the Disturbers of them For I believe Experience hath already in part and will daily still more and more demonstrate that it is not only a more effectual Means for Preserving the True Protestant Religion in these Three Nations but also for Uniting the Hearts of the King's Subjects in Love and Peace than any other rougher Methods But in the mean time what a Presumptuous Man is this thus to oppose his own single Fancy to the Mature Judgment of the whole Body of our Legislators as well as Idle in proposing the setting Protestants together by the Ears and Baiting one another in their publick Meetings yea and therein to be encouraged by the Civil Authority as an effectual way to preserve the True Protestant Religien The likeliest way one would think to make many turn either Papists or Atheists And as such I cannot but take notice of it and truly I think 't is worthy of yours also IX His Malice against our Books G. K. And though it is far from me to desire the least Sufferings to come on these Mens Persons or Estates yet if such a Zeal were raised in them bearing Authority in this Nation to give Order that all such Books of them called Quakers as can readily be found as great store of such there are that contain such vile and abominable Errours to the Dishonour of the worthy Name of Christ and the Christian Religion and the great danger of many Souls be diligently searched and examined by the most Pious and Judicious Persons in the Nation and after due search and examination be found guilty that by publick Authority all such Books may be suppressed and witnessed against We are not at all beholden to G. K. for his favourable pretences of not desiring to bring Sufferings on our Persons or Estates for both he and we know 't is a thing beyond his Power and therefore 't is prudence not to shew his Teeth unless he could bite But were it in his power I should be loth to trust him for all what he says above since he who hath so great a Spleen against our Books cannot be supposed to have an over-great tenderness for our Persons and Estates The Papists beginning with Wickliff's Books proceeded at length to Burn his Bones though Forty Years after Besides if he would have Authority believe our Books are Blasphemous and Heretical as he represents them he is either grosly insincere in pretending it is far from him to desire the least Sufferings to come upon our Persons or Estates or else very ignorant of the Law in such Cases which deeply affects both Persons and Estates by Imprisonments Fines and Pillory besides the Common Hangman's Execution of the Books Which is much like as if he should Charge us before Authority with being Thieves Robbers or Traytors and yet at the same time fawningly tell us the same Story already mentioned viz. It is far from me to desire the least Sufferings to come on these Mens Persons or Estates though the natural Consequence thereof if judicially proved would be an incurring the Penalties of both Life and Estate Surely he would not be so dealt with for any of his former Books which the Learned of the Church of England and Dissenters too may deem as obnoxious as any of ours and have never yet been retracted by him But perhaps one reason why he is so earnest to have our Books suppressed may be because then those wrote against him would be effectually answered and save him that pains besides an Expectation of never hearing any more from us in Print which hath been already so much to his Mortification Supposing 't is like that if our Books be suppressed we shall likewise be hindred from publishing any more and then he may Scribble without Controul as he did in Pennsilvania Now to you who are the most Pious and Judicious
way 't was carried on than it can possibly be in the Method into which he would divert it thereby to ease himself of a heavy Load which lies weightily upon his Back and which he would fain shift off from his own Shoulders upon yours If you like it take it but I think ye had better take Solomon's Caution Prov. 26.17 and leave the Quarrel to be ended by him who began it This leads me to the Fourth Head viz. IV. His Itch to have you Dance after his Pipe viz. Challenge Disputes with the Quakers G. K. Would it not therefore be a most equal reasonable and commendable Practice for any Persons of true Piety and solid Learning moved with the Zeal of God's Glory and Love of Truth and with a holy Indignation against those vile Errours that are publickly avouched by some leading Men amongst the Quakers as appeareth both by their former and latter Printed Books openly and publickly to call them forth to a publick Hearing Here instead of an ignorant scandalous Ministry whiâ—h he once would have fastned on some of you as instanced already or of open and declared Enemies to the Holy Spirit c. which he Chargeth generally he changeth his Terms to true Piety and solid Learning But to what end I pray but to excite you to be as turbulent as himself as if he thought much that he should be the only turbulent Man Turners Hall is his Stage of Contention there he began this Method He pleads want of Time and Ability to Write and Print But in promoting his Work he would have you find both Time in Writing and Disputing and Ability in Printing Place indeed he doth not impose upon you but if you please 't is like he 'l spare you his own Cock-pit You shall not want Flattery to provoke you to Dispute any more than you did Taunts to provoke you to Print yet perhaps if you come not forth at his Whistle you may be paid off with your former Epithets and pass with him for neither truly Pious nor solidly Learned that if his restlesness can but bring you out his disturbed Mind may get some case by having Company But how much such Actions will tend to the promoting the Civil Peace or rather how much they may tend to raise Discord and Heart-burnings amongst the King's Subjects time only would determine though Judicious Men may foresee Yet seeing he has Invited you to this Work and that upon the score of its being most equal and reasonable it may be worth your while to consider whether it would not be most equal and reasonable for you in the first place to begin with him by calling him forth to a publick Hearing upon those former Books of his in which he maintained and defended those Doctrines which he now calls gross and vile Errours in ours and see if ye can bring him to either defend his former Tenents or openly and particularly retract them V. His pretended tender Compassion to the Souls of People highly insincere G. K. And with a tender Compassion to the Souls of so many Thousands in this Nation that are in danger to perish by the Infection of these Errours Can you think this Man sincere in his Pretensions What tender Compassion had he of the Souls of these many Thousands when he could promote if ever the Quakers did so these very Errours he now pretends us guilty of recommend many of these Books as Orthodox formerly which he now represents as Erroneous He tells us in the Advertisement of his Meeting at Turners-Hall thus What change of Opinion I have had of them is occasioned by themselves in their late cloaking and excusing vile Errours which at last by a more diligent search into their Books than formerly I made I found them guilty of Now I appeal to you who are studious Can you think that G. K. who was all along a studious Man would be concerned in a Controversie jointly with G. Whitehead and W. Penn and not make a diligent search into the Books appertaining to that Controversie Was he not concerned in the Controversie between T. Hicks and the Quakers and were not the Books stiled The Christian Quaker and Reason against Railing part of them Would G. K. think you vindicate W. Penn in his Controversie with J. Faldo as he hath done in his Serious Appeal Printed but in 1692. and never make a diligent search into Quakerism a new Nick-name for old Christianity or The Rejoinder to John Faldo Lastly Would G. K. write a Postscript to G. Whitehead's Nature of Christianity in Answer to R. Gordon and yet not duly consider the Matter therein contained but rest satisfied with an overly Reading it As he pretends in the Marginal Note of The Exact Narrative p. 17. Yet these are some of the Books he lately found fault with at Turners-Hall And yet this Man will not own he is changed no not in any one Principle of the Christian Faith these 33 Years I would only query Whether these things are Credible or any ways reconcileable How then can he be sâ—â—â—… in his pretended tender Compassion to the so many Thousands of Souls in this Nation Since it plainly appears 't is Prejudice against us and not real Conviction that formerly both he and we for there we must be joined together let him say what he will now held such vile Errours as of late he hath invidiously Charged upon us is the Moving Cause of his thus bestirring himself against us VI. The Irregularity of his Proposal of Disturbing our Meetings contrary to Law G. K. Or if they continue to justifie them to refute them openly in the Face of their own Meetings and in the presence of them that do so much admire and follow them And thus to serve them as they have served others and with what Measure they have met to others the same to meet to them again If the Name of an Incendiary do not belong to this Man I must confess I am to seek whom to apply it to The Government have been favourably pleased to pity our former Sufferings to deliver us from those Caterpillars the Informers by putting a stop to those severe Laws which set them to work and not only so but farther have prohibited the offering us any disturbance in the Exercise of our Religion under the Penalty of Twenty Pounds Forfeiture by the Delinquent Yet G. K. would fain have you not only disturb our peaceable Meetings but also incur the Penalties of the Statute in that Case made and provided Is he not much your Friend in the mean time I beseech you And would not you be well set on work I pray to obey his Directions Yet before we part let me put you in mind of another Text that brought by him of meeting to others as they meet to them being left with God to whom Vengeance belongs Rom. 12.19 viz. Mat. 7.12 And consider O ye several sorts of Professors of the Protestant Religion whether Prelatical Presbyterian
Persons on whom G. K. would impose this Task I say with him search and examine our Books with a good will for to that end they were published We conceal them not they are exposed to open sale We fear not such as you reading them for we know you can never put on G. K's Spectacles while you remain Pious and Judicious and therefore from you we mistrust not any Damage likely to accrue to us or our Books by the perusal of them Nor do we fear the partial and inconsiderate for if they should shake Hands with G. K. wrest and pervert as much as Partiality and blind Zeal can instigate them to yet that God whom we serve is able and I question not but will raise up some in true Zeal to detect their Abuses Yet let them withal consider such kind of Work hath been done long since with small Credit to the Persons concerned therein or Damage either to the Persons misrepresented but much Benefit to our Profession in having thereby an opportunity put into our Hands of vindicating our Holy Religion from the unworthy Reflections cast upon it Therefore as I am satisfied no Pious or Judicious Persons will concern themselves in taking part with this Contentious Man so I shall not endeavour to disswade others if they like their Captain let them obey his Word of Command But since he proposes to have this done by Order from Authority I would wish all Protestants to weigh well the tendency of such a President by considering how far such a Project might have reached in the last Reign had it been as industriously instilled into them and they stood long enough to have been strong enough towards the suppressing of all Protestant Books X. The Case between our Books and his Pennsilvania Books as stated by him far different G. K. I may freely say these Men would have no just Cause to complain that their Books should be so dealt with for they have done the like to Books that have opposed their gross Errors witness a parcel of Books writ by me some Four Years ago that came to London from Pennsilvania opposing the gross Errours of some called Quakers in that Province which were designed to have been sold in single Books and dispersed through City and Countrey for a general Service But the Quakers here at London gave Large Money to the Man that had them that they might get them all into their Hands on purpose to suppress them And good reason too for though he had began a difference in Pennsilvania we were in Peace and Unity here and he at that time pretended to be in Unity with us and that his whole Quarrel lay against those beyond Sea Therefore lest his quarrelsome Books should infect some with the same Spirit of Discord here as his quarrelsome Discourses and Behaviour had infected some there I think it was but common Prudence to hide the Bone of Contention which he lad prepared to throw in amongst us And as a Community or Society of People amongst whom he then pretended a Membership I think we had Right and Title to such an Authority over his said Books since they were published without the Approbation of those with whom we had Fellowship with an apparent Deugn to leven a Faction for himself against the time when he should think fit to Commence Sect-master of a New Society Whereas we neither in our Doâ—trinal nor Controversial Books ever pretended to be of the same Church with those whose Principles we opposed thereby to raise Intestine Divisions amongst them but openly declared our selves Antagonists and thereby whatever of their Church Members we by our Arguments could prevail with to Embrace our Principles were brought over to us by a fair plain-dealing Method Therefore they had not the like pretence of Authority over our Books as we had over those of his Besides his Books were fairly bought and paid for and by what I perceive by his own Concession a great deal more given for them than they were really worth for I conceive the best use they deserve to be put to is to supply the Tobacconists and Pastry-Cooks Shops not to say the Bog-houses with waste Paper But now he hath actually set up his Standard against us is turned our open Adversary and as such disowned by us let him Print what he please he need not fear being served so now for we know better how to employ our Money than to Buy up whole Impressions of his Contentious Books he being likely to do us less Mischief now he is a declared Enemy though he should Scribble ten times as much as he does than he was while a pretended Friend Yet if he can perswade the Civil Magistrates or you either to Buy up our Books as he alledges we served him by his let it be done and welcome and I question not but the Printers will say Welcome too but there is not a word of Buying ours in his Proposal no he seems to be for a general Seizure of them as if they were Prohibited Goods by reason of the pretended false Doctrines in them therefore his Comparison will not hold between our Buying his and his proposed Seizure of ours Neither doth be consider surely that his former Books wrote while amongst us and in Unity with us come under the same Predicament with ours if his Project takes for if ever ours contained vile Errours and Heresies so likewise and much more have those of his notwithstanding his 33 Years Constancy in the True Faith he pretends to Thus have I endeavoured to blow away the Smoke which this angry Man hath raised to blind your Eyes who methinks cannot but see 't is Enmity and not Piety that sets him to Work himself having taken Pains to Decipher it in very legible Characters easily distinguishable by such as he applies himself to viz. Men of Learning Judgment and Piety As well as that it is not his deference to you that makes him fawn upon you now whom he once gave a far different Character of but the low Ebb his bad Cause has brought him to which makes him crave your help at a dead lift And so with you I shall leave it to your perusal and consideration I submit it hoping you will not account it Presumption in me who am but a young Man of mean Parts and meaner Learning to direct my unpolished Lines to so many eminently Learned and of great Parts But rather that ye will Attribute it to the Zeal I bear to the Profession I am under in which I was educated and what is more to which my Judgment and Conscience lead me to adhere as being perswaded it comes nearer up to Primitive Christianity than any other and which G. K. after so many Years continuing in it and so many Books writ in Defence of it hath notoriously traduced and slandered Edward Penington FINIS