composing of it in thy N. Rom. Arr. p. 10. And didst thou find the Date of 1665 on the said Letters or didst thou give it or who did Answer truly We may not be imposed upon by thy various uncertain Accounts or Equivocations in this Matter 5. Which of you have the Original Letter of J. A's And which of you are able to make it appear by comparing of Haâ—ds to be his as printed by thee as thou sayest p. 32. Which of you are so expert in his Hand that you can make it so appear ex certa scientia I greatly question it I am sure that John Audland believed in and confessed the true Christ of God according to Scripture as is fully proved in his Works cited in my Just Enquiry p. 26 27 28 29. and that he esteemed G. F. no otherwise than eminently Instrumental in Christ for his own and others help and comfort 6. What Blasphemy and Idolatry canst thou prove against W. P. and others in their Book Judas and Jews and in excusing Josiah Coa's Letter Thy proofless Clamours will not do to bear us down nor thy hideous out-cry and clamour that never greater Blasphemies were spoke by Man than by Fox For shame leave these thy Malicious Calumnies 7. What Blasphemy and Idolatry provest thou against John Blackling's Testimony that G. F. was blessed with honour above above many Brethren Were there not Elders worthy of double Honour And is not that Honour Eternal which God gives and is from above and wherewith he Honours them that Honour him 8. And that his Life Reigns i. e. the Life that G. F. partook of Is not Christ the Life of all his true Believers and Followers 9. His tender Words in the Lords Love were my Sâ—â—â—'s Nourishment If these were J. B's Words what Blasphemy or Idolatry was in them as believing G. F. Instrumental in the Lord's Love for his Souls Comfort Did not Paul say I have fed thee with Milk and not with strong Meat 1 Cor. 3. 2. And did not Christ's Ministers comfort the otints who were in Trouble by the Comfort where with they themselves were comforted of God 2 Cor. 1. 4. Were these Blasphemous or Idolatrous supposest thou F. Bugg Oh how filthy Loud and Clamourous art thou in thy Charges and how poor faint dull and short in thy proof Fr. Bugg's Third Charge against the Quakers That they deny the Scriptures by speaking contemptously of them c. Their Contemptuous Expressions of the Holy Scripture their contempt of the Holy Scriptures p. 32 33. We utterly deny these his Charges as both Calumnious and directly contrary to our Principles His Allegations are fully answered in these our Three Treatises viz. A Charitable Essay A Just Enquiry and Innocency Triumphâ—nt But he is so tenacious to his own Opinion and so Implacable that he 'll receive no Answer but repeat and impose his old worn Reproachful Stuff over and over again I am sure our Friends Books alledged by him if impartially viewed will clear them in this Case from either Denying or Contemning the Holy Scriptures And even that of News coming out of the North so often objected doth in divers parts of it clear the point both by the numerous Quotations of the Scripture in the Margents as also where it s therein said the Lord hath spoken by his former Prophets and what The Scripture And p. 8 Christ Jesus the Substance of the Prophets Ibid. The Testimonies of the Prophets of God and Apostles of Christ against false Prophets and the Works of the World owned And p. 12 13. The Scriptures and Saints Conditions and the Words spoken by the Prophets Christ and his Apostles owned And in Eternal Substantial Truths p. 17. The Life and power of God gave forth the Scriptures he saith Now could this be any Contempt of Holy Scripture No but the Contrary And where do the Quakers say that to preach out of them i. e. the Holy Scriptures is Conjuration There may be true Preaching out of the Holy Scripture by the Spirit of Truth and there is false Preaching by perverting the Holy Scriptures Bugg's own instance which is against them that study to raise a Living thing out of the Dead to raise the Spirit out of the Letter are Conjurers and Diviners their teaching not being from the mouth of the Lord p. 34. This is no proof of his general Charge that to preach out of the Holy Scriptures is Conjuration Quer. Where proves he these Words His Observation is also false That the Quakers call the Holy Scriptures Death Dust and Serpents Meat This is a foul perversion seeing they esteem the Holy Doctrine to be the Holy Scripture which he also has granted and agreed to And our distinguishing between the outward Writing or Books and the Holy Doctrine therein contained and between the Letter and the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 6 7. This was no Juggle nor any Contempt of Holy Scripture as falsly suggested p. 33 36. The Holy Scriptures mentioned amongst those Writings which I. P. did bring to the Exchange And to this F. B. saith Surely they could not burn the Holy Spirit and that it seems they can call the Bible the Holy Scriptures for a Wicked Design p. 36. This is impertinent as well as Malicious for the Holy Scriptures therein mentioned was with the respect to the Doctrine therein contained for I must tell F. B. that it would shew Contempt to Holy Scripture even to the Holy Doctrine contained in the Bible if a Person should voluntarily offer to burn the Bible it self as the King of Judah did Jeremiah's Roll Jer. 36. though he could not â—urn the Word of the Lord. But to say the Bible or Books made up of Paper and Characters will decay and turn to Dust but the Holy Doctrine Word and Spirit from whence it came will endure This is no Contempt of Holy Scripture nor yet to the Bible His Saying G. W. holdly imposes upon the World that though they call the Scripture Dust c. yet they do not call the Holy Scripture so The first part he falsly imposeth upon me as he doth on the Quakers Not only that they call the Holy Scriptures Dust Death Serpents Meat Beastly Ware c. which is a horrible Calumny but also that they do not believe the Doctrine and Precepts recorded in Scripture to be either Blessed or Holy p. 38 39 Thus he imposeth his horrid and gross Lies against us upon the World as also that the Quakers never did beg Pardon of God for Christ's sake and that they do prefer their own Books Papers and Epistles before the Scriptures p. 40. These like the rest are gross Lies and contrary to our Testimonies extant in Print as in divers of our Books we positively declare That we prefer the Holy Scripture above all other Books extant in the World and also declare that we are truly thankful to God for preserving to us the outward Writings Scriptures or Books commonly called the Bible as in
THE Counterfeit Convert A SCANDAL TO CHRISTIANITY AND His unjustly opposing Quakerism to Christianity justly reprehended AND THE True Christ and Holy Scripures Confessed by the QUAKERS In opposition to Two Scandalous Books falsly styled I. Quakerism Withering and Christianity Reviving II. Animadversions on G. Whitehead's Book Innocency Triumphant Obad. 3. The Pride of thine Heart hath deceived thee Rom. 1. 31. Without natural Affection Implacable Unmerciful LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holloway-Lane Shoreditch 1694. AN EPISTLE TO THE Impartial READER I Do hereby sincerely and in good Conscience declare that 't is not for Controversy's sake nor in love thereto that I am so much engaged therein a Peaceable and Amicable Conversation towards all Men and their Quiet Behaviour though of different Perswasions being far more desirable and acceptable to me Nor am I the beginner of these Controversies or Contentions being wholly defensive in my Concern therein but for the living Truth and an Innocent Peoples sake to remove those gross Aspersions which are cast upon both chiefly by Contentious Apostate Adversaries which are of the most disingenuous and malicious who are more skilful in Perverting and Aspersing than Disputing their Pamphlets being stuft with Reviling and Railery not with Argument And if I did not really believe a necessity laid upon me in point of Conscience towards God and love to his People to discover and oppose their foul Abuses bitter Aspersions and gross Calumnies they might rail on against my self and others till wearied and out of Breath and the Fire of their own Envy consume them But the Controversie is not Personal only but the Holy Truth is concerned our Christian Faith and Religion is concerned our Holy Profession is concerned And these furious Adversaries will needs concern and would fain incense the Civil Government with their invective Pamphlets against us to render uâ— as highly obnoxious to the same as they can And therefore we have been the more under a necessity to detect oppose and obviate their malicious Designs that our Innocency may not unjustly lye under such Clouds of Infamy and Scandals as they unjustly cast upon us As Fra. Bugg endeavoured to incense the House of Commons against the People called Quakers with a Malicious Pamphlet to interrupt our Endeavours for Relief of the said People in the Case of Oaths therein most falsly charging the said People with Denying Jesus of Nazareth Contempt of Governours Christ's Ministers and Magistrates Scripture c. Having before in his late Book stiled New Rom. Arraign'd termed Twelve of us Perjured Persons for our Negative Testimony against his so charging the Quakers with Denying Jesus of Nazareth c. and thereupon acting his Mock-Trial forging our Answers and Erecting the form of a Pillory and thereby scandalizing divers Citiâ—ens of good Repute and Credit as Perâ—ured Persons thereby affecting not only â—heir Christian but Civil Reputations â—randing the said People and their Miniâ—â—ers with these Characters viz. New â—ome Rome's Sister the Papists their â—rethren and with following the Steps of the Jesuits and withal terming one of their Ministers one of her chief Cardinals i. e. New Rome's and consequently this is no better than to render the said People Papists in a high degree Now let the Impartial and Judicious judge First Whether his unjust Attempts herein and his thus misrepresenting us do not greatly tenâ— to lessen and injure the Protestant Interest and consequently to gratifie the Papists Secondly Ana is not this a plain Contradiction to the Government which has been pleased legally to recognize us as Dissenting Protestants Thirdly And what Ingenuity Honesty or Prudence hath F. Bugg or his Abettors shewn in thus representing a Body of Protestant Subjects as New Rome Papists c. What a New Româ— under the English Protestant Government Strange Reflection Fourthly And whether F. B's thus contradicting the Government 's recognizing us by Law as Dissenting Protestants by his thus defaming us as New Rome Rome's Sister Papists Brethren c. be not Seditious in the Natuâ—â— and Tendency thereof as tending to stir 〈◊〉 Discord and Strise amongst Protestant Subjects and consequently to weaken the Interest of King and People Let the Prudent and Impartial judge Fifthly F. B's rendring our Declaration to the King and Parliament for the Divine Authority of the Holy Scripture as inserted in the Act of Exemption Deceitful on our part and to serve a turn in his New Rome Arraign'd p. 40 42. This is to go about to invalidate and destroy a principal Condition of our present Liberty And is not this to Confront and Oppose the Governments acceptance of our said Declaration All which with many more misrepresentations and Calumnies against us in F. Bugg's Pamphlets greatly bespeak his Deadly Malice Revengeful and Unchristian Spirit which we hope no Rational Impartial or moderate Man will Countenance or Encourage To be sure such malicious Treatment must needs be odious to all true Christians and Merciful Men. And seeing I could not with all my late and earnest Endeavours obtain a Meeting for a free and fair Debate with Fra. Bugg when lately in London about the Controversie he has begun and published between us I acquainted his Two Ministers viz. William Smithies of Cripplegate Parish London and Isaac Archer of Milden-hall in Suffolk where he lives with these and other his Abuses and Misrepresentations aforesaid against us to try if they would put a stop to his farther proceeding therein shewing them by Letters wherein his Abuse and Calumnies against us would affect them he having the Reputation of a Convert and his writing against us approbation among some of the Clergy by his own Confession But his last Pamphlet being in the Press before my Letters to them I suppose they had not opportunity to prevent or stop that However it will concern them for the future to stop his Malicious Attempts otherwise I am perswaded his work will not be to their Credit or Reputation But the more to the contrary if they do not stop and lay him aside and provide better Tools to work withal if minded fairly to Controvert Matters with us or otherwise to let us live quietly and on all hands to endeavour for Charity one towards another as much as we can And seeing F. B. has presumed to dedicate his last Pamphlet stiled Quakerism Withering to the Bishop of Glocester falsly charging the Teachers of the Quakers therein with Damnable Heresies even Denying the Lord that bought them And yet as one both uncertain and doubtful in his evil Attempts against us proposes this Offer and Submission to the said Bishop in these Words viz. I therefore do most humbly offer what I have wrote to your Lordship's perusal and shall most willingly submit to your Censure the Matters therein contained And if for want of Judgment in the Matters controverted I have wronged the Quakers I shall most willingly retract and make them publick reparation Hereupon I and another Friend
Michael Russel John Harwood John Danson John Stringfellow William Paul Fra. Etteridge Benj. Bealing THE Counterfeit Convert A SCANDAL TO CHRISTIANITY TO introduce the ensuing Reflections on F. Bugg's said Pamphlet I think it expedient to give a brief Account of our late sincere and earnest Endeavours for a Meeting with him in London fairly to debate the principal Matters in Controversie between him and the People called Quakers in order whereunto in our printed Sheet Entituled The Quakers Vindication against Fra. Bugg's Calumnies The following Offer and Proposal was made viz. And further seeing Fra. Bugg has shewn his Hatred and Revenge against George Whitehead especially for discovering his Self-Condemnation and Malice c. I the Person concerned freely offer and am willing with with the Lord's Asistance to make it plainly appear before any Six Ten or Twelve Competent Witnesses who are moderate Men of Sense and common Reason that Fr. Bugg has grossly and wickedly abused and perverted Truth and wronged the People called Quakers both in Charge Citation and Observation in his said Pamphlet which he delivered to the Parliament And that in his Book New Rome Arigned he has forged notorious Lies in other Mens Names to ridicule defame and scandalize divers Citizens of London and men of good Repute condemning them also to the Pillory as Perjured Persons in his pretended Tryal in a way of Judicature unwarantably acted by himself assuming the Place of both Judge Accuser Jury Condemner and Executioner with a form of a Pillory and Effigâ—es inâ—â— to represent the persons so grosly scandalized by him I say for these Ends I do profer God willing to meet Fr. Bugg before Witnesses at any convenient Time and Place within the City of London that the Persons so defamed by him may be present To which Proposal I subscribe Gearge Whitâ—head Hereunto Fr. Bugg gives an answer with a new Charge with Six Articles against the Quakers and Six against George Whitehead dated Jan. 29th 1693 and he has printed what he saith is the substance of his said Answer p. 5 but he has left out of his printed what really is the substance thereof in the very beginning of it namely his acceptance of my printed Challenge being in Writing thus viz. George Whitehead In answer to your faint Challenge in your pretended Vindication to meet me in any place in London the following Words he leaves out viz. I do accept thereof and am come to London being Sixty Miles to meet you Observe here how plainly and positively this his acceptance seems to be of my said Challenge but how insincere evasive and shifting he was therein his following indirect Terms shews insisting upon the Choice of Eight moderate Ministers giving me my Choice whether to chose the whole number out of the Episcopalians Presbyterians Independants or Baptists or whether each of us one out of each And what was his intent in proposing such a Choice It was that the difference might be referred to such Ministers for them to Judge and Determine as he confessed at Jacob Franklings the First of the twelfth Month 1693 in the Evening before several Witnesses I shewed how unreasonable it was for me to give away Matters of Faith and Conscience to such Persons of different Perswasion and how besides the terms of my Challenge for the Persons present to be Witnesses only of what passed i. e. as to matter of Fact and not to refer matters of Faith and Conscience to their Determination asking Bugg if he would refer all the Matters in Difference to Anabaptist Ministers whereof Sprinkling Infants was one as he well knew He answered he would as indeed his own Proposal would have obliged him if I had chosen the whole number of Anabaptist Ministers By this those of the Church of England Clergy who have encouraged Fr Bugg in his Scribling against the Quakers may see what a Convert he is and how litle of Religion or Stability he is come to in his offering to refer Matters thereof to the Judgment of Presbyterian Independant or Anabaptists Ministers whereby he had been liable to turn Presbyterian Independant or Anabaptist However since Fr. Bugg so plainly had writ that he accepted of my Challenge and came to London Sixty Miles to meet me I closely pursued him by Letters thereupon sending one Letter after another for some time day by day for a Meeting with him fairly to dispute Matters and seeing him Dillatory and protracting Time by his various Terms he had to make one after another I appointed several Meetings on purpose and gave him timely notice thereof as many are Witnesses to Six several Letters of mine sent him And this thou Fr. Bugg knowest in thy own Conscience to be true and therefore mayest thou not be ashamed of thy sorry shifting and evading both my Challenge and thy own Acceptance thereof and yet in thy own Contradiction art driven to confess in these Words viz. Thus far then we agreed as to matter of Debate I in my Sheet offered to produce every Book and Page quoted before Ten or Twelve Impartial Men and by G. W. offered to make it appear before any Six Ten or Twelve Moderate Men that I had wronged them So that nothing remained now but my coming to London to joyn Issue with G. W As in Page 3 of thy last Pamphlet stiled Quakerism Withering But that Agreement thou made shift to evade by other Terms one while by urging for Ministers of divers Perswasions as before to be Judges of the Matters in Controversie Another while for a pre-Engagement to a Conditional Retraction under Hand another while to leave the Matters in Controversie to the Decision of Disinterested Persons as thy Letters shew And not only so but thou woulst have pre-ingaged our Friends whom thou hast scandalized with thy Mock Tryal and Pillory as Perjured Persons to Retraction and Condemnation if proved False Witnesses Another while thou woulst accept against G. W's Twelve Witnesses being present at the Debate unless when the Certificate came under Examination or called in when any Matter depending thereupon was under Consideration as by thy Letters to me which was contrary to my printed Challenge accepted by thee Thou knowest what Exceptions I made against the inequality of these thy dilatory evasive Terms and against thy Arrogancy in bringing thy self into Competition with a Body of People refusing therein to make any such unequal Bargain with thee to gratifie thy Ambition Whereupon I queried First Do any of the Clergy engage either themselves or the whole Clergy to stand or fall by Bugg in his Controversie against a whole People and their Ministers Secondly Will any one or Two of the Clergy who are Men of Repute personate and vindicate Bugg against the Quakers as in my Letter to him dated the Twelfth of the Twelfth Month 1693. Now F Bugg thou art still partial and unjust in leaving out my Answers to thy Offers and Terms in thy said Printed Pamphlets thou hast left out First
and Innocency Triumphant And the first was also proved against thee in Judgment fixed p. 225 226 227 228. By thy informing the Magistrate against us in thy Book of Christian Liberty pretended accusing us with Impositions a new stamped Government comparing our Yearly Meeting in 1675 to the Popes Council of Jesuits and crafty Friars And our Testimony then given concerning Mens and Womens Meetings as if it had come from the Pope's Council c. upbraiding our Women's Meetings as an Idol of our own erecting comâ—aring it to the Papists great Idol viz. The Rood â— Grace as in thy De Chris. lib. 2d Part p. 32 â—8 46 47 Printed in 1682. But to be accounted an Informer as afore said F. B. takes very hardly being in the time 1682 saying he was one of the greatest Suffererâ— by Informers in the whole Country But F. B. was not thou about that time quarrelling with S Cater about the Fifteen Pound Fine And pulling thy Neck out of the Collar and winding thy self out of Sufferings And was it such a great Crime to render thee an Informer seeing what thou then writ against our Yearly Meeting tended to render us as obnoxious as the Papists like the Popes Council c. When 't is well known that in those Days many of our Friends deeply suffered by Laws made against Popish Recusants in Two Thirds of their Estates and 20 l. per Month Didst not thoâ— then deserve the Character of a Malicious Informer in grosly aspersing us as aforesaid â— Wicked Man is a Wicked Man a Liar iâ— a Liar a Forger is a Forger a Persecutor is a Persecutor and deserves his Characters 2. A Wicked Forger I deny thy Charge again Wherein a wicked Forger What for saying F. Bugg affirms in hiâ— Book de Chris. lib. part 2d p. 83. That Conformity is a Monster c. And yet in about Two Years after he himself turned about and conformed In answer to which thou sayest I am not the Author of one Word of that Page buâ— the whole Passage is a Query of John Ainsloe's beginning p 81 and ending p. 87. But hold F. B. Jo. Ainsloe's Query begins not in p. 81 but in p. 82 and recited in p. 83 for p. 81 concludes with these Words viz. I shall add one Query which J. A. put forth to which I never heard that he had any Answer and were not these thy Words Francis And the Words a few Lines before in the same Page viz. Error â—oves obsâ—urity for its Habitation is Darkness and Ignorance is the Mother of its Devotion and Conformity the Monstrous Womb that produced it c. And are not these thy Words Francis and what difference pray between calling Conformity the Monstrous Womb and Conformity a Monster Is not a Monstrous Womb as bad as a Monster What makes a Monster but something Monstrous and is not that which is Monstrous a Monster Besides thou hast appeared so much affected with Jo. Ainsloe's Query and Answer that thou â—ast taken some care to recite and print the â—ame at large without shewing any dislike to â—t but rather as a matter highly approved by â—hee So that thou didst espouse the same and â—hat he writ therein thou madest thine by â—doption Thou appearing then of the saâ—e â—ud gment why art now so shy of thy own Aâ—opted Birth or Monster Why didst not reâ—ct it at first but hugg'd it so long 3. A Wilful Liar That I am sure is false for though I may acâ—dentally mistake in some Circumstances yet â—ot a Wilful nor witting Liar Thy pretended proof of this Charge is the Conten Apost p. 3. viz. F. Bugg and his Company being goâ— into the Meeting before G. W. and into the Gallery I grant there was an accidental Defect or Error happened in that Passage I not being present to correct the Press which was afterward corrected as may be seen in my Sheet The Cont. Apost Recharg'd p. 8. in these Words viz. And Reader observe in the said Contentious Apostate and his Blow refelled p. 3. l. 11. to read And he into the Gallery the word he being omitted varies from the sense intended though in some it was corrected after Printed but in others omitted Now pray how will this prove G. W. a wilful Liar F. Bugg can take small occasion to asperse Therefore the defective Account with the said omission of the Word he was neither wilfully nor maliciously sent abroad to render thee a Turbulent Disturber as thou falsly sayest p. 66. although thou wast very turbulent and disturbed the whole Meeting and that wilfully and wickedly having like a Persecuting Informer procured a Warrant and a Constable to cause the Persons met forthwith to appear before some Justice of Peace to answer an Information against the Meeting because held under pretence of a Religious Worship in different form from the Religion established in a place not licensed c. which disturbance being contrary to the intent of the Government And afterwards thou falaciously excused this thy Turbulancy and Persecution pretending thy getting a Justice's Warrant was to the intent to get me to own my Book Judgment fixed N. Rom. unm p. 53 when the Warrant was expressly grounded upon an Information of a Meeting under pretence of Religious Worship c. And to cause the Persons met to appear as aforesaid to answer the Information Now was not this like an Informer 4. A Gross Perverter This I deny as a gross Lie and his Instance though unfairly cited Is no proof thereof 'T is evident that the Instances Bugg brought in his Sheet to prove the Quakers Contempt of Government reviling Christ's Magistrates and Ministers were out of E. Burr Works between the Year 1654 and 1659 which was in Cromwel's Days against his Persecuting Magistrates and Ministers whom E. B. testified against because of their Persecution and their Arbitrary Usurp'd Dominion over the Consciences of Men p. 501. This is no Perversion but true in fact It was E. B's reprehentions against them and their Corruptions that Bugg did make the Quakers Contempt of Government as more fully is made put in the Quakers Vindication p. 3. And therefore I did not aggravate the Matter against him by saying to do us an ill turn Bugg has at â—nawares run his own Head against a Wall What E. B. G. F. and G. R. writ to O. C. and that Government it was not in favour to their Usurpation over Mens Consciences Persecution c. and the Substance thereof is answered long since in a Treatise Entituled Christ's Lambs defended from Satan's Rage F. Bugg's Charge of Usurpation against the Quakers p. 69 shews a great height of Malice and Bitterness as well as gross Falshood and Perversion and particularly his first Instance viz. And that in divers respects First In that you Summons the Kings Subjects to meet Annually in London by way of General Council or Conâ—â—ication without any legal Warrant Writ or other Legal Authority and when sat in Council