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
contained therein I dare submit it to the really Pious and Learned Therefore I shall proceed and digest the Matters I propose to Treat upon into Ten Heads I. His Representing the Quakers as worse than Papists G. K. Vile Errours as are boldly and avowedly promoted among a Sort and Gang of the People called Quakers not only as bad as any Popery but much worse than the worst of Popery in divers respects This is a gross Abuse indeed What! Do we promote Errours worse than Worshipping a piece of Bread as God What! Worse than Adoring Images quite opposite to Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth What! Worse than praying to Saints and Angels and making them our Mediators and Intercessors between God and us and thereby Robbing the Man Christ Jesus of his Mediatorship What! Worse than placing Merit in Works of Man's own Righteousness and thereby overthrowing the Benefit accruing by that one Offering upon the Cross What! Worse than Purgatory which disannuls Sanctification by the Spirit of God Certainly a very strange and malicious Character of us But God be thanked he hath hitherto fallen short in proof of any such thing against us And likewise herein he shews his Folly too in that less than 33 Years ago viz. on the 16th of October 1674. in a Dispute between some of our Friends and some Baptists who endeavoured to render us no Christians held at our publick Meeting-house near Wheeler-street G. K. publickly declared on our behalf as it is related in A Brief Narrative of the Second Meeting c. p. 69. thus viz. See People how the whole Protestant Cause lieth at stake in the Defence whereof we with all true Protestants are concerned against the Jesuits and Baptists to their own overthrow who take up the Papists Arguments against themselves Is this Man consistent with himself I pray He would make you believe he is the same Man now as he was then and he owns we are the same People still For he finds fault with our former as well as latter Books as containing vile Errours as you may see in this Postscript and yet in 1674. the WHOLE Protestant Cause it seems was concerned in the Defence of our Principles against the Baptists But in 1696. he saith We promote vile Errours worse than the worst of Popery Behold this is the Champion which some inconsiderate Men among you abet This is he that calls you in to his Assistance Men of Sence I take many of you to be such I cannot but conclude will be ashamed of him For it must needs be a sorry Religion that stands in need of such a Defender Then his Malice is yet more Conspicuous in that he knows the Government think not fit to permit the free Exercise of their Religion to the Papists therefore if he could perswade the Legislators that Quakerism is worse than Popery he might no doubt soon prevail so far as to have a Law Enacted for depriving us of the Liberty which we by the Favour of the Government enjoy of which more anon II. His Reflections upon the Protestant Clergy as more lukewarm if they oppose not the Quakers here than the Popish Clergy at Rome would be in such a Case G. K. And I am confident if such Antichristian Errours and Heresies were but the tenth part so avowedly Broached in the City of Rome or any where else in Popish Countries these Esteemed Watchmen amongst them would be more Alarmed to oppose them by Word or Writing than most amongst the Protestants do which would seem to cast a Reflection on the Protestant Churches if some able Men and of good Esteem among them both for Piety and sound Knowledge be not awakened to bestow some of their Time and Labour by their Writings to oppose such vile Errours This is doubly Malicious both to us and you We are accused by him of Errour and Heresie our Answers to his Slanders are publick they pinch him shew his great noise to be void of Substance at this he 's angry and cries out much in the Language of the Jews against Paul Acts 21.28 Men of Israel help If you are prevailed upon by his Expostulation his End is answered in raising up some fresh Antagonists against us to take up the Quarrel which himself seems well nigh weary of and thus he spits his Venom at us and would thrust your Fingers into the Fire to spare his own But if you have more Discretion than to be instigated by so Envious a Make-bate to Espouse his Baffled Cause then his Impotent Malice falls soul upon you the Papists will then out-do you in Zeal for the Christian Faith But in such Zeal as G. K's and the Papists it will be your Honour and Advantage never to emulate or imitate them For as the Papists proceed by Inquisition Racks Fire and Faggot so he has clapt on the Sanbenitto blows the Coals turns Informer and if we lived at Rome or in any other Popish Country would I doubt not assist in the Consummation of the Tragedy And therefore how well it becomes a Protestant Nation to beware of such bare-fac'd Incendiaries judge ye III. He Chargeable while a Quaker with what he Reflects upon the Quakers for in relation to Disputes G. K. And whereas many of the Chiefest Teachers and Leaders among the People called Quakers have with great Boldness provoked such as differed from them to publick Disputes This though he proposeth as his Ground of putting you upon the like Method yet he will get nothing by the Bargain for the Stone he throws upwards falls down again upon himself He is the Man that hath thus provoked such as differed from him witness his Carriage in New-England in 1688. where he made it his Business to Challenge both Presbyterian and Independant Preachers there to Dispute see his Book called Presb. and Ind. Ch. p. 200. and managed it in such a Spirit and Temper as gave dissatisfaction even to his then Friends State of the Case p. 13. That the Quakers have with great Boldness provoked to publick Disputes he says indeed but doth not prove it That they were in those Times frequently Misrepresented both as to Principle and Practice by the then publick Preachers by bitter Invectives uttered against them from the Pulpit so that many of them ran the Hazard of their Lives through the Fury of the Populace stirred up by those Railing Accusations that to clear themselves and detect the Abuses put upon them they have sought to manifest their own Innocency in the very Presence and before the Faces of their Opponents I will not deny The which was so far from tending to destroy the Civil Peace at that time that it rather seemed a probable way to Calm the Incensed Mob by whom they were in danger and to still their inraged Minds which otherwise might have endangered the publick Peace But the Case is not so between G. K. and us who hath been the Aggressor brought the Controversie into Print where in a more peaceable
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