QUAKERISM NO PAGANISM OR A FRIENDLY REPLY To W. R. his UNFRIENDLY DISCOURSE INTITULED Quakerism is Paganism SHEWING The Insufficiency of what he hath Written to Unchristian the Quakers and to render them as Heathens and Pagans to the People By W. L. a Lover of Peace more than of Parties Let not them that are mine Enemies wrongfully Rejoyce over me For they speak not Peace but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the Land Psal 35.19.20 Nihil quidquam tam probe aut provide dicâ— potest quod non vellicare malignitas possâ—â— Just Lip de uâ—â Relig. London Printed in the Year 1674. To all called Non-Conformists who are Lovers of Holyness and Followers of Peace with all Men. BELOVED BRETHREN MAny have been my Perils at Sea and Perils at Land and now for your sakes I am brought to tast of those Perils which the unkindness of some and malice of other False Brethren have cast upon me The occasion they have taken is this No sooner was a breathing space of Liberty granted us to Worship God according to our Consciences but presently the Spirit of Strife and Debate entred into the Sons of Diotrophes and filled Pulpits and Presses with Disputations and Controversies against an Innofensive People about matters in no moderate mans Judgment Fundamentally necessary to Salvation and yet furiously prest upon that account by those who otherwise could have no pretence for their impertinent Zeal When I saw this Imprudence could not contain it self within the bonds of our respective Meeting places nor quietly be lodged in Booksellers shops for those only to read and buy that took delight in matters of Controversie but that Books of that kind full of bitter and disgracing Language were sent to be cryed about the Streets and in the Gates of our Exchange to publish our Simplicity and make us a Disgrace and a By word to the Merchants of all the Nations about us who certainly could not but withal Pity us though some do not pity themselves while we stabbed and wounded with such envious Tongues and Pens I say the sight and report of these things so pressed my Spirit that I could not forbear to write a few Lines only that I might signifie what a desire I had and many more to quench those flames of Zeal which under pretences of Truth are burning up all Christian Love and Charity among us I have good reason to say many for I cannot meet with one sober Christian of any Church whatsoever that is not grieved at heart for these unprofitable Assaults The Title I gave that small Treatise is the Twelve Pagan Principles This I foresaw would make a fearful sound But I sent it up with that name that you in the City might know what Language some taught us in the Country by their mincing Negatives for we know but one word in opposition to Christianity and that is Heathenism or Paganism though I confess this word Pagan is not so common as Heathen yet we know both signifie one thing So that when you tell us the Quaker is no Christian what says every Plough man then he must be a Heathen Again Sometimes an odious and shameful Name brings a thing into contempt undeservedly much more when it is deservedly and properly given My Design was to make Disputations of this kind contemptible and therefore I did hope the Name might make them nauseous to the people And I have the Apostle for an Example who when he went about to wean the Ceremonious Galatians from Elements calls them weak and beggarly Soon after I had published my Observations upon these Twelve Opinions collected by T. H. out of his Dialogues I was in hope to hear of more able and powerful Instruments as little Pearcers make way for great ones appearing in so seasonable and honourable a work as Pacification whose Wisdome and Prudence might allay the noise of that Passion which so much hinders the sound of Truth and produce such charitable thoughts and friendly Correspondency that the Government under which we live might be encouraged to continue our Liberty a peaceable Neighbour being a good sign of a peaceable Subject But behold O Friends contrary to my expectation another Goliah starting forth and in Hebrew Greek and Latin bidding in effect Defiance to Peace deriding and abusing my moderate considerations tendered only to incline the minds of both Parties to forbear farther Contentions about these Opininions And although he tells us in the first line of his Book That he designs not to traduce the Person of any man or wrong him in his Sentiments of Religion yet he has closed up with an Epistle which does both and that in such a Malicious and Contradictious manner as in probability may bring a blast upon his whole Design as I shall shew in the Conclusion It 's true I cannot lay the Epistle it self at W. R. his door but this is plain that if he had no design nor desire to traduce he might have sent me a Copy of that Letter before he published it and if I could not have satisfied him he had been blameless but now I may say qui non vetat peccare cum possit jubet But moreover though he traduces not my Person yet you may perceive a Spirit very unlike to a Lover of Christianity creeping along the Book slighting jeering endeavouring to sow Discord and create Trouble groundlessly charging me with Shifts and Equivocations and what this may be called I know not nor do I much care being confident that he who hath enabled me by his Grace to pass through good Report will also assist me to bear the contrary which all things considered is a burden more easie and less dangerous As touching the Book it self I shall not meddle with those matters in it which have already been sufficiently controverted but only such of those particulars which relate to my Constructions put upon those Twelve Opinions which were the occasion of my first Writing W. R. is much mistaken if he think to draw me to dance after his Disputing Pipe especially at such a time and in such a Cause as this is which one grain of Christian Charity would easily Reconcile In a word If the Controversie had not been serued up so high as to exclude the Quakers from the number of Christians and to render them as Heathens Pagans and Infidels to their Neighbours Friends and Relations W. R. perhaps had never heard of such a Title as Pagan Principles but hinc illae Lachrimae Having thus given you the true occasion of that Book and the Reasons of its Title I shall first take some notice of W. R. his Preface and then to the particular Charges as before mentioned 1. He begins with a Complemental Perswasion to Mr. Penn to own the Man Christ Jesus This is very strange that when he and others he especially hath so owned him in us plain words as can be desired to the satisfaction of so many that W. R.
should say he seems yet to deny him Could I perswade him he should not write a Line more upon this Subject for I know the Spirit of Curiosity and Jelousie will never be satisfied but call whatever he says Masks of evasive Pretences Clouds of Impertinences c. Nay in all probability if he should write much more about it he would soon have others as loudly calling upon him to own the Divinity as now W. R. and many more do to own the Humanity for so it happened after his writing the Sandy Foundation c. 2. The next thing remarkable are the Reasons why he presents his Book to Mr. Penn. In the first he insinuates such an intimacy betwixt us as if he had a hand in Composing the Pagan Principles which in a word is false In his Second and Third Reasons see how plainly he contradicts himself in saying I have espoused W. P. his Quarrel and yet have layed nothing to Mr. Hicks his Charge when as Mr. Penns Charge is the only Quarrel as W. R. calls it and I never heard of any other betwixt them Neither have I espoused this any farther than in a moderating way betwixt them in Love to both which I believe is a Duty more incumbent upon many others for neglect whereof I desire they may not be accountable at the Great Day W. R. might plainly perceive that my design was not to Charge for in p. 4. I said My Intent is only to shew how small a quantity of Christian Charitable Construction might make these Charges passable among us all Again what a strange Inference doth VV. R. draw from my calling T. H. my Friend that therefore W. P. ought not to call him Forger may not one of my Friends wrong another of them and no necessity lie upon me to fall out with either or to interpose unless for the Reason aforenamed T. Hicks his Conversation has been reputed honest for many years and being willing to hope that in general it is so still I call'd him Friend and desire not to carry it otherwise towards him though I am no Friend to his Dialogues And if in them he has wronged VV. P. or others either by adding to or substracting any thing from their writings or by putting down any Answers for theirs which are not theirs which is to be feared he would do very well to follow that Counsel W. R. gives W. P. viz. retract and count it no dishonour to him It 's a difficult thing to turn Religious Controversies into a Dialogue without consent of both Parties for if he change but a letter he is liable to a lash unless he has been so careful to preserve the sence of his Antagonist that he cannot object against it and then no man can be angry You nay see by what I have done that the Quakers are not so curious of their words but that they will give us leave to put in such as may help us to a right understanding of their Principles when their own expressions seem dark unto us The remainder of what W. R. hath writ worth noting before he comes to the Charges contains a bad Comparison and a far-fetcht Conclusion First He compares me to him that intending to kill his Enemy with a stab let out the Imposthume But let him remember the Proverb mala mens malus animus The Imposthume indeed is somewhat proh dolor to the purpose For it 's greatly to be feared that there are too many inward Swellings of Pride Covetousness Evil Surmizings and Malice among many sorts of Professors this day And O how happy would those Pens be that by the blessing of the Almighty Physitian should be made Spiritual Love Lances to let them out But as for the other Part of the Similitude which represents me as an Enemy to the Baptists he does thereby eminently signifie his Ignorance and adds that which his last seven years Certificate will not countenance Secondly W. R. draws such a Conclusion from my Title Page as I think Zoilus himself would not have done Because I say these are Twelve Opinions for which T. H. has published the Quakers to be no Christians that therefore I confess they hold them If this be not a Quibble I never heard one And the root of it is this Particle for But is it not a common and plain form of Speech among us to say Such a man was posted for a Coward or accused for a Jesuite and does it follow then that he was so I doubt W. R. minds the Idioms of Greek and Hebrew so much that he forgets the Propriety of his Mother Tongue But what need all this when in p. 4. I say to prevent mistakes Think not I plead for them as if I my self or they owned them for both in their Books and Conferences they deny at least ten of them as they are layed down and construed by T. H. Alas poor Quakers Now I pity you more than ever no marvel if you complain so sadly of wrong Constructions Forgeries and Lyes when such plain words as these will not free me from a Confession I never thought of Poor Flock of Slaughter Zac. 11.4 I see your own Country men must not speak a word for you unless they resolve to be your Companions in Tribulation All words that can be bended against you shall and those that cannot shall be rejected as Whimsies and Impertinencies However I shall proceed to make some brief Reply But here I am in a streight for I see my brevity is liable to be filleâ— up with Words to make it speak Absurdities or contrary Sences And if I usâ— many words then I shall be counted 〈◊〉 man of words wanting Wisdome oâ— good Argument Well do as the Lord directs O my Soul and leave the issuâ— to himself 1. The first Charge against the Quakers is That the light in every Man is God Now because this Charge as it lies seem to fix many foolish and improbable Absurdities upon them as that when they pray they only pray to a God within them and that they make as many Gods as there are men in the world therefore said I to moderate the Charge prevent mistakes and render it more intelligable to every man put in but of and all is well And this W. P. himself doâ—s in p. 8 of R. against R. Where we have him thus answering T. H. about this very Charge and saying That the Light within present with us every where is to us the great proof of Gods omnipresence and therefore of God And in page 7 he blames T. H. for insinuating from G. W. his words that every Illumination is whole God And as much he said to John Faldo page 10th of Quakerism a new nick name Far be it from us to assert every such illumination to be the only Lord and Saviour and very God and more to the same purpose in that page And indeed in these places W. R. should have looked for W. P. his sence and not have
like they were not very far from him Nothing is more common now a days than to jeer with a Question Our Saviour himself was so served Mat 26.68 Prophesie unto us thou Christ who is he that smote thee The Third Charge That Jesus Christ is not a distinct Person without us To this I said as a Motive to Moderation That because this Definition of a Distinct Person without us is not in Scripture why should we impose it on them especially considering what Reason they give for their tenderness in refusing such Expressions because they occasion people to retain mean and dark Apprehensions of God and Christ and his place of Residence W. P. Count. Christ p. 79. If W. R. fears no such Consequences let him use them without Unchristning others that do not And whereas he saith It is shameful for a Quaker to refuse those Expressions because not in Scripture while he owns not the Scripture for a Rule I say it 's much more shameful for those that own the Scripture for a Rule to impose such expressions upon others which are not in Scripture they have reason to keep you to what you call the Rule But W. R. will prove the word Person yea and a distinct Person too from 2 Cor. 2.10 where the Apostle saith for your sakes forgave I it in the Person of Christ Here a grain of his Greek might have been useful For that which the Translators according to their Judgment have rendered Person of Christ whether it may not as well be read in the sight of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in conspectu Christi or in Christs steed I leave to more able men than W. R. or I am to determine There is sixteen more pages spent in this Charg which I can account no other than a vain florish to let W. P. see what W. R. can do if he be not constant to what he has spoken For these pages are chiefly spent laying aside the quibbles about the Ass in proving the Humanity of Christ which I told him the Quakers did not deny and brought W. P. his Confession at the Barbican Meeting to prove it viz. that we do faithfully believe the holy Manhood to be a Member of the Christ of God and a little after We believe the Man Christ Jesus to be glorified in Heaven This though VV. R. cannot dislike yet he will distrust and therefore says that when W. P. has given us some infallible Demonstration that he did not speak equivocally then and not till then do his words deserve my Cognizance What Unbelief is here Nay what a strange Demand is this for one that is an utter Enemy to Infalibility in the Quakers to demand an Infallible Demonstration from them Now that must be visible or else he cannot judg of it And what visible Demostration any Christian can give which may not be counterfeted by an Hypocrite I never yet knew The truth is W. R. doth ignobly to apply Aug. words to Mr. Penn viz. They speak it with their lips they believe it not with their hearts What is this in plain English but to tell the world W. P. is a dissembling Hypocrite and his word how sincerely soever given not to be taken for truly I will not believe that mans word in Civil Affairs whose solemn publick word I cannot believe in Spiritual But that you may know this is not such a new Article of their Faith as to hear date from that Barbican Meeting hear what Edward Burrowes some years ago said in his 138 and 281. pages of his works We prize the Lord Jesus Christ as God Man and own him alone to be the Foundation God hath laid Now if this be not ground enough for Christian Charity towards them the thing I aim at God deliver me from such Judges for I know not what can be farther urged in this partiticular to induce them to it The Fourth Charge is That Christ Redeemed himself This I said was but T. H. his Consequence and I believe he thinks it natural from some of the Quakers sayings But if they disown it as we see they do and call it a gross perversion of their words why must we not believe one as well as the other and give them leave to take those words of J. N. and G. F. in a Figurative fence as well as W. R. takes liberty to expound Isa 59.16 and 63.4 by a Figure For so VV. P. saith p. 63. of R. against R. they are to be taken and there he treats at large of the Redemption of the Seed and in what fence they hold it wherein there is nothing sounds like Heathenism or unworthy of Toleration in my understanding to be sure it cannot be called their Principle that is but his Inference But I think we need say no more of their Consequencing Charge for it is so harsh and sour there 's no fear that any sober man will drink it The Fifth Charge against the Quakers is That they deny the Scriptures to be the Rule of Faith and Practice unto Christians The first thing necessary in this Charge is to resolve VV. R. what I mean by VVe Vs and Our in this Discourse I Answer that now we are Charging them with denying the Scriptures I understand all of us that do own the Scriptures for our Rule And at other turns in my former book I understand all such ridged Opposers of the Quakers as for these Twelve Opinions render them as Pagans and Heathens and yet I would hope they do it from a zeal only to promote as they think the Glory of God and the Authority of the Scriptures And therefore my hearts desire and prayer for them is that they may see that this Zeal of theirs is not according to knowledge for the Nature of it is such as will directly lead them to joyn with those who when Opportunities are offered will fall to killing Christians upon a Principle of doing Christ good service Joh. 16.2 And I put my self among them though thanks be to God not inclinable to that Zeal because the Purport of the Book represents me as standing among them pleading as well as I could for a little Moderation towards the poor Quakers and not the Quakers Cause any farther than as it might admit of favourable Constructions for that End Neither can you say I am any otherwise guilty of Uncharitableness when I say let us be Charitable than the Apostle was of Cursing when he said therewith curse we men Jam. 3.9 But you 'l say the Apostle and they were Brethren but I am not in fellowship with these that now oppose the Quakers For your satisfaction in this Particular I refer you to my Narrative in Answer to the Reading Letter in the conclusion hereof and proceed to tell you that I perceive you cannot escape my Covering as you call it as narrow as it is I see it wraps you so fast that it makes you angry and call their book of the Barbican Meeting Scurrilous and
the close of the Title page an Abominable Vntruth and that they seem to have no regard to Truth or Honesty If these be not angry words I know none But in all these five pages concerning this Charge where is a particular of any one Scripture not relating to some external part of Worship which they deny Why should you say they deny the Bible which contains all the Books This is but quibbling by which you know I may easily prove that you deny it all by denying Circumcision a part therein contained But in short Sir Be not angry for I must tell you that until all we that own the Scriptures for our Rule come to an Unity in Faith and Practice according to it and it s well known we are now far from it methinks it seems a pitiful contradiction for us to press it upon others as an easie plain intelligible and unalterable general Rule Do you think our Divisions both in Doctrine and Discipline about it do not wonderfully weaken our Commendations of it as the Evangelical appointed Rule yea in so much that Church Discipline Doctrines will hardly keep people awake while they are Preaching up even from Scripture Authority They may well say unto us Physitians heal your selves agree among your selves ye wise and Learned what is the mind and meaning of the Scriptures about which now ye dispute and then we will more willingly conform to what you call Scripture Ordinances and Appointments Lastly Sir you conclude this Charge with a palpable abuse of my words Seeing then said I the great Design of all the Scripture is to bring us to an holy life let 's bear with Opinions which we plainly see do not subvert it especially considering that we read of no punishment denounced against men for their Opinions Now can any fairly and honestly conclude from hence that I allow of wicked Atheistical and Antichristian Principles But I see you are resolved to bring me under some manner of Scandal if you can therefore in your 42d page you say I forget That Corrupt Principles lead to Corrupt Practices No I do not forget it nor do I plead for or go about to extenuate any sinful or corrupt Principle but to oppose that of Pride and Bitterness against others Demonstration is the best proof in this Case Survey the Quakers and put their Lives and Conversations into one Balance of the Sanctuary and the lives of any other sort of Christians into the other and if they be found the lighter I 'le never speak a word more for them as a People How long must we wait to know a corrupt Principle They have been among us about six or seven and twenty years and yet we see no corrupt Practices growing from their Principles Certainly were such evil Fruit as you imagine natural to the Tree we should have seen it before now for you say when a mans Conscience is debaucht we shall quickly see him a man of a debaucht Conversation The Sixth Charge is That the speaking of the Spirit in any is of greater Authority than the Scriptures To this I said and I see no cause to alter my saying that there is no Reason for this Charge to be drawn from G. VVhiteheads words For these words and greater being added to the closing of the Sentence doth plainly signifie to me that it must relate to the Influence For what doth Authority signifie without Influence Of what worth is the Authority of a Magistrate where his Commands are not regarded Now it must be the Spirit opening of our hearts as it did the heart of Lydia to hearken to the Scriptures and suffer them to have any impression upon us or Authority over us wherefore VV. R. saith well That whatever good effect the Preachers Doctrine hath upon the Soul it is wrought by those words not as they are the words of men but as indeed the words of God which effectually work in them that believe So that they must first believe them before there will be any effectual work wrought by them and this they cannot do without the inward operation and Conviction of the Holy Spirit Therefore I see no evil in ascribing the greater to the Spirit so long as they give a great Authority to the Scriptures both which G. VV. doth in his Answer cited by T. H. viz. That which was spoken from the Spirit of Truth in any is of as great Authority as the Scriptures and Chapters are and greater I must put in Chapters now for Civilities sake for VV. R. catches at my leaving them out before but truly I know no difference or force depending on Chapters more than Scriptures they were Scriptures before they were in Chapters But the great Reason of this Charge is yet behind and the Apeal directing me to Dial. 1. p. 28. there I find it viz. That because the Script if diligently consulted with would deter persons from believing the Quakers feigned Revelations therefore 't is they so much endeavour to beget in the minds of men an ill Opinion of them This is a hard Censure and how he will get off I know not unless by way of supposed Consequences for I dare say they never told any man that their endeavours were to beget in the minds of men all ill opinion of the Scriptures or that they feared the Scriptures would deter persons from believing them But it being none of my Purpose to give a particular account of their Faith in this or other Points I refer those that are minded to know their Judgment about the Script to the 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th Chapters of Quakerism a new nick name for old Christianity and the Defense of it And whereas he saith a man may see how dark my Vnderstanding is that I should acknowledg G. W. ' s words and yet see no Reason for the Charge Is not the Reason of the Charge what I last mentioned as a hard Censure And indeed he that sees a Reason for that Consequence in G. VV. his words I confess sees more than I do The Seventh Charge is That is no Command from God to me which God hath given by way of Command to another neither did any of the Saints act by the Command which was to another Every one obeyed their own Command This in Substance is but the two former Charges drest up in other words For by Commands I suppose T. H. means Scripture Commands and by Saints such as are recorded in Scripture And then 't is no more than what Ben. Furly said before that there is nothing in the Scripture which he is obliged to obey because there Recorded And so say I not only because Recorded in that Book do I obey any Command but because the Spirit of God convinceth me that it is my Duty For if its very being in that book be the ground of Obedience what would become of him who should happen to have one of that false Impression whose Compositor W. R. saith was a Papist and
some dirt which it seems they were resolved to sling at me though they daubed their own fingers in doing it Down therefore they send to Reading where I had lived about 12 years ago and where I had much more reason to expect they would miss of their purpose But I was deceived For there my old Friend D. R. at whose instigation I know not presently sends up some Dirty Rags to pin at my back and some Sugar Plums for Jeremy all in this Letter But truly if his Case had been mine I would have put them up in my pocket and never have shew'd them least an intelligent Reader should suspect I had begg'd them This in short was the Occasion of this Letter 2. Concernig this D. R. that Subscribed it and as he saith by Consent First it is some comfort that I know the Latitude of that word so well that I may be bold to say unless there be a very late increase they need not fear the late Act against Conventicles But 2dly as to the Man himself He is one with whom I have had such intimate familiarity that I may truly say of him as David of his Friend Psal 55.13 In many things He was my Guide and mine Acquaintance we took sweet Counsel together and walked unto the places of the Worship of God in Company In short by his perswasion chiefly I left a certain for an uncertain way of livelyhood to my great loss that I might be serviceable to him and others upon a Christian Account There we continued in Church Fellowship together until the Heat of Persecution brake all in pieces and made us Brethren in Tribulation also In which Condition it 's well known none of them was a greater Sufferer than my self for as much as my Concerns were in Ireland and I could not get Liberty to eversee them And now for this Daniel without any personal provocation or any other than what he himself counts but a piece of folly viz. Writing in behalf of the Quakers I say for him to break all bonds of Christianity and Friendship publish Fire-side and Chamber Discourses and private Transactions 12 years old and mix them with false frivolous and and scandalous Conceits of his own What shall I say shall I write out the 4th verse of the 9th of Jer. and put in the word Baptist before Brother God forbid One Swallow makes no Summer Although D. R. has hereby rendred himself unfit for any mans intimate Friendship who has made so great a breach of it yet I hope there are many hundred of the Baptists that scorn this Baseness But for all this I will lessen his fault as much as I can for I doubt he was hurried into it by some that knew how to work upon his Principle which is not private viz. That unless a Believer be Baptized in Water he has no right to any Promises in the Gospel Now no marvil if this Zeal which lays the wait of Salvation upon a little Water as the Roman Catholicks do be easily stirr'd up to revile and persecute such as say this Baptism is not Fundamentally necessary to Salvation Again Ignorance doth in part excuse any fault and it 's well known he never learned Illud Amicitia sanctum venerabile Nomen nay that he can hardly read the English Rules of Friendship and withal being an Enemy to that Light within which would teach him those Rules no wonder if he be easily provoked to break them under a pretence for Christ as if Christianity and Humanity were inconsistent I wish therefore I may be a warning to all how they make Friendship with an angry or such an illiterate man as makes Formalities the Substance of his Religion But 3dly The Matter concerning me in the Letter first it relates to some things done in Prison which gives him occasion to say That I was blamed for refusing to give God thanks for any of his Mercies or to joyn with them that did which is a great and manifest untruh The story in short is this I was somtimes desired to say Grace as it 's called at Dinner time which I was not willing to do but referred it to others with whom I did joyn and signified it by my constant conformity to those outward Ceremonies which are usual at such times And from hence is this Reproach raised The next Charge is That I was looked upon by All to be a Quaker This word All must be cut off to the Stumps and cured with a Figure or else I should prove it a loud For I can if need were produce hundreds yea the whole Town in general that will say they never took me for a Quaker not that I count it any disgrace to be taken for one I would have my unkind Friends know but to shew the untruth of this Accusation Neither was there any rational ground for it for I never was at any Quakers Meeting all the time I was there nor never conformed to any of their Formalities either of Gesture or Language And then what Reason any man had to look upon me as a Quaker let the Reader judg As for my being a Behmanist I know not what it is and therefore can say nothing to it I never saw any thing of his writing that I could understand but some Epistles And perhaps in private Conference I might commend them And if this procured me the Name they might as well have call'd me Stilling fleetist Greenhillist Baxterist Carilist c. For in theirs and many other Writings I have read things worthy of great Commendation But among all my Names I wonder he omitted Jesuite which was more talked of among the Great Men there than any of the other and was whispered abroad by some others so long till at last it began to catch fire among some weak Presbyterians and then I took a little pains to quench it though the Catholicks themselves knew it was but an Ignis fatuus or bugbear to fright filly people In the next place D. R. was about to do me some kindness in this Letter and tell the Truth of me But he recollected himself poor man and thought it not seasonable to do it now and therefore cuts off that part which might commend me For he says I am for Vniversal Communion with All sorts he should have said of Good men and then he had said right but leaving that out he do's me wrong I know the cause of this he tells you our private Discourses about Mr. Jesse whose practice of this kind I have so much commended that it 's much he did not call me a Jessite But that Name wâ—s thought too honorable for me As for the other traducing Phrases in the Letter such as Strange Humours uncertain Fictions wandering Fancles giddy Brains tottering Buildings and rotten Posts they are so commonly used among those and none but those that fall to scolding about Religion that I think it 's greater folly to take notice of them than it was to Print them A word in behalf of G. W. and I have done From what hath been said and what I could farther say concerning my Relation to the Baptists I do assure W. R. that G. W. might properly call me their Brother according to the Method of their own Discipline For since the time I first was joyned to them about twenty seven years past I never heard the least word of being disowned before now And as wandering as D R. says my fancy is yet in all this time I never joyned or commonly Assembled with any other People but them In all their Dangers and greatest Sufferings I have been Partaker with them not as it were of Necessity but Choice and he and others know I have been more than once invited to Preach among them It 's true indeed I could not consent to what they call Close Communion in this Country though often desired to it because of some unnecessary Divisions among them which I did hope in time would be removed of which in Charity I now forbear to mention To Conclude therefore though G. W. is not to be blamed in this matter yet had I known before he published it I should have desired him not to mention my Relation to them at this time And then probably this trouble about it had been prevented Only I am doubtful whether I should have stopt the publishing D. R.'s Letter because it was so exactly squared to the present Design of my Defamation and consequently as much as in him lay of my Destruction But I trust they shall never hear of my rendering Evil for Evil to any man All rhe harm I wish the Contrivers of it is That the Lord would not lay this Sin to their Charge W. L. BY these two Letters my Name is well known to the Persons particularly concerned in this Book and I have no desire to spread it farther for that Reason which a Learned Man gives us in his Preface to EIPHNIKON or a Treatise of Peace Printed for N. Brooks 1660. His words are these That my Endeavours saith he might the rather Prosper I have concealed my Name as well knowing that men are wont to make a God or a Devil of a mans Name If such or such precious Man speak this or that it 's received do an Oracle from God If the same thing be spoken by one decryed as supposed Heterodox and Erronious it 's esteemed by the same Man a Damnable Error FINIS