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
do but review thy own Query and G. W's direct Answer therein in the Quak. Vindic. p. 2. viz. To Bugg's Query 5. Whether was the Sufferings of Christ or the Sufferings of the Quakers greatest 1. In the First place we answer the Sufferings of Christ in the nature of them both inward and outward in Agony of Soul and Pains of Body by that most cruel Death of the Cross following that of Scourging and Crowning with Thorns 2. It was most unjustly and wickedly inflicted by his Persecutors the Jews and Heathen yet worse'in the Jews because they might have known better and because they prosecuted him upon false Witness And as Christ's Sufferings were most Cruel and Unjust both as to the Nature thereof and the Dignity of him that suffered so he was a most acceptable Sacrifice and sweet smelling Savour to God and his Suffering and Sacrifice of Universal Advantage and Benefit to Mankind in that he died for all Men and and gave himself a Ransom for all that all might be capable of Redemption and Salvation through him Now pray observe that G. W. gave a direct Answer to Bugg's Query viz. Whether was the sufferings of Christ or the sufferings of the Quakers greatest G. W. c. answers directly viz. 1. The Sufferings of Christ in the nature of them c. 2. Christ's Sufferings most exalted and esteemed because of the Dignity of him that suffered And this was obvious to Bugg's Eyes in Print in our said Vindication and therefore then F. B. must needs be a notorious wilful Liar herein in affirming G. W. gave no direct Answer to thy Query but was in a great strait And as to E. B's intention and Principle he exalted Christ's Sufferings in their worth dignity and merit above all other Men's as appears by his own and many other Friends Testimonies highly valuing and exalting the Death and Sufferings of Christ. E. B's Confession of Faith in his Works p. 252. Confesseth Christ Jesus as the High-Priest of God the one Offering for Sin who takes away Sin and makes Intercession And p. 441 He also confesseth a being washed and cleansed from all Unrighteousness by the Blood of Jesus by which their Sins are remitted who walk and abide in his Light c. He saith See also a Book Entituled The Son of Perdition Revealed Printed 1661 wherein Ed. Burroughs and G. Whitehead truly thus confess p. 2 4. viz. As Thousands can witness who have heard us both preach up and contend for the free Grace of God to all Men and thereby i. e. by the Grace of God Christ tasted Death for every Man and died for all Men and gave himself a Ransom for all Heb. 2. 9. 1 Tim. 2. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 14. 1 Joh. 2. 2. And it s also testified that in many more Books of ours the free Grace of God i. e. in Christ to all and Christ's Dying for all Men is declared And p. 4. ibid. Reconciliation of the World hrough Christ's Death and his being a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood clearly confessed Thus far E. B. and G. W. Thus highly have they exalted Christ's Sufferings for the Good of Mankind but thus have they not exalted their own or any other Mens or Peoples whaâ—ever Therefore the Quakers exalt Christ's Sufferings above their own and all others consequently Bugg has greatly wrong'd the People called Quakers in this point in his Fifth and and Sixth false Charge before cited Some of Bugg's Railery and Lies added under the same Head against the Quakers viz. Gross Lâ—ars Grand Impostors Impudent Cheats Yea Ellwood Richardson and the most Learned among them As they have shewed all the Contempt they can to Jesus of Nazareth calling him a Vail a Garment c. To the Scriptures to the Ordinances and Ministers of Jesus of Nazareth with great Incharity p. 56. Here F. B. thou hast lied to purpose both against the Living and the Dead I dare say Tho. Ellwood and the Learned among us who are yet alive can testify against thee and the Devil too who is the Author of these thy Horrid Lies And that their Preachers never lost Fifty Pounds p. 57 is another notorious Lie for I in particular with many others have lost many times more by Informers and Imprisonments Whereas F. B. is offended at my calling him so often Bugg p. 59 60 calling me thereupon Insolent and Imperious George What 's he then in calling me only Whitehead and another Fox and another Ellwood and another Richardson Was this Pride Insolency or Imperiousness in him If he says 't was for Brevities sake so saâ— I for I have often mentioned his Name at â—engtr but sometimes F. B. for Brevities sake He has also told me he would not go a step to meet such a proud imperious Fellow as in his Letter to me Dated Feb. 16th 1693. Pray what Humility has F. B. shewn herein And this is not all but he thinks thereupon to debase me by upbraiding me with my former Estate saying G. W. came amongst the Quakers Anno 1652 a poor Boy about Fifteen or Sixteen Years old travelling on foot and hath so gathered up his Crumbs though chiefly at other Mens Tables that he scorns to call him that fed him and his Friends at his Table by his proper Name p. 60. Though he somewhat mistakes as to Time and Age yet that Poverty I am not at all ashamed of it was for Christ's sake that I was made low and poor I was no whit behind F. B. in Education though I was made willing to walk on foot and deeply to suffer by Imprisonment as I did and many other ways even in my young Years wherein the Lord was with me as he still is I bless his Name And as for being fed at F. B's Table I think 't was not very often whether Three or Four Times I remember not and I suppose it was not without some Invitations by him to his House Didst not thou F. B. invite me to thy House sometimes Surely it was not then intended to upbraid me in Print with seeding at thy Table Thou wast then more a Man and of more Civility 't is pity thy Conversion to the Priests and Levites should so much deprive thee both of Compassion Natural Affection and Civility However since 't is thy pleasure thus to upbraid me I offer thee reasonable Satisfaction let me have a true Bill how oft I have fed at thy Table and what each Meal of mine comes to according to the usual Rates of Ordinaries and I will pay it or cause Payment to thee God willing To thy Six Charges against G. Whitehead 1. A Publick Defamer I deny thy Charge the Terms thereof considered in the common and evil Sense But why a Publick Defamer what because he writ that F. Bugg was turned Informer a Self-Condemned Apostate c. The latter is largely proved against thee in my several Answers as in Innocency against Envy The contentious Apostate c. A Charitable Essay