AN Exalted Diotrephes REPREHENDED Or the Spirit of Error and Envy IN William Rogers against the TRUTH And many of the Antient and Faithful Friends thereof Manifested in his late Monstrous Birth or Work of Darkness viz. his False and Scandalous Book Intituled The Christian Quaker-Distinguished c. Wherein he hath discovered himself to be an Apostate and not the True Christian Quaker but as one driven out from the Presence of the Lord and Unity with His Chosen People Also a Comparison between his said Book and many Exhortations and Reproofs Contained in an Epistle given forth under his Hand against that Spirit and work of Division he is now fallen under whereby his Apostacy Self Contradiction and Confusion may appear To be dispersed only among Friends unless his Book is made more Publick Out of thy own Mouth will I Judge thee thou Wicked Servant Luk. 19.22 But Evil Men and Seducers shall Wax worse and worse Deceiving and being Deceived 2 Tim. 3.13 14. But continue thou in the things which thou hast Learned and been Assured of knowing of whom thou hast Learned them vers 14. In vers 9 10. But Diotrephes who Loveth to have the Preheminence prating against Vs with malicious Words c. London Printed for John Bringhurst Printer and Stationer at the Sign of the Book in Grace-Church-Street 1681. LEt it not seem strange to any As though some new thing had happened unto Vs that We have Occasion thus publickly to Appear against One that hath made Profession of the Truth with Us but is gone out from Us according to that of 1 John 4.2 1.9 They went out from Vs but they were not of Vs for if they had been of Vs they would no doubt have Continued with Vs But they went out that they might be made Manifest that they were not all of Vs THE PREFACE AMongst the many Exercises and Perils the Lords People in this Age as in all Ages have met with they have not been unacquainted with Perils by False Brethren according to what the Apostle Paul Testified Acts 20.30 Also of your own selves shall Men Arise speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them whose Qualifications are at Large spoken of by the said Apostle in his Second Epistle to Timothy and Third viz. Without natural Affection Truce-Breakers false Accusers Incontinent fierce Despisers of those that are Good Traitors Heady High-Minded c. as the certain Fruits by which they should be known To the Great Exercise Grief and Sorrow of the Faithful there hath not been wanting divers of the like Instances of such Men who since we have been a People have Arisen from amongst our selves as this Man William Rogers now doth under the Profession of the Truth to oppose and gain-say the Blessed Order and Government thereof whereby the loose Conversations of the Wicked are Restrained or Judged and the Truth cleared from the Reproach thereof And these have not been without the like specious pretences with William Rogers as standing up for the Ancient Testimony and Principle of the Light and against Apostacy setting up Mans Prescriptions Impositions Innovations Persecutions c. but their Fruits withering And their End hath made them Manifest as this Man 's also doth and will do to be the Men Apostatized themselves Led and Acted by a Spirit that would open a Gap and break down the Hedge that every Man may do as he List whilst under the Profession of the same Truth without being called to Account and dealt with in a Gospel-Church-Order for it This small Treatise is not Intended for a full Answer to William Rogers's Voluminous Book which requires a considerable time for Inspection into divers Matters and Papers for such a Reply to trace him in all his False Insinuations grievous Perversions and notorious false Charges of many Innocent Men and Faithful and Eminent Labourers in the Work of the Gospel amongst Us already Manifest to Us by their Answers and Certificates in Writing wherein they have Largely Vindicated their Innocency in most if not all those things relating to matter of Fact alledged against them especially G. F. and have caused Copies thereof to be Delivered to William Rogers many Months since and long before his Book was in the Press Such more full Answer more publickly to be made we Refer to some other Hand or Hands who are Eminently concerned to do it In the mean time we thought it not Amiss to give the Reader some short discovery of the Subject and Occasion of the Differences William Rogers Writeth about and of His Work in General and that by Comparing his former Exhortations and Reproofs with his late Printed Book and Behaviour amongst Us the Reader may have some Taste of his Spirit of Errour and Envy and be cautioned in himself thereby how he gives Credit to his many and false Accusations against the Innocent An Exalted Diotrephes Reprehended WHen the Unclean Spirit is gone out of a Man he walketh through dry Places seeking Rest and finding none Then he saith I will Return into mine House from whence I came out and when he is come he findeth it Swept and Garnisht Then Goeth he and taketh with himself Seven other Spirits more Wicked than himself and they Enter in and Dwell there and the last State of that Man is worse than the first even so shall it be to this Wicked Generation Mat. 12. vers 43 44 45. THat this is the Case of this miserable Man William Rogers manifested by his late Fruits is past doubt with us whom through Unwatchfulness Disobedience and Rebellion against God which is as the Sin of Witchcraft the unclean Spirit and Adversary of Mans Soul the old Accuser of the Brethren hath thus Entred and Exalted upon the Pinnacle of his own conceited Abilities and having now the Rule in him and over him makes War through him against the Lamb and His followers and having fitted him for his Service now sets him about that which hath been all along his Work viz. To Reproach the faithful People of God the whole Profession and the good Order and Government of the Truth which the Lord hath brought forth amongst them as that which striketh at the downfal of his Kingdom with many false and opprobrious Accusations as of being Apostatized and Guilty of Imposition Persecution Innovation Gentilian-Lordship Blind Obedience c. whereby William Rogers hath not only Rankt himself among a Number of those Apostates who from the beginning in a Spirit of Enmity and Prejudice have risen up like Core saying You take too much upon you against the Heavenly Care and Order of such as truely Fear and Love God and in whom as he himself hath confessed God hath opened Councel for that End viz. To be as Helps and Governments in the Church which are not to be Despised being in Subjection to Christ the one Head and Law-giver But as may appear in the following Epistle with this Aggravation That which he formerly Approved and Exhorted
of those things that they testifie are commendable in the Church of God we are sorry that any weakness should appear in us to give occasion for such offence and as †How comes it to pass that there is now nothing in all this and that it is no better than a Rattle to please Children is not this manifest deceit and hypocrisie satisfaction to our brethren and the Church of God in general we do from the very bottom of our hearts condemn that spirit whether it hath appeared in us or any that hath given offence to the Church of God in general or that oppose the order of the Gospel or any faithful Brethren in the practice of those things they believe are their Duty This paper being sent to some Friends in divers parts of the Nation for the satisfaction of such to whom-the knowledge of the differences had come the end for which it was given forth J. S. and J. VV. were offended at it set themselves to extenuate or take off the weight of it not owning it according to the common acceptation of A condemnation of themselves therein confessing they owned the Paper but in another sence than against themselves Notwithstanding what it plainly imports and they knew the Brethren took it for and William Rogers who confessed he drew it for J. S. and J. W. Reported there was nothing in it and that the most innocent man amongst us might own it and never hurt himself and that it was no better than a Rattle to please Children implying those Friends and Brethren Assembled at Drawel he hath as before Recited out of his own Narative given such a Character of and these things we have proved already by sufficient Witnesses out of his own mouth instead of bringing forth Fruits of Peace and Humiliation the said J. S. and J. W. having dealt thus un-sincerely with the Brethren began a new Quarrel with them that were concerned in the hearing and declaring the judgment of the Spirit of Truth at Drawel concerning the differences c. calling their Account a lying Narrative and charging them with doing wickedly by them both by word and writing W. R. also joining with them who by this time began to be desperate and warmly to engage in their Quarrel and in defence of their pretended Innocency they set themselves to oppose and Exclaim against the proceedings of the Brethren at Drawel-Meeting with many opprobrious terms in perfect contraries to the Character W. R. had before given thereof all which things have been made appear at large And instead of breaking up their separate-Meeting or clearing themselves of them which is a publick Ensign of Division and Reproach to the Truth and instead of making void their Subscription tending to a separation both are continued with J. S. and J. W's names thereto whereby some have been encouraged in the Divisions and so far have they made void as to themselves the benefit of all the Transactions of that Meeting at Drawel And now because the Friends of Truth cannot be at Peace and Unity with them in their work of Separation and Division but keep the Spirit of sound judgment upon that dividing Spirit and are at a distance from them until they Repent and be Reconciled therefore are they disquieted And as for William Rogers their furious Warrier and whom they have permitted to fight their Battells for them against the Lamb's followers we have look'd upon him of late as A Man Tormented in Spirit under the disappointments he hath met with in his way on the one Hand Note his Articles have not only Demonstrated this to be his Design but his words also very frequently to be what he would have accomplished amongst us in not being able to Effect that Mischief of Division and Separation which both publickly and privately he hath Laboured to bring to pass in this City about those Men and on the other Hand finding the Cause of his Party whom under pretence of Crying down Man he hath industriously Laboured to Exalt Man or Men above as well as against their Brethren notwithstanding all his Endeavours Manifestly to Decline not only in the General but in the Consciences of some from amongst themselves as by divers Testimonies under many of their Hands shewing how they were Betrayed and Led aside from the Antient Unity to joyn in a Subscription of Party with J. Story and J. Wilkinson may be made appear And now as to the utmost Mischief W. R. is able to do he hath in the Bitterness and Envy of his Spirit and Power of Darkness with which of late he hath been Acting Printed his most scandalous and abusive Book which he had long threatned to bring forth and which is now come Abroad and so Wicked that we must needs say though we knew the Mans lofty Spirit and expected no other than bad from him yet we are sorry for his sake at what he hath brought forth it being so Monstrous and Confused and abundantly supplyed with most grievous Falsehood wicked Perversions and Mis-representations of many Faithful and Innocent Men who truly fear God though he hath for the most part omitted their Names which we take not to be out of any Favour or Kindness in him towards such but rather under Apprehension that the Eminency of divers of them together with the Credit of their Integrity in the Consciences of persons of all Qualities and Degrees would have but worsted and disserted his Cause and for as much as it is Evident to us that the Generallity of the People called Quakers in this Nation some few here and there in some Countries excepted are at Unity with those Brethren in their Testimony against this Spirit and Work of Division William Rogers is now principally concerned in and for which those Brethren are so villified and abused in William Rogers his Book we cannot but look upon such his Injuries and Reproaches to extend through them to the Body of the People called Quakers in this Nation and their Holy Profession thereby prostrated to the publick Ignominy and Contempt of the open and secret Enemies of the Truth who may be too apt to believe what he Writeth which being duely considered let all that have the Fear of God before their Eyes Judge whether the Man that is Guilty of these things can be rightly Esteemed a True Christian Quaker We having thus given a short but true Account of the Occasion Subject Proceedings and Continuance of the present Differences shall proceed to say something of William Rogers his late behaviour amongst us in this City His Qualifications with Respect to his Profession of being a True Christian Quaker is that we are concerned about and to lay him open as they have been plentifully Manifested to us by his behaviour of late Years amongst us in this City to our Great Grief and Exercise Know then that whatever William Rogers hath formerly been or whatever he is yet accounted to be by any that taketh part with
until the Love that was once raised in him came to be destroy'd And now his Soul is fill'd with Bitterness in which the Enmity lodgeth and though his pretences are high as all his Predecessors in this Work were in whom Satan was Transformed and wrought in a Mystery yet with the Light he is seen judged to be as they also were in the Mystery of Iniquity And what though in his fallen Wisdom which is Accurst he lifts up himself on High and would have the World believe as though God had raised him up as the great Reformer of our Age yet do we know and are assured with many hundreds more of the Flock and Family of God in this City and in the Counties adjacent to whom he is personally known That He is not of God for we have not only try'd his Spirit but his Works also have made him manifest And albeit he begins and makes use of these Words of Christ in his abusive Book As I hear I judg we know he is a man Uncircumcised in Heart and Ears and therefore his judgment is unjust he hath no right to take up the words of Christ apply them to himself for he hath judged many he hath never heard Christ said judge not according to outward Appearance but judge Righteous judgment But how void William Rogers is either of the true hearing or judgment hath been by his Un-Christian behaviour amongst us and by his manifold abuses in his Book grounded upon Reports and Conjectures of many innocent men and by his self Contradiction as by the foregoing Epistle is abundantly manifest And truly we are sorry for him that he should so backslide as he hath done and fall from the right way of the Lord and foot-steps of his Flock and Family which he once rejoyced in And it 's very remarkable to see how directly William Rogers hath troden in the same foot-steps with the several Apostates that have arisen up from among our selves in that like Saul against David he hath so malitiously level'd his Arrows and cast his Javlin against that one Man G. F. above all others loading him as hitherto hath been done with manifold Calumnies and Reproaches which the Lord hath and we doubt not but still will blast and make his Innocency to appear over all his wicked Designs to the confusion of his and Truths Adversaries whatsoever they are or may pretend to the contrary And the cause thereof we conclude to be from the Enmity of the wicked one the Son of Perdition that hath entred the heart of this man William Rogers as he hath other Instruments formerly where he sits and is Exalted in a high Profession to the end that he may the better deceive and draw from the Blessed Unity fellowship in the Truth and heavenly Guidance of the Light it self into a Selfish Disorderly Looss Libertine Spirit from God and unsubmission unsubjection one unto another according to the Gospel-Order in the Churches of Christ That by how much the more God hath made use of our dear Friend G. F. and honoured him with the first Message of the Light and Truth as reveal'd in our day and age whereby the Hearts of many Thousands have been gathered from the Evil of their wayes and converted unto God and remain living Witnesses of the Appearance Blessing and Presence of God with him and bear the Seal of his Ministry and continued faithfulness unto God therein who hath also indued him with Understanding and Wisdom in the openings of his Council wherein he hath been and is instrumental in the hand of the Lord For the settlement of good Order and Discipline in the Church of Christ as Helps and Governments for its Establishment and Comfort in him who is its sure Foundation and Rock forever By so much the more abundantly hath the Enemy wrought by his Instruments against that faithful Servant of the Lord viz. G. F. to hinder the Lords Work and to Obscure his blessed appearance in him and through him and among his Chosen People to their joy and Comfort in their Heavenly Society they are gathered into But the Lord hath hitherto blasted their Designs and made their Folly manifest as he doth and is doing at this day Blessed be his Name for ever We shall now proceed to take some notice of a few more passages in his Book and first that in the 2d and 3d. pages of his Preface wherein he saith That so great a Concern of Conscience lieth on many to encourage the publication of his Book as we can no longer forbear lest it should be reputed that the Doctrine and Life of Christianity were wholly extinct amongst the aforesaid People Here as in divers other places of his Book we cannot but Observe that he claims many to be concern'd in Conscience with him in the publishing thereof thereby magnifying his Number But who or where those many are we know not William Rogers might if he had pleas'd or may yet tell us by what Name they are call'd and we would have him know we expect it that so we may be able to satisfly our selves upon a due Consideration of their example in Life and Doctrine whether they are men more fitly qualified than himself for such an undertaking especially if any of them live in this City because upon enquiry hitherto we have not been able to find them out It seems to us if W. R. had so many bright and shining lights in the Doctrine and Life of Christianity above the rest of their Neighbours viz. the people call'd Quakers to whom it was become such a Concern of Conscience as he writes they should be as a City set on a hill and come forth and own it publickly in the face of all people but this we are doubtful is too plain and open for him to talk of many in the dark to father a work of darkness seems to carry more credit with it than to particularize a few as Rash Self-will'd and Injurious as himself that doth own it Alas Alas To what a height of Folly and Pinacle of Conceitedness is this man arriv'd The Prodigy of our Age as it should seem by his Book and Bullwork against Apostacy now shewing himself as an Ensign to the Nation lest it should be reputed that the Doctrine and Life of Christianity were wholly Extinct among the People call'd Quakers As to the Life of Christianity we have already manifested how much he is a stranger to it through his perverse Practices among us and corrupt Nature Ruling in him and consequently a very unfit man to be set up as so great a Reformer or to concern himself so much about the miscarriages of others as he accounts them Mat. 7.5 Thou Hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own Eye then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy Brothers Eye And as to the Doctrines of Christianity not to insist upon his saying and unsaying again viz. in that he hath
one while confessed they are publikely own'd another while charging an Apostacy therein We refer to the many printed Testimonies written by divers eminent Brethren still living in the Defence of the Gospel-Truths and how much in perspecuity and clearness they are beyond any thing in William Rogers his Book is left to the impartial Reader to judge as a Reproof to his strange conceited Confidence as well as false and ungodly insinuations against them and the People call'd Quakers in general as though the Doctrin and Life of Christianity were in danger of being reputed to be wholly Extinct among them unlesse he and a few others in comparison of the People call'd Quakers however he is pleased to magnify their number who are of party with him had discharg'd that concern of Conscience he pretends lay on many to incourage the publication of his Book designing thereby no doubt being the natural Consequence of his Lynes to obviate the Universality of such a Reputation by rendring themselves the men that kept their primitive Station in the Life of Truth and retain'd the ancient Doctrines thereof whil'st they undertook so generally to detect so many of the most publick and most reputed Quakers so call'd and their Adherents who are People in general who have Unity with them in the Truth and blessed order thereof and which makes up the other part of Degeneracy therefrom into an Apostacy and Innovation It still seemes strange to us that such men if such they be whom W. R. intends should lye so hidden and conceal'd as not to be found and no less strange that they should make use of and encourage W. R. to be their mouth to speak to the world by who hath known so little of the sanctification of his Nature and consequently very unlike what his lines bespeak them to be This adds no Credit to their matter but gives just occasion of jealousie and will do unless they disprove it by a discovery of themselves That what ever is pretended they are but too much like him for if it be otherwise and that they really are such as excel in the Doctrine and Life of Christianity let them come forth and shew themselves What though they are but as one of a City and two of a Tribe yet if they have the Truth on their sides that is stronger than all and shall prevail It is likewise to be observed after what an injurious as well as disingenuous a rate William Rogers hath dealt with the People call'd Quakers in often gathering up the words of some person or persons we know not who neither doth he tell us nor when if ever spoken by any particularly the Doctrine in the sixth page of his Preface which he makes so much adoe about in several parts of his Book as one of his great Marks of Apostacy wherewith he reflects upon the Brethren viz. Let us exclude Reasoning the Wisdome and the jealousie and let us have an Eye to the Brethren But who seeth not the unrighteousness of such dealing which together with many pieces and scraps of matter collected out of divers Papers and Epistles he hath not only quoted in such a confused manner that no Reader unless before acquainted with the grounds and occasion thereof can rightly understand and consequently not in a capacity to make a sound judgment therefrom But to extort a judgment as it were from the inconsiderate and prejudiced he hath so paraphrased upon such Words and Doctrines such scraps and pieces of matter so collected by him and framed such notorious false insinuations and perversions therefrom and vilifications of many faithful and eminent Labourers and through them the generallity of the People call'd Quakers that adhear to them as guilty of such things as their Souls abhor and is particularly mentioned in the beginning of this Treatise which the Righteous God of Heaven and Earth sees and beholds and will plead with him and recompence him for it in his due time if he Repent not The next thing we have to notice of is his unjust Charges and Reflections on those Sixty-Six Friends and Brethren that subscribed the Epistle dated from Ellis Hooks his Chamber the 12th of the 7th month 1677. and more particularly with relation to his manifest abuse of the four Friends of Bristol that were concern'd therein On this Epistle it is to take little notice of his Objections against the Constitution of the Meeting it came from more than to tell him that what he would not have it to be that it is viz. from the Yearly-Meeting we observe William Rogers grounds another of his great Marks of Apostacy he chargeth those Brethren with viz. judging of the Merits of the Cause without hearing the same Preface page the Sixth and for proof thereof saith That John Story and John Wilkinson have been judg'd by many of the Subscribers thereof if not all without a hearing of either Party for that the Epistle doth not import that the judgment given was on the hearing either of one or both Parties Convened before them 2d part page 77. But the fallaciousness of this Insinuation will easily appear by what follows We have already given an Account of the Meeting that many Friends and Brethren had with Iohn Story and Iohn Wilkinson at Drawell in Yorkshire and the Result of that Meeting We have also signified how J. S. and J. W. have behaved themselves since to the grief of those very Friends abusing them both by word and writing with many opprobrious Terms disowning their Judgement as Unjust and Unrighteous c. Extenuating Their Paper of Condemnation not owning it as such against themselves continuing their former Subscriptions to a Paper tending to a Separation upheld and maintained in some part of Westmoreland c. whereby they made void as to themselves the Benefit of all those Transactions at the Meeting aforesaid and which would have Succeeded had they behaved themselves as they ought to have done But forasmuch as they have continued in the same Spirit of Division and Separation Contemning the Counsel and Advice of those Brethren they still stand justly Chargeable with those things they were before found Guilty of Those things consider'd the Sixty Six Friends and Brethren who Subscribed that Epistle some of them being the same that were personally present concerned at the Meeting at Drawell before mentioned and many other approved Travelling Brethren in the Work of the Ministry however now termed Vpuarts Apostates and Innovators having received satisfactory Knowledge upon the undoubted Credit and Testimony of many Brethren of their Proceedings at Drawell And likewise many of them being abundantly sensible and divers having certain Knowledge of their persisting in the same Spirit of Division and Separation had a Concern upon their Spirits under the Apprehension of the dangerous Consequence of such Men's Travelling up and down in a disreconcil'd Estate sowing and spreading their Discontents and Divisions being forewarn'd thereof with a renewed Admonition against that Spirit of
in the afore-recited Epistle to which his Name was And the reason of this Observation is because his Unchristian dealing with Robert Barclay and slender ground he had for his large Objections against some passages in his Book was so clearly Evidenced in the Consciences of many weighty Friends at London with whom he had a Meeting by consent Robert Barclay being present for the hearing and resolving his Objections which was effectually done and by his own Confession he most Christianly dealt with therein the Truths asserted by Robert Barclay were vindicated and cleared from the Misconstructions of William Rogers whereof some of us were both Eye and Ear Witnesses as at large appears as well by the Testimony of that Meeting subscribed by thirty seven Brethren as from VVilliam Rogers his Letter under his own hand-writing which he drew up as satisfaction for the wrong he had done Robert Barclay wherein William Rogers doth not only acknowledge That he hath not done according to Gospel order by Robert Barclay but was justly worthy of blame in what he did But also that he is perswaded that Robert Barclay is not principled as he and some others by some passages in his Book took him to be Notwithstanding all this William Rogers hath gone about in his Book to undo or unsay what he hath said in his Letter and to publish his Objections against his own meanings and misconstructions of what Robert Barclay hath written in his said Book like a man fighting with his own shadow thereby making void as much as in him lieth the determination of that Meeting reflecting on the Friends as guilty of signing an Unrighteous Paper What shall we say or think concerning this Man whom nothing will serve but to be sole Iudge and Vmpire in his own Cause and unless this be granted him he appears to us resolved to be Contentious though it be to his own Ruin The other thing we have to take notice of with Relation to VVilliam Rogers's Charges against G. F. is not only considering VVilliam Rogers a man of such a Temper as is before implyed to hear how little reason G. F. had to take notice of his pretended Dissatisfactions against him though indeed restlesness turmoile and enmity of Spirit against him manifest by his rude and un-christian method he hath taken too large here to recite but also as a Reproof to his false Insinuations against G. F. in his Book as though he shunned the Test and as being unwilling to submit to justice to manifest the contrary how G. F. called William Rogers to account at a Meeting here in Bristol for proof of divers Charges and Insinuations contain'd in a Letter under William Rogers his own hand against him and now made publick in William Rogers his Book and what the Result of the Meeting was as it appears by the following Certificate VVE under-written being at a Meeting at Richard Sneads the 15th of the 12th month 1677. to hear a Letter read that was writ by William Rogers to G. F. containing several Accusations Charges and Insinuations against him do hereby declare that it was read and that William Rogers own'd it and when he was call'd upon by G. F. William Penn George Whitehead Lawrence Steel William Gibson and others to prove his Accusations and Charges against G. F. and others he refused so to do and notwithstanding he was intreated and urged long thereto yet said it shall not be I will not proceed unless G. F. will under his hand Charge me and give me his Charge in Writing Thus he shuffled with the Meeting And though we told him that the Letter was his and consequently the Accusations and Charges were his and therefore that it lay at his Door to prove them yet he persisted Obstinately to give us no Proof and so went his way William Penn Charles Jones John Moone Richard Snead Richard Vickris James Merrick Charles Jones Jun. Peter Walter Stephen Smith Erasmus Dole c. These things consider'd and William Rogers his apparent shifting and shuffling herein Manifested What Reason had G. F. or any other to take any more Notice of his Letters than of Waste-Paper or to Regard his impertinent Rambling Clamours and Railing up and down in divers Parts of the Nation against him about Matters whereof he had already Clear'd himself in Writing and that whilst G. F. was far remote in the North and yet when he was near the City of London and William Rogers in the City he would not as we are credibly inform'd go to him We say What Reason had G. F. or others to Regard William Rogers in these practices any more than they would any other Apostates or open Adversaries What hopes could G. F. or any other have to satisfy such a Man whose Prejudice and Enmity was so great that he was in Travel to give Vent thereto and yet thus Manifestly depriv'd of common Modesty and Equity usual amongst Men in case of Difference insomuch that he either will not Acquiesce in the Determination of a Matter when Heard and given Judgement upon but instead thereof make it his business to inlarge his Abuses against the concern'd therein or otherwise shift and shuffle and at length utterly refuse to make proof of his Charges when call'd thereunto There is one thing more we cannot omit to make mention of viz. the manner of William Rogers his abusive Insinuations and Charges not only against many Eminent and Faithful Brethren but through them against the generality of the People call'd Quakers as Apostatized c. chiefly with Respect to the blessed Order and Government they are Exercised in and is Established among them viz. That it is most frequently to be observ'd in his Book that his Method is to draw positive and scandalous Conclusions and wicked Perversions from not only uncertain but most false Premises and Conjectures salving himself as well as he can with these and such like Expressions which are his usual best Reasons for his many foul Accusations against them viz. If Reports be true we take it to be thus we have cause to Believe I cannot but be full of Jealousies c. like the wicked that said Report and we will Report And after the Example of Thomas Hicks and John Faldo when by his Suppositions Jealousies Doubts Reports Meanings and Misconstructions he hath made up his Man of Straw as we may Term it or Apostate-Innovator and call'd him a Quaker he then bestirs himself and as yet retaining some Notions of Truth in his Head he doth bring them forth as Arguments to Fence with against his own Work whilst the Enemy of his Soul keeps him in Blindness that he cannot see himself to be the Man How much this is his manifest Practice throughout his whole Book and how wretchedly bad such Courses are is left to the impartial Reader to judge We having thus for the Truth 's sake discovered William Rogers his Spirit and Behaviour amongst us and something of his many Abuses in his Book more particularly with Relation to some Friends and Passages in this City we Commend what we have Written to the Witness of God in every Conscience not doubting but the judicious Reader when he hath duely weighed the Management of William Rogers with reference to the Matters herein treated of will see Cause as well from the Matters themselves as the slenderness of the Credit wherewith the Abuses therein manifested are attended both to detest and loath such extravagant Courses as he hath taken to Reproach the People call'd Quakers and their Holy Profession and to suspend his Belief of other things deliver'd in his Book against some particulars no less Injurious until time by some other Hands so Manifest them Richard Snead Charles Harford Richard Vickris Charles Jones THE END LONDON Printed for John Bringhurst Printer and Bookseller at the Sign of the Book in Grace-Church-Street near Cornhil 1681.