Apostles taught and is Recorded in the Scriptures of Truth but for the Revelation of that which they Taught and is therein Recorded Wherefore as the Apostle says There are diversities of Gifts but the same Spirit and there are differences of Administrations but the same Lord and there are diversities of Operations but it is the same God which worketh all in all But the Manifestation of the Spirit is given to every Man to profit withal 1 Cor. 12. 4 5 6 7. So say we viz. That there is a Measure of the same Spirit in us which was in the Holy Prophets and Apostles so that 't is not an Equality of any Writings with theirs but a Measure of the same Spirit of Revelation which they had that we Contend for Rel. p. 3. For the nature of the Blasphemy we Charge them with should be so Plain and Obvious that every Christian shall be able to Understand it to be so upon the Reading it to them Animad If the Nature of the Blasphemy be so Plain and Obvious as these Men pretend why did they Refuse at the Conference to give us a Particular Account of it For their Charging us with Blasphemy of so Plain a Nature and yet Denying us a Copy after so many Demands gives us just Cause to Suspect they are Conscious of the Invalidity of their Proofs and therefore of the Charge it self but that Envy link'd with Interest Prompts them to Calumniate Loudly that Some might be Frighted from Coming near us and Others Irritated to Hate Malign and Persecute us Rel. p. 3. But should we tell them the Names of our Books Page and Line before-hand we had deserv'd rather to be laghed at as Fools than looked on as Disputants for this would be to send them our Arguments before the Disputation Animad Here they make a Poor Excuse for Denying our Just Demands and then give as Weak a Reason for it But has the Hiding the Names of their Books Page and Line from us Secured their Reputation among Men of Wisdom Or only got them the blind Applauses of the Ignorant We know that Justice and True Wisdom are Inseparable and therefore seeing they have Positively Refused us Justice their Ambition of being accounted Disputants when they themselves know 't was no Disputation as it cannot Cover them from the Imputation of Folly so can it not Acquit them of the Guilt of Injustice Did ever Men Apologize to less Advantage than these have done We never desired their Arguments but their Quotations that we might know where to find the Blasphemies if any Such there were in our Friends Books and make Preparation for our Answer And ye there they talk of their Arguments as though we Solicited for them before hand For we told them they might Reserve their Arguments till they Needed them and yet might Reasonably Give us the Quotations they Pretended to Argue upon That they had a great Mind to be looked on as Disputants and were willing to seem furnished with Arguments to prove their Charge we do not Deny if Clamourous Harangues and Tricking Attempts be any Evidence of it For they would Fain have Drawn us into this Snare namely To have Condemned our Friends of Blasphemy before we had Examined what that was which they Called so Which Vain Effort whether it Proclaims their Folly or Speaks their Honesty and Fairness in Arguing the Impartial Reader though but of a Common Capacity may easily Determine Priest Archer of Milden-Hall confessed indeed that the Quakers of this Generation were Orthodox and the Confession of an Adversary is very considerable But he would have had us Condemn our Friends Books before we either Heard or Saw or Knew that there was any Blasphemy in them But we conceive it would have been as unjust in us to have Condemned the Evidence before we Heard them as it was and is in our Enemies to Conceal them from us Rel. p. 4. We told them the Evidence we should bring was not from Ours but from their Own Books and it was not fit we should tell them the Names of our Witnesses before hand that they might have time to tamper with them and make them speak what they never intended Animad It Looks as if these Men were somewhat Confused for in p. 3. they say Our Books Page and Line here forgetting what they Said but six Lines before they say Not from Ours but from their Own Books Again how Loosely and Idly do they Discourse in the latter Part of this Paragraph about our Tampering with their Witnesses Was it possible for us to Tamper as they Phrase it with them viz. Printed Books which were in their own Hands and in the Hands of many Others Or could we make them Speak otherwise than they do Surely the Weakness of this Argument as well as the Disparity between Books and Men shews little Wisdom in these Learned Rectors and rather bespeaks their Shortness than their Sharpness Rel. p 4. When a Time of Disputation with an Adversary is set and I have sent him the Questions to be Disputed on was it ever expected that I should before the Time send him all my Proofs The Question you know betwixt us is whether they are Blasphemers or no Animad Here is another Blunder hardly tolerable in any but in such Disputants Sometimes 't is I sometimes 't is We or Vs Singular and Plural One and More as their Fancy leads them But leaving this Confused Variation of Numbers let us Attend to what they say next The Question say they you know betwixt us is whether they are Blasphemers or no This is another Effluvium from a cloudy Intellect They never till now put it in the Form of a Qustion whether we were Blasphemers or no But Charg'd us with Express and Down-right Blasphemy Therefore they are gone from their former Mode of Expression and have brought it now to Terms of a Disputable Nature Rel. p. 4. Presently they cry'd out We Reproach the Parliament who have owned them to be Dissenting Protestants whilst we would prove them to be Blasphemers and indeed they did strut exceedingly for the Honour the Parliametn hath done them to Recognize them as Protestants as if under the Protection of the Act of Parliament they might Blaspheme cum Privilegio and no Body must be so bold as to ask them Why do you so Animad We Received not our Religion of Man nor were we Taught it after a Traditional Manner but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ whom the Lord God hath laid in Zion for a sure Foundation Isa 28. 16. Even the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Eph. 2. 20. and of all the Righteous in every Generation And He that is our Foundation the same is our Defence and Protection For he is our King the Lord God Omnipotent and the Head of the true Church which is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thess 1. 1. and against which the Gates of Hell shall never be able
Asserted c. among the People that they might speak for us And whereas it was Suggested that the Book being without a Name it was to serve a Turn and might be denyed afterwards Now We do Declare That Book was first Printed in the Year 1689. in Behalf of the said People and given to the Parliament and since Reprinted to serve no other Turn but Truth and to shew in brief what we Own and Hold concerning the things mentioned therein and that they are not Contrary but in all respects Agreeable to the Holy Scriptures And as to their Resolution of not leaving the Matter thus and Intention of Proving their Charge at a more Favourable Opportunity viz. When the Days are long and the Weather good as also their Permitting any of Us to Appear and Signifying how Civilly they will Treat Us viz. By Taking us by the Hands and leading us out of Doors We think not to take much notice of it but Commit our Cause to the Lord who knows our Innocency to whose Will we are Resigned and in whom we Trust that he will Defend us from their Evil Designs Threatned and Attempted against us Rel. p. 6 7. It being near the Evening one of their Speakers made mention of our Lord Bishop's Name and that he had waited on him at Norwich and discoursed with him about this Matter in the presence of the Arch-Deacon Dr. Jeffery's And insinuated to the People as if my Lord had now a more favourable Opinion of their Challenge than before since he had given him a more Just Relation as he said of the Circumstances but none of us could believe his Relation Animad We hope 't was no Offence to wait on the Bishop of Norwich but we deny what they say was Insinuated for we neither did nor do Esteem our selves the Aggressors or first Challengers And though they could not Believe the Relation he gave ' was nevertheless True Rel. p. 8. We hope we have stopt the Gangrene that it spreads no further in our Corner the People being generally satisfied and do believe them now to be Blasphemers because they refused to come to a Trial. Animad If they have stopt the Gangrene as they falsly call it what need they then seek the Remedy of the Parliament by Petitioning them Doth not this shew what Spirit they are of But our Defence against them is The Shield of Faith which is able to quench all the Fiery Darts of the Devil By it the Elders obtained a good Report subdued Kingdoms wrought Righteousness obtained Promises stopped the Mouths of Lions quenched the Violence of Fire escaped the Edge of the Sword out of Weakness were made Strong waxed Valiant in Fight turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens Heb. 11. 2 33 34. Are these Ministers of Christ Are these Ambassadors of the Prince of Peace who endeavour the Subversion of their Neighbours Peace both Civil and Religious But what a weak as well as false Affirmation is it to say The People are generally satisfied and do believe us now to be Blasphemers because as they speak we refused to come to a Trial For we were willing to come to a Trial as appears by our Letters and their own Relation of the Conference upon such reasonable Terms as the Justice of England allows by the Common Law even to Malefactors viz. A Copy of their Charge but this they Peremptorily Denied us Now is it probable that the People should be so Generally Satisfied and Believe that we were Blasphemers when the Cause assigned for this Pretended Satisfaction and Belief is Evidently and Notoriously False This Triumphing of these Priests before they have got the Victory both loudly Proclaims their own Weakness and manifestly Imposeth upon the Credulity of the People Note Moreover that these Priests who first Challenged and Charged Us the former of which they now deny did at the Conference use Various Ways to divert us from Proving them what they really were and are viz. The first Challengers and did Insultingly Demand our Names and whence we were as if they had been the King's Justices of the Peace and would Impose upon and Question us as if they had a Jurisdiction over us and would as if we were Children have Catechised us which gave our Friend Occasion to tell them If they would prove themselves Ministers of Christ he would be Catechised by them but not one of the Challengers would undertake that as before is hinted Yet one Queried of us Whether we own'd the Resurrection to which Answer was given We did own it according to the Holy Scriptures And then We were ask'd Whether Christ was Born of a Virgin and whether that Christ that was born of the Virgin Mary was now Glorified To which we Replied That he was and is Glorified according to his own Prayer John 17. Then the Priests Accused G. W. and Charged him with Preferring our own Writings to the Holy Scriptures But we denied that G. W. hath so done or that we Prefer our Writings to the Holy Scriptures Then they Suggested That our Teachers have Asserted some Blasphemies against the Priestly Office of Christ which we utterly Deny as a Gross Slander cast upon our Teachers For howsoever we may be Accused and Misrepresented by these Men that seem to be in a Confederacy against us and say Page 1. We could make nothing appear under their Hands that they were the Challengers we hope we have now done that to the Satisfaction of the Impartial beyond only urging some Stories we had heard as a Provocation as they say Page 1. And as to the Liberty Page 4. that they allow us to Charge any of the Church of England-Writers with Blasphemy and without giving them Book Line or Page before hand and their saying We will either Disown or Justifie it We Reply that when we Answer their Proposal therein we shall be more Just to them than they have been to us for we shall give them Authors Names Book and Page Something Briefly but truly laid down by Way of Reply to Hen. Meriton John Meriton and Lau. Park their Charging the Quakers in Norfolk with Challenging them c. Proving by Certificates that the first Challenge lay not on the Quakers Part but on the Persons above-named in Conjunction with F. Bugg FRancis Bugg their Mercenary Agent Printed a Challenge upon the Quakers bearing Date the 30th of August 1698. in which he says Friends you cannot but remember your Ancient Practice in going into the Churches disturbing the Established Ministers your Challenging them into the Field to Dispute with you But behold here is a Change with you We may now Challenge you and Charge you again and again Fearfulness doth Surprize you that you dare not appear but remember it is a sign you cannot defend your Errors and that your Innocency is not Triumphant as G. Whitehead boasts Let this Charge and Challenge therefore be a Touch-Stone to try your Sincerity and let it be a Monument of your
of your Terms Yet they proceeded according to what they wrote in their Letter dated the 16th of November in these words Pray trouble us no more with your Letters for our Measures are fix'd and you may chuse whether you will meet us upon the Terms resolved upon or no. Rel. p. 1. And our Charge according to their desire sent to them as appears by our first Letter Animad They sent us a Charge indeed but not according to our Desire for we Desired a Particular of the Blasphemies they Charged us with together with the Authors Names Titles of the Books and Pages as may be seen by the Three last of our Letters But this they constantly Denied us In our first Letter we were not so express as we were afterwards when we saw in what General Terms they Charged us but we Thought it had been enough to let them know our Freedom to take their Charge and stand a Publick Trial desiring only the Common Priviledges to such Occasions belonging Now what are these Common Priviledges but a Particular of their Charge with Author Title Book and Page considering they told us in their Letter dated the 3 d. of November 1698. We intend to Charge you with Blasphemy out of your own Books Rel. p. 1. And on the day appointed viz. December the 8th 1698. the Quakers and We met in West-Dereham-Church in the County aforesaid and took our Places before prepared We first read the Service of the Day near the Beginning of which they coming in staid it out not to joyn in the Duty but rather to affront it carrying themselves Irreverently all the Time Animad 'T is true We met them on the 8th of the 10th Month 1698. in West-Dereham Steeple-House but We neither appointed the Day nor the Place nor agreed to their Terms for we looked upon their Terms as Unreasonable And therefore our Appearing there was not to joyn Issue with them and to Answer their pretended Charge but to demand at this Meeting what we had so often in our Letters Insisted upon before and they had Refused us namely a Copy of their Charge and to acquaint the People whom the Priests had Misinformed that we were not the first Challengers Our coming in while they were at their Service was by the Direction of their Warden and a Watch-man sent as we Suppose for that Purpose And when we were come in tho' we did not joyn with them yet we offered no Affront nor carried our selves Irreverently unless a Silent and Serious Deportment all the Time of their Service may bring us under that Imputation Rel. p. 1. As soon as our Service was ended one of their Speakers began to Pray whereupon all of them immediatly pulled off their Hats and carried themselves as at a Religious Worship Animad We hope that was no Offence and if they could say in Truth they were for that Time Sober and Quiet as we were during their Service as they rightly call it we think it would have been more to their Reputation than to Cry out A Conventicle a Conventicle a Thing strange to hear of in a Steeple-House while our Friend was on his knees Praying to Almighty God as if there was a Law against Praying to Him which we know nothing of and besides it 's Allowed by their Liturgy Rel. p. 1. We insisted that they were our Challengers and repeated to them their own Letter of Challenge They told us they were provoked by certain Carriages of ours to write that Letter Animad True it is we did and do deny that we were the Aggressors and first Challengers and we Proffered several Testimonies to Clear up that Matter but being then Obstructed by our Adversaries We have now Printed them and leave the Judgment and Decision thereof to the Impartial Rel. p. 1 2. And after many long Harangues of several of their Speakers they desired that all the Letters which passed between us might be read to the Auditory not as if they could get any Advantage by reading them but as appeared to us afterwards meerly to divert us an Hour or more from prosecuting our Charge Animad It was very reasonable the Letters should be read that the People might understand First that they were the first Challengers and Chargers which they now grant by Complaining they were Diverted from prosecuting their Charge Secondly That we had several Times Requested the Authors Names the Titles and Pages of the Books out of which they did intend to Charge us that we might have been duly Prepared to Meet them and Give proper Answers to their several Charges For there is a common Justice due to every Man that he should have the Liberty to Explain his own Words and if the Author was Dead or could not be there that his Meaning by other Words or Sentences relating to the same Subject might be Explained and if they could not then it was Time enough to Disown those Words and Sentences but not without due Examination for otherwise we should be Unjust to our Friends and Injurious to our Selves Rel. p. 2. We answered we had Law and Equity against such an Unreasonable Demand We told them the Law was their own 't was from Edward Burroughs who was a Son of Thunder and spoke all from the Mouth of the Lord whose Book used to be with them of as much Authority as the Bible Animad Our Demand was a more Particular Account than a General Charge But was this Unreasonable Or is there either Law or Equity that forbids it We know of none that doth but do Conceive we have both on our Side Their Allegation out of Edward Burroughs doth not reach the Case nor could his Authority Settle the Preliminaries of the Conference For he hath been dead about 35 Years and this was Published about 5 Years before that therefore what is a Challenge of near 40 Years Standing and by a Friend so long since dead to us Is it Reasonable that that should Affect us and Set us such Measures as these Partial Judges Pitch'd and Resolv'd upon Besides E. B. tho' he made an ample Offer to the Priests of that Day saying Let them appoint Time Place and proffer Terms at their own Pleasure Yet he did not thereby Oblige us by any Express Word or Consequence That he was Boanerges or a Son of Thunder and did Speak from the Mouth of the Lord we humbly Acknowledge and Bless God for Raising up and Sending forth so Eminent and Able an Instrument to Preach the Everlasting Gospel His Memory is Precious among Us and his Books of Esteem but not of Equal Authority with the Bible For though he had received a Measure of the same Spirit which was in the Holy Pen-men yet Dispensations Vary according to the manifold Wisdom of God and therefore we prefer the Bible before E. B's Books and all other Writings Extant whatsoever We do not Plead for any New Gospel Faith or Doctrine different from that which Christ and his Holy Prophets and
made in the Year 1562. by another Convocation which declares The Church hath Authority in Controversies of Faith If they will own it then whether the Sin against God be the Sin against the Holy Ghost or no We do not see how they can Quit themselves of the Blasphemy the Article speaks of For do they not of Malice Rail upon the Truth of God's Word manifestly perceived and as Enemies thereunto Persecute the same in Charging so many Blasphemies upon the Light within as taught by the Quakers For the Light within is Christ and Christ is the Truth of God's Word The Way the Truth and the Life John 14. 6. The Word that was in the beginning with God and was God Chap. 1. 1. The Sum and Substance of the Gospel and that which the Holy Scriptures give Testimony of and we Believe and Teach But whether the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost be Unpardonable we shall not Determine A great Doctor of their own Communion was of the Opinion it was not see Hammond's Annot. upon Mat. 12. If they Print again we intreat them to be Plain and Open and not Talk great Words in the Dark to Endeavour to Fright People and to Exasperate them against us without any just Cause or Provocation Rel. p. 5. And now we began to Charge them with Blasphemy against God Animad Whom did they begin to Charge Not the Quakers of this present Generation for they were then acknowledged Orthodox and yet at first all were by them Charged to be Blasphemers see their Contradiction Rel. p. 5. And as soon as we began to prosecute our Charge one gets upon a Form and Bawls aloud to the People c. Animad It 's true one got up on a Form and made a Solemn Confession of Faith in Scripture-Terms yet did not Bawl but in words of Sobriety Declared to this Effect We Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth and in Jesus Christ his only Begotten Son our Lord and Saviour who was Born of the Virgin Mary whom the Holy Ghost overshadowed who appeared in the World in that Body prepared for him who died for our Sins and rose again for our Justification And we Believe in the Holy Spirit and own the Three that bear Record in Heaven and that these Three are One. We Own the Holy Scriptures of Truth and Believe they were given forth by Divine Inspiration and that they are profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness and are able to make the Man of God wise to Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus And We Esteem the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the best Book in all the World and could be glad that People did spend more of their time in Reading of them And the Ordinances of Jesus Christ his Baptism and Supper according to the Holy Scriptures and that we neither Preach Teach nor Believe in any other Light than the Life of that Word which was in the beginning with God and was God And therefore this Light as taught by us could not expose us to Error or Blasphemy And we own Magistracy to be the Ordinance of God for the Punishment of Evil-doers and Praise of them that do well Rel. p. 5. This Disorder hindred us from Prosecuting our design to any Purpose tho' we permitted every one of them from London or from Rome if they pleased to have free Liberty to Dispute if they will do it fairly without Noise or Clamour Animad Whatever their Design was it seems they did not Prosecute it to any Purpose But what an unjust and unkind Insinuation is this from London or Rome As tho' we had Romish Emissaries among us who Blessed be our God do equally Renounce all the Corrupt Doctrines Anti-Christian Spirit Lord-like Power and Grandeur Idolatrous Worship Superstitious Ceremonies and Wicked Practices both of Pope and all Others who Persecute for Religion and Conscience towards God it being Romish And this we Testifie and Declare that Whoever they are that promote Persecution upon any Pretence whatsoever they are Friends to Rome and not to England being Profest Enemies to Christian Liberty and Property and Publick Disturbers of the Peace of their Native Country Rel. p. 5. And whereas we brought a great Number of the Quakers Books both Old and New and all of them of their most Celebrated Authors they cried no Books no Arguments which occasioned great Laughter and Shouting among the People Animad Who said so We would willingly have discoursed upon Books Regularly but when we demanded a Copy of their Charge which was but Justice then the Managers of the Conference who should have been Examples to the People of Gravity and Soberness did turn it off to Laughter and Shouting with a Company of vain Persons there present to Joyn them therein Rel. p. 6. And ever and anon they would have been Charging us Insolently urging us to prove our selves Christians Animad They gave us great Occasion to Question their Christianity by reason of their frequent Hissing and Hollowing which made us take Notice of it to the Auditory that they might Observe what Fruits some of them brought forth Rel. p. 6. And by and By we must prove our selves Ministers of Christ which was answered Animad We do not remember that any of them did but if they did Why did not they Insert it here that we might have seen it They gave the Occasion by their frequent Examining our Friends whereupon One of them said If they would prove themselves Ministers of Christ he would be Chatechized by them but they Declined the Proof of that and when one in the Pulpit made an Essay towards it they discountenanced him saying He was a Young Man and not concerned with them in this Affair or to that Effect yet we Acknowledge he Behaved himself more gravely then most of them Rel. p. 6. And it was a Cunning Design of theirs to divert us from our Charge so much dreaded by them Animad It rather seems they were upon Cunning Designs and afraid to give their Charge than that we were affraid to take it For we offered to pay for the Writing if we might have had it and once we had a promise from Dr. Beckham but were afterward denied by Rector Meriton Now being thus imposed upon and denied just Measures we told the Auditory that seeing these Persons had refused us Justice we Appealed to the Lord of Heaven and Earth the Judge of All and in His Name and Fear we made our Confession of Faith in Opposition to their Charges and then some of them Laughed Hissed and Hollowed and one of them called for the Stocks and a Watch-man came near the Scaffold which we were upon and held up his Bill at us And they appearing with such seeming Threatning and Violence and we could not be heard some of our Friends took Occasion to disperse certain Books called The Christianity of the People called Quakers
such Occasions belonging Provided as aforesaid you think Meet in your own Names or any other of your Cloth to Charge us And through the Lord's Assistance you shall hear from us or some others of us whom you or some of you have endeavoured to Traduce and we Doubt not Publickly to put aside that Disguise that by others have been put upon us and to make it appear to all unbiassed Persons that we really are in the Truth and Simplicity of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Your Real Friends Richard Ashby John Hubbard Philip Tassell Rich. Marler Stephen Stanton Daniel Phillips Matth. Harrison John Hunter Tho. Buckingham Richard Case John Brown The Priests Answer to the foregoing Letter Friends IT has not been from any Distrust of the Goodness of our Cause or any backwardness in us to Defend It that we have been thus long in returning an Answer to the Challenge you sent us but partly from not being able to resolve immediately at that Distance we Live from those we had to Consult how far it was fit to Comply with some of your Terms that appeared unreasonable to us and partly from the difficulty of getting your Books which you might with greater Justice expect in this Case we should Read if they were permitted to go more freely than yet we can find into other Hands as well as those of your Friends But having with a great deal of Trouble in some Measure got over this Stop we shall not insist upon Francis Bugg's bearing any Part in the Intended Dispute nor Wave the Challenge you have turned upon us instead of accepting of his which yet we think you ought to have done Notwithstanding what you Precariously affirm in your own Cause of his being Unreasonable and Answered already But your excluding him shall not hinder us or some of our Brethren from giving you a Meeting in Answer to your Challenge And that we may prevent Tumults and Confusions and that our Meeting may obtain the Design we all Hope for God's Glory and the Hearers Edification we think fit to acquaint you with these our following Propositions I. That the Place to Meet in be West-Dereham Church being pretty Capacious and well Gallery'd II. That the time of our Meeting be on Thursday the 8th of December at Ten of the Clock in the Forenoon and so on as many Thursdays following us there shall be occasion for III. That but Six of a side be permitted to Dispute and those Six to be known Inhabitants within the Counties of Norfolk and Suffolk or the City of Norwich and that there be but one of those Six to speak at a time and that he be not interrupted unless he runs out beyond the Term of Five Minutes at a time IV. That no Personal Reflections shall be made one against another that are Forreign to the Cause V. That a Notary of each side be appointed to write down the Objections and Answers that are made by either Party and that they be compared at the end of every Meeting if there shall happen to be more than one The Matters we Charge you with are as follow I. We Charge you with Blasphemy against God II. With Blasphemy against Jesus Christ III. With Blasphemy against the Holy Scriptures IV. We Charge you with great Contempt of Civil Magigracy and the Ordinances which Jesus Christ Instituted viz. Baptism by Water and the Lord 's Supper with Bread and Wine V. We Charge you that the Light within as taught by you leaves you without any certain Rule and Exposes you to the forementioned and many other Blasphemies Hen. Meriton John Meriton Lau. Parke A Reply to the Priests Letter The 31st of the 8th Month 1698. Friends YOUR Paper with the Charge upon the People call'd Quakers without a Date came to the Hands of our Friend John Hubbard on the 27th Instant You were pleased to call the Offer we made to you in Writing a Challenge which Term we think is no ways Applicable to it For taking Notice of your readiness to Espouse Francis Bugg's Charge and Challenge we look'd upon it very Reasonable and Prudence in you as Wise Men to hear our Defence therefore referr'd you to several of our Printed Answers which if you had desired of us to have seen them we would have procured them for you but not one word of that from you in so many Weeks time And for our excluding F. B. from any part of the intended Dispute we have so much Cause and Reason for it we believe as will sufficiently Justifie us in the Opinion of all Judicious Persons And whereas you render it difficult to procure our Friends Books we are willing to Expose them to any that desires them as is well known and as you might have prov'd if you had made Trial. And now before we take Notice of your Propositions we judge it necessary to enquire into the Extent of your Charge whether it be upon the whole Body of the People called Quakers or upon particular Persons or upon the Writings of particular Persons Especially your Three first Charges If you Charge a whole Body of People you are not Just in your Limitation that the Persons that have a share in the Dispute be only known Inhabitants in Norfolk Suffolk and City of Norwich and at the same time Charge all the said People Generally If it be against particular Persons we judge you ought to name Them in your Charge if it be against the Writings of particular Persons it is necessary for you to name the Authors and the Titles of the Books and the Pages this we Insist upon These things Premised we take Notice of your Propositions I. As to the place in West-Dereham we do not object against it but are Indifferent as to that II. The Day perfixt being the Eighth of December next will not be Convenient for some of us being in Stoakfair Week III. That Six Persons only of a side be Permitted to Manage the Dispute and those Six to be known Inhabitants in Nolfolk Suffolk and Norwich we agree to provided your Charge reaches not to any Person or the Writings of any Person that lives not in either of the said Counties or said City but if it doth we expect and account it very Reasonable to be left to our free Liberty in the Choice of our Six and allow the same Liberty to you And that but One be allowed to speak at a time is very necessary and we like it well but not to be Limitted Precisely to the space of Five Minutes yet to endeavour Brevity and before Answer be made that there be a little Pause IV. V. Your Fourth and Fifth Propositions we like as stated by you and do expect an Explanation of the Extent of your Charge as is abovesaid to be sent us without delay waving to Repeat or Object against it or any Article thereof but refer that until we hear further from you We are your Friends Richard Ashby Richard Case
John Hubbard John Brown Dan. Phillips Phillip Tassill The Priests Answer to the Foregoing Letter Dated November the 3 d. 1698. Friends WE Observe in your last Dated October the 31st 1698. how apt you are to Catch at every little Escape tho' nothing relating to the Cause the omission of a Date We hope tho' we forgot the 27th of October we shall not forget the 8th of December You are offended we call your first Letter a Challenge to us tho' our betters have thought it the Boldest and Pertest that ever was sent to the whole Host of Israel viz. as you more than once in your Letter term it to us or any of us all and to any of our Cloth and that from the Hands of such whom we never took to be any great Goliahs But all this Anger it seems is because we so Zealously as you think Espouse Francis Bugg's Charge One may see how ready you are to take Fire when so small a Spark will kindle you For one of us was not there when he delivered his Charge Another of us came by meer accident and None of us were any other than as Witnesses to the Delivery of it which any Three of your honest Neigbours we suppose might have been without Offence As to the Books you mention'd to us to be Read which you conceive would have cooled our Zeal for Bugg and his so often as you say baffl'd Charge You may please to know that we have Read them and that Bugg is not Answer'd nor can be Answer'd any other way seeing the Charge is drawn from Quotations out of your own Books but by denying the Truth of Them which your pretended Answerers do not do but betake themselves to their usual Palliating and Painting Tricks to cover over and hide their Deformities We confess we had a better Opinion of your Principles before we saw your Books than now we have for indeed we have received more Satisfaction from your Answers than from the Books they pretend to Answer being confirm'd more in our Belief that they are Unanswerable And if you write in this manner we shall never desire to take the Pen out of your Hands for it will do us no Hurt but for your Gall that is in the Ink. Yet because you say he must be Rejected and you will have it so we have given you your Humour and have accepted of your Challenge without him Friends Your People have been ever ready to say Our Charges have been Lies Forgeries and every where have run with this Cry in their Mouths Lies all Lies because alas they never Read our Books or at least never Compar'd them with your Authors Therefore we perceive that Writing Books will not do but we must bring forth those that you have Written at a Publick Meeting and lay them open before your Deluded Followers and desire them to see with their own Eyes and perhaps they may see such a Frightful Sight as they little expected there You might easily have discerned that our Charge affects the whole Body of your People it relating to Blasphemies so long and so often Printed and yet never Contradicted or Censured but Asserted to be from Persons Infallible Blasphemies so often approved of by your Second Days Meetings where all your Books are Examined and by an Index Expurgatorius Corrected tho' written from the Mouth of the Lord. So that your Church hath owned them and we may justly Charge the Blasphemy of those Books upon it till they Disown them But you seem to be much Concerned for the Restraint we lay upon you so that you may not go out of this Diocess for your assistance But truly Sirs you see we have put the same Restraint upon our selves we will not go out of the Diocess perhaps but a little way from Home for ours we cannot think you can be at a want for help in such a Diocess where there are several Thousands of you Besides if you will have a little Patience the Persons you had probably designed for this Service may have work enough at Home ere long For we are Inclinable to believe that the like Charge to this will go through many Diocesses in this Kingdom So that they may save their Powder and Shot till the Charge comes to their Door Friends tho' we intend to Charge you with Blasphemy out of your own Books yet we cannot think it fit to give you the Authors Names Line and Page for that were to send you our Arguments before the Day we shall use them that you may have time the more cunningly to Elude the Force of them It is enough to let you see we intend to Charge you with Blasphemy as expressed in our last tho' we should not be so Foolishly Generous as to tell you the very Place where we intend to Assault you Besides we our selves have not yet read over some of your Books out of which as we are Reading them there arises every Day new Matter for a Charge and so perhaps there may to the time of our Meeting For we can scarce open a Book of yours but presently we are even Frighted with such Apparition that sends us to our Prayers for a Poor Deluded People that are daily Haunted with them And further we may add that you have their Books as well as we and would you read them over as we do ye your selves could not but see those Blasphemies we Charge you with being too big to escape your sight But you think it is fit the Authors of those Books out of which we extract your Charge should be permitted to speak for themselves You cannot but know that most of those Authors are Dead and as for them that are Alive we have already heard them in your Prints to little purpose However they have no Reason to Challenge it as a peculiar Due to them to be the only Vindicators of their Cause seeing every particular Member of your Church is concern'd in it as well as they So that it is a Charge upon every one of you all as well as upon the Authors of those Books you having Espoused them till they be Disown'd and Condemn'd by you To conclude We cannot see how it can consist with either Justice or Prudence to alter our Method for the Reasons given We therefore think it but a vain thing for you to trouble your selves or us with any more such Letters Poor People that are going Blindfold to Samariah instead of Dothan The Lord open your Eyes to see where you are and whither you are a going is the Prayer of your best of Friends tho' you may possibly think us your greatest Enemies Hen. Meriton John Meriton Lau. Parke To Henry Meriton John Meriton and Laurence Parke a Reply to the foregoing Letter dated November 3. 1698. Friends YOURS of the third Instant we received wherein is the date of your former in Answer to which when we in Friendly Sort told you of that Omission it was not that we did
Catch at any little escape of yours which did at least relate to the Letter if not the Cause But to proceed As in our last we Judge the Term Challenge not proper to the Offer we made whatever the Judgment of your Selves or Betters may be concerning it As for its Boldness and Pertness as you are pleased to Term it we take it to be another Escape of your Memories to suppose it herein to exceed any of those as you say which were sent to the whole Host of Israel But such as it is we doubt not to make Good and that in Truth void of Wrath. As to Francis Bugg you did Espouse his Charge Blindfold as appears by your after Inquiry and Reading of our Books and did Espouse it by more Ways than that of Witnessing to the Delivery of the Charge which none of our Honest unprejudicate Neighbours would As for Quotations made by Bugg from our Books you say the petended Answerers deny the Truth of them but betake themselves to their Usual Palliating and Painting Tricks This Assertion we have no Cause to Credit but for the present will say that we know that in several Answers of ours to Books of this sort there is frequently Detected false Quotations and his Apparent Forgeries which if either you have not Read or not Observed it might have been well enough to forbear that Scurrility of Painting and Tricks Now for your Charge you Acknowledge it to be upon the whole Body of us and therefore as in our former we think you are not just in your Limitation nor does your Threat if you will have a little Patience c. fright us from still Insisting on our Exceptions for as our last did declare our Acceptance of such of your Propositions as were Equal and Fair and desired the rest might be agreeable and such as we are Perswaded no Ingenuous or Just Persons would Evade or Deny us So we still insist on them not knowing any Power or Dominion you have over us to over rule what we have so fairly offered to qualifie your Limitations For if you intend to confine us as Respondents only who are within this Diocess it is Reasonable to confine you not to Charge Persons or their Books more Remote or Absent For why should a Man whom you may Charge be obliged to Answer by Proxy when perhaps he can better Defend himself the Justice of the Common Law in this Case much exceeds your pretence of Edification and this being denied by you we take it for granted your Design is to Censure and pass Judgment on Persons Unheard And if your Charge be to be drawn from Books it is as reasonable by the Common Voice of Mankind that their Titles and Pages be given the Authors of which if Living have an undoubted Right to Explain for Themselves or if Dead such Notice is reasonable for our due Preparation to Answer Till which we shall only say that the Living Labours of the Dead have this Justice due to Them viz. that the whole be considered and the Scope and Intent of the Writer be taken and not Rigidly much less Falsly to pervert his Words to a Sense Contrary and Repugnant to the Scope of the whole The refusal hereof will speak a Design Partial Injurious and Precipitant but we hoping on better Consideration you 'l do otherwise do expect as above to be sent us in such convenient Time as we may Examine them which cannot be in less time then Three Weeks at least This Demand it 's true you Laugh at and call it a Foolish Generosity yet it being Reasonable we insist on it For the Frightful Apparitions which by opening our Books you say sent you to your Prayers we doubt your Frights or Feavers have been so great as to prevent your having any true Idea of Them or any loving Concern for Vs therein And not finding our Selves Haunted as you Suggest we rather desire you to speak Truth than offer false Sacrifice For Conclusion to this and to Try your Ingenuity whether your Method be to do as you would be done unto we put these following Questions I. Whether you are willing to be Charged out of all the Old and New Books Pamphlets and Sermons that your Brethen the Clergy have Wrote and Printed to stand and fall by them II. Are you willing we should Publickly Charge you with Errors or Mistakes out of any of the abovementioned and not beforehand give the Particular Instances to you For know ye that we expect Equal Liberty with you to Charge as well as to be Charged III. Will you Personate all your Brethren as above both Dead and Living so as to be Charged out of their Books in their stead Your direct Answer we expect without further Evasion Boast or Menace in the interim conclude Your abused because not sufficiently known Friends Richard Ashby John Hubbard Daniel Phillips Richard Case The Reply dated November the 16th 1698. Friends YOUR last does not a little astonish Us. 1st That you should deny your Challenge which is as plain an one as Words in English can make it and truly very brave to all our Cloth that is to Nine or Ten Thousand of Us. 2ly That you affirm that we espoused Bugg's Cause which you or some of you cannot but know the contrary by one of us For when the last Summer you demanded of Hen. Meriton whether he would Justifie Bugg's Books Written against you he Answer'd They contained Matter of Fact which he was not capable of judging of having not the Books to compare them with Francis Bugg's Writings yet told you that if his Citations were true you see then he made an If of it and therefore did not justifie them he would justifie such Expressions were Blasphemy But you are still offended at our Unreasonable Limitation of you as to the Place whence you are to fetch your Disputants But Friends did not you begin with us Did not you limit us when you rejected Francis Bugg And all others too that were not of our Cloth some of whom you know too well might have been very useful to us in this Service Nay did not you reject Francis Bugg for this Reason because he had been Answered as you pretend over and over again and was unreasonable as if we had nothing to do but Actum agere And may not we say the same of your Hackney Disputants they have trudged so long in that Road and have been Spur'd and Gall'd by us enough already and therefore in reason we ought to turn them off a-while and give them rest till another occasion more plainly they have been Answered over and over already and are unreasonable Besides Your Church which you profess your selves to be so Zealous Members of have owned and approved of those Books we intend to quote and your selves have been known to admire and almost adore them and their Authors And therefore till you disclaim them you are as much concern'd to Vindicate them as the