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A93478
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A solemn protestation against George Keith's advertisment, arbitrary summons and proceedings against certain persons, and a meeting of the people called Quakers
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1697
(1697)
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Wing S4453A; ESTC R230302
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2,880
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4
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A Solemn PROTESTATION against George Keith 's Advertisment Arbitrary Summons and Proceedings against Certain Persons and a Meeting of the People called Quakers WHEREAS the said G. K. a Scotchman has assumed to himself a Power and Authority to Erect several Meetings of the Nature of some strange and new Court of Judicature at Turners-Hall London one on the Eleventh of the Month called June 1696. and another on the 29th of this present Month called April 1697. under pretence of having the Permission of the Civil Authority that he is further to Detect the Vile and Gross Errors and Heresies of certain Persons by Name and a Meeting of the People called Quakers unto which he hath Cited or Summoned them to hear themselves Re-charged and Prov'd Guilty thereof as being Repugnant to the Great Fundamentals of the Christian Religion which Charges of his as perversly Stated by him are Expresly Denyed by us for Proof thereof Referring to his own Printed Advertisement and Narrative which have been largely Answered in Print he having begun the Controversy with us by Printing divers bitter Invectives against us expresly Contrary to his own former Testimonies in Print and divers of our Friends Books in Answer to him still lye heavy upon him unreply'd to And seeing he cannot Effect his Invidious Designs in Print to make his Odious Character of Heresie Spreading Gangreen and Contagion c. take Effect against us he has Presum'd to Erect such an Arbitrary Course of Judicature in a Confused Meeting at Turners-Hall and thereunto in his own Name and Authority to Summon the Persons and Meeting as aforesaid without their Privity Concurrence Consent or Agreement thereunto either as to the Time Place Terms or Propositions but he is the Sole Imposer We therefore who are Concern'd in behalf of the Peaceable People called Quakers both as Free-Born English-Men and Christians do deny and Solemnly Testifie against the Usurpation Arbitrary and Irregular Proceedings of the said G. K. and against his new Jurisdiction assum'd by him for the same Reasons which were Exhibited in Print the last Year Why the People called Quakers Refused their Appearance at his Peremptory Summons and therefore he had no Reason to Expect their Appearance this Year the more Insincere he in his new Summons and more particularly 1. Because he has no Legal Power to Erect any such new Court of Judicature and therein set himself up as Judge and Publickly to Stage Brand and Condemn Peaceable Protestant Subjects and that in their Absence too who are also Free-Born English-Men as Hereticks c. and thereby to Endeavour to Expose them to the Scorn Contempt and Rage of a mixt Multitude who are unmeet to Judge of Religious and Spiritual Matters or Controversies 2. We do not believe the Civil Authority or any Concerned therein on Due Consideration or Just Information will Countenance or Permit such an Usurp'd Authority or Pernicious President as the said G. K. has Assum'd and Attempted in this Case tending not only to Discord Divisions Heats Animosities and Tumults but to Invade the just Liberties of Free-Born English-Men who are Peaceable Protestant Subjects and to Gratify and Strengthen the Popish Interest that they may Glory in such Divisions and Disorders made by Turbulent Incendiaries We are not Unfensible that some Officious and Envious Agents are in the bottom of this Turbulent Attempt who altho' they may pretend to be Reformed Protestants yet savour too much of a Popish Persecuting Spirit Justly Complain'd of by Protestants and whose Work tends to bring an Odium upon the Protestant Religion 3. We presume the said G. K. can Produce no Legal Commission from the Civil Authority either by Act of Parliament or under the Great Seal of England Annually to Erect and hold his said Court of Judicature to Summon Convict and Condemn Quakers so called or any other Free-Born English-Men or Protestant Subjects for Heresie or Hereticks who are Contrary wise Legally Recognized 4. His feigned and false Pretence of Justly Desiring the Persons and Meeting aforesaid to be present i. e. to hear themselves Recharged Convicted and Condemn'd of Vile and Gross Heresies c. appears not only a peremptory Summons but his Noise of Vile and Gross Errors and Heresies spreading Gangreen and Contagion Infecting many Thousands in these Three Nations c. does much Resemble the Popish Clamours and Calumnies against Protestant Martyrs and then away with them cut them off and Fire and Faggot followed when the Writ de Haeretico Gomburendo and the Six Bloody Articles were in Force 31. H. 8. Ch. 14. both which are justly and happily Repeal'd 5. For the same Reasons which the Parliament gave in the 16th Year of K. Charles the First against the Court of Star-Chamber and High-Commission-Court Ch. 9 10. and for taking away and dissolving the same tho' these had more Face of Authority than this of G. Keith's we Oppose Deny and Protest against these his Irregular and Arbitrary Proceedings and his new Court of Judicature and Usurped Power and Authority therein as not only tending to Discord Disorder and Persecution and Endangering the Publick Peace but also Repugnant to the Great Charter Fundamental Laws and Liberties of England Providing that no Free-Man shall be Condemned or any way Destroyed without due Order of Law as well as expresly Contrary to the Intent and Tenor of the late Act of Parliament made in the 1st Year of the Reign of K. William and Q. Mary Entituled An Act for Exempting their Majesties Protestant Subjects Dissenting from the Church of England c. made for the Ease of Scrupulous Consciences in the Exercise of Religion as an Effectual Means to Vnite their Majesties Protestant Subjects in Interest and Affection And the Meeting Places thereby Permitted or Allow'd and Recorded being for RELIGIOVS WORSHIP as in the said Act is Expressed Consequently not for Division Discord or Stages of Contentention and therefore we are not free either as Men or Christians to Subject our selves to any such Irregular Summons or Arbitrary Power and Usurpation as aforesaid 6. Heresie having been made an High Crime in Law Mirror Justices p. 16. and highly Punishable G. K.'s Publickly Staging and Branding us as Hereticks appears both an High Defamation and tending to Destroy us in our Reputations and Liberties also both Contrary to Law and Gosple and to Introduce a new and severe Persecution to Gratify his Envy For his Turbulent Persecuting Spirit and Apostacy from Christian Charity Meekness and Moderation and from that Faith that Works by Love sufficiently appear also by his Earnest Expostulation with the most Pious and Learned of the Church of England as Flatteringly he Terms them to Incense both the Clergy and Civil Authority against us in his Printed Postscript to his Antichrists and Sadducees and therein Commending the Popish Watch-Men of Rome and Popish Countries above most among the Protestants for their Zeal against such Antichristian Errors and Heresies as he there would make the World believe Quakers hold much worse than the worst of Popery p. 40 41. and his Summoning and Condemning us as Hereticks appears so much Resembling the Practice of some of his Country-Men of the Presbytery to Incense the Rabble or Mob against our Friends in Scotland as they have of late shamefully done both in Glasgow and Edenbrough to the Great and Barbarous Abuse of our poor harmless Friends in those parts by their bitter Clamours and Aspersions against them as Hereticks c. That we humbly hope the Civil Protestant Government of England will never Countenance or Permit such unwarrantable Usurpation which is not to use only Spiritual Weapons as he pretends but is of a contrary Nature and Tendence We having treated the said G. K. at many Select and Solemn Meetings we have had with him in all Christian Patience and Tenderness on our parts which were Slighted and Rejected by him Thus we have Answer'd his Advertisement and Summons ad hominem as Peaceable Free-Born English-Men whose present Liberty ought not to be Invaded or Disquieted either by any Arbitrary Usurpation or Contentious Irreligious Meetings whose End is to Asperse and Abuse others Nor may such with safety be Imitated Allowed or Abetted by any of different Perswasions Now let it be observed whatever may happen to be the Effects or Consequence of the said G. K.'s Disorderly and Unwarrantable Proceedings or Meeting aforesaid we have given out this Solemn Protestation against the same to Manifest our own Innocency and Clearness therefrom London the 26th Day of the 2d Month 1697. Written in Behalf of the People called Quakers by some of them Concerned FINIS