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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B01449	The defence of the people called Quakers: being a reply, to a book lately published by certain priests of the county of Norfolk, under the pretended title of The Quakers challenge. And containing, some brief and modest animadversions upon the book it self. Several certificates, which detect the errors in those of West-Dereham, and clear the people called Quakers of the said challenge. The letters that passed between them and the priests.	Ashby, Richard, 1663?-1734.	1699 (1699)	Wing A3939; Interim Tract Supplement Guide 4152.f.20[18]; ESTC R1295	32,665	56

from the Quakers so call'd his mis-representing and abusing them in his Sermons was one great cause why some left him And whereas they say The Wife of one Becket a Quaker gave her self the trouble of going three Miles to the Ministers House on purpose to vex him with Quakerly Questions in a Quibling Way on Ascention day Morning 1695. To which take her Certificate This is to Certifie that I Mary Becket the Wife of Thomas Becket was much disatisfied in my Mind concerning some Religious Matters which I heard Laurence Parke the Priest of West-Dereham where I dwell preach in his Sermons where he use to preach frequently not only against the Quakers but other Dissenters at several times before I went among the said People called Quakers and for that reason I went to his House in Barton desiring to be satisfied by him touching those Matters they now call Quakerly Questions not designing to disturb him but to be instructed by him he told me he could not then resolve me but would endeavour to satisfie me in some of his Sermons if I would come to Church which I did but instead of being satisfied touching those Matters I grew more dissatisfied in my Mind until I heard some of the People called Quakers and then it pleased the Lord I came to be satisfied concerning those Matters And this was the true reason of my going to his House and not in the least to Vex or Disturb him Witness my hand Mary Becket And whereas they further say They remember the time that Becket the Husband himself watched their Minister in a Lane not far from the Church lined on both sides with People to Dispute him when his Spirits were exhausted with Preaching and his Strength weakened by performing the Duty of the Day Here follows Thomas Becket's Certificate This is to Certifie that I Thomas Becket was accidentally alone in my own Hired Ground which lies next the Steeple-House-Yard in West-Dereham when the Preist and the People were coming from their Worship and I had no intent to speak a Word to Laurence Parke the Priest but before he came near me I being by the Gate next the Road where he came he held up his Hand and said to his Hearers Look yonder stands a Man do not you think he looks as if he had seen God or to that purpose adding The Light is in him and then I replied If the Light be not within thee thou art in a Miserable Condition or Words to that effect When he came nearer he asked me how I did I asked him how he did and wished him to leave telling so many Lyes of the People called Quakers till he had heard the Truth of those Matters he reply'd When there was a Meeting at my House he would come to it and gave me his Hand to it but he never came although he had notice To the Truth hereof I Subscribe my Name Thomas Becket And whereas they further say that One Phillips a Quaker went to disturb their Minister at his own House one Munday in May last to Challenge and Provoke him to Dispute with the Quakers at a Meeting at Stoak that was to be held on the Morrow as himself confessed after he came Home And he and his Friends set abroad the Report some days before to call the Country together and then gave it out the Priest promised but durst not come Now here follows a Certificate of the said Phillips This is to Certifie that I William Phillips of West-Dereham being informed that Laurence Parke was much disturbed at a Meeting that was at our Town the beginning of the Month call'd May last and that he said If he knew where there was another Meeting he would come to it I thought fit to go to his House and let him know there was to be a Meeting the next day at Stoak he answered He could not or should not come for that he was not then ☞ provided but said that in a short time there would be Meetings enough when they had got the Books meaning our Friends Books and more Discourse we had together and he would have me sit down in his House and Drink and I did not think he was offended with me for my friendly going to his House for We parted as good Neighbours and I thought then in good Will to each other Witness my Hand William Phillips And whereas they further say This Phillips together with one Mason and Becket by speaking Profanely of the Ordinances of Christ and setting up a Conventicle contrary to Law c. This is a General and Proofless Charge and deny'd by them and till Prov'd needs no further Reply And whereas they further Certifie that their Minister Laurence Parke had many Provocations and Challenges One above all the rest say they we cannot forget which was given him in Writing when he was in the Pulpit by one Lilly in sight of the whole Congregation In Answer to which take the following Certificates This is to Certifie That about Five or Six Years ago I Phillip Tassill together with John Brown being at the Burial of a Relation at West-Dereham at which time some of the Parishioners being the hearers of Laurence Park told us that their Minister had Preached That the Quakers had not Read in a Bible these Forty Years and that they did not care if all the Bibles were Burn'd Now we hearing the Report of such a very Sad Wicked and most Uncharitable Abuse were concerned knowing our Innocency did therefore write a few Lines to him that he would admit us to a Friendly Conference that he might either Prove his Charge or Clear Vs before the People or to that Effect without Advising with any of our Friends Witness our Hands Phillip Tassill John Brown This is to Certifie That Mr. Park having Preached much against the Quakers and Discoursed that he would Prove them to be No Christians the Report thereof came to some of the said People and one of them gave me a few Lines to give him to desire a Friendly Conference with him about those Matters which I accordingly gave to the said Mr. Park and though I gave him them in the Church it was my own Doing and not by Direction of any one to give him them in that Place And I did not understand that more than One or Two of the said People wrote those Lines or that I might not give him them as Inoffensively in that Place as in any other being one of his Hearers This is about Five or Six Years ago as I remember Witness my Hand John Lilly And whereas they further Certifie That this and nothing but this made them and their Ministers willing to Permit Mr. Bugg to come amongst them to try if he could Conjure down that busie Spirit which possesses the Quakers and is so troublesome to us Reply First We may conclude by the Nature and Grossness of these words that you poor People know not what you have sign'd For you have given a Notable Reflection upon Fra. Bugg Is he indeed turn'd Conjurer But if it be so we know that Spirit the Sincere Quakers are led by has always been too hard for such Conjurers But pray wherefore are you so harsh in Reflections on your Neighbours as though they were led by a Diabolical Spirit This touches not them only but Christ also in whom they have Believed and that Spirit that dwelt in those that Persecuted our Lord dwells too much in you they call'd the Master of the House Beelzebub and also a Blasphemer no Marvel then if his Followers be called so We remember this Caution The Servant is not greater than his Lord we are sorry for your sakes that you should Offer that Injury to your own Souls but do desire you to Repent that God may shew you Mercy for you together with your Minister lie under that Wo spoken of in Isaiah 5. in calling Good Evil and Light Darkness Further whereas you confess That you and your Minister accompanied F. Bugg to one Quakers House and sent one of his Printed Charges in a Letter to Samuel Cater Answ This is a clear Confession here are Eighteen of you and your Minister have Espoused F. Bugg's Challenge and sent it not only to a Quaker's House but to S. Cater of Little Port in the Isle of Ely for him and Five more of his Brethren to come forth and joyn with your Minister and F. Bugg and Four more So now you have done well to be Ingenuous and Confess your Act for now the Challenge lies at your Door Here is a Printed Challenge you sent Dated August 10. 1698. And here is your Minister's Letter Dated August 28. 1698. And here is the 3 d of October fixt for the Day of the Dispute and if we do not Appear we must be judged Insincere and Cowardly And all this on your Part before the Quakers wrote their Friendly Letter Dated September the 7th 1698. ERRATA PAge 7. line 10. for laghed read laughed l. 29. f. ye there r. yet here p. 13. l. 13. f. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 20. l. 27. f. Office r. Office p. 48. l. 10. f. Preist r. Priest FINIS

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

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