the last of these I think Job was not Possest no more than my Friend is And for the other when he asserts That I deny that Natural or Preternatural Distempers can be attended with the Devil and that it 's a good Argument to prove it no Possession because a Distemper ib. p. 7. which he repeats over again and again I must desire my Friend to tell me where he learnt this of me for it is the first time I ever heard or thought of it I am sure there is no such thing in my Book and my Whalley Sermon that he hath heard something of advanceth the quite contrary Opinion I find I must discard him from the number of my Friends he is fitter for Mr. C.'s Acquaintance whose warm Brain is very fruitful in framing such Fabulous Stories and his honest Heart in falsly charging innocent Persons with them But the Man still goes on and would gladly know What they are to be blam'd for I have told him oft enough but yet he enquires further Is it for Fasting and Prayer p. 9. His own Conscience told him that was not the thing yet for all that he will go on They did believe He viz. Rich. was possess'd p. 9. And upon this Supposition what could be done otherwise Why abler Divines ought to have been consulted and more Discretion used But what means my Friend when he makes their Supposition to be the Ground of their Devotion This is but odd Divinity and surely Mr. Fra. never taught it him for the Consequence of it is that if the Supposition be false the Worship is Supersition The Quakers with all the other Spawn of Fanaticks the Papists themselves not excepted may justifie themselves on this Principle that Credulity and Supposition is a sufficient Ground of Worship That my Friend to omit all other Instances may see how good a Friend he is to Papists by this Principle he hath laid down let me ask him a Question or two Do not the Papists pay Adoration to the Sacrament of the Altar on the Belief and Supposition that Christ is personally there Do they not pray to Saints and Angels on the Supposition that they do hear them Tho my Friend exclaims against me for misrepresenting the Dissenters as instrumental to the Popish Interest if we may be allowed to infer from his own Arguments he himself will be found liable to the same Indictment for here is a Position laid down by him that will justifie them and all the Frantick Frey of Fanaticks of what Denomination soever The next Crime that he imputes to me is the charging them with Superstition but he produceth not so much as one place in all my Book to prove this Charge and have not I a very good Friend of him However Superstition is a long Word and as English it may possibly puzzle a Country Fellow p. 10. Nay he knows not but it s some ill Boggard may be Dick's Blanket p. 11. But if a Scholar should search what is the meaning of this Superstition in the Greek and find it to signifie Fearing of Demons or Worshipping of Devils it s known they viz. the Dissenters are so far from that that they Fast and Pray to dispossess him of his Dominion over Men as here they did ib. I know not here what to do with my Friend I must either rank him among the Class of Ignoramus's or I must make him blaspheme Christ If the Greek word for Superstition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie wholly as he saith A fearing of Demons or worshipping of Devils Christ himself being called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 17.18 let him tell me if according to his Exposition of it the fearing Christ may not be expounded by Jews and Pagans for worshipping of Devils I am ashamed of my Friend and yet Civility obligeth me to answer his Letter And some by the help of a Dictionary Wilson's perhaps for I suppose my Friend a Commonplace-man by chance may find that Superstition is to be wise above what is written or righteous above what is commanded and this would tempt an impartial Man such as my Friend is to cry cut Oh what a Slander This is that very thing they are most averse to c. p. 11. and so he goes on making such an Harangue in Person of a pert Scotch Presbyter as his Friend Mr. C. used to make to the Devil The Stoick in Lucian at a loss for an Argument cries out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so cries out my Friend O what a Slander But what is the Slander or where to be me◠with Because he will not tell for I suppose he was conscious to himself of foul dishonest Play I was forced to examin my Book and I find that I charge Mr. C.'s Frothy Conferences as he calls them with Satan with gross Superstition p. 74. And what thinks my Friend of them Why he freely joins with me in condemning Mr. C.'s Fancies and he doubts unwarrantable Colloquies p. 3. Really Friend this is an Instance of the Moderation Jo. commends you for p. 32. And by this means you are like to set Things in a wonderful clear Light p. 30. as you vaingloriously pretend In another place I call the Narrative of the Surey Demoniack The Spawn of their conceived Superstition p. 73. And what thinks my Friend of it Why from the first time he heard of it he did really believe it would prove an Imposture p. 3. and that it was always suspected by him as a Cheat p. 22. Say you so Out of thy own Mouth will I condemn thee for was it a Cheat and did Mr. Jolly and the rest Fast and Pray and confer among themselves and with a pretended Devil about it and no Superstition in all this Verily my Friend you dare not speak Truth lest you should shame your Friends and the Devil On these two Accounts I charge them with Superstition and I think my Friend tho' he is none of the best will warrant me in them both and excepting the Word that is sometimes used as when I call their Easiness in believing Dugdale to be Possest a superstitious Credulity and the like I do not find that I say any more of it And for conferring with the Devil let me ask him according to his Dictionaries Definition of Superstition Whether they were not wise above what is written and righteous above what is commended I repeat the same Query as to their Fasting and Praying about what was an Imposture as himself acknowledgeth and thence leave any but my Ironically Impartial Friend to judge whether my Charge of Superstition against them be unjust Under the same Head my Friend doth rank Divisions p. 10 11. and in this he is right for Divisions are seldom free from Superstition And how doth he deport himself here Why he pretends not to vindicate them as in other Cases from the Guilt of it for it is so notorious Men see it with their Eyes but he endeavours to justifie them in
Cheat to have called Mr. C. to an Account for it But instead of that it flies all over England the Party glories and triumphs in it in so much that a great Man among them was not ashamed to declare That though God had establish'd the Truth of Christian Religion many Centuries ago by Miracles yet he was pleas'd of late to vouchsafe a new one in favour of it meaning what was done at the Surey But no sooner doth my Impostor appear but the Party think to save their own Bacon by loading my Back And what must the meaning of this be I suppose it is this They resolved to wait the Strength of my Answer for had I not given the World full Satisfaction of the Knavery of the Matter there had most certainly been a Devil at the Surey and Mr. C. had been a Saint They knew that I was about it for I had given them fair Warning of it near a Year before their Demoniack was printed yet they sat snug and still expecting the Issue of what Evidence I could produce on the confidence of this Reserve That if I proved too hard for them they could overthrow me with a Cry That I charg'd on the whole Party the Miscarriages of a few But how doth my Friend clear the whole Party from having their Hands in it Why he is much surprized that a Script as drawn up by Mr. C. and so long ago censured by many sober grave Dissenting Ministers and who upon his Knowledge used their Endeavours to have it suppressed and thought they had done it should yet after some Years latency be made publick p. 2. I confess an Ingenious Friend of mine a Dissenting Minister intimated to me his Endeavours to suppress that Pamphlet He added That the Manuscript was lodged in Mr. Alsop's Hands and that he sitting by the Fire with him and discoursing about it he told Mr. Alsop he hoped he would not let that Pamphlet see the Light No saith Mr. Alsop no Light but this pointing to the Fire This was communicated to Mr. Jolly whilst I was writing the Impostor and what saith he to it You shall hear in his own Words for I have his Letter by me and then let the World judge and they are these You are informed that Mr. Alsop did express his Vnwillingness that the Surey Book should be printed Indeed as I also was credibly inform'd he did express his Dissatisfaction concerning the said Narrative according to the uncorrected Copy and before he saw the Affidavits but afterwards he and others were of another Opinion The Sum of all is this here are Seventeen Dissenting Ministers in Lancashire and Yorkshire concerned one way or other in the Narrative of the Surey Demoniack Mr. Baxter and another London Divine press one after another for the Publishing of it Mr. Alsop and others which may be the whole Party except one Man for ought I know are brought over to the same Opinion upon which the Narrative is printed and the Party in general are wonderfully proud of it extol and magnifie it till an Answer comes out that exposeth the Imposture and then of a sudden they draw in their Horns and would gladly sculk behind the Curtain But how desirous they are even yet to have it believ'd I shall in the Narrative more fully discover and thither I refer it And had the Party a mind it should be condemn'd for a Cheat what makes my Friend here and there to nibble at what he thinks in my Book liable to Exceptions Gladly would he have answer'd it if he could And all my Safety is that the Dog that barks though he would dare not or cannot bite He had a Fling at me about the word Obsession no less than thrice and much he got by it What hath he else to say Why he Queries what I have to charge the Attestors to the Surey Demoniack with Do they affirm Dugdale was possess'd or dispossess'd He confidently denies it No p. 4. and thereupon appeals to the Testimonial in which are these Words That the strange Fits of Richard Dugdale were by a Diabolical Power ib. Was he not according to their Judgment possest then You must pardon my Friend for he freely confesseth That he cannot well understand what is meant by Possession or Obsession p. 9. Only by denying it he sheweth that he hath a good Will though he wants Understanding to clear the Dissenters But my Friend is concern'd that I should say That if Dicky was a Demoniack their Prayers did not benefit him p. 24. And thence he makes me to argue thus He had his Fits after their Praying for him therefore their Prayers did him no good Now this is my Friend's Argument and none of mine for I have examined the Page he refers to and find no such thing in it p. 57. yet he goes to shew his Parts in arguing against his own Shadow and tells a long Story of some Prayers being answered not instantly but at some distance of time And what then Because God delays the Answer of some Prayers that were founded on a true bottom of Devotion to a distant Season that his Wisdom and Goodness sees most proper for them therefore Prayers that are founded on a Cheat and Imposture as these at the Surey were may be answered so too Is not my Friend an extraordinary Divine Well but I said their Prayers did him no good The Truth is Mr. C. tells us p. 26. That Richard said so and I cannot but believe him For if I should pray That the Man in the Moon might be eased of the Burden on his Back I suppose he would find little Good by it But I said That before March 25. they had left off their Fasting and Prayers and he asks how I knew it I proved it from Dugdale the Fathers Information p. 56. But here is the Thorn that sticks in their Side They tell us they kept a Fast March 24 1689 90. How do I answer this Very satisfactorily saith my Friend The Narrator hath the Impudence to pretend it and Dicky knew nothing of it I doubt this is one of their Sanctified Lies p. 25. I spoke modestly if I said I did but doubt it for the Truth is they put it past all doubt The Ministers had left him as his Father tells you the Month before Richard was this Day abroad at Hindfield yet they pretend not only a Fast-day for him but as if they had been with him they tell you the very Words that Satan spake to Richard and the manner how he went out of him which is such a notorious piece of Fiction as no degree of Impudence short of what Mr. C. and my Friend are Masters of durst venture to relate or justify His next Attempt is to clear Dissenters from a natural Tendency to abuse Sacred Forms of Worship and he proves it is not natural to them p. 25. And I am very glad to hear it for though the Ethiopian cannot change his Skin if what he
divide from a Church establish'd by Law Tell it not in Gath. Yet he hopes that no greater a Crime than for us to have had an Vnconsecrated Chappel by Force p. 12. This might have been a Fling of my Friend J. G. who if he speaks of a Chappel can scarcely speak a Word of Truth The Chappel hinted at for I suppose 't is Hindley and the Straak is levell'd at the Bishop's Head and not the Curate's was in our quiet Possession ever since the Restoration of our Lectures till the Dissenters whilst the Incumbent was alive forc'd in upon it and wrested it out of our Hands And if the Right Honourable the Chancellor of the Dutchy hath not relieved the Bishop under this Oppression which at my writing hereof I hear nothing of notwithstanding this falsly pretended Force of ours 't is at present in their Possession such Conscience do these Men make of what they say or write He hath another Fling at Bishops upon account of the largeness of their Diocesses p. 18. But he would do well to consider whether he doth not by this spit in the Face of Christ and his Apostles whose Oecumenical Provinces were something larger than the largest of our Diocesses His next Stroak is at the Body of the Clergy who Nero-like he could wish had but one Head for then he could strike it off with this one Blow A general Practice of Praying in the late Reign That it may please thee to keep and strengthen in the true worshipping of thee in Righteousness and Holiness of Life thy Servant our most gracious King and Governour p. 19. Now was not his Worship Idolatrous c. Now are the Mans Eyes in his Head or hath he put on his Spectacles What did we pray for That God would keep and strengthen in the true worshipping of him in Righteousness And is Popery such a Mass of Idolatry that there is no piece of true Worship in it Do they not worship God through the Intercession of Christ Jesus though they join other Mediators with him And was not that that true Worship that we prayed God to keep and strengthen him in as the best Means to reclaim him from the other My Friend I perceive is very blind and then though his Hand be never so Impartial his Feet may chance to run him into a Ditch and that is something worse than the Jaundice which since the Doctor could not discover in me my Friend hath for it seems I said these diminutive Slaves the Dissenters are Pluralists and if so he will never excuse them from Ambition and Pride and Covetousness nor from being Self-condemned p. 20. a Charge fouler by far than what I am made to lay against them But how doth my Friend acquit them from it He doth not so much as deny it such an able Advocate have they got of my Friend But all that he saith is He will unriddle the Dissenters Pluralities ib. And so he goes on to give some Reasons why they hold them as there is no Man but can give Reasons and better than his too why he holds Pluralities Thus he leaves them by his own Sentence upon them guilty of Ambition Pride Covetousness and Self-condemnation But let us examine his Reasons and the First is For the Convenience of the same People and Congregations that some of them may have less way to go one Day and others another Day p. 21. Do you intend this for a Reason in good earnest Friend I know one of your Preachers that hath a Run of Fifteen Miles long and another that hath a Round of near Thirty Miles Compass and have not the Congregations a great Convenience in having less way to go after them one day than another His other Reason is no better 2. There is another Mistery in it there are a sort of Ecclesiastical Officers mentioned Can. 138. These are hungry Beasts of Prey c. and the only way to secure the poor innocent Sheep and Lambs from their Guts is the Guard of a Recorded House p. 21. Be it so All that I shall say is They have more of those Guards in this one County of Lancashire than the King hath Castles in all his Three Kingdoms And now the Mistery is unriddled p. 22. Pluralities they have and Pluralities they will have And thus I have answered my Friend Whether it be with Pride and Passion uncharitable Censures and unjust Inferences with superstitious Scorn Reproach and invidious Reflections and unchristian Surmises and worse than Jefferian Innuendos p. 2. or p. 3. with spiteful Representations invidious Charge much Spleen and Rage Mire and Dirt little Tricks and Mispresentations of Things and confident Misjudging and Wier-drawing every Passage to the worst Sense c. I expect my Friend should tell me in his next Had I really been guilty of such Billingsgate Language as this is which I cannot find that I am Yet thou art inexcusable O Man whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest dost the same Things The Truth of the Matter is thus The Narrative of the Surey Demoniack was fraught with so many Legends and Forgeries such Prophanations of Holy Scripture and if not Blasphemous Enthusiastical Presumptions upon God and Religion that it was not possible for any one to expose the Villany of it but he must be constrained if he would not call Darkness Light and Evil Good to make such Reflections upon them as could he be otherwise just to the Truth he would be willing to forbear Some Mens Actions are so very black that the naming of them is a Reproach unto them of this Nature were those at Surey which are so far from being capable of being covered with the Spirit of Meekness that St. Paul in the like Case chargeth us to Rebuke them sharply Tit. 1.13 For the Mouths of such unruly and vain Talkers and Deceivers must be stopped v. 10 11. He makes it a Duty incumbent on our Function They must be stopped And he countenanceth it with his own Example telling the Cretians in as plain Language as any my Friend meets with in the Surey Impostor That they were Liars bruit Beasts and lazy Gluttons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 12. And doth our Saviour smooth up the Pharisees a Generation that you suspect your selves may be compared to p. 6. such is the Force of a guilty Conscience doth he sooth them up in their Sins by soft Words and oily Language I hope he was all Condescension and Meekness and Humility and yet I find him roundly calling the Pharisees Children of the Devil Fools and blind Hypocrites and a Generation of Creatures poisonous as Aspers Doth he not resemble Herod to a Fox And reprimand one of his own Disciples who out of a mistaken Kindness dissuaded him from laying down his Life an Offering for Sin with no gentler a Rebuke than of Satan Mat. 16.23 For ought I see St. Paul nay the blessed Jesus since they
it Only before he engages in it he must remove if possible out of the way a frightful Word which a learned Man no Dissenter calls an Ecclesiastical Scare-crow p. 12. yolep'd Schismatick That learned Man for such all that have heard of him will own him lay under violent Temptations when he writ that Tract and was suspected to be what for ought I know my Friend is a Socinian For what makes the Man when he had demanded of me Whether the Dissenters held centrary to the Church of England with the Papists p. 5. begin with the Ninth Article Is it not that he may leave out what concerns the Trinity Art 1. The Eternal Son of God being made Man Art 2. c. Or that he would not disoblige the Papists by taking notice of their false Canon of the Scripture Art 6. If this be so verily Friend I must add another frightful Word to that of Schismatick and let you know that you are an Heretick But to pass that by how doth he clear them from the Guilt of Schism Why he tells us some of them think thus and some are offended at that And what is it to me what they think Should I tell my Friend what I have heard what Thought did I suppose he would be offended too but more of this upon the Head of Ignorance where I shall make a little more bold with my Friend Let us now see what my Charge against them was And p. 4. I had accidentally occasion to speak of Corah Dathan and Abiram and I chanc'd to call them Schismaticks becaused they caused a Schism or if the Word fright my Friend for tho' he hath learn'd to give bad Words I perceive he loves not hard ones made a Division in the Jewish Church and that was all I did not then tell him what I do now That God caused the Earth to open her Mouth and swallow them up alive that had opened their Mouths against their lawful Church-Governours A Judgment so dreadful one would think no Dissenter should ever forget it For did not these Men subscribe all the Articles of the Jewish Faith Not so much as one excepted Did they not conform to all the Ceremonies of Moses Law Yet in that they did not submit to their lawful Church-Governours God thought fit to make them an Example to all Ages of the Sin and Deserts of those that will not submit to their lawful Church-Governours But let us go on and it seems p. 20. I call their Conventicles Schismatical and p. 69. their Division Vnchristian For these five Words here is an Outcry made against me as if I meant with my Doctor to knock out the Dissenters Brains p. 7. which if they have no more than my Friend are not very many and therefore ought to be spared But hark you my Friend are not Divisions Unchristian I find one of our Lords last Prayers was That we may be all one Jo. 17.21 22 23. Or do not your Conventicles make a Division and so are Schismatical for I have before told you these are both one You that herein undertake to vindicate the Dissenters will in your next I suppose vindicate Corah Dathan and Abiram against the Lancashire Levite that hath made them Schismaticks and till that time I dismiss this Head We now may pass to the fearful Story of one Darrel a Devil-monger that purged out seven Devils at a time out of seven Women c. And this Man you say you will not vindicate p. 15. But the Reason I suppose is because you cannot for notwithstanding your Word you first close upon it and you observe 1. That the Relator of this Story is accused by the Learned Bishop Vsher as a partial and fabulous Historian My Friend should have told us where But he goes on to pass his own Judgment upon him and censures that Book of Dr. Heylin's for a Farce of Diabolical Stories and malignant malicious Reflections upon all Parties p. 15. I have read of a sort of Men that say Our Lips are our own who is Lord over us And such an one I suppose my Friend is For since I writ the Surey Impostor I have seen Dr. Harnest's Book against Darrel and if Dr. Heylin hath been as sincere in his other Collections as he was in this a more faithful Historian that was not Inspired did never set Pen to Paper The only thing that seems in any thing the least to discredit it is the Opinion of Bishop Hall to which I reply That that Great Man was but a Youth when Darrel plaid these Tricks for the Bishop was born Anno 1574. and Darrel practiseth with Katharin Wright 1586. when the Bishop was but 12 Years old and from her proceeds to the rest And the Bishop being born at Ashly de la Zouch his Friends possibly might be some of Darrel's Admirers and so infuse such an Opinion of Darrel into him in his Youth as afterwards he was not able to remove Besides it doth not appear that the Bishop ever perus'd Dr. Harnest's Book and so might retain his Prejudices imbibed from his Neighbours for the scarceness of the Book could make one guess that it underwent the same Fate with that of his Friends Surey Impostor is said to meet with to be bought up by the Party and burnt Be the Opinion of that single Bishop what it will I think I have the Judgment of a whole Convocation to oppose unto it and that in the Canon where my Friend finds the Popish Word Obsession whence he thinks it probable the Dissenters had the Word and not from the Papists And probable enough it may be so for the Dissenters finding the pretence there Censured out of that Spirit of Contradiction to the Church of England which they mostly act by may be supposed not only to make use of the Word but the Imposture also which is there condemned But let us inspect the Canon Can. 72. which prohibits all Ministers without Licence obtained To attempt upon any pretence whatsoever either of Possession or Obsession by Fasting and Prayer to cast out any Devil or Devils under Pain of the Imputation of Imposture or Cosenage and Deposition from the Ministry Now would my Friend know the Reason which that Convocation had for making this Canon I must remind him that the Noise which Darrel made with casting out Devils and the Imposture of it was then fresh in every Bodies Mind Dr. Harnest's Book which contain'd the Discovery of it was printed but three or four Years before viz. 1599. and this Convocation begins to sit 1603. and they judged it necessary for the future Prevention of such Imposture and Cosenage to make a Canon that might discountenance and suppress such Hypocritical Pretences What say you to this my Friend Where is the Dirt that I cast in the Face of my Mother p. 5. Could the Convocation condemn such a Fanatical piece of Popery as this is without naming and advising us of the thing My Friend is a Man
say be true there is some Hope that in due time these Persons may come to be reconciled to a religious and frequent use of the Creed the Lords Prayer and other Sacred Forms of Worship which I suppose will not be much for my Friends Advantage But Richard's finding no Benefit by the Ministers Attendance on him sticks on his Stomach and the more so because he reads That they were erroneously Religious Offices that they performed for him which he found no Benefit at all by p. 25. Hereupon he enquires what they were Were they not Fasting and Prayers And for the first he imagines the Dissenters would be content to exclude that for an erroneously Religious Worship their Appetites inclining them to solemnize Good Friday with a good piece of Roast Beef and the Thirtieth of January with the Reserved Relicks of their Christmas Pies but that Prayers should be accounted among the erroneously Religious Offices will not sound well in Christian Ears ib. And why so What doth my Friend think of Prayers to Saints and Angels Why those are Popish Prayers whereas these are the Prayers of honest Fanaticks And what makes them erroneously so ib. Was it because it was their Prayers Or was it because it was not a Form of Prayer c. If my my Friend will have it with a because it was because their Prayers were sometimes very wicked Such was Mr. Jolly's Prayer when he prayed God That Satan might appear to be in those that did not believe him to be in that young Man meaning Dicky p. 70. And such I suppose was Mr. C.'s Prayer though he hath disguised it wherein some Persons thought that he turn'd his Speech unto Satan in the midst of Prayer Sur. Dem. p. 40. And another Because is because both the End and Ground of their Prayers were Erroneous they were founded upon a Cheat and tended to Superstition and if they were as my Friend saith conceived in a Barn ib. it was the fittest Place for them to be begotten in And this brings me to the next Insinuation which he thinks had been better left out for my own Sake viz. what I writ p. 62. That the Neighbourhood affirm that there was never such Whoring heard of as whilst the Ministers kept up their Meetings they scarce being able to go into the Fields but they found Men and Women trading almost under every Hedge Had this been true saith he you would have prov'd it by Instances but by this may be guess'd what sort of People you traded with for Informations and what Credit is to be given to such false Tongues p. 26. The People I traded with for Informations were such that I find tho' he hath a good Will he dare not so much as deny one single Information throughout my whole Book and for this Particular I refer my self to the Warrants that were granted out on Account of the Bastards that were then gotten which my Friend if he will pay the Clerk for transcribing of them shall have Copies of And had the Primitive Christians to whom that he might excuse this Play of his Lambs together he wickedly makes an Allusion been found upon such Evidence guilty of such Debauchery it would not have been the putting out the Candles that would have conceal'd the Infamy But suppose there had been Miscarriage as he against full Proof will hope there was not must their Meetings Fastings Praying and Preaching be the Cause of it Yes when Tenterden-steeple is the cause of Goodwin-sands p. 26. Now this had been well enough had my Friend had Wit to stop here but so far is he from that that in the very next Words he gives a Reason why by Accident it was so And is not this made out to be so saith he in Mr. Ray 's Book of Proverbs or somewhere else c. Just such an accidental Cause was the Ministers Meetings of their Hearers Whorings only by the by my Friend hath spoil'd a good Story in giving a silly Reason for it which he had not from Mr. Ray tho' he quotes him for it for Children that play at acting Proverbs give me a far better Account of it But I will tell my Friend a Story for I find he loves them There was one Mr. W. that I was pretty well acquainted with a Dissenting Minister and an honest Man as the Sequel will manifest he lived when I went to School about a Mile and a half distant from us and on Sunday-Evenings when the Church-Service was over kept a Conventicle at his own House whither the Neighbourhood flock'd in great Numbers especially in Summer-Evenings but there were so many Bastards got in their return Home as I am credibly inform'd that he found he did more Hurt than Good upon which he left the Place and I cannot learn that he ever after held any more Night-Conventicles And thus my Friend may learn how Tenterden-steeple became the Cause of Goodwin-sands I am weary with answering my Friend's Impertinencies who concludes like a Wasp with a Sting in the Tail by which he meant to sting the Establish'd Church p. 27. But so gross is the Misrepresentation that one may be tempted to believe that himself is as blind as Tobit was and so much the more because he is wilful and spiritual such as the Pharisees was whereas the other was natural and accidental For would this Man's Prejudice suffer him to see he would never have bid me ask my Ingenious Dr. R. Whether a Preternatural Distemper that had continued so long could be cured at the first Dose p. 26. For Dr. Chew's Certificate to which he refers is thus I administred him Phisick at Whalley March 25th 1690. which I thank God had good Success for that afterwards observing my Directions he never since had any more Fits Sur. Imp. p. 56. Now tell me Goodman Friend If following his Directions afterwards imply but one Dose with all the Spectacles you have p. 19. I find you either cannot or will not read right There are some other little Things which occur in your Book that should I pass them over tho' they are nothing to the purpose you may flatter your self you are in the right of them such is your goodly Notion of going to St. Ellen's Chappel where a Dissenting Minister preacheth and hath it you say by Law more Shame for those that gave it him for theirs I fear is the greater Sin and so you divide not from a Church establish'd by Law p. 12. Now not to take notice that this Argument was it brought into the Form of a Syllogism would have four Terms in it such a goodly Logician is my Friend I always thought that a Toleration had been quite another Thing from Legal Establishment but in my Friends Conceit it is not The Quakers need only to assume the Presbyterian Impudence and invade one of our Conscerated Chappels and get it Licens'd and there are ways to make Friends and then according to my Friends deep Learning They will not
Popery Superstition Ignorance and Knavery Very Unjustly by a LETTER In the General pretended But as far as was Charg'd very fully proved upon the DISSENTERS That were concerned in the Surey Imposture By ZACH. TAYLOR LONDON Printed for John Jones at the Dolphin and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard and Ephraim Jonston Bookseller in Manchester MDCXCVIII TO HIS Apostate Friend N.N. SIR SInce you pretend to be a Christian tho' at the best it is but a Mungrellian you perhaps may admire that I should esteem you an Apostate But that you may cease your Wonder I find you have denied your Christian Name or at least are ashamed of it and have changed the Presbyter tho' your Denomination from it should make you in love with it for the more Ceremonial Appellation of a Levite But happy is that Family that hath neither Knave nor Jilt among them and happy is the Man that among the Number of his Friends hath never a false one I have not so quite forgot all the Humanity I learn'd from my Father but that one Distich of Verses is still fresh in my Memory which are these Tuta frequensque via est per amici fallere nomen Tuta frequensque licet sit via crimen habet Which that our Friend Mr. C. by his awkward Poetical Talent may not by Translating spoil I will add the English Version as I received it 'T is safe and common by the Name of Friendship to deceive But tho' 't is safe and common too 't is Knavery by your Leave And in your next Edition I allow you to insert this as another Instance of the Knavery of those I have to deal with But what means my Friend in concealing his Name Forbid that I should charge him with Cowardice with an abject Spirit with a guilty Conscience or any hard Thing that if he had been any thing but a Friend I might with more Freedom the Laws of Friendship not being thereby violated have reasonably accused him of But I am concerned for the Reputation of my Friend when I find him making Personal Reflections on the Morals of Men that are dead as well as those that are alive for this shews he will have no Mercy on us either Quick or Dead Should I engage you my Friend in the same Ground that you do W.C. that is dead I could name as many of your Ministers and put C.'s and N.'s to them too who are yet alive that labour under the same Guilt and never expiated it either by Penance or Commutation And if you know not better how to bridle your Pen by the next you must expect more Gall in our Ink for I shall say as my Fr. Terence doth Vehinc ut quiescant porro moneo desinant Maledicere Malefacta ne noscant sua Andr. Prol. Had I a mind to rake into the Ashes of some that are Dead I could raise such a Stench upon their Names as Mr. O. H. with all the Odours that he doth perfume them would not be able to make sweet But I retain the Rule De Mortuis and shall forbear unless I be thereunto provoked But enough of this I know not Friend whether you expect an Answer to your Letter which assuming to your self the appearance of Authority you were pleas'd to make Patent But that I may not be thought Rude in not taking notice of such a Friend as you are I am oblig'd to a Reply and I hope you will not grudge to pay the Bearer nor think the Time or Mony ill spent p. 22. that is employ'd in perusing the Answer to your own Civilities and when that 's done you may light Tobacco or wrap Grocery with it or if those be too great a Favour you may if you please store your necessary House with it p. 1. and I will not charge you for it either with Ignorance or Knavery or Popery or Superstition tho' if I should I might easily make as good Proof of it as you have done of the same Charge from me on your Dissenting Brethren for my Friend either could not find one place in all my Book to fix the Charge on or else he found it so fully proved that he saw it necessary to connive at it For did I say That the Dissenting Ministers in the Surey Business were Tools of Popery And doth my Friend deny it No! you would think he were Possest with Rich.'s dumb Devil so mute is the Gentleman But I call'd them perhaps Constant Tools and pretty constant I think they were when they had served the Priests near a whole Year unless my Friend would have had them bound Apprentices for seven Years unto the Trade But the word Constant reflects on the whole Party perhaps as you imagine If you will have it so for I will not dispute it pray tell me whose Tools they were when they cut off the Royal Martyrs Head If you want Information Philanax Angelicus will tell you Whose Tools were and are they in applauding Conceived Extemporary Flights of Divine Worship in opposition to that Form of sound Words which is coaeval to our happy Reformation If you have heard of Foxes and Firebrands you may thence be fully instructed or if you desire some fresher Instances for all the Danger B. Pr. pretends them then in you need but peruse their Addresses and Speeches to the late King James of which Mr. Jolly had the Honour to make one and you will fully understand whose Creatures then they were and so fully were they possest with a Zeal for his Service that it is not forgot how negligently they left their Congregations and the Service that on the Lord's day was due unto the King of Heaven that they might gad to Chester when King James came there to complement a Popish King This was all that upon this Head of Popery I charg'd them with yet my Friend hath the Impertinence to ask What Errors in Doctrin looking that way I find in that Book p. 5 And I must ask my Friend What Errors in Popish Doctrin I there charge them with If my Friend proceed thus I verily fear he will fall under his Colleague's R. B. Pr. Crimination of bearing False Witness But he goes on to ask p. 6. What those Men have done that tends to Popery c. He may remember I have told him before It was not only a Mistake p. 6. for if that had been all he thinks it convenient that my Doctor should have cut them for the Simples p. 7. and I think the Advice is good My Doctor is charitable and I doubt not but upon another Letter from my Friend I may prevail with him to undertake the Operation but it was the faithful Service which they did the Papists and that rich Harvest which had the Times favoured them the Ministers had most certainly obtained for them He next comes to ask Whether the Devil hath no Hand in my Natural or my Doctors Preternatural Distempers and what I think of Job p. 7. For
will engage that our Church though he thinks that I am oblig'd not to endeavour any Alteration of Government in it p. 6 shall indulge him and his Brethren in the capricious Liberty of their pretended Consciences But is not that an excellent Stroak that follows Some of them say the Imposing Terms of Communion is an Invasion of Gods Prerogative And that it is an usurping of Authority to make Laws for him to obey with an annexed Penalty on him for he shall either take that Worship which they have composed for him or he shall have none c. p. 13. Really Friend I have sometimes heard Men in Jest say That the Parliament was Omnipotent but I never had Reason to believe it till now that you tell me They have made Laws for God Almighty to obey with a Penalty annexed on him You are a pleasant Spark indeed and very fit to be an Advocate for Dissenters For tell me my Friend is reading Gods Word which makes up so considerable a part of his Worship with us Is repeating his own Commandment professing our Christian Faith by the Apostles Creed and addressing our selves to him in his beloved Sons own Words making Laws for him to obey My Friend I perceive wants a little of my Doctor 's help p. 7. But Goodman Friend pray tell me what you call them that make God to be Content with whatever comes next to their Tongues end that will not be at the Pains to Compose a sober Form of Worship for him but too often Foam out their own Shame and yet are not ashamed to Entitle it to but will needs have God admit it for the Groans of his Spirit To close this Head if these be the lofty Notions your Academick infuseth into his Disciples I thank God I have no Reason to envy his Learning The last Charge which his Title-page bears is that of Knavery but so conscious is he that he cannot acquit them of it that in his Book he drops it In short I had proved them Guilty of that which in another Case might have cost them their Ears and it was wisely done of our common Friend to stifle the Accusation I have I hope justified my Charge and clear'd my self from the Imputation of Injustice therein And indeed easily I might for so kind was my Friend that on a Fourfold Indictment he did not preduce one Instance on any one Head against me I was therefore forced to search my own Book not being conscious to my Self of any such unjust Dealings And I hope my Reader will think there is no other Language given them than what Truth on one Hand and Fanaticism on the other demanded from me There is one Thing remains and that the most plausible in all my Friends Books and 't is That I have charged on the whole Party the Miscarriages of a few I might justly demand what they mean by a Party For are the Presbyterians and Independants both but one Party I won't tell him how the Pharisees and Scribes made but one Party against Christ but I will examine how far I have charged the Body of Dissenters in general and what Reasons I had so to do Now I must still observe as before That though my Friend lay this to my Charge yet he produceth not one Instance of it no nor his Pedantick Seconds Baldwin and Janeway and if the Indictment be not proved I think of course it should be quash'd But that the World may see more into this Mystery I proceed to inquire how far I charged the Party with the Miscarriages of the Persons concern'd in the Surey Demoniack I have examined my Answer to it and can find but one Place unless he will refer hither what I before mentioned p. 3 4. that looks that way and it is p. 6. where speaking of that Sincerity that is requisite in Authors in Matters of this Nature I use these general Words If we be found tripping herein we expose not only our selves but our whole Party especially if the Leaders of them as in the present Case be conspiring with us to promote the Intrigue These Words affect not any one Party more than another but might have been retorted on the Church of England had any Man of Note in it been found guilty of such Tricks as the Surey Operators were Perhaps because I speak all along in the Plural to a Number of Men they apply my Words to the whole Party but that is very unjust for nothing ought to be enlarged further than the Circumstances of the Subject will allow Now I had to deal with no less than Fifteen Dissenting Ministers Heads of the Party that were one way or other concern'd in the Surey Demoniack There were no less than about Fifty Hearers that are produced as Eye or Ear-witnesses to Attest the pretended Truth of it in all about Sixty six adding the two Ministers that were dead since the Transaction a pretty little Conventicle And could I other than speak of these People in the Plural and Words that must imply what they were a Party and I think a considerable one too but if any will enlarge my Expressions to them to the whole Body of Dissenters I think they are very unjust to me since I could not speaking to so many write otherwise than as to a Party But I know the Spirit of the Men I have to deal with having laid it to my Charge they will admit of no Excuse but plead to it I must Then open your Ears my Friend and you shall hear what might be alledg'd for me were your Suggestion true 1. Mr. C. tells us This Thing was not done in a Corner Pr. And in one Sense true it is for he gives us the Names of Ministers not only in Lancashire but out of York shire that assisted at it so publick was the Matter 2. He tells us Mr. Baxter was desirous to add this Narrative to his late Book called The World of Spirits Pr. And that another Reverend London Divine desired that it should be printed as an Appendix to Mr. Increase Mather 's Book called A further Account of the Trials of the New England Witches A.D. 1693. Vpon which saith he much of it was then at London for the same purpose as is declared in an Advertisement on the Back of the said Books Title-page Pr. If this be true and if it be not let them fall on Mr. C. that deceives us This Act of Mr. Baxter is sufficient to bear it self the weight of such a Charge for what he did desire I do not doubt but the Party would own But here is also another Divine urgeth the same and to invite the Parties to make it publick Notice is given of it by an open Advertisement But to go on 3. If the Party disallowed it why did they not censure it by some Overt-Act before my Impostor did appear They had time enough and enough to have declared their dislike of it and ought if they took it to be a
reprove Mens Sins in such Language as this may fall under the same Rebuke of my Friend that the Lancashire Levite doth For what hath he done He hath found Men guilty of wicked and scandalous Prophaneness and that acted under the specious Pretences of Religion and God's Worship which raising in him out of a Zeal for Gods Glory a just Indignation he hath signified it to the World with such becoming Animadversions as the foulness of the Crime unavoidably required of him This is all that he hath done Yet there is an Outcry of Popery Superstition Ignorance and Knavery unjustly charged by him on the Dissenters And suppose this was true will that justifie them for abusing the World with such a Rapsody of Superstition as the Legend of the Surey Demoniack doth contain Some Men are unwilling to repent and pretend another Mans supposed Crimes to attone for their own wilful Prevarications The Surey Demoniack with all the Lies and Forgeries the Hypocrisy and Enthusiasm that it comprehends is to be forgotten and forgiven because a Lancashire Levite is by the Party pretended to accuse them unjustly of Popery Superstition c. This is the way that our Dissenters have of answering Books that are unanswerable But here they shall not so escape Janeway saith the Demoniack is not to be had and my Printer tells me the Impostor is very scarce I will therefore oblige my Friend and the World with presenting him with an Historical Account of the Surey Imposture and the Deportment of the Dissenters therein together with their Endeavours to have it credited and owned for a Miracle since the Knavery of it was discovered And this comes before-hand to acquaint my Friend that in a few Weeks he may expect it POSTSCRIPT SInce my Papers were sent away these two following Letters came to my Hands which in Justice to the Right Reverend my Lord Bishop of Chester to Mr. Gr. and indeed the whole World that they may understand what Credit is to be given to some Mens Pens and how tender their Consciences are in bearing False-witness I thought my self obliged to publish SIR AFter my humble Service presented to your Worship this is to satisfie you That I fully acquainted my Lord Bishop of Chester with Mr. Gray's Carriage formerly before he was admitted to be Curate at Mottram The Crime then laid to his Charge was for having his Wife with Child before he Married her any thing more of any other evil Carriage I had no Knowledge of And if he be any otherwise reflected upon I suppose it is by some Persons who are troubled to see our Congregation at Mottram increase and flourish and are afraid their Meeting-places will decline for I have observed that formerly when some debauched Person or weak Minister served the Place and so a very small Congregation then there was but little Reflection but now by the Mercy of God and the Care of my Lord Bishop for us we have this Mr. Gray a very able Minister and one exemplary in his Life and Conversation and well respected and reputed of by the Parishioners and the Neighbourhood except by some disaffected Persons who reflect on him for conforming to the Church of England for although he left off Preaching at Tinstwisle upon the Crime before mentioned yet he was admitted to Preach at Thirsk by the Dissenting Party for several Years last past and not in the least reflected against until he had a design for Mottram and Conformity but we have great reason to bless God for such a Minister and as for those that are offended to see a great Congregation at Mottram which I hope will still encrease I pray God turn their Hearts And so I remain Your Worships humble Servant R. T. Godley Feb. 10th 1697. Nay so fair is the Gentleman himself that he gives a full Account of the Matter in this following Letter to a worthy Friend of his SIR Godley Feb. 7th 1697. I Have seen your Letter and am greatly afflicted with those Calumnies which some unquiet and contentious Breast hath belched out against unhappy but especially that so Worthy Reverend and Pious a Divine as my Lord Bishop of Chester should be groundlesly struck at and reflected upon for my sake That the Truth may be fully known I shall give you a particular Account of what I have been and done for some Years past About December 1691. I began to teach School at Hefield about 5 Miles from Mottram where I was not suffered to teach long because of my Nonconformity The Summer following upon the earnest Entreaty of some leading Dissenters I consented to enter upon the Ministry and accordingly Preach'd thrice at Wood-head Chappel immediately after which I was called to Tintwisle where as a Dissenter I continued to Preach till near May-day 1693. At which time she who is now my Wife proving with Child I gave over Preaching and went from them They soon understanding the Cause of my departure wrote after me solliciting my Return Vpon my Return my former Hearers flocking to me desired me to omtinue my publick Labours among them which I peremptorily denied to do without the Consent of the Neighbouring Dissenting Ministers Hereupon the Ministers assembled together at Stockport and there they gave it against me which I conceive is that they mean by being cast out of the Church Then leaving my Wife for a time at Hefield I went to York and by a Friend obtain'd a Licence to teach School in that City this was about October 1693. February following Mr. Brooks a Dissenting Minister being to leave Thirsk a Market-Town 18 Miles from York and having some former Knowledge of me came and desir'd me to supply Thirsk one Lords Day which after frequent Sollicitations I consented to do After I had officiated one Day I was importun'd by his Letter for a second and third which Letters I have still by me He not returning to them they made choice of me for their Minister where I continued 3 Years and an half before I came to Mottram no one all that time divulging any thing of my Miscarriage before Marriage But no sooner do they hear of my Conforming to the Church of England and my drawing some of their Number from them to the Church but a loud Cry must be raised against me and against my Betters Had I instead of Conforming publickly maintain'd that uncharitable Opinion of the most rigid Separatists That God is not worshiped by the Liturgy that the Ministration by the Liturgy is Poison I might still have lived quietly without Disturbance so that it 's to be feared there is more Malice than Matter and that whatever is pretended yet it is chiefly for my Conformity that I am accus'd censur'd and condemn'd with so much Bitterness and expos'd as a Reproach of Men and a Wonder to many Besides the Miscarriage already mentioned for which I can never be enough humbled I am not conscious of any thing they have against me and with that my Lord
was fully acquainted before my Ordination His Lordship saw also my Certificate from the Vniversity witnessing my Proficiency and orderly Demeanour whilst there 4 Years and received another Certificate under the Hands of worthy Divines of the Church of England testifying the Inoffensiveness of my Demeanour during my continuance at Thirsk with which my Lord was fully satisfied and which will clear his Lordship from the unjust Calumnies of the Malevolous and Malicious SIR your unfeigned Servant to his Power A. G. I before for Reasons given suspected my Friend to be a Socinian I wish he do not also prove a Novatian I suppose he esteems himself a Puritan and this is Puritanism with a Witness for the Novatians proudly call themselves as others have done since 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Puritans that will not allow Men the Benefit of that Repentance that Christ's Forerunner began to preach and which the Apostles did publish over the World The Incestuous Corinthian 1 Cor. 5.1 bating that he was not a Renegado from the Dissenters a Crime which my Friend though he have Charity enough to venture a Prayer for one that had sinned the Sin against the Holy Ghost p. 15. would scarce I believe venture a Prayer for the Incestuous Corinthian was I conceive full as guilty as the Renegado Scotchman Now if he was one of their Ministers as some of the most learned of the Fathers think he was I wonder what Rebuke my Friend would have had for Saint Paul who on his Repentance commands them To forgive him and comfort him and confirm their Love towards him 2 Cor. 2.7 8. I read thus Brethren if a Man be overtaken in a Fault ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the Spirit of Meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted Gal. 6.1 I will not reflect upon my Friend tho' if he be a Man named to me 't is supposed he is as much as the Scotchman interested in the Lenity of this Canon But I will give him some Lines of a Letter which was also sent to me since my Answer went for the Press I hear saith my Correspondent from pretty good Hands that the Academy in the North have the first Blessing of God upon Man among them Gen. 1.28 Neither he nor I can yet say this is true tho' in a short time we possibly may give my Friend a better Account of it But if it be found true pray tell me will you admit the Criminal to Ordination or will you not If let him repent never so sincerely your resolve that you will not I must ask you from St. Paul in the Case aforesaid Whether you be not Ignorant of Satan's Devices v. 11. If you do pray what hath the Bishop of Chester done that your selves in the same Circumstances will not do But I remember what my Friend saith I see One may better steal a Horse than Others look over the Hedge p. 5. I would ask my Friend since it is his Choice rather to be Ludicrous than Scurrilous p. 28. as if 't was necessary that he must be one whether he hath answer'd his Pretences I have heard of some whose Sport it is to do Mischief and I find my Friend esteems Scurrility a Ludicrous Matter and would rob a Man of his good Name in a Jest I see again my Friend conceals his Name he was afraid our Jests should have been as broad on him as his are upon others But I am not at present dispos'd to be Ludicrous either in this way or any other else I would have ask'd my Friend How Mr. C.'s underling Slave Apollyon came to be his chief Devil p. 14. Whether the Surey Devil did not go out by Quarters and Halves as his merry Papists Story is now a Leg then an Arm c. p. 26. since the Ministers were near a Year a playing the Men-Midwives to him And whether such Dispossession as this looks like those of the Demoniacks in the Gospel Whether they that say Here 's a Devil or they that say Here 's no Devil ought to give the Characters of him p. 27. for I think they that see him or smell him are the fittest to do it How the Dissenters by talking to Satan in Latin or Greek would have been any more unsanctified Lyars as he pretends they would ib. than they were by talking to him in English These with other Inconveniences of the same Nature to cover the Dulness of my Ludicrous Friend are designedly past over in Silence lest the Reader should be as weary as the Writer is FINIS