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A47144 A Farther account of the great divisions among the Quakers in Pensilvania, &c. as appears by another of their books lately come over from thence, intituled, Some reasons and causes of the late separation, that hath come to pass at Philadelphia, betwixt us, called by some of the seperate meeting, and others that meet apart from us : more particularly opened, to vindicate and clear us and our testimony in that repsect, viz. : that the seperation lieth at their door, and they, and not we, are justly chargeable with it : with an apology for the present publication of these things. Budd, Thomas, 1648-1699.; Furnis, Henry.; Keith, George, 1639?-1716. 1693 (1693) Wing K166; ESTC R16901 19,794 24

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been of late betwixt one against another before not only many called Quakers but some others that never were of that Profession that concerning several Fundamental and Principal Doctrines of Christian Faith as first Whether we are only to believe in Chr●st the Light within us or whether we are to believe both in Christ within us as he is Light and Life and also in Christ without us as he died for our sins rose again and is Ascended as he was that great Sacrifice of Attonement for our sins and is our high Priest and Mediator and Advocate with the Father for us in Heaven 2dly Whether to preach Faith in Christ within and Faith in Christ without us be to Preach Two Christs or one only Christ Jesus the Measure of Christ within us and the Fullness of Christ without us in the Man Chr●st Jesus be●ng One Lord Jesus Christ as the Light of the Sun that is in the Body of the Sun in fullness and the measures of it that come into our Eyes are but one Light and one Sun and as the Life that is in the Root and Branches of a Tree is but one Life the fullness being in the Root and the measures in the Branches 3dly Whether it be a Doctrine necessary to be preached and believed to make a Christian viz. throughly and intirely in all necessary parts to believe in Christ without us as he is true and perfect God and true and perfect Man c. 4thly Whether Christ hath now any thing in Heaven that he had not before the World was or Whether Christ's Body that was Crucified and nailed to the Cross and was buried did rise again and is Ascended into Heaven Some questioning Whether is rose Some saying It rose but after it Ascended into the Cloud Christ was seperated from it Some saying It was no part of the Virgins Substance or of Mans Nature that Ascended in Heaven and one saying He had not yet learned that Lesson whether that which was Crucified without us was tho Godhead or some-what that he took of the Virgin others saying This is a Nicety and to be ignorant of such a thing or not to believe such a thing doth not hinder but that a Man may be a true Christian and a Minister of Christ 5thly Some accusing and charging some of their Brethren as dividing Christ because they Preach Faith in Christ both without us in Fullness and within us in the Measure Others justly charging them That they who preach only Christ as within do divide Christ in a false and wrong Notion of him 6thly Some accusing their Brethren for denying the Sufficiency of the Light within to Salvation because they preach That the Sufficiency of the Light within is not to be set up in Opposition to the Sufficiency of the Man Christ without us in whom the Fullness is as if the Measure within us were the whole Saviour excluding the MAN CHRIST without us and also because they distinguish betwixt the first Ministration of Light common to all Mankind and the second that is peculiar and special only to true Christians or such who have the Faith of Christ crucified c. revealed to them both these Ministrations with all other diversity of Operations and Gifts coming from one God one Lord and one Spirit who is over all through all and in all Ephes 4.6 And also because they cannot set up the present Measure of Light and Grace to be sufficient for all time to come but exhort Men to Wait and Pray in the help of the present Measure of Grace received to receive more Grace from him who hath the fullness of it even the Man Christ Jesus And lastly that they cannot set up the Sufficiency of the Light within in opposition to the necessary and great outward Helps and Means of Salvation such as the holy Scriptures and Preaching and Teaching of Faithful Men. And beside these great Questions and Disputes that have happened among us there have been others concerning the Resurrection of the Dead and Day of Judgement as Whether the Saints have got the Resurrection of the Body already or Wheth●r they get it immediately after Death or VVhether they wait for it generally unto Christs coming and VVhether Christ is to come without us to judge the Quick and the Dead and VVhether there is any Day of Judgment beyond the Grave and VVhether there is any great and general Day of Judgment that the Deceased are in Expectation of And this is but a hint of these things that have been in Question and Debate among us here-away in Pensilvania and VVest-Jersey c. to which many other great and weigthy things of Christian Faith and Doctrine do so necessarily relate that they stand or fall together And it is no small Grief and Wound to us to find some so little concerned about these things as if they were not so material as to cause any just Seperation or Breach of Fellowship when we know that for less Errors many of us have seperated from other Professions and we cannnot but declare before the World our Godly Zeal moveth us to a holy Impatience that we cannot longer bear some of us having born the weight of these things for many Months such gross Ignorance and Unbelief and gross Errors tending to the denying the Lord that bought us and making Void his Death and Sufferings without bearing witness against them who either hold them or support defend them and we are convinced perswaded in our Consciences that God calleth us to seperate from such Unbelievers and not to be yoked together in Church-Fellowship and Discipline with any that we have not Proof of by Confession of the Mouth that they are sound in Faith touching these necessary and Fundamental parts of Christian Doctrine as well as that their Conversation is such as becometh the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ And we have been so much grieved with the Confusion and Disorder that hath lately happened in our Meetings because of these things more like Babylon than a Church of Christ that we have great Clearness and Peace in the Lord to retire and seperate from such disorderly Walkers and Talkers as we have formerly done from other Professions to meet together in the Name of Christ having the true Faith of him and of his Promise To be spiritually present in the midst of us and to wait upon him and be refreshed and edified whether in silence or any living Testimony of words that God shall be pleased to enable any among us to bring forth Yet we design not any Separation from our Faithful Brethren here or any where else in any part of the World for we declare we are one with all our Faithful Brethren in all parts of the World both in Spirit Doctrine and Practice of true Christianity and we faithfully believe that our Faith in all things doth well agree to our faithful Brethren every where and is the real sound and upright Faith as it hath been received not only by Antient Christians in all Ages of the World but also by the most sound Antient and present Friends of Truth called in scorn Quakers And we altogether deny and disown to be called the Disciples or Proselites of Man or Men being spiritually baptized into no other Name than that of Christ Jesus who was Crucified for us and rose again and whose Disciples and Followers we only desire to be and to follow none but as they follow him A Quantity of the foregoing with another of their Books Intituled The Plea of the Innocent c. Being sent over for Sale which the chief Quakers here having notice of bought them all up in order to stifle them which occasions their Re-printing here in England this 9th of January 1692 3. FINIS
A farther ACCOUNT OF THE Great Divisions AMONG THE QUAKERS In PENSILVANIA c. As appears by Another of their Books lately come over from thence Intituled Some Reasons and Causes of the late Separation That hath come to pass at Philadelphia betwixt us called by some the Seperate Meeting And others that Meet apart from us More particularly Opened to Vindicate and clear us and our Testimony in that respect viz. That the Seperation lieth at their Door and They and not We are justly chargeable with it WITH An Apology for the present Publication of these Things Rom. 16.17 Now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them 1 Tim. 6.3 If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholsom words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to Godliness c. v. 5. from such turn away 2 Cor. 6.14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers c. and v. 17. Wherefore come out from ●●●ng them and be ye seperate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you c. Rev. 2.20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Jezabel which calleth her self a Prophetess to Teach c. London Printed for I. Dunton at the Raven in the Poultrey 1693. An Apology for the present Publication of these Things WE are sorry that we should have occasion to publish such Account of things in the open View of all who may read the following Account or hear of it that may be occasion of Grief to many especially who had better Thoughts of some here-away than the said Account doth give of them and it is too probable the Enemies of Truth and of all true Religion will seek to take Advantage there-from and think themselves greatly gratified thereby so as to rejoyce the more in their Iniquity and glory over the sincere Lovers and Professors of Truth But as on the one hand we have been deeply afflicted with Sorrow to find some so highly pretending to Truth and to the inward and immediate Teachings and Leadings of the Spirit of Truth which they have greatly professed and some of them have Preached for some years so very Ignorant and unsound in some of the Chief and Fundamental Principles of the Christian Faith and Doctrine and so resolute and confident in their Ignorance and Errour that they have from time to time refused and rejected good and seasonable Information and means of Instructions that have been in Love held forth unto them partly in publick Testimonies and partly in private Meetings and Conferences So after our great and deep Affliction of Sorrow on their account and for the sake of many simple people that owned them as Ministers of Christ whom we saw to be greatly hurt blinded and darkened with them but not further enlightned by means of them notwithstanding of their great and high pretences to Light and Life and to the Spirit and Power of God inwardly revealed we can and do sincerely say on the other hand God hath greatly comforted us and we have great Joy and Consolation in the sence of his Love revealed and sealed to us by his holy Spirit in our hearts being perswaded by the same that according to his Soveraign Wisdom Goodness and Power and great Faithfulness he will make these very things to wit the Discoveries that some men have lately given of themselves to work for good to many and we may sincerely and uprightly say They and not We have discovered and made publick these things for when they heard true and sound Doctrin preached cencerning Christ and the true Faith in him c. they have whispered against it and publickly rejected it which yet hath been greatly refreshing and edifying to us and to many others having felt the Power of Christ accompanying that Doctrine and sealing to the Truth of it in our hearts so that not only we have owned and do own the Doctrin that hath been preached among us of late Times by divers that God hath raised up in a zealous Testimony to the Truth of these Things Denied by some and Rejected by others and meanly esteemed by too many as not Necessary but Indifferent Matters to Salvation to be believed though true but also we have owned and do own the Spirit by which that Doctrine hath been zealously delivered unto us being perswaded it was of God and we do not judge so rashly and uncharitably as some do calling that sincere and godly Zeal that hath appeared in some among us in publick Testimonies Anger and Passion But it is no new thing to hear Light called Darkness as well as Darkness called Light and Good Evil and Evil Good We believe and are perswaded that as to the main it hath been and is a sincere godly Zeal that hath been of God's raising in some of our Brethren both to preach in publick Testimonies this Doctrine so much of late contradicted by some and slighted by others and to defend it with great freedom and boldness in private Conferences and Meetings and at some Monthly Meetings notwithstanding of what humane Weaknesses as to Circumstances might at times on great Provocations attend some that we believe God hath forgiven which have been far greater on their side than on ours wherein some of them have exceeded all bounds of Christian Moderation to the pronouncing Dreadful Woes against the Innocent which none of us have done and giving bad Names to such who did not deserve it thus putting the Sheep of Christ into Wolves and Bear-skins to render them odious and to be the Object of Tongue and Heart-Persecution which too much abounds in this part of the World although by the Mercy of God and the good Laws of the Country Persecution by Violence of the Hands is restrained Now that these men have been the Discoverers of their own Ignorance Error and Unbelief is very apparent because they not only dared to whisper against sound Doctrine in private but only in Meetings appointed to hear these Differences and even at Monthly Meetings they have been so bold as to resist sound Doctrine and shew their Unbelief and the Nature of our Meetings being such especially our Monthly Meetings that too many come to them and sit in them hearing all things there said that are not qualified either with Christian Knowledge or Prudence or indeed with humane Discretion as men to conceal things that are not always seasonable to be published insomuch that scarce any thing hath been said or done in a Monthly Meeting for a long time past but it is soon after publickly known And we desire to reverence the Providence of God and to acknowledge his powerful Hand Wisdom and Goodness and great Faithfulness in this Discovery for we are well satisfied it is far better that the hidden things of Esau be searched and found out than to remain hid for
when Achan had Transgressed in the Camp of Israel and had hid the accursed thing the Anger of the Lord was kindled against them until he was discovered and Judgment executed against him And seeing it is so that many evil and hurtful Opinions that are as poysonous Weeds have had too much place among us but have so secretly lurked under Ground and yet have brought forth bad Fruit above Ground for it is the Nature of Errors in Doctrine to produce Errors of Practice and evil Conversation of Life that we did not know that such bad Fruits did spring from such bad Principles of Doctrine that were held by them but we did rather impute them to some other Cause than to Ignorance or Error in Judgment We have great cause to rejoyce and bless God that his Light hath made this Discovery among us for the Light discovereth Darkness as well of Errour and Unbelief in relation to Doctrine as in matters of bad Conversation And we are fully perswaded that it is an infallible sign of that approching Glory of God's blessed Day that is more abundantly to be revealed among us and in us which many of our faithful Friends have fore-told as nigh at hand and all the Faithful have much longed and waited for and continually pray for And it will have a service to bring many to Truth that have stood at a distance because of Offences and Stumbling-blocks that have been laid in their way through the Ignorance of many especially who have professed the Truth with us after some sort but have not received the true and sound Knowledge of it and too many that have presumed to preach and pray in our Meetings their way both of preaching praying hath been very offensive to many tender-hearted people by their pretending greatly to the Spirit 's Leadings and Movings when they have expressed very unsound and unsavoury words and have greatly discovered their unskilfulness in the Mystery of Christ both outwardly as he came in the Flesh died and rose again and is ascended and the great benefit of his outward Coming to men as so known and believed by them and as inwardly revealed so that many who have come to our Meetings have been as a hungry Child that greatly needed the Breast and thirsted for the sincere Milk of the Word having heard a great Noise of it but when they came to suck they did not find that which answered their desire and went away dissatisfied and the Breast it self was so daubed over with what was unpleasant to them as Mustard or Chimney-Sout is to the Mouth or Taste of a Sucking Child But God having so ordered it by his great Love that by his marvellous Providence discovering these things that hath been a long and great hurt and hindrance to the prevailing of Truth among us and causing his Light to spring up more clearly among us that Christ and the Faith of him both without us and within us is sincerely and powerfully preached by some of God's raising up among us more clearly and fully than many have formerly known although the Doctrine is the same in matter and substance that the most faithful and foundest Friends and Brethren have all along held from the beginning and we are infallibly assured this present Exercise that is at present so heavy and grievous to many honest hearted for want of a through discerning and understanding the Mind and Counsel of God therein and his blessed Purpose for the advancement of his Truth shall greatly tend to their Comfort in due time and to the Comfort of many to raise them up to give Glory to God with high Praises in their Hearts and Mouths for what he hath begun to do and will finish and perfect in his own time for the Exaltation of his own Name and the Name of his dear Son that the Mystery of him even that great Mystery of Godliness which is Christ come in the Flesh and God manifest in the Flesh even in that Body of Flesh through Death to reconcile us unto God with the blessed Effects and Fruits of it inwardly witnessed by the Revelation of him in us may be yet more gloriously revealed that the Souls and Hearts of many may be affected with the same and overcome therewith to love him and live to him who died for them and rose again and to love God and live to God through him in all holy Obedience who gave him freely unto them And though the Adversaries of Truth may for a small time rejoyce a little and seem to be gratified and strengthned in their Enmity against Truth and the sincere Lovers and Professors of it so as even to seem to glory over them yet after a little time their joy will be turned into sorrow and their great glorying and seeming gratifyings into Discontents and Frettings when they shall be made to see and acknowledge the Hand of the Lord in all these things to their great Amazement and Disappointment for the good of all that love him and the Exaltation of his Name and promoting Truth and Righteousness in the Earth that his Kingdom may come in greater Power and Glory and his Will may be done on Earth as it is in Heaven And as for all such who are by a false Spirit acted to Prophecy false things concerning us and to pronounce Woes against us and our present Work and Testimony as if both it and we should fall and come to nothing as some have done Our Faith and Trust is in God and our Dependance and Reliance is on him whose we are and whom we serve and for whose Glory and Honour we are zealously concerned in this present Service with true Humility of Mind and earnest Prayer unto God that he will preserve and strengthen us to the end and make our Almond Rods to bud and blossom while others that resist the Truth of our Testimony will wither for of a Truth God is with us and on our side whose blessed Power and Presence we feel to encourage and strengthen us and therefore let such who gain-say the Truth of our Testimony and from a rash head-strong and wilful Spirit make opposition to the same take heed what they do lest they be found Fighters against God for what is of God will stand let ever so many high and bold Pretenders to that which they are not real Professors contradict it and lest that be fulfilled concerning them that is written Acts 13.41 Behold ye Despisers and wonder and perish for I work a Work in your Days a Work which ye shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you compared with Hab. 1.5 And further the false Reports and Rumors that are already spread abroad concerning us by many laying all fault upon us of this present Breach and Division and loading not only us but the Truth it self with many false and bitter Aspertions Reflections and Calumnies will be cause enough we hope to all impartial people to whose hands this shall
was declared That G. K.'s Doctrine concerning Christ within and Christ without to be One Lord Jesus Christ was true and that therefore W. S. was blame worthy and yet after all this W. S. persisted in his false Charge against G. K. and hath been greatly excused and supported by many that this hath given such deep Ground of Offence to all of us with other things concurring that because to this day nothing hath been done it being now above a Year since Complaint was made against W. S. by these of the other side who meet in a Separation from us either to bring W. S. or T. F. to Condemnation but suffer them to continue to Preach and Pray in their Meetings therefore we do justly judge That the whole Meeting that meet in a Separation from us that owneth these Men and tollerateth them in their great Error and Trespasses are guilty with them and accountable for their Errors and therefore according to Christs Command recorded in the holy Scripture we ought to be separate from them altho ' as hath been sufficiently proved they began the Separation and they having begun it we cannot in Conscience unite in Meetings with them here at Philadelphia until they give satisfaction to Truth in these weighty things The Second Cause of the Separation which also we lay at their Door is That whereas in the Monthly Meeting in the first Month last a Proposition being made to change the Meetings both at the Centre and in the Town and some being for the said Change and others against it and having good Reasons why they were against the said Change yet a Party in the Meeting contrary to our declared Mind and Assent assumed a Power over them that dissented to change the said Meetings a thing we have not known formerly allowed by Friends any where in their Monthly Meetings that one Party suppose equal or greater in Number than the rest should assume a Power to appoint or change Places and Times of Meetings without the Consent of their Brethren for things of that Nature especially use always to be done with unanimous Consent and not by Plurality of Votes which is not the way of Truth and because we were not free to stand to the Arbitrary and rash Determination as to that Change therefore we met at the ordinary Meeting-place as formerly practised and they began the Separation in keeping a publick Meeting in the Afternoon at the Bank contrary to our declared Sense and Mind only some of us met at a private Family Meeting in the Evening at the House of G. K. that could be counted no seperate Meeting for that day And afterwards we finding they were resolved to continue in their way of Separation and that some had endeavoured to lock us out from Meeting at the Bank in the Forenoon this put us upon seeking a new place to meet in in case we had been disappointed of the other and tho' some of us did declare our sincere Intention and Sense that it were good but to have one Publick Meeting on first Days to end about the second hour and the remaining part to be used for private Meetings in Families yet their keeping up their publick Afternoons Meeting hath given us just occasion at present to have a Publick Afternoons Meeting as well as they for we hope they shall not have any cause to say against us that we are short of them in our Zeal for good Meetings Things being thus far advanced and the Separation being begun and carried on so far by them and justly chargeable upon them some of them having desired us to make some Proposals or Expedients for healing the Breach and uniting again as formerly after some time we sent some Proposals to them that we were satisfied in our Consciences were most equal and just and such as the Truth required of us but they are so far from being satisfied with most of them that they have the more blamed us some insinuating as if we had transgressed the Law but we are not afraid of any such thing provided true Liberty of Conscience according to the just and due bounds of it be allowed to us and for our part we are so well satisfied that all our Proposals to them in that Paper signed by Fifteen of us are just and equal that if they please we shall freely consent to their Printing of them The sum of which Proposals doth principally consist in these two things first That all such of the Ministry among them whom we can prove Guilty of the Preaching false Doctrine or of falsly accusing the Innocent or excusing and defending the Guilty and contending against some sound Principles of Truth in Meetings appointed for hearing these Differences may be brought to Cnviction and Acknowledgment of their Error and Trespasses And 2dly Seeing by a marvelous Providence that hath discovered it that our Monthly Meetings bere-away have consisted of a mixt Number of some Believers and some Unbelievers or of some Men unsound in the Christian Faith that we agree together to put Robert Barclay's Doctrine well approved of by the best of our Friends in England and particularly by G. F. and G. W. into Practice in his Book called The Anarchy of the Ranters c. see § 4. p. 32 33. and § 6. p. 48 49 which is To declare our Faith and Perswasion in certain Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith and Religion that by the same as well as by a good Life and Conversation it may be known who are quallified to be Members of our Church and that every one owned to be a Member of our Church declare his Faith and Perswasion in every one of these Fundamentals which is a secondary Bond of our Union the Spirit being the principal which may be easily done by answering to some plain Questions with Yea or Nay And now a Third and main Reason that we give for this Separation well warranted both by Scripture Testimony and command of Christ Recorded in Scripture and the truth of it sealed to us by the Spirit of Truth in our Hearts that whereas there are divers of them guilty of most gross Unchristian Errors against the Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith who are Publick Preachers among them and whole Ministry they sit under and some encourage them others tollerate and suffer them and that others even of their Preachers are guilty of other gross Errors and other Trespasses that render them altogether unqualified for the Ministry and to uphold or tollerate them is to bring Reproach to Truth and our Holy Prosession and to the Body of our faithful Friends with all whom we remain in dear Unity in all parts of the World hoping that Faithful Friends and Brethren that have an impartial account and information of us and do rightly and duely consider and examin the Righteousness of our Cause will encourage us therein to the Disappointment of such who affirm the contrary but we being principally supported and encouraged by
the Spirit of Truth in our Hearts that as such Men immediately guilty of these vile Errors some of which no Protestant Christian Society would tolerate neither Episcopal Presbyterian nor Baptist are to be turned away and seperated from so that Society is to be turned away from whoever they be that doth uphold and tollerate them and bring them not to due Conviction and Condemnation after due and sufficient notice is given unto them as there hath been a long time from one Meeting to another as concerning some of them now many Months since past and nothing done effectually to bring them to any Conviction but that it seemeth they are resolved still to support or tollerate them Now the Scriptures that warrant us in this Separation altho' as is said first made by them are these following 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16 17. 1 Tim. 6 3 4 5. 2 Tim. 6.2 3 4 5. Tit. 3.10 Rev. 18.4 2 Thess 3.6 Rom. 16.17 Rev. 2 14 15 20. and the same is expresly confirmed by the Doctrine delivered by R. Barclay in his said Book well approved by good Friends who expresly saith p. 52. We do safely conclude that where a People are gathered into a Belief of the Principles and Doctrines of the Gospel of Christ if any of that People go from their Principles and assert things false and contrary to what they have already received such as stand and abide firm in the Faith have Power by the Spirit of God after they have used Christian endeavours to convince and reclaim them upon their Obstinacy to Seperate from such § 6. p. 52. and § 4. p. 33. he saith The Escapes Faults and Errors of such who own believe and profess the same Doctrine and Principles of Faith with us and go under the same Distinction and Denomination may by our Adversaries justly be imputed unto us if not seasonably and Christianly reproved reclaimed or condemned And therefore we judge that we have equal Ground and Cause of Seperation as well from that whole Society that doth not condemn these Men for their gross Errors in Fundamental Doctrines as we have to seperate from these particular Men seeing they who tollerate them both by Scripture and R. B's Book are guilty with them and the Errors of these Men may be justly imputed to them Note That whereas it hath been said by some That they would have dealt with these Men who have been guilty of those Errors but that G. K. would not go forth being desired to withdraw at the Meeting at R. E 's and at the Quarterly Meeting To this it is answered That G. K. had good reason not to withdraw at both these times because at both these times these who did take upon them to be Judges were his manifest Parties against him and so could not be in Justice his Judges but at the Yearly Meeting he did withdraw at the Meeting 's Desire and yet they did nothing to bring W. S. to Conviction besides it was not G. K. but the Truth it self that the Difference was concerning and they have had sufficient time since to have done it but nothing that we can hear of is done But it is very strange what some have said That no Error in Doctrin or Trespass whatsoever of particular Persons though tollerated by a Society that we were joyned with in the Possession of Truth can be any just cause of Seperation doth equally blame all our Friends in their Seperation from the respective Societies they were formerly joyned in Profession with as some in their Seperation from the Church of Rome others from the Episcopal others from the Presbyterian and Baptists and doth equally blame the Separation of the faithful Martyrs in Q. Mary's days from the Popish Worship in England yet well approved generally by our Friends And surely for People of contrary Principles and Spirits and having a contrary Faith and Perswasion in Fundamental Doctrines to be united together in one Worship would make the greatest Confusion imaginable and be incomparably more like Babylon than the true Church of Christ and so to affirm is contrary to all common Sense of any that hath the least true Notion of a Church that ought to be as a Field or Garden as clean of Weeds as possible for tho' the Tares are to be suffered to grow in the Field of the World yet they are not to remain in the Church according to Christ's Doctrine But at this rate the Weeds shall remain with the good Corn and Herbs in the same Garden yea and exceed them that cannot but greatly hurt the good Corn and Herbs Besides how can the Gardner delight in such a Garden that is full of Weeds and no care to seperate the good Herbs from the Weeds And tho' it hath been said by some That as the Faithful stand in the Power of God they shall have Dominion over the Unfaithful But we find no warrant or promise that God will give them Dominion if they obey not his Command which is To Seperate and withdraw from such and not to remain in Fellowship with them for what part hath a Believer with an Infidel 2 Cor. 6.15.17 POSTSCRIPT WE have seriously considered how that of late Years especially many are crept into a bare out-side Form of the Profession of the People of God called in Scorn Quakers and have assum'd or suffered themselves to be called by that Name and have frequented not only their publick Meetings but also their Men and Womens Meetings and some have presumed to Preach and Pray therein that to our certain knowledge by manifested Evidence of Words and Works are not worthy to be reputed Members of a Christian Society or Church of Christ because of their great Ignorance and Unbelief in the first Principles of the Doctrine of Christ whereof some here-away of late have given sufficient proof to the great Scandal of our holy Profession by their plain and express words uttered before divers credible Witnesset and sometimes by their unsound Doctrine published and gross Perversions of Scripture to the Observation of many who are but of weak understanding and some of them have been detected of scandalous Conversation and have not given any convincing Evidence of their true Repentance and that there hath been too much forbearance used by some toward such for their hardning and emboldning themselves against the Truth and faithful Friends and Brethren that by the marvellous Providence of God that hath suffered such things to come to light some have discovered their woful Ignorance Unbelief and gross Errors by their late words without all shame or fear and that some others have appeared too manifestly inclined to cloak excuse and support them which giveth us too great occasion to suspect them guilty of the same or the like things and that things are come to that pass of late that contrary Testimonies are born in Meetings by one against another and yet both pretending to the Spirit of Truth and great Disputes and Contentions have