Keith against Keith OR SOME MORE OF George Keith's Contradictions and Absurdities Collected out of his own Books not yet Retracted upon a Review TOGETHER WITH A REPLY TO George Keith's Late Book Entituled The Antichrists and Sadduces detected among a sort of Quakers c. By JOHN PENINGTON A Double-minded Man is unstable in all his Ways James 1. 8. They that observe lying Vanities forsake their own Mercy Jonah 2. 8. LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle near the Meeting-House in White-Hart Court in Gracious-Street 1696. ERRATA PAge 4. line 7. f. as r. or p. 14. l. 27. r. Evangeliâ—â—â— p. 21. l. 30. f. the r. that p. 22. l. 32. r. those p. 24. l. 28. r. Propose p. 28. l. 27. f. teacheth r. treateth p. 29. l. 18. f. the r. that l. 25. r. never l. 29. r. p 70. p. 31. l. 30. r. and honest p. 32. l. 17. r. outwardly p. 33. l. 1. r. promise p. 34. l. 1. f. they r. that p. 40. l. 4. after that delâ— which p. 41. l. 15. f. and r. to l. 29. f. outward r. outer p. 59. l. 21. r. hearers in in order p. 61. l. 2. f. as r. or p. 64. l. 7. r. Penington's l. 17. f where r. whence p. 65. l. 21. f. on r. in p. 66. l. 24. f. these r. those p. 77. l. 13. r. Rector's p. 80. l. 14. r. believed l. 20. f. on r. in p. 81. l. 3. r. who and goes on p. 89. l. 3. r. hold p. 101. l. 4. f. 127. r. 117. p. 106. l. 1. r. as well as p. 112. l. 27. f. would r. could p. 120. l. 27. r. asketh if that p 123. l. 10. f. the r. â— at p. 131. l. 31. r chargeth p. 139. l. 24. r. this which he calls p. 145. l. 4. f. an r. and l. 9. r. Popery p. 146. l. 22. for ad hucr adhuc l. 33. r. vorten KEITH against KEITH OR Some more of George Keith's Contradictions and Absurdities ALthough G. Keith blame us in his Advertisement p. 3. for heaping Book upon Book against him to which himself gave the Provocation alledging want of Time and Ability of outward Estate of whose Sincerity therein the Reader may judge by his cutting out new Work of late in his twelve Penny Narrative yet he continuing to abuse us in Print 't is fit we should there also vindicate our Holy Profession from his unjust Defamations And having to do with an unstable Adversary I had collected and digested a List of some more of his Contradictions and Absurdities upon a review which I now make introductory to the Reply wherein if I exceed my wonted Brevity know the variety of Subjects occasioned it These I shall divide into two Heads making his own Assertion in Way to City of God Printed Anno 1678. The Title of the First his Absurdities and Contradictions promiscuously Collected out of his Book called Truth Advanced Printed Anno 1694. the Second And then enter upon defending my Self and Friends from his late false Charges in his late Book stiled The Antichrists and Sadduces detected among a sort of Quakers c. 1. That through the coming of Jesus Christ in the inward even before he was unwardly come as manifest many were saved and attained unto perfect Peace and Reconciliation with God in their Souls Way to City of God p. 125. And the Method I shall take here shall be first to set down what I find in his later Books and then confront him out of his former and that the rather for that in his Serious Appeal Printed Anno 1692. p. 21. he saith Let but the Reader see my own Words in my Printed Books and well consider them and if he have but a little sound Judgment he will easily find I have not contradicted my self in ANY THING Upon this Issue I am willing to leave it with the Considerate and Judicious though perhaps G. Keith will allow none to be such but who say as he saith and begin with the Christian Faith c. Vindicated c. Printed Anno 1692. where he with others thus deliver themselves Though we do affirm that all conscientious and honest Gentiles such as Cornelius was before the Faith of Christ was preached to him have some measure of Light from Christ to enlighten them and are under some Administration of the Spirit yet it is but the first Ministration until the Knowledge and Faith of Christ as he died for our Sins and rose again c. be spiritually received And such who have the true and saving Knowledge and Faith of Christ as he dyed and rose again without them are ONLY Christians and Sons of God of the free Woman having receiving the Spirit of Adoption whereby they cry Abba Father But who have not this Faith of Christ crucified and raised again outwardly spiritually receiv'd and wrought in them by the Spirit of Christ Whether they have or have not heard Christ outwardly Preached unto them are at BEST however Just and Conscientious to the just Principle of God in them not under the second and more peculiar Ministration of God's Spirit that makes Men worthy to be esteemed Christians but are only under the first and such are held under the Custody or Safeguard of the Law shut up unto the Faith that is afterwards to be revealed as Paul declared Gal. 3. 23. And the State they are in under this first Ministration is to them as the City of Refuge was to the Man slayer under the Law Christian Faith p. 6 7. This Notion of the City of Refuge c. I having met with in other Books of his and touched upon in mine Entituled People called Quakers cleared c. as smelling of the Doctrine of the Revolution of humane Souls though G. Keith doth not care to hear of it and contrary to the Scriptures particularly Eccles 11. 3. and Heb. 9. 27. I refer to what hath been said there p. 33. and go on In his Book without date called Truth and Innocency Defended he saith None are justified by Christ but through Faith in him as he dyed for them and rose again c. For he that believeth not is condemned already and therefore the Ministration of the Law whether outwardly writ on Tables of Stone or inwardly writ on Stony Hearts is the Ministration of Condemnation preparing for Christ and leading unto Christ and such who are under the Law let them be ever so obedient just and conscientious because they have sinned and are not perfect are held under it shut up as in a Custody or Safeguard as the Manslayer in the City of Refuge and are not perfectly justified but are under Fear their Thoughts Accusing and Excusing for though they are excused or accused or to say justified in some good things done by them yet that can be no perfect Justification because their State is imperfect p. 19 20. By his Obedience unto Death and precious Blood he hath procured and purchased for us that in ward Principle of
proposed out of this Book the next that comes in course is The Way Cast up Printed Anno 1677. He there saith Paul takes notice of some among the Gentiles in the time of Heathenism who were a law unto themselves and did by Nature to wit the Divine Nature of the Word Ingrafted in them James 1. or by their own Nature restored and repaired by the Grace of God as Augustin Expounded that place the things contained in the Law And such was Socrates among the Grecians whom Justin Martyr in one of his Apologies did expresly call a Christian and classeth him with Abraham c. p. 44 45. Several things are Remarkable here one that in the time of Heathenism some Gentiles partook of the Divine Nature which hath been oft touched upon already 2dly That their Nature was repaired and restored by the Grace of God Qu. Was that Grace insufficient or imperfect Can Nature be restored or repaired by that which makes not perfect By any thing less than God's Holy Spirit 3dly That Justin Martyr classed such an one with Abraham and calls him a Christian 4thly That here he boggleth not at the appellation in this Book Printed Anno. 1677. Though he doth afterwards Anno. 1694. Saying in Truth Advanced p. 46. If they were real Christians they had some Knowledge and Faith of Christ the Messiah as he was to come in the Flesh But now the Man being altered no wonder that his Expressions vary If the Saints before Christ came outwardly in the Flesh had not Eat of the Flesh of Christ and Drank of his Blood they could not have had Life by him but they had Life by him and therefore c. p. 95. Christ hath Lived in all Saints as well before he came in the Flesh as to his outward Birth as since p. 100. Did he Live in them and did they Feed on him even before his outward Birth and yet the Law within Jew and Gentile not make perfect till after it Though the outward coming of the Man Christ was deferred according to his outward Birth in the Flesh for many Ages yet from the BEGINNING this Heavenly Man the promised Seed did inwardly come into the Hearts of those that believed in him and Bruised the Head of the Serpent and destroyed him that had the Power of Death that is the Devil the Stronger Man entering the House and dispossessing the strong Man and Casting him out p. 99. When the Head of the Serpent is bruised the Power of Death the last Enemy destroyed the Devil Dispossessed and cast out and the stronger enters Hath not the perfect Law the Law which doth make perfect taken place Again Thus the Word was made Flesh even from the beginning and dwelt in us as in ALL AGES and they beheld his Glory c. p. 103. Is this Indwelling where the Glory is beheld without the Holy Ghost or unable to perfect the Work Now I come to his Book Stiled Way to the City of God Printed Anno. 1678. where he saith Even at Mans Fall the Seed of the Woman was given not ONLY to Bruise the Serpents Head but also to be a Lamb or Sacrifice to attone and pacify the Wrath of God towards Man p. 125. Is this Bruising the Serpents Head attonement c. Witnessed where the Holy Ghost is not received Is not this State a Gospel State beyond Gentile Sincerity and Righteousness And where these Effects are wrought doth not the Seed of the Woman make perfect He tells us We are not too nicely to make a difference betwixt the Influence and effects of his outward and inward Sufferings but to understand them in a perfect Conjunction and that the End of his Sufferings in both was this viz. 1. Both to quench and allay the Wrath of God 2. to purify and Cure Men c. p. 139. Had G. Keith taken the Counsel he then gave he would not have so depretiated the Law within nor denied the receiving the Holy Ghost to the Conscientious Heathen to whom the outward was not revealed as he hath done of late His Book called Rector Corrected Printed Anno. 1680. Comes next There he denies not but that some rare and singular Gifts of the Spirit have been given unto some of these called Heathen some whereof have Prophesied of Christ and others uttered some Divine Sayings that could proceed from no other Principle but the same Divine Spirit that was in the Christians p. 50. Qu. Is this Divine Spirit the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Holiness which these had while to Cornelius he allows only a great Measure of Gentile Sincerity and Righteousness had these a Law within them that made perfect which of late he will not admit to Jew or Gentile until Christ the one Offering was Revealed For it seems they had the same Spirit the Christians had How should this be if the Holy Spirit was Peculiar to the latter Days to them who believed in Christ Crucified c. For that not being done the benefits Annexed and Apropriated thereto could not be received Again that these generally had so much as a belief that the Messiah should come and suffer and rise again is what will stick hard upon him to prove if he dare assert it especially considering that the Disciples who conversed with Jesus were even after his Resurrection so far from believing it either Explicitely or Implicitely a late phrase of his that they disbelieved it and it seemed to them as idle Tales Lu. 24. 11. Yet if that were granted that all these had this belief of the Messiah that he should come c. Yet if he will believe himself which he hath small cause to do Considering his windings and twistings of late they could not have that holy Spirit which the Christians had that Holy Spirit being as he saith peculiar to believers in Christ Crucified not in Christ to be Crucified In the same Page he quotes a saying of Seneca thus There is a Holy Spirit in us that Teacheth us as we Treat him So here 's a Heathen hath outstript G. Keith by confessing to more than a great Measure of Gentile Sincerity and Righteousness even to the Holy Spirit in the Gentiles And that G. Keith may find to his Sorrow one Day Again God gave his Holy Spirit to instruct them and the Spirit in the Jews made them to believe in Christ as well before he was Born in the Flesh as since and therefore he is called the Spirit of Faith as being the Author of it in all them that believe p. 150. Is this Consonant to his saying Truth Advanced p. 70. Nor is it any where to be found that any received that Holy Ghost which Christ promised particularly to the Believers in him but such only who believed in him even Christ Crucified and Raised again Will he distinguish between Gods Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost or make two Holy Ghosts He queries Was not the Spirit of Christ in Moses And Christ the Lord
thus hath it Seing G. Keith's Answer to R. Gordon implies that the Light Power and Spirit within is Christ the only Mediator and Saviour and that so to assert is not to assert another Christ than Jesus of Nazareth then surely Jesus of Nazareth cannot be something else than the Light Power and Spirit within because Jesus of Nazareth is the ONLY Christ Mediator and Saviour and SO is the Light Power and Spirit within acknowledged to be And if the same then not any thing else Thus far C. Pusey now where is G. Keith his Inference Where the Antichristianism Where the abominable Non-sense Perversion and Contradiction to Scripture c Where doth the Friend deny him to be a real Man consisting of Soul and Body or that he is our Mediator and Saviour Nay if applicable to either of them it must be to G. Keith himself whose the Assertion is not to C. Pusey for citing it and arguing from it ad hominem He that will so palpably abuse a Man to his Face as I may so say when Evidence so near to be produced what will he do behind his back But perhaps he thought every Reader would not scan it and so it might have passed From G. Keith his having in that Book of Truth 's Defence urged that nothing should be pressed as Articles of Faith but what is delivered in plain Expressions of Scripture Words the Friend put seven Queries to him from p. 56 to 59. wherein he demands express Words of Scripture for several of G. Keith his Assertions whereof G. Keith takes no notice except of the third Query about the four hundred Pieces of Silver Abraham Purchased the Burying Place with which I have remarked under my second Head but gives him six Queries by way of Retortion To which I say when he hath answered those Queries grounded upon his own thesis whereby he ought to be bound I may give an answer to his which as stated are not our Principles but his own unfair deductions He goes on p 19. Though I remain still in the same mind that no Article of Faith should be urged on any but what is Contained in plain express words of Scripture or so agreeable to express Scripture as the common sense of all Mankind that hears Scripture words must acknowledge c. Yet I see not why I should be so confined to express Scripture words in things that I require no man to own or believe as Articles of Faith c. And towards the bottom For there are many things both in my Book called Truth Advanced and in many other of my Books wherein I may possibly differ from others in Judgment yet I leave them to their Liberty to dissent as I desire to be left to my Liberty to believe as I judge God hath persuaded me Answer Waving the additional Terms so agreeable to express Scripture as common sense c. wherein he is likely enough to make himself the Judge what is and what is not so I tell him Of what kind many of his are even with respect to Articles of Faith hath in part been manifest and have been Communicated in several parts of this my treatise yet we deny him not a Liberty to dissent as persuaded in himself so long as his Dissent affects himself only and he is not quarrelsom with us stigmatizing us as Atheists Sadducees Sadducean Fraternity c. As he hath done upon account of doctrines himself allows to be Articles of the Christian Faith yet therein hath run so wide from Scripture Terms and Expressions as hath been shewed But we would if possible hold him to his own rule that if it be only safe to keep close to Scripture words and expressions he should do it at least in Articles of Faith of which that of the Resurrection is one And in as much as he urgeth upon us p. 39. That Scripture 1 Pet. 3. 15. of being ready to give an answer of the reason of the hope that is in us surely it cannot be amiss in us to demand the like of him as well as to shew the reason of our dissent from him where we find him incongruous and absurd as well as Unscriptural What remains p. 20. Being but a repetition of his former Slanders relating to the suffitiency of the Light within so excluding our Lord Jesus of Nazareth his Death Sufferings c. From being Concerned in our Salvation and his suggesting our not owning Justification by Christs Blood outwardly shed as he offers no Proof though he hath oft asserted the Contrary on our behalf I shall barely reject them as false Charges not desiring to fatigue my Reader And now for a close of this part G. Keith having so often insulted over his Opponent as a Miller Philosopher one going beyond his Last his Sphere of knowledge who had better keep working at his Mill to his own Trade of Grinding or Sawing Timber See p. 5. 11. 15. c. I shall wind up these with some few instances declaring what himself once thought and said of that whereupon he now so values himself as an indication that even herein the Man is changed from better to worse In his Book called Help in time of need Printed Anno. 1665. he thus saith Away with the education of Youth at Universities and Colledges of Philosophy so called I may say of them which Luther stuck not to call them in his Day that they are the stews of Antichrist p. 75. 76. Again p. 76. ' And the Philosophy so called which is taught them is but meer Deceit and Pedantry which even I came to see when among them And towards the bottom I certainly know the Human Wisdom or Learning is one of the MAIN Bulwarks of Antichrist against the Revelation and setting up the Kingdom of Christ in the Earth and because this is arising and shall rise down must the other go and all who seek to uphold it shall fall therewith Surely then G. Keith hath no such great cause to vaunt himself over another for his Skill in that Learning which himself confesseth to be a main Bulwark of Antichrist which must fall with its upholders wherein G. Keith may chance to be a truer Prophet against himself than he is aware of In his Book of Immediate Revelation Printed Anno. 1676. he saith Then down should all the PROUD LORDING LOFTY CLERGY with their many degrees of DOCTORSHIPS LORDSHIPS and MASTERSHIPS pass who being Strangers to the true knowledge are vainly puffed up in their Fleshly minds by the form of knowledge in the Letter as I was my self whilst among them and thought all Men Idiots and Unlearned who were not Skilled in that litteral knowledge but the Lord by his Grace brought me to see the Vanity of all that knowledge c. p. 137. But now it is happened unto him according to the true Proverb The Dog is turned to his own Vomit again c. 2 Pet. 2. 22. And what God once brought him to see the
related to his being Preached as Crucified to the Jews so the MORE GENERALLY as a Light to the Gentiles was also restricted to the so Preaching him yet with this addition that G. Keith then allowed it yet further that it was more generally Preached to both Jew and Gentile A Contradiction had been more excusable than such a deceitful Cover His Secondly cites no Page of mine in particular but hath a general reference from p. 15. to 33. which gives him scope to skip as he pleaseth They perversly infer saith he from my words that whereas I formerly made the knowledge and Faith of the History of Christs outward coming not Essential to Religion now I did make it Essential This he accounts Palpable Forgery denies any of the citations I bring prove it and at last recurs to his late distinction of implicit Knowledge and Faith But this is a meer begging of the question that who were saved by the inward had ALL of them the implicit Faith and Knowledge of the outward not brought till of late whatever he pretend of his understanding it so all a long and is impugned by me p. 14 15. particularly from Luke 24. 10 11. From whence I again argue That the Disciples themselves were so far from having an implicit Faith in Christ that he should Dye and rise again that they disbelieved it It seemed to them as idle Tales and they believed them not and that even after he had sent them out two and two and the Devils had been subject to them Chap. 10. ver 1 and 17. If the Reader be disposed to cast an Eye back to my p. 15 to p. 33. he will yet more evidently see I have not wronged him and perhaps be convinced wherefore G. Keith dropped them To his Thirdly Wherein he repeats his Notion concerning Cornelius not having the Holy Ghost in his Gentile-State c. as it hath been largely treated of in this very Tract under my first Head I referr thereto Yet he persisting p. 29. to deny the Holy Ghost is in Wicked Men or the pious Gentiles and that none have it but Believers in Christ crucified and yet acknowledging the Word near to be Christ an Administration of the Gospel to be given in all Ages of the World the Spirit the same the Rule the same the Faith the same see Universal Grace p. 8. Immediate Revelation p. 107 108. Truths Defence p. 70. forecited shews he would divide Christ from his Spirit and is contradictory A further instance whereof take out of his Book of Divine Immediate Revelation p. 63. where he saith Cornelius received the Spirit immediately and yet obtained it FURTHER by means of Peter's Preaching Whereas now he denieth he had the Holy Ghost in his Gentile-State But it is become habitual to him since he turned from Truth to contradict himself and his former Writings To my Question Whether any Prayer is heard by God but what is put up by his Spirit He Answers Nay but Servants and Pious Gentiles such as Cornelius was in his Gentile-State may be and are helped to Pray by the Spirit having the influence of the first Ministration of the Spirit which though remotely Preparatory yet doth not instate the Soul into Union with the Spirit c. Whence had he this Or how doth he prove that Mens Souls are not in Union with the Spirit when helped to pray by the Spirit Surely as there are Degrees of Ministration so there are Degrees of Union and Degrees of Acceptance Diversities of Gifts but the SAME Spirit 1 Cor. 12. 4. But he goes on And were not my Adversaries extream blind and ignorant they might understand how the Apostle calleth one and the same Spirit the Spirit of Servitude and the Spirit of Adoption Rom 8. 15. Doth he bring this for or against himself If the Spirit in the Son and the Servant be one and the same Spirit it must be the Holy Spirit It is Everlastingly Holy in its self Holy in every Operation and Ministration in Man but in Degree the Administrations differ the Law must be passed under before the Sonship is known it is the Spirit of Holiness in every step so denominated from its Effects though the Sonship is not the first step He goes on These Mens arguing that Men may be Eternally Saved c. who have no Faith or Knowledge of Christ without them do sufficiently declare what Heathens they are and of what little value they make the Faith and Knowledge of Christ Crucified and that their Religion is nothing but Deism c. Answ We do not believe that that Faith is not necessary to Salvation to us to whom the means of knowing it is offered but the contrary But that where it is not revealed it is not of Necessity unto Salvation G. Keith hath granted There it is more than Deism yea Christianity for believing in the Light they do believe in Christ See Universal Grace p. 117. and p. 30. In his Fourthly he cites a Passage of mine imperfectly out of Rector Corrected p. 150. and then makes his flourish To a Question of the Rector of Arrow whether the Light within sufficiently tells us that the Messiah is come born had real Flesh dyed c. G. Keith Answers that it doth teach That there is a God that created all things that he is most Holy Just and Wise a plentiful Rewarder of them that fear him c. and that these are AS NECESSARY Truths as any c. See my p. 22. Upon this I argued and G. Keith hath dropt both Quotation and Argument If the Holy Ghost be given ONLY to the one Faith not to the other surely that one Faith must needs be the most necessary Faith Now to the other part that many who never had the Scriptures yet if faithful to the Light whether they have not been accepted have not believed in the Light by believing in Christ who is the Light he queries But where is my Contradiction here Answ Even in what I have cited above and he hath craftily left out He goes on Did I ever say That Men may believe in the Light or Christ within and never at any Time from first to last believe in Christ without either explicitely or implicitely For this they bring no Proof and I believe they cannot saith he Answ It was not the Rectors Question Whether they that dyed without it and had it not at first should have it at last in some other Revolution Perhaps neither of them dreamt of that Distinction when the Book was wrote Nor whether they should have it explicitely or implicitely but whether the Light doth sufficiently tell it He should in his Answer have made that Distinction if he would have it allowed him now but instead of that to an indefinite Question he gives an indefinite Answer asserting there are Truths as necessary that it doth teach and that they that believe in the Light believe these necessary Truths thus revealed believe in Christ and are
Vanity of is again become his Glory so that he again thinks such to be Idiots and Fools who are not Skilled in that Pedantry himself formerly was and of late is vainly puffed up by though if he will believe himself Truths Defence P. 69. Printed Anno. 1684. he hath no such great cause for he there saith As to my Learning that is but very ordinary and a thing I neither can nor OUGHT to glory in His Learning I shall not endeavour to debase His Glorying in it and depretiating others for want of it whilst himself hath represented that kind of knowledge so pernicious is what drew me to offer these which leaving with the Reader I thus conclude my answer to his Cavils against the Book stiled Modest Account and betake my self to G. Keith's Postscript who thus introduceth himself p. 40. It may seem strange how it comes to pass saith G. Keith that while so many pious and Learned Men are Judged to be found in this Nation not only of the Church of England but among the Dissenters and Non-Conformists there are found so few among them all that do imply their gifts to oppose such Vile Errors as are holdly and avowedly promoted among a sort an GANG of the People called Quakers not only as bad as ANY Popery but MUCH WORSE than the WORST of Popery in divers respects c. Answer What those Principles of ours are which he counts much worse than the worst of Peopery he is so far from proving upon us though he exclaims as virulently as the Jews of Old who said Men of Israel help This is the Man that teacheth all men every where against the People and the law and this place Act. 21. 28. that he doth not so much as name them The Papists Doctrine of Transubstantiation of Purgatory of Invocation of Saints which is at least a tacit rejecting of Christs Mediatorship and their deifying the Virgin Mary as the Saviour of Mankind with attributes to God and Christ are so bad in my Judgment whatever they are in his that there need none worse And if our Principles had really been much worse than the worst of these methinks his Pious and Learned Men of all Perswasions should not have been so supine these 40. Years that they need now to be stirred up to creep in at the Tail of an Apostate to do his Drudgery for him and that such an one who not only makes such poor earnings of it but perhaps for 25. Years together hath defended us and our Principles against them and particularly in his Looking-Glass for Protestants Printed Anno. 1674. endeavoureth to make it appear as he gives out in the Title-Page that the Quakers are the truest Protestants because as he there saith their Testimony agreeth with the Testimony of the Antient Protestants in the most weighty things c. And whereas he denominateth us a gang I would fain know what Gang he is of now And I was going to put a harder Question to him what Gang he intends to be of next but that I believe he cannot resolve me neither knowing his own Mind nor who will trust him Yet by what follows he bids fair for the Papists as if he had an Aking Tooth after them I am Confident saith he if such Antichristian Errors and Heresies were but the TENTH PART so avowedly broached in the City of Rome or any where else in Popish Countries these esteemed Watchmen among them would be more alarmed to oppose them c. Then most among Protestants do There 's a Box on the Ear for such as will not be at his Beck Methinks he rates his betters as if he had got a Benefice already But stay Ad huc tua seges in herba est he must learn more Manners to his Benefactors if he expect Promotion who if he be thus malapert now what will he be when he hath caught the Fish Now to make sure Work of it he labours yet further to incense the National Ministers against us and anon the Civil Powers yet would fain Men should think It is farr from him to desire the least Sufferings to come on our Persons or Estates as he pretends in the next Page But as the Dutchman says Dit gaet zo verre al 's hy voeton heeft it goes as far as it hath Legs to stand on in Order whereto he layeth before them That we have provoked such as have differed from us to publick Disputes Viva voce and have oft gloried over them who refused to answer us that their cause was Bad c. He knows who hath said Deceit lurks in Generals Wish he assign Time Place and Person perhaps he may be answered for Circumstances of things much vary the Case They may have detracted us behind our backs Vivâ voce they may have insulted over us when absent c. with more that I might insist on But if he will accuse let him descend to particulars till then wonder not Reader that I reject such Evidence The Case with him which Galls him and makes him wince so is that when he had defamed and falsly aspersed us in Print to which we answered by Print we could not be drawn to quit that Defence by a Vivâ voce debate to which he had summoned us Now not being gratified here and we objecting the inequitableness of such a procedure the turbulency of the Man where of this present Postscript is a sufficient Indication and the unsuitableness of the time with respect to the Publick Peace of the Nation he bursts out into this Extravagancy as if he designed that Men of all Ranks should be let loose upon us In Order whereto he applies himself in the next Place to the Civil Authority telling them p. 41. It would be a commendable and praise worthy thing to enceurage such a Practice throughout the Nation that Men of true Piety and Solid Learning might beallowed and countenanced to refute these vile and abominable Errors of these chief Leaders and Teachers among the Quakers at the end of their Meetings c. and to give Order that all such Books of them called Quakers as can readily be found as great store of such there are he saith that contain such vile and abominable Errors c. may be suppressed and witnessed against by publick Authority Answ I doubt not but this Work would please him well especially if he might have an Inquisitors place of it whereby he might both gratifie his revenge against the Quakers and also pick up some little income to help him against that ruine and want which W. Penn his calling him Apostate tended to expose him to as himself complains Advertisement p. 4. Yet two things I would put him in Mind of first that he even now Proposed that with what measure we have met to others with the same to mete to us again Would he have been willing to have been thus served by the Powers of this Nation when he termed Prelacy a Limb of Antichrist and declared