AS I was going to Norwich, April 1694. staying a little at Wymondham, I met with a Paper writ by R. Ashby; wherein he reflects on my Book, Quakerism Withering, and Christianity Reviving, &c. saying, what I write is false: And seems greatly concerned, That People should like my Book, and glad to see the Quakers Errours discovered. And thereupon I wrote him a Letter, Dated April the 30th, 1694. to meet me the Wednesday fol­lowing, to agree upon Terms to have a Meeting, to Dispute the Points in Con­troversie: But he not Answering the same, I sent him another Letter, Dated May the 3d, 1694. a Copy whereof is as followeth, viz.

Now least R. Ashby should decline to meet me, but like his Brother White­head, evade and shuffle; as I do hereby give publick notice of my Challenge, so I think it necessary to acquaint the World with their fallacious way of Wri­ting; insomuch that 'tis hard to know a Quaker by what he writes: For their Books are of two sorts, of two Stamps, and carry two Faces, and both con­trary to each other; and yet the Quakers mean all one thing, viz. One sort of Books and Epistles to their own Disciples, to confirm them in Quakerism, wrote by the Perfect Quaker: The other sort of Books to the World's People, as they cant it, with some seeming Truths in them; nay, were they but sincere, might pass, wrote by the Counterfeit Quaker, whose chief Art is to decoy and proselyte the World; but still he means the same as­serted by the Perfect Quaker. As for instance: When Is. Penington de­nies Christ, and calls him that was born of the Virgin, A Veil, a Garment, a Vessel, affirming they can never call him Christ; yet G. Whitehead the Coun­terfeit Quaker, in his Book, styl'd, The Counterfeit Convert, &c. P. 72. vindicates him, saying, ‘And though I have evinced Is. Penington's meaning, on his Words reflected on about the Body or Flesh of Christ, it follows not that I make his Expressions mine, seeing I note them as his: for [says G. White­head] I may see cause otherwise to word the matter, and yet our Intentions be the same, &c.’ Thus you see he is ashamed to own Is. P.'s Words as his, yet hath shewed you his meaning, if you will believe him: And he justifies his not owning his Words, for that he had noted them to be his; nay, tells you he may see cause otherwise to word the matter, and yet their Intentions the same. Who then, I marvel, can know a Quaker, if they can thus equivocate? Is not this Jesuitism with a witness? Or Arius risen again under a new Form and Figure, to deceive the World with a two-fold meaning? And yet behold G. W.'s Partiality, who in their Vindication charge me with John Ansloe's Query [Page 3]to Sam. Cater as mine, though sufficiently noted by me to be his, and not mine, which I have refuted beyond his glossing in Quakerism Withering, P. 65. Well, but let us have a few Examples of these two fac'd Quakers, the Perfect Quaker and the Counterfeit Quaker, who, however they differ in wording their matter, and expressing themselves; yea, insomuch as that the one is ashamed to own the Words and Expressions of the other; yet as G. W. and that too truly, they mean all the same thing; they mean what the Perfect Quaker says, viz.

OBSERVATION.

Behold you the Inhabitants of Wymondham, here is one Book Printed and Re-printed; the first for W. Smith, when living, in Oclavo, to teach their Children, and instruct them in the Principles [...]f perfect Quakerism. And by this Doctrine all such as preach Christ without, and bid People believe in him as he is in Heaven above, at the Right Hand of God, according to the Christian Creed, are False Ministers; and as such they have censured them to be Witches, Devils, Conjurers, Thieves, Antichrists, Gormandizing Priests, the very Bane of Soul and Body of the Universe. The other Impressi­on [when W. Smith was dead] in Folio, to go abroad in the Nations to de­ceive. And here W. Smith's surviving Brethren, the Counterfeit Qua­kers, as G. W. says, saw cause otherwise to word the matter, and yet their In­tentions the same. See his Count. Conv. p. 72.

And moreover, lest my present Antagonist Rich. Ashby says, that I write false, and that there is no such two-fac'd doings, nor such Jesuitical Juggles amongst them, I will point him to G. W.'s Sheet, styl'd, The Quakers Vindication, p. 1. Col. 2. where he confesses in these words, viz. ‘We confess there is one Edition in Octavo reads it as Fr. Bugg quotes it; but the other Edition in Folio the Pa­ragraph runs thus, viz.’ as above recited under the Counterfeit Quaker. And so much for that Juggle.

OBSERVATION.

Reader, here you see plainly, that Penington, writing in the Name of the Quakers, calls the blessed Jesus a Veil, a Garment, a Vessel, which they can never call Christ; yet you see he was not infallible; for Whitehead doth now see cause otherwise to word the matter, as under the Counterfeit Quaker, where he, and divers others, confess plain enough that they sincerely believe and confess that Jesus of Nazareth, who was born of the Virgin, is the very Christ of God; yea, this Body, this Garment, this Vessel, which was born of the Virgin. This they confess too: But how? Because G. W. sees cause to word the matter so, judging it high time, or down goes Quakerism. Not but that he means as Penington, and the Perfect Quaker means: For if he did not, at the same time they make this new Confession, they would condemn and censure the Perfect Quakers Heretical Doctrine, which says, they can never call him Christ, but a Garment, &c. as if the Prophets foretold that a Virgin should conceive, and bring forth a Garment, &c. And for more of this, see my Book, New Rome un­unmask'd, &c. New Rome Arraing'd &c. Quakerism Withering, &c. where I have at large unriddled their unc [...]ch'd Doctrine, and Erroneous Principles.

OBSERVATION.

For more of this see my Sheet to the Parliament, and my former Books; yet you see that George Whitehead sees cause so to word the matter, as that now the Counterfeit Quaker confesses, that the Scripture is of Divine Authority, and giv­en by Divine Inspiration, and value it beyond all the Books extant in the World. Not but that he and the Perfect Quaker mean and intend all one thing, viz. That the Scriptures are Death, Dust, Serpent's Meat, and that such as preach out of them are Conjurers; that 'tis questionable whether Moses or Hermes was the Au­thor of the first Five Books of Moses, or whether either or neither, as in my for­mer Books I have at large shewed. And until the C [...]unterfeit Quaker do con­demn the contemptuous Sayings of the Perfect Quaker, there is no ground to be­lieve him sincere in these new-moulded Confesions, which G. Whitehead and [Page 5]his Abetters make to serve a turn, who now see cause thus to word their mat­ter, whilst he tells you, they intend the same, viz. They still mean, that Mat­thew, Mark, Luke and John is Dust, Death, and Serpent's Meat; that 'tis Con­juration to preach out of them, and dangerous to read them. Read their Books, Truth's Defence, &c. Saul's Errand, &c. David's Enemies disc [...]v. &c. Several Petitions Answered, &c. A Three-fold Estate of Antichrist, &c. I say, read these their Books, and their Count. Conv. p. 72. where G Whitehead says, He may see cause otherwise to word the matter, and yet intend the same thing. And then judge Oh ye the Inhabitants of Wymondham, and all Christendom, whether we have any ground to believe there is any Sincerity in these new-moulded Confessions, until they censure and condemn their old Heretical Books and Pamphlets, which they say are given forth from the Eternal Spirit of GOD; and boldly affirm, we may as well burn the Bible, as their Writings, Papers and Queries. See Truth's Defence, p. 2. 102.

OBSERVATION.

Reader, here is a little hint of their Antimagistratical Principles; and when you compare their Practice of Non-submission to the Laws of the Land, which require payment of Tythes, which they say, whoever do, bear about them the Mark of Antichrist; and which require payment to the Church-Rates or Lays, which they throw off as a Yoke of Bondage; and their observing the Publick Fast, when one is at Plow, another at Cart, others in their Shops with their Windows open in Publick Testimony against both the Command of the Magistrate, and Formality of the Fast; only they tell you, as in their Vindication, P. 3. For the Intent, Substance, and End of a True Fast—This we are frequently mindful of, &c. But how? Why, they think of it when at their Employment, and at their Meetings on contrary days: I say, when these, and a hundred things of like nature are considered, together with G. W. the Counterfeit Quaker's seeing cause (as he says) otherwise to word the matter, and yet intend the same thing. This is a plain Discovery, that they account Magi­stracy a cumbersom Tree that must be cut down with all its knotty Branches, as Rulers, Iudges, Iustices, Law [...]rs and Constables; and this shews them as good Friends to the State as to the Church, only for the present they see cause otherwise to word the matter; though like Arius, they still mean and intend the same thing. However they, as yet, neither sing nor [Page 6]clap their Hands, the Tree is still standing; neither do they clap their Hands for Joy; for if they should, then might all true Protestants wring their hands, mourn and lament, they would soon see all things turned upside down. For Instance, Down with the Scriptures, and up with their Pamphlets; down with the Ministers and Dispencers of the Gospel, as Witches, Devils, Robbers, Anti­christs, Gormandizing Priests, &c. and up with their Impostors, Deceivers, and Seducing Teachers; down with Baptism and the Lord's Supper, Instituted by Christ, and practised by his Apostles and Martyrs, and all true Christian Churches, and up with their Womens Meetings, ordained by G. F. down with the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Apostles Creed, and all that bear the Face of true Christianity, and up with their Silent Meetings, those Nurseries of Ig­norance, or Silent Universities; A woful day for Christendom would this be; which God of his mercy prevent.

OBSERVATION.

Oh ye People of Wymondham, behold and consider of the pernicious Principles and dangerous Doctrine of the Perfect Quaker! 1. Charging all such as preach Christ without, and bid People believe in him as he is in Heaven above, to be False Ministers; and as such call them Witches, Devils, Thieves, Robbers, Wolves, Antichrists, Hell-hounds, seeking after their Prey like the mouth of Hell, Gormandizing Priests, the Bane of Soul and Body of the Universe. 2. That they deny Jesus of Nazareth, who was born of the Virgin, to be Christ. 3. How they run down Magistracy as a Cumbersom Tree; and the result was, (as by their Doctrine appears) that under colour of a motion from the Lord they might lay waste meum and tuum; and with these, and many other horrible Principles they prest into the World in the Year 1650. as afterwards, and God assisting and giving me length of days, I may further make appear. But when this De­fective Coin would not pass for True Metal, then the Counterfeit Quaker he gets up, and appears in the Person of G. W. and some few others, and they tell you, they may see cause otherwise to word the matter, but yet mean or intend the same thing. All which considered, I dare appeal to the Inhabitants of Wymondham, yea, to all Christendom, Whether any Credit ought to be given to their new-moulded, new-coined and counterfeit Confessions, until they have first condem­ned by Publick Censure their old Heretical Principles, which tend to overthrow the Christian Faith.

And whereas G. W. in his Count. Conv. Epist. says, ‘I do hereby sincerely declare, that 'tis not for Controversie sake that I am so much engaged there­in; nor am I the beginner of these Controversies, being wholly Defensive, &c.’

Although I am not minded to Reply to his Book at present, for as much as I find that he hath taken notice but of part of mine, Entituled, Quakerism Wi­thering, &c. and what he has, does rather confirm what I have said, than [Page 7]otherwise; yet I am willing to let Richard Ashby, my present Antagonist, know, that his Brother Whitehead is false in this also, which at the Dispute I shall make appear: For he writ against Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Independents and Baptists, before ever they wrote against him; and ever since has been such a contentious Scribler, that he has wrote Ten Books against others, to One Book against him, of any one Man's Writing: And in Nine Months time he wrote Three Books against me, to one of mine against the Quakers; and two of them without any fresh occasion given him: With what Face then can this impudent Juggler appear then in Print, to render himself such a Scandal to his own Fraternity? I would have said Christianity, but he does not deserve to come so near it; though he, and his Brethren the Counterfeit Quakers, have so ordered the matter, as that by their black Art of railing on the Publick Mini­stry, Contempt of Scripture, despising the Ordinances of Jesus Christ, and the like Antichristian Principles, they have made such Rents and Divisions in Church and State, as will take much time to repair: Though I do verily believe, Quakerism hath such a Sandy Foundation, that it cannot stand long, but in due time will fall, die and wither away: And G. W.'s Practice in writing to Mr. Smithies, Mr. Archer, and others, to stop me, is a sign to me, that he be­gins to fear it. As for my Dedications, I never yet met with any Reproof; but my Books have met with kind Acceptation. I do not expect that any Man should so concern himself, as to justifie every particular Passage; that's most pro­perly my own business; and 'twas my Perswasion, that what I wrote was true; which made me submit the same to my Lord Bishop, and I still abide by it. But for G. W. thus to wait upon, seek to, and beg the Favour of the Clergy to stop me, is a sign that he fears their Building is tottering, and that his Cause is at a low Ebb. What! Seek to the Contemptible Clergy! Such as you ac­count Beasts, Dogs. Wolves, Devils, Thieves, Robbers, Conjurers, Blood­hounds, Gormandizing Priests, the Bane of Nations, bred up at Oxford and Cambridge, a Nursery for Baal's Priests, crying Woe and Misery to the Parlia­ment who uphold them. And what! Do you now seek to these despised and contemptible Creatures in your Eyes to stop me? Do you think them so tame and so gentle, as to assist you, who have been undermining them and their Re­ligion this forty or fifty Years? Oh! mistake not your selves, but be hum­ble, and retract your Errors, and that is your way to find Mercy with God, and Forbearance with Men: And this at present I am willing to present to my present Opposer R. Ashby, assuring him, That as I never refused to meet his Bro­ther Whitehead when I promised, nor to dispute the Points in Controversie, on condition that he would have ingaged to retract what I proved on him and his Abetters false and erroneous, so I do now assure R. Ashby, if GOD permit me Life and Health, not to refuse to meet him at the time and place appointed.