MY Friends, I once shewed my self bent and couragious for your Principles; yea not only so, but counted you the only Apostles of our Land: But being now by the grace of God convinced of your evil Practices, Diabolical O­pinions, and Erronious Ways, I cannot but in Conscience tell you the reasons why I now leave and depart from your Society, and am convinced, that no well grounded person in the Principles of Re­ligion, and even those of your own Faction will discommend me therefore▪ after a serious and impartial tryal of these few following Reasons▪ But multiplicity of words being vanity, I proceed to the thing intended; And it is this,

First, Whether or not do ye owne the Scriptures to be the Word of God▪ Ye say, ye do owne them to be such; yet notwithstanding whereof ye deny part of them. But Secondly, Ye are worse than the Papists; For we cannot charge them with such a defection from the Scripture, as we can charge you with; for ye owne part of your Translation, and other Part thereof ye deny, notwithstanding of the curse that is pronounced against Adders to the Scriptures, or Parers therefrom, which saith, Cursed is he that addeth or taketh from the Scriptures, for his name shall be taken out of the Book of Life. [Page 2] But the Papists they owne their whole Translation, and addeth no­thing thereto, nor pareth nothing therefrom; yet that part of the Scriptures which ye owne, ye altogether misconstruct, and take it in as literal a sense, as if the Scriptures were not at all myste [...]ous; But if we take them in so literal a sense, they shall seem contradi­ctory the one part thereof to the other. As for example, when our Saviour was accused and mocked by the high Priests and Elders, he an­swered nothing; and when he was beat in the high Priests Hall, he checked his smiters, saying, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me? Which places conform to the Literal sense thereof, seem contradictory as aforesaid.

Secondly, I shall treat upon brotherly love, as the first part of your misconstructions, instituted by our Saviour himself, in that 5 Chap­ter of that Epistle of St. Paul directed to the Ephesians, Verse 2. Which saith, Walk in love, even as I have loved you. But I under­stand not what sort of love this can be of yours, that suppose a man should beat you, scandalize your honest name and reputation, de­fraud you of your goods, and seek to invade your persons, yet ye will not at all reprove him; whereas God himself expresly command­ed the contrary, saying, Leviticus 19. 17. Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him, and Christs own Warrand for reproof in the above-cited place: But the right Interpretati­on of brotherly love is, before ye avenge your self of your Neigh­bour, rather suffer a double injury, remitting your Cause to God, who, saith St. Paul, Rom. 12. 19. Vengeance is mine, and I will repay it.

Thirdly, Quaeritur, Whether or not ye deny the two Sacraments? I know by my own Experience that ye do so. I shall begin with the First, viz. Baptism, which serves 10. For washing and purifying us from our sins, Mat. 28. 19. 20. A Sign and Seal for ingrafting us into Christ, Gal. 3. 27. And Christs own Warrand for it, saying, Go ye [Page 3] thorow all Nations, Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Fo [...]thly, Ye deny also the Lords Supper▪ therefore I shall speak a little to that Point likewise, which is this, viz. We have Christs own Warrand for it, 1 Cor. 11. 23, 24, 25, 26. which saith, That the same night wherein he was betrayed he took bread, and after he had given thanks, brake it, and said, Take ye, eat ye, this is my body, which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me. After the same man­ner also he took the Cup when he had supped, saying, This Cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for the sins of many; this do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me, &c.

Fifthly, What say ye anent not giving Thanks for your daily Food; Christ was not of your mind, for he gave Thanks when he brake Bread, as is expresly set down in the above-cited place. I would only ask you, whether you merit any such thing at Gods hands, or not? If ye do not, then consequently ye are the most ungrateful people in the World, who will not so much as give God thanks for your sustenance.

Sitxhly. What say ye anent Womens Preaching, I find one ex­press Word to the contrary, 1 Timothy 2. 11. 12. Suffer not a Woman to Teach, but to be in silence, and learn with all submissi­on, &c. As likewise, ye suffer all Persons to Preach, although never so Illiterat▪ Whereas the contrair is exprest, in Deut. 17. chap. 9. 11, 12, and 13. verses. As also the Word of GOD is to be preached by those that are sufficiently Gifted.

Seventhly, Ye deny giving Honour to any Person; But Jacob was not of your Opinion, when he met with Isaac, he embrac­ed, and saluted him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, Gen. 33. chap. and verse 4.

[Page 4] Now my Friends,
Ye see how I have numbered up some few Errors out of ma­ny, but I content my self with those few, which may be [...]ffici­ent (if God will) to reclaim you from your Errors, recall you from your Apostasie; and as if it were to give Divorce to that evil Spirit, which hath too long possessed you; for if ye continue in that Diabolical opinion of yours, I can liken you to no other thing than Wolves in Lambs Skins, Monsters that destroys all that is Sacred both in Heaven and Earth, and tears all in order to Sal­vation. Therfore ye should try the Spirit, whether it be of God or of Belial. I would we were all of one mind, and that God would break in upon your hard and stony hearts, and sow the good seed of the Word therein, that ye may turn unto him: But if ye will not turn while the voice is calling, Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die? But continue in your perverse ways, God that made you will not save you, but cast you out of his sight for ever. Therefore, my Friends, prevent that [...]ourse by speedy repentance, and say with holy Job, If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more. Sir, I rest,

YE talk, that ye once was a Man bent upon our Principles and counted us (as ye say your selves) the only Apostles of our Land; and ye say, that ye cannot but depart from our Society, upon the account of some few alledged Errors, of our Profession, which thou hast Summed up in a Sheet of Paper, and in the Conclusion of it, thou tells us: That if we abide in this Diabolical Opinion of ours, thou can liken us to no other thing than Wolfs in Lambs Skins; and a Monster, that destroys all that is Sacred, both in Heaven and Earth, and Tears all to Pieces, in Order to Salvation; By which Sen­tence and Expression of your Folly, thou hast committed an high Sin against God, and hast put a shame upon that Opinion which thou dost profess; as if we could ascend up unto Heaven, and take it by force, (if we may so speak) and thou likewise sayest, that we are this day an Angel of Light, and to Morrow a Beelzebub: which Expression, ought rather to be spoken against your selves, than against us, for ye are always Various in your mind, and can never content your selves with one and the same Principle, but alters many things in the same; whereas we are the same Church to day that we were a thousand years since; As also ye say, that suppose a Man should beat us, scandalize our honest Name and Re­putation, and defraud us of our Goods, &c. We will not at all reprove him; Whereas we have Christ our Saviour his own ex­ample for the same, as is evident, and clearly appears in that 27. chap. of his Gospel, written by St. Matthew, 12, 13, and 14 verses [Page 6] of that Chapter, which says, That when he was accused, and mocked of the high Priests and Elders, he answered them nothing &c. And in like manner, in that Fifth Chapter of St. Matthew at 13. v. of that Chapter, he sayeth, Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheeck, turn to him the other also. And sicklike, ye charge us with defection from the Scriptures, and calls us worse than the Papists, because ye say, we owne part of your Translation, and denys other parts thereof, but they owne their whole Translation, which speaks forth evidently against your selves; and by the same [...]eans ye prove your selves worse than them. I say no more, but wish you may turn you from your folly, and turn you to the good old way, and we shall be one People, as there is but one Shep­herd.

FIrst when I set Pen to Paper, and Compyled my last Treaty in form of a Letter, (which is a short View of some few Er­rors of that Sectary called Quakers, but if I have past any thing in it, I hope the Reader will be Candid, and judge Discreetly of the same, considering the Indisposition of the Author) and I thought not it should be laid open to the View of the whole World, but by reason of an confused and insignificant Answer which I have re­ceived, made and composed by some of their own Faction, not proceeding orderly, but first coming to the Conclusion, and then to some few Paragraphs thereof, whereby they may get some little shaddow of Scripture at they pretend to, albeit strictè loquendo ut antea pr [...]d [...]o [...]tur, ye shall find the Places which they have cited literall sensu sumpia Nonsense, (if I may so speak) as is above­specified, therefore I have been forced to add this following Re­ply▪ wherein till (by Gods Grace and Assistance) I shall order­ly proceed, and add the Reply [...]s following.

As to the first Paragraph, Which is the Doctrine of Non Repro­bation, Ye say, That ye have our Saviour Christ his own Example and Warrand therefore▪ which if holden as a part of your Reli­gion, it will make the Scriptures contradictory the one part there­of to the other; as for Example, When our Saviour was accused, abused, and mocked by the High-Priests and Elders, he answered them nothing; and when he sayeth, whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also▪ notwithstanding when he was smit­ten in the High-Priests-Hall, he checked and reproved his Smit­ers, saying, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me; which places seems contradictory to the other, conform to the Literal Sense thereof; but strictè consi­derando [Page 8] & figurative loquendo eadem significant, as is above rehears­ed.

As to the second, ye say, That ye can destroy nothing that is Sacred, neither in Heaven or Earth, Whereas by your evil ways, ye draw others from the Faith, and Deludes your selves, and there­by heaps up Wrath against the day of Wrath to fall upon your selves, and adds Fewel to Hells Fire.

Thirdly, Ye say that ye were the same Church 1000 years since that ye are yet, whereas the Errors, which have risen up in the Church, which ye do thereby defile, we find were not come in at the six Century, neither was the Church ever governed by Qua­kers.

Fourthly, Ye say we Confute our selves in this Point, viz. That ye are worse than the Papists, because ye do owne part of our Trans­lation and denyes another part thereof. To which I Reply▪ That seing the Papists have a Translation, although somewhat different from ours, yet ownes the whole therein contained, in that respect they are better; but ye owning part of your Translation, and ano­ther part thereof denying, ye are much worse than them in that respect. But seing every Person, though never so Illiterate▪ doth Confute your Errors, I with the Eastern Churches do leave you (seing I can prevail nothing) to wallow in your Filthiness; and I Protest, and take God to be my Witnes, I would by the Grace and Assistance of God have reclaimed you▪ and did endeavour as far as in me lay to heal your Back-slidings, but ye hated Instruction and refused to be Informed; and so I fear, that that Word is fulfilled on you, which sayeth, He that is filthy, let him be filthy still.