A SHORT VINDICATION of them from the ABUSES and MISREPRESENTATIONS often put upon them by Envious Apoftates and Mercenary Adverfaries.

Published in the Year 1698.

TO THE READER.

READER,

Ο

Ccafion having been given us, which we never fought, we continue to improve it to the farther explanation and defence of our fo much abused profeffion; that, if poffible, people may fee, at least the more fober and candid, that we are not at that diftance from truth, nor fo heterdox in our principles, as we have been, by too many, either rafhly or interestedly represented: but that we hold the great truths of Christianity, according to the holy fcriptures, and

that

that the realities of religion are the mark we press after, and to difabuse and awaken people from their falfe hopes and carnal fecurities, under which they are too apt to indulge themfelves, to their irreparable lofs; that by our fetting Chriftian doctrine in a true light, and reviving and preffing the neceffity of a better practice, they may fee the obligation they are under to redeem their precious time they have loft, by a more careful employment of that which remains, to a better purpose. In this fhort vindication of our mistaken principles, the ingenuous reader may easily difcern how ill we have been treated, and what hardfhips we have laboured under, through the prejudice of fome, and the unreasonable credulity of others, and that we are a people in earnest for heaven, and in that way our bleffed Lord hath trod for us to glory.

A TESTIMONY

A

TESTIMONY

TO THE

TRUTH OF GOD.

BY

Y the obfervation we are led to make from Frana cis Bugg's late book, upon the bishop of Nor wich's giving him his recommendatory letter to the clergy, &c. in his diocese, to relieve, by a collection, the neceffities of that beggarly apoftate, a copy of which letter the faid F. B. hath published in his faid book:

And alfo by the obfervation we have made on the malicious attempts of the "Snake in the Grafs," in his first, fecond, and third editions, which is a difin genuous and unjust collection from F. Bugg, and fome other deferters, of things, for the most part, long fince anfwered; as alfo lately, by the book intituled, "An Antidote," &c. (though because his fecond and third edition have fome additions to his firft, and that being new vamped, for a better market, he may expect a melius inquirendum after a while; yet fhould we follow the example of this rattle-fnake, against the church of which he pretends to be a member, but at prefent a fufpended one, we might, in retaliation, not only exceed the "Cobler of Gloucefter," but the "Scotch Eloquence," and that mafter-piece, "The * Ground of the Contempt of the Clergy :")

And,

And, laftly, by the obfervation we have made on the relation fubfcribed by fome of the Norfolk clergy, dated October the 12th, 1698, we cannot forbear thinking, that as their confederacy is deep, fo it aims at nothing less than the ruin of us, and our pofterity, by rendering us blafphemers, and enemies to the government, and to be treated as fuch.

The Norfolk relation from the clergy aforefaid, charges the faid people with blafphemy: firft, Against God. Secondly, Against Jefus Chrift. Thirdly, Against the holy fcriptures, with contempt of civil magiftracy, and the ordinances which Jefus Chrift inftituted, viz. baptifm by water, and the Lord's fupper by bread and wine. And, Laftly, That the light within, as taught by us, leaves us without any certain rule, and exposes us to the blafphemies aforefaid, with many others.

Now, because this charge refers to doctrine, rather than fact, or particular perfons, we think ourfelves concerned to fay fomething in vindication of our profeffion, and to wipe off the dirt thereby intended to be caft upon us, in giving our reader a plain account of our principles, free from the perversions of our ene

mies.

But to manifeft how uncharitably and unjustly the faid clergymen have reflected upon the people called Quakers, with respect to the faid charge, we are contented the reader goes no farther than their own printed relation, dated Nov. 12, 1698, not doubting but by that very relation, and the letters therewith printed, he will meet with intire fatisfaction, with refpect to the reasonableness and juftice of the Quakers proceedings in that affair, and how ready they were to come to the teft, and to bring the pretended charge upon the stage, and to purge themselves from the guilt of the fame, provided they might be accommodated with what the common law allows malefactors, viz. a copy of their indictment; but this could not be obtained. And though the faid clergy have thought fit to print the charge in general, without any proof, we think ourfelves obliged to vindicate our profeffion, by freely declaring,

declaring, (as now we do, without any mental refervation) our fincere belief of the very things they most unjustly charge us with denying.

I. Concerning God.] Because we declare, that God is a "God nigh at hand," and that he is, according to his promife, become the "Teacher of his people "by his fpirit in these latter days;" and that "True "believers are the temples for him to walk and dwell "in," as the apostle teacheth; and experiencing fomething of the accomplishment of this great and glori ous truth among us, and having therefore preffed people earnestly to the knowledge and enjoyment thereof, as the bleffing and glory of the latter days; we have been ignorantly, or maliciously, represented and treated as hereticks and blafphemers, as if we owned no God in heaven above the ftars, and confined the Holy One of Ifrael to our beings: whereas we believe him to be the Eternal, Incomprehenfible, Almighty, Allwife and Omniprefent God, creator and upholder of all things, and that he fills heaven and earth, and that the "Heaven of heavens cannot contain him;" yet he faith, by the prophet Ifaiah, "To that man "will I have regard, that is poor, and of a contrite "fpirit, and which trembles at my word." So that for profeffing that which is the very marrow of the Chriftian religion, viz. Emanuel, God with us,' we are reprefented blafphemers against that God, with whom we leave our innocent and fuffering caufe. Ifa. 2 Cor. vi. vii. xiv. xl. xxviii. xlviii. xvii. lxvi. 1, 2. 16. Rev. xxi. 3.

II. Concerning Jefus Chrift. Because we believe, that the word which was made flesh, and dwelt a mongst men, and was and is the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth; his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleafed, and whom we ought to hear in all things; who tafted death for every man, and died for fin, that we might die to fin; is the great light of the world, and full of grace and truth,

and