DEFENCE

O F

A PAPER,

INTITLED

GOSPEL TRUTHS,

AGAINST

The Exceptions of the Bishop of CORK's

Teftimony.

BY WILLIAM PEN N.

Published in the Year 1698.

THE

PRE FAC E.

READER,

'Twas the wife counfel of an ancient and grave prelate of the kingdom of Ireland, at a late vifit I made him there, to difcourage controverfy, and endeavour to abate ftrife among Chriftians: For,' faid he, heaven is a quiet place; there are no quarrels there, and religion is an holy and peaceable thing, and excites to piety and charity, and not to genealogies, 'ftrife, and debates.' But the bishop of Cork feems to be of another mind, that could not pafs by fo inoffenfive a paper, as that, ftiled, ." Gospel Truths," (given him by me, in a private way, at a friendly visit upon his own defire) without his publick animadverfions; and thofe expreffed not with fo much juftice and charity, as might have been expected from him to his diffenting neighbours.

I am, I confefs, very forry my Chriftian vifits to the bishop have met with no better returns than controversy: but because that is his, and not my fault, it shall be my fatisfaction.

I did, indeed, perceiving him converfant in our writ ings, and his character to be moderation, cafually prefent him with one of those papers; but as the nature of it is far from provocation, fo my defign in it was purely to improve his temper, and not to excite his contradiction. Nor was it writ for an exact and complete <account of our belief,' but occafionally to prevent the prejudices that the attempts of a coarfe and fourrilous pen at Dublin, just before, might provoke in fome against us, as to the points touched upon in the "Gofpel Truths." And though we have been fo unhappy as to be therein mistaken by the bishop, yet it is fome comfort to us, that our Chriftian declaration' VOL. V.

Ꮓ

hath

hath had quite another reception with the generality of those to whofe hands it has come: and I heartily wish that hath not been the most prevailing motive to his undertaking. However, fince he has been pleased to fault it both with fhortnefs and error, the first of which we thought healing, at least inoffenfive, I esteem myself answerable for it, and fhall, with God's affistance, defend it against the force of his exceptions, and, I hope, with clearnefs and temper: for though I may be plain, as he must expect, I defire to be neither rude nor bitter.

I ask, reader, but the common juftice due to all authors, especially in controverted points of religion, to wit, attention and impartiality; and then judge whether our pacifick paper deferved fo fharp a cenfure, and the manner of its being given him, fo publick a return though I hope the confequence will be good. To Almighty God I leave the fuccefs, and am, in all Christian obligation,

[The PAPER was as follows. ]

: Sober Reader,

F thou hadst rather we should be in the right than in the wrong; and if thou thinkeft it but a reasonable thing that we should be heard before we are condemned, and that our belief ought to be taken from our own mouths, and not at theirs that have prejudged our cause; then we entreat thee to read and weigh the following brief account of those things that are chiefly received and profeffed among us, the people called Quakers, according to the teftimony of the fcriptures of truth, and the illumination of the Holy Ghoft, which are the double and agreeing record of true religion: published to inform the moderate enquirer, and reclaim the prejudiced to a better temper, which God grant, to his glory, and their peace.

I. It is our belief, That GOD is, and that he is a rewarder of all them that fear him, with eternal rewards of happiness; and that those that fear him not, fhall be turned into hell, Heb. xi. 16. Rev. xxii. 12. Rom. ii. 5, 6, 7, 8. Pfalm ix. 17.

II. That there are three that bear record in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Spirit; and these three are really one, 1 John v. 7.

III. That the word was made flesh, and dwelt among men, and was, and is, the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, his beloved Son, in whom he is well-pleased, and whom we are to hear in all things; who tasted death for every man, and died for fin, that we might die to fin, and by his power and Spirit be raised up to newness of life here, and to glory hereafter, John i. 14. Mat. iii. 17. Heb. ii. 9.