1713. when you were a little Boy? Yes, and correct me too, because I was not fo willing to do it as they would

have me to be.

Thus have the poor Quakers been abufed in divers Pulpits in N. E. and other Places, for which Reason, I would give this Chriftian Advice, to all profefs'd Christian Ministers in N. E. and elsewhere, wherever this may meet with them, who have fo abused us, That for the Time to come, they do not tell the People in their Pulpits, that the Quakers deny Chrift, the Scriptures, the Power of the Magiftrates, and many other Things, which would make a Volume of themselves, if they were all penned. For them to cry out in their Pulpits, Have a Care of the Delufions of the Quakers, and at the fame to delude the People to believe Lies of them, is really horrid.

Ob but, fay they, the Quakers are more Orthodox now than they were (when in Truth it is the Calumnies that have been caft on us, are now made more manifeft to be Falfhoods.) And then ought not they to be glad at the News of our Reformation?

T. C.

OW I fhall confider his Poftfcript, in writing of which he has dipt his Pen deep in the Gall of Bitterness in fome Parts of it, which I fhall touch a little upon, as I fhall come to them.

But to begin, Notwithstanding, fays he, all that I have faid in the preceding Difcourfe concerning • Maintenance: Yet as to my own Particular, if a temporal Maintenance had been my chief Aim, I fhould have difcovered great Folly in accepting a Call from fo fmall and poor 2 People.'

Anf. From his Words, one may conclude it was his Aim, tho' not his chief Aim; and then as to the Shepherd's Call, ought it not to be from the great

Shepherd

Shepherd Jefus Chrift? And if they will anfwer this 1713. Call, he fays, Go forth. Where do we find any Example for a Minifter of the Gofpel, to ftay and preach to only one particular Congregation? Pray let them produce if they can.

But now fuppofe a Place fhould prefent to J. M. where the People were richer, and more of them? Would he not leave his poor Flock, to go to the rich Pray let him have a Care, as he fays, that his own Heart do not deceive him: We but too plainly perceive, by the Practice of those money Minifters, that the loudeft Call, is the moft Money. I Query, upon this great Word Call, whether the Sheep ufe to call the Shepherd, or the Shepherd the Sheep? Do not they ftrangely invert the Order of Nature here in their pretended Call from the People? Chrift the true Shepherd faid, My Sheep hear my Voice. So that He and his Servanrs, or Minifters, call the Sheep, and not the Sheep them; and thofe holy Shepherds called their Sheep freely, though thefe muft have Money for their Calling, and the Sheep call them too: Neither will that fatisfy fome of thofe Shepherds, but they will needs have Money from fome poor Sheep that never called them; and if they cannot give it them freely, they will have it by Force. A young Shepherd faid to one at Salem in N. E. That tho Paul bad Power, and did not use it, yet he would use his Power. But that bleffed Apoítle never pretended to any forcible Power, except the Force and Power of Love.

He, the faid 7. M. complains of his fmall Income for Preaching, and of his Poverty; tho' it is probable he has more than all the twelve Apoftles, and feventy Difciples, when they were fent forth by their great Lord and Mafter; and to be fure he has more Money for Preaching, than they all had. But he has confeffed his Call is not Divine, therefore not from Chrift; for, be fays, If he had a divine Call he would fore

go

1713.

go every Thing in the World. And fo he is but a legal literal Preacher, and Minifter: A Minister that forces himself to offer, and would also force those who receive not his Offering, to pay him, tho' against their Confcience.

And as for his Family's Starving, I never heard nor read of any Chriftian Minister's Family's Starving, efpecially in a Chriftian Country; nor I believe he nor any Body elfe. Certainly there is need to cry out to thofe Men, O ye of little Faith! Who cloaths the Lillies, and feeds the Sparrows, shall be not take Care of you Oye of little Faith! I fear they forget the Doctrine of him, whom they fometimes call the Lord.

?

As to what he writes in his fecond Page of his Postfcript, if he duly minds what I have writ in Answer to his, I think he cannot imagine that the flaming Vengeance there poured out by him upon us, can any way touch us, but let him and them which are concerned in this Work (for I understand he had the help of a cunning Man in this Work) have a Care, that it fall not on themfelves: And truly the poor Quakers may be truly thankful that the flaming Sword is not in their Hands; for if it were, Experience, yea, woful Experience, hath taught us, that we might expect but little Mercy from fome of them. And pray why cannot they be more patient, fince they hold that God hath ordained whatever comes to pafs? For they fee it come to pafs that we cannot join with them, cannot they let the Ordinance of God alone? I remember an Expreffion of Cotton Mather, in one of his fcurrilous Pieces, that the best Way to deal with the Quakers, was to let them alone. Then, according to C. M. this Man, and he that helped him, has taken the worst Way to deal with us: And truly they lofe Ground generally when they meddle with us.

As for his foolish Pity and bitter Lamentation over us, we defire that they would lament over themfelves and their Children, as our Saviour did over the

Jews

Jews when they perfecuted; and truly those who juftify 1713. their Fore-fathers in Hanging the Quakers, and their other Ways, of fo bitterly perfecuting them as they did, had not only need to lament, but to repent too. And even now, they prove themselves to be the Perfecuters (and not we) by Forcing their Maintenance from us. The Prefbyterians in O. E. alias Great Britain, they are one with us in this Doctrine, that Forcing a Maintenance for Minifters from them that do not hear them, is altogether wrong and unjuft: And how comes is to pass, that the fame People are otherwise minded in New-England? Let them refolve this Queftion.

I fhall confider thofe Texts of Scripture which he has thrown at us (and gently return them unto him again.)

At the End of his Poftfcript he fays, • The Judg. ments of God are a great Deep.' (Yes too deep for his legal literal Buckets to fetch them up) Rom. xi. 7. The Election bath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

I hope he will give the Almighty Leave to elect whom he pleaseth. Were the Election in the Power of this Prieft, let the Reader judge whether we might expect any of it.

He cites 2 Cor. iv. 3. If our Gospel he bid, it is bid to thofe that are loft.

Anf. Now why did this Prieft hide the fourth and next Verse, was it not for fear the Light of the Quakers Doctrine fhould fhine unto People? Which is thus (the fourth Verfe opening and explaining the third) In whom the God of this World bath blinded the Minds of them which believe not; left the Light of the glorious Gofpel of Christ, who is the Image of God, should fbine unto them. Or as in the 6th Verfe, For God who commanded Light to shine out of Darkness, balb Shined in our Hearts, to give the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God, in the Face of Fefus

F

Christ.

1713. Chrift. He thought good to hide this Gospel, but I think good to make it manifeft; which puts me in mind of a Proverb, Who is fo blind as thofe as will not See?

He goes on, 2 Theff. ii. 10, 11, 12. They received not the Love of the Truth, that they might be faved; and for this Caufe, God fhall fend them ftrong Delusion, that they should believe a Lie; that they all might be damned, who believed not the Truth, but had Pleafure in Unrighteoufness. And Jude 8, 10, 11, 12, 13. • These filthy Dreamers defpife Dominion, and fpeak evil of Dignities, but thefe fpeak evil of those Things which they know not; Woe unto them, Clouds they are without • Water, raging Waves foaming out their own Shame; wandering Stars, to whom is referved the Blackneís of Darkness for ever."

To all which I answer, 1ft, We have received the Truth in the Love of it, the Holy Spirit bearing Witnefswith our Spirits, that we are the Children of God: Which holy Witnefs, is ftronger for us, than the Witnefs of Ten thoufand Priests can be against us.

2dly, So the Caufe being taking away, the Effect of Delufion ceafeth.

And 3dly, Pray let them be careful of deluding themselves and the People, by keeping them in Ignorance and Darknefs: Telling them, they cannot be cleanfed from Sin, while here in this World. For all thofe that believe this, do believe a Lie with a Witness, and are ftrangely and ftrongly deluded.. This is a miferable Gofpel, contrary to the Doctrine of the holy Apofties, who are pofitively oppofite to that evid Tenet. If (fays the Apoftle) we walk in the Light, as he is in the Light, then the Blood of Jefus Chrift, bis Son, cleanfeth us from all Sin. And Chrift came to deftroy the Works of the Devil, and to fave his People from their Sin. And pray beware of taking Pieafure in pleading for Unrighteoufnefs..

4ibly,