numbers of other great Cities in Europe, Asia, Africa and America, gives us no tidings of them: or at least of their large Vintages and wonderful gleanings of Profelytes,as in these our Proteftant Coun tries and Plantations.

But that Mans wit must needs be but mean, and his invention far gone. in the Wane, that can devife no excufe for all this.

EXCUSE.

Some therefore will fay, Is there not in Ita ly and Spain, &c. an Inquifition? And in all Mahumetan Countries Capital Laws, to hinder all fuch Pious endeavours by whomfoever the fame fhall be attempted?

ANSWER.

By this, I find that our Laws against Here ticks and Schifmaticks, have always been (even when moft Rigorously Executed) mild and gentle, when compared with other Countries: for all the many loud Outcries of the Quakers, and all others a gainst us for Perlecution, &c. when none was ever yet Capital; never did any man yet fuffer, or re ceive a Sentence of Death only for his Separation from us, and from our Doctrines and Church. We have no Inquifition: no Racks and Tortures, no Burning or Hanging Men, meerly for their differences from us in Religion: tho' fuch is the Impudence of the Quakers, as to affirm, that their fufferings" from us (for fo they must mean) have been greater than the fufferings of our Saviour, and his Difciples from the Jews. O horrid Blasphemy! and Impudence Infufferable Efpecially dropping from the Pens of fuch Men, as only want the Power to put in

Execution thofe very Cruelties they fo fally charge us with: as Mr. G. Keith wou'd in Penfilvania have certainly experienc'd, had not the Government been (in an happy hour for him) fo fuddenly changed there, and a New Governeur fent thither.

2. Again Secondly, I Anfwer, That at the Quakers first appearance in 1650. and feveral times fince, when all Penal Laws have been difpenfed with, thefe Men have been the fame Men, ftill disturbing us by all ways and methods they could devife, but let the Papist at all times e/cape their fury yea even then when the Laws were moft fevere against them. And had they there left us, and taken that time to fall upon the Papists, and to disturb them in their Maffes, and labour'd ftrenuously to to glean Converts out of their Vintage, they might in fo doing have escaped all danger from us or any of our Laws to hinder and to disturb them; And again, when they had their Liberty and Royal Proclamations to Skreen them from all Danger in their Publick Profeffion, and to indimnefy them, had they then but fhewed any tolerable Zeal in oppofing them, as they did us, it would have in fome measure pleaded for them against this my Impeachment, and in fome measure made their Objections Juftifiable. But when a Toleration or no Toleration, were both alike to them, in respect of their Practices towards us and the Roman Catholicks, when they were the fame Men to them, when they might plead a Toleration, that they were when they could not ; when they were as tender of offending them, as one time as at another, as loth to oppose then when no Law of ours would, or could hinder them, as if the Laws had actually forbid them fo to do.

In a Word, when all opportunities were taken to oppofe us, tho the Laws were highly against them, (I mean the Papists) and in our favour, and yet

no

o opportunities are taken to disturb or oppofe them, even then when no Law was against them (I mean the Quakers) for fo doing. With what face can they urge Inquifitions, and the like, as the reafon of their non-appearances in other Countreys to convert them? When their dealings towards Papifts here fo plainly fhew their respects to them, and regards for them every where, as will yet more plainly appear when we confider their deportments to them in the Late Reign of our Late Sovereign King James II

3. Again, Thirdly, I Anfwer, This their excufe of an Inquifition, as it is but an excufe, and a Blin for the Ignorant; fo is it (at the best) but a fhamefull one, and is a greater aggravation of their crime. For if in very deed George Fox then, or his Difciples fince, had received a call from God to call in a People from among thefe bloody Papists to himfelf, how could the greateft Tortures of an Inquifition be thought by them to be a fufficient excufe lawfully to Vindicate their forbearance and the Non-execution thereof? For where, I pray, is the fear of God in fo palpable a disobedience? Was not this to fear span (who was able to kill the body only) more than God, who was able to cast both Soul and Body into Hell? Which was both contrary to our bleffed Saviours injunction, Mat. 10. 28. and also argued the ablence of the Spirit of God, of whose continual prefence with them thefe Men have so often, and fo vainly boafted.

Our Saviour when he gave his Commiflion to his Disciples, it was with a Non-obftante as to Perfecutions, of which he had long before fore-warned them, Mat. 10. 18, 22. Yea he foretold them of their Perfecutions unto Death, in the Executions of that Commission which he gave them. Yet none of all this Detarred them from their duty. The Prote

N

Marty

Martyr St. Stephen confeffed the Lord Jefus and called on his Bleffed Name, when the ftones flew about his ears to kill him, Acts 7.59. And God told Ananias that he would fhew his chofen Veffel Sr. Paul how great things he must fuffer for his Name fake, Acts 9. 17. And did this dishearten him? Or did this hinder his Preaching the Gospel, in the greatelt hazards, or in the highest dangers? No verily, but rather whetted his courage, and the more animated him. See his Valour how great it was, when fo bine. many warnings were given him of his danger in going up to Jerufalem. When we heard these things faith the Text) both we, and they of that Place, befought him not to go up to Jerufalem. Then Paul Anfered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerufalem, for the Name of the Lord Jefus, Acts 21. 12, 13. For fhame then let us hear no more of Inquifitions and Capital Laws, to hinder the Execution of a Divine Commiffion, whereto thefe Men have fo often and fo publickly pretended.

And if any of the weaker Friends hath made it an excufe, for very fhame conceal it. For 'tis fit all the World fhould know the Quakers are not Men of fuch puny cowardly Spirits, as this Excufe makes them: but men of honour, and fuch as know when and where to make their Courts, and to forbear them. And that as for the Papist both at home and in other Kingdoms, they will not fall out with them; Because they know they are their bzerhzen.

CHAP

CHAP. V I.

The Quakers Good will to Papifts and to Popery is made yet more evident, by their Deportments in the ·Reign of the Late King James II.

O clear what has been before written, and to give a farther light and fuller profpect of the Truths before, let us, I pray, caft our Eyes backward upon the Late Reign of our Late Sovereign King James II. When the Critical Day of Tryal, who were Friends and who were Enemies to Popery was Come, when many masks were laid afide, and the Friends of Popery began to peep out of their hiding Places, and an Univerfal Encouragement was given to all well-wishers to that Church, now fafely to Discover themselves, and to flock in unto them, and to joyn them. Now, if ever, was the time for thofe that had no Love for their Doctrines, to fhew themielves, by withstanding and oppofing them, even then, when fo many MafsHoufes were erected all over the Kingdom, and fuch Populous Affemblies in fome of them: And their Idolatries, ridiculous Ceremonies, Bowings, and Cringings, and Incenfings, &c. were exposed to open View and Obfervation. How then did the Quakers behave themfelves? Even contentedly enough, as all Men might easily then have feen and obferved.

'Tis True, it was not yet time, things were not, yet ripe enough for their prime Leaders to take off their Vizards and Difcover themselves. No, that was a work not to be done too haftily, but by degrees; and fome time must be taken with the common Ignorang

Nz