THE

INTRODUCTION.

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AM not infenfible, impartial Reader, that this is an age in which books of religious controverfy are little read, let the question in debate be ever fo interesting and important. Various reafons may be affigned for it; but the principal of them are, I apprehend, the reigning tafte for Novel and Romance, and the intemperate zeal with which oft fubjects of controverfy are treated. The combatants, on both fides,, most commonly contend for victory, not for truth; for the defence of their party, not for the real' improvement of their minds. Befides this, they have often in view fome temporal advantage, which, if they are confuted and difgraced, they will certainly lose, or if they are fuccessful,, they eagerly expect to obtain.

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It perhaps becomes no writer to fay, he has nothing of this kind in view, because the faireft profeffions of a regard for truth, will not be easily credited, fince too many who have made fuch profeffions, have been' found, in the iffue, to be impoftors.

But, whenever a polemical writer labours rather to pervert, than fairly reprefent the meaning of his opponent; when he declaims more than he argues; when he deals more in contemptuous epithets and illnatured cenfures, than in plain reasoning upon the points in debate: it will be too evident, to all confiderate men, that either his caufe is indefenfible, or his tafte very low and illiberal. Whether this be ap plicable to Mr. 7. Phipps, who has written obfervations upon my epiftle to the Author of a letter to Dr. Formey, is not for me to fay; the reader may judge for himself, from the few fpecimens which will be given in the following work, or by reading Mr. Phipps's pamphlet.

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Indeed, upon firft perufing his obfervations, which came out a confiderable time after I had read my own letter, I was greatly furprized, and really thought, I inuft in a strange manner have expreffed my ideas, to the prejudice of that which I thought in my confcience to be the truth of God: But, on taking up my letter, and comparing it, page by page, with Mr. Phipps's performance, though I faw one or two inftances where I had expreffed myself unguardedly and improperly, and feveral, where my thoughts might have been reprefented in a more eafy and agree

* Printed and fold by Mary Hinde, No. 2. in George-Yard, Lombard ftreet, London.

Printed at Norwich, by Richard Beatniffe, and fold by R. Baldwin, London,

Printed for W. Nicoll, in St Paul's Church Yard, London: This pamphlet is faid to be written by one Mr. Beasley.

able

able manner; yet I was rather pleased with the plainnefs and juftnefs of moft of my objections to Quakerifm, and was fully convinced, that my opponent was more artful than fair, more fevere than juft, in his animadverfions, and more determined to maintain, at all adventures, the credit and intereft of his party, than to fubmit to the force of evidence, and acknowledge the conviction of the truth. What reafon I had for drawing this conclufion, the reader may dif cover by the perusal of the following sheets.

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It has often been obferved, that, fuch is the peculiar nature of truth, that, it never fuffers by meeting with oppofition, but the more it is tried, the more it is approved; as true heroifm and courage are beft difplayed by the fharpeft conflicts. In this age, then, when Enthufiafm and Deifm, the two extremes (which, it has often been remarked, fometimes meet in the fame centre) greatly abound; it cannot be thought, with any juftice, an odious undertaking, though it be not fo well executed, to endeavour to fet forth the important difference, which, I apprehend, there is between the fimple religion of Jefus and his Apoftles, and that of Robert Barclay and his zealous followers. For, if I am miftaken, Barclay's fcheme will not be injured, as he has many fond votaries, who want neither inclination nor ability to defend him: If, upon an examination, it fhould appear I have, upon the whole, the Bible, reafon, and experience, on my fide, then, not only the Quakers fyftem will be affected, but, that of all other enthufiafts, which is founded upon a fuppofed faving influence of the Holy Spirit, without the inftrumentality of the plain declarations of Scripture.

It has long appeared to me, that many serious and worthy perfons, among Churchmen, Diffenters, and Methodists,

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Methodifts, though they may ufe different terms, and might not have attended to the fubject carefully, are acting upon the fame myftical and antifcriptural principles, which are extracted from the notion of

the Spirit within," and compofe the very effence of Quakerifm. But, if they will give themselves the trouble to perufe this treatife, they may poffibly be led to fee fome of their mistakes, be convinced of the neceffity and importance of revealed truth, and, con fequently, live more comfortably and confiftently.

I am fenfible, however, that, if any perfon has adopted a plan of religion, which he is pursuing with much ferioufnefs and devotion, that is neither built upon, nor agreeable to, the New Teftainent, though he may boaft of its utility and perfection, and ufe many Scripture-terms to exprefs it, he will find nothing in this treatife which will at firft fuit his tafte, and countenance his principles: But, if he fhould be open to conviction, there may be fomething found in it; which may be the inftrument, or happy occafion, under God, of affording him fome ufeful inftruction,

If there be any who have wrought themselves up to fuch a pitch of felf-eftimation, as to think them felves infallible, they had better not peruse it; for it will most likely raife their indignation, and excite them to pronounce the most folemn cenfures upon the writer: But thefe, in this free country, will be of no bad confequence to him.

I remember to have read fomewhere, that, two dig nified French Clergymen were in company with a learned fenfible Englishman, and the converfation turned upon the literary productions of their refpective nations, The Frenchmen particularized nume

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rous performances which their countrymen had pro duced, and extolled their excellencies with the moft florid panegyricks: They took up fo much of the converfation, that the honeft Briton had no opportu nity of fpeaking for fome time. At length, the vene rable Clergymen finifhed their orations, and waited for our countryman's fentiments: Upon which, he addreffed them in this manner: "Gentlemen, there "are, in my opinion, but two fubjects worthy the "ferious inveftigation of a fcholar, a gentleman, and "a man of found judgment, and thefe are RELI "GION and CIVIL GOVERNMENT; but you well know, a Frenchman dares not write with freedom on "either."

Of these two fubjects, the former, I think, is as much to be preferred to the latter, as the foul is to the body, or eternity to the fhort and uncertain duration of human life. In a land, therefore, where we have no flavith restraint laid upon our tongues or pens, we may freely discuss any religious fubject, without dread ing the cruel perfecution of Priefts, or the haughty cenfures of Bigots. All the injury either can do us, is by the undermining policy of fecret influence, or by the diabolical arts of private flander, which, it is too well known, fome, in all fects of profeffed Chriftians, will occafionally practice, though they openly disavow every species of perfecuting.

It is true, there are many fentiments, forms and rites, which have been called religious by people of all perfuafions; and fome of thefe profeffors have honeftly, though ignorantly, thought them of the greatest importance to mankind: But, with all perfons, who really believe the Bible to contain the writ ings of men who were infallibly directed by the Spirit of the Almighty, whilft dictating or penning

them,