my Defign, of giving an Account of the Controverfy with the Quakers, encouraged me to go on with it, till I had finished what I defigned on the Subject; And now, with all dutiful Submiffion, to prefent and dedicate it to your Lordship, and to beg your Patronage of it.

Not doubting, but that if it meet with your Lordship's favourable Acceptance, (whose true Judgment in all Parts of useful and uncommon Learning, as well as high Station in the Church, is fo univerfally well known,) it will effectually Recommend it to the Perusal of a great many, who would not otherwife think it worth their while to look into the Performance of fo obfcure an Author, and on a Subject on which so few of our Learned Writers have thought fit to bestow their Pains, as they have done on the Differences between us and the other Diffenters from our Church.

But

But however, having done my beft, to fet this Controverfy in a true Light, as containing Matters of the highest and greatest Importance, next to that of the Truth and Excellency of the Chriftian Revelation, in Holy Scripture, on which your Lordship has fo worthily beftowed your Labour; have endeavoured, to approve my

self,

My LORD,

Your Lordship's

Moft obedient,

Moft humble Servant,

I

PA. SMITH.

THE

PREFACE.

HE Writer of thefe Papers being led by a particular Occafion, to confider the Controverfy between the Church of England and the Quakers, and to perufe fome of the chief Books he could procure of both Sides, has been at the Pains to draw up a brief Summary of the whole Controversy; which being of a very large Extent, kas not been done, he thinks, in one Book before; and to bring it all into as narrrow a Compafs as he could, without omitting any material Branch or Part thereof, that he knows; but he has the more enlarged on their pretended Light within, and immediate Revelation, as it is the Foundation of all the rest.

And

And that it might be the better fuited to the meaneft Capacity, he has put it into the Form of a plain Conference, fairly ftating the Queftion, and fully answering it; and has induftriously avoided all hard Words, and Terms of Art, as much as was poffible, and as the Nature of the Subject would admit.

And confidering that the beft Prefervative against Errors, was to establish the contrary Truths, with folid Proofs from Scripture and Reafon, he has endeavoured not only to difcover and confute the erroneous Tenets of the Quakers, but alfo to confirm and explain the true Chriftian Doctrines contrary thereto.

And if it may prove of any Use for the removing the Prejudices of any one Quaker, or for the preferving of any one Member of the Church from being feduced by them, he will not think·his Labour ill beftowed.

And indeed, it has not been the leaft Part of his Labour very often, to find out what their Opinions really were, there being fo great a Diverfity among them in flating them, and they having fo many new-coined Words, and ftrange No

tions