that the realities of religion are the mark we press after, and to disabuse and awaken people from their falfe hopes and carnal fecurities, under which they are too apt to indulge themselves, to their irreparable lofs; that by our fetting Chriftian doctrine in a true light, and reviving and preffing the neceffity of a better practice, they may fee the obligation they are under to redeem their precious time they have loft, by a more careful employment of that which remains, to a better purpose. In this fhort vindication of our mistaken principles, the ingenuous reader may easily difcern how ill we have been treated, and what hardships we have laboured under, through the prejudice of fome, and the unreasonable credulity of others, and that we are a people in earnest for heaven, and in that way our blessed Lord hath trod for us to glory.

A TESTIMONY

TESTIMONY

TO THE

TRUTH OF GOD.

Y the observation we are led to make from Francis Bugg's late book, upon the bishop of Norwich's giving him his recommendatory letter to the clergy, &c. in his diocese, to relieve, by a collection, the neceffities of that beggarly apoftate; a copy of which letter the said F. B. hath published in his faid book:

And alfo by the obfervation we have made on the malicious attempts of the Snake in the Grafs," in his firft, fecond, and third editions, which is a difingenuous and unjuft collection from F. Bugg, and fome other deferters, of things, for the most part, long fince answered; as alfo lately, by the book intituled, "An Antidote," &c. (though because his fecond and third edition have fome additions to his firft, and that being new vamped, for a better market, he may expect a melius inquirendum after a while; yet fhould we follow the example of this rattle-fnake, against the church of which he pretends to be a member, but at present a suspended one, we might, in retaliation, not only exceed the "Cobler of Gloucester," but the "Scotch Eloquence," and that mafter-piece, "The "Ground of the Contempt of the Clergy :")

And,

And, laftly, by the obfervation we have made on the relation fubfcribed by fome of the Norfolk clergy, dated October the 12th, 1698, we cannot forbear thinking, that as their confederacy is deep, fo it aims at nothing less than the ruin of us, and our pofterity, by rendering us blafphemers, and enemies to the government, and to be treated as fuch.

The Norfolk relation from the clergy aforefaid, charges the faid people with blafphemy: first, Against God. Secondly, Against Jefus Chrift. Thirdly, Against the holy Scriptures, with contempt of civil magiftracy, and the ordinances which Jefus Chrift inftituted, viz. baptifm by water, and the Lord's fupper by bread and wine. And, Laftly, That the light within, as taught by us, leaves us without any certain rule, and expofes us to the blafphemies aforefaid, with many others.

Now, because this charge refers to doctrine, rather than fact, or particular perfons, we think ourfelves concerned to fay fomething in vindication of our profeffion, and to wipe off the dirt thereby intended to be caft upon us, in giving our reader a plain account of our principles, free from the perverfions of our enemies.

But to manifest how uncharitably and unjustly the faid clergymen have reflected upon the people called Quakers, with respect to the faid charge, we are contented the reader goes no farther than their own printed relation, dated Nov. 12, 1698, not doubting but by that very relation, and the letters therewith printed, he will meet with intire fatisfaction, with refpect to the reasonableness and juftice of the Quakers proceedings in that affair, and how ready they were to come to the teft, and to bring the pretended charge upon the stage, and to purge themselves from the guilt of the fame, provided they might be accommodated with what the common law allows malefactors, viz, a copy of their indictment; but this could not be obtained. And though the faid clergy have thought fit to print the charge in general, without any proof, we think ourselves obliged to vindicate our profeffion, by freely

declaring,

declaring, (as now we do, without any mental refervation) our fincere belief of the very things they most unjustly charge us with denying.

I. Concerning God.] Because we declare, that God is a God nigh at hand," and that he is, according to his promife, become the "Teacher of his people by his fpirit in thefe latter days;" and that "True "believers are the temples for him to walk and dwell "in," as the apoftle teacheth; and experiencing fomething of the accomplishment of this great and glorious truth among us, and having therefore preffed people earnestly to the knowledge and enjoyment thereof, as the bleffing and glory of the latter days; we have been ignorantly, or malicioufly, represented and treated as hereticks and blafphemers, as if we owned no God in heaven above the stars, and confined the Holy One of Ifrael to our beings: whereas we believe him to be the Eternal, Incomprehenfible, Almighty, Allwife and Omniprefent God, creator and upholder of all things, and that he fills heaven and earth, and that the "Heaven of heavens cannot contain him;" yet he faith, by the prophet Ifaiah, "To that man "will I have regard, that is poor, and of a contrite "fpirit, and which trembles at my word." So that for profeffing that which is the very marrow of the Chriftian religion, viz. Emanuel, God with us,' we are represented blafphemers against that God, with whom we leave our innocent and fuffering cause. Ifa. vii. xiv. xl. xxviii. xlviii. xvii. lxvi. 1, 2. 2 Cor. vi. 16. Rev. xxi. 3.

H. Concerning Jefus Chrift. Because we believe, that the word which was made flefh, and dwelt amongst 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 ought to hear in all things; who tafted death for every man, and died for fin, that we might die to fin; is the great light of the world, and full of grace and truth,

and

and that he lighteth every man that cometh into the world, and giveth them grace for grace, and light for light, and that no man can know God and Chrift, (whom to know is life eternal) and themselves, in order to true conviction and converfion, without receiving and obeying this holy light, and being taught by the Divine grace; and that without it, no remif. fion, no juftification, no falvation (as the fcripture plentifully teftifies) can be obtained: and because we therefore prefs the neceffity of people's receiving the inward and spiritual appearance of his Divine word, in order to a right and beneficial application of whatfoever he did for man, with refpect to his life, miracles, death, fufferings, refurrection, afcenfion and mediation; our adverfaries would have us deny any Chrift without us. First, As to his divinity, because they make us to confine him too within us. Secondly, As to his humanity, or manhood, because as he was the Son of Abraham, David, and Mary, according to the flesh, he cannot be in us, and therefore we are hereticks and blafphemers: whereas we believe him, according to the fcripture, to be the Son of Abraham, David, and Mary, after the flesh, and alfo God over all, bleffed for ever. So that he that is within us, is alfo without us, even the fame that laid down his precious life for us, rofe again from the dead, and ever liveth to make interceffion for us, being the bleffed and alone mediator betwixt God and man, and him by whom God will finally judge the world, both quick and dead: all which we as fincerely and stedfastly believe, as any other fociety of people, whatever may be ignorantly, or maliciously, infinuated to the contrary, either by our declared enemies, or mistaken neighbours. Deut. xv. 18. Mic. v. 2. John i. 1, 2, 3. Rev. xxii. 16.

III. Concerning the holy fcriptures.] Because we affert the holy spirit to be the first great and general rule and guide of true Chriftians, as that by which God is worshipped, fin detected, confcience convicted,

duty