THE Quakers Challenge MADE TO THE Norfolk Clergy, OR A RELATION OF A CONFERENCE BETWEEN Some Clergymen of the Church of England, and some Quakers, held (on the 8th of December, 1698. in West-Dereham-Church in the County of Norfolk; together with those Letters which passed between them in order thereunto. To which is added a Certificate relateing to the Challenge.  
LONDON, Printed by H. Hills, for Edward Poole, at the half Moon under the Royal Exchange, Cornhill. 1699.   

A Relation of a Conference between some Clergymen of the Church of England, and some Quakers.  
SOME Quakers in the County of Norfolk, having by a Letter Challenged the Clergy of the Church of England. Time and Place (leave from our Superiors first obtained) were at length fixed, and our Charge according to their desire sent to them, as appears by our first Letter; and on the Day appointed, viz. Dec. 8th 1698. the Quakers and We met in West Dereham Church, in the County aforesaid, and took our Places before prepared. We first read the Service of the Day, near the beginning of which they coming in stayed it out, not to Join in the Duty, but rather to affront it, carrying themselves Irreverently all the Time. As soon as our Service was Ended, one of their Speakers began to Pray; whereupon all of them immediately pulled off their Hats, and carried themselves as at a Religious Worship: The first thing we did, we read the Letter containing their Challenge; presently they started up and denied it to be a Challenge, and Avowed they would not go one step further, unless we would own ourselves to be the Aggressors, and acquit them of that Charge; we Insisted that they were our Challengers, and Repeated to them their own Letter of Challenge; They told us they were provoked by certain Carriages of Ours to write that Letter.  
But nothing could they make appear under our Hands, only urged some Stories they had heard as a provocation; we told them further, that that was a plain owning of their Challenge that they did it, only they were provoked to it: And after many long Harangues of several of their Speakers, they desired that all the Letters which had passed between us might be read to the Auditory; not as if they could get any advantage by reading them, but, as appeared to us afterwards, merely to divert us an Hour or more from prosecuting our Charge. Then they Quarrelled with us about the Preliminaries of our Charge, that we did not send them the Charge some time before. We told them we had in our first Letter, and it was a Charge of Blasphemy against God, etc. but they Insisted to have a more particular account than a general Charge; that is, they Expected to have the Names of the Books, Page, and Line, from whence we Intended to prove our Charge against them, sent them some time before. We answered, we had Law and Equity against such an unreasonable demand: We told them the Law was their own, 'twas from Edw. Burroughs, who was a Son of Thunder, and spoke all from the Mouth of the Lord, whose Book used to be with them of as much Authority as the Bible; which allows us a liberty to appoint our own Time, Place, and Terms: They would by no Means have it read, spending two Hours or more in a mighty noise against it, which sufficiently Exposed them to all our People, who in great numbers, and very oft cried out, Let it be read, Read Edw. Burroughs; and though we assured them it was not to be read as any proof of the Blasphemies we Charged them with, but only to settle the preliminaries, yet could we not prevail for a long while.  
And so gladly would we be made manifest to all the World, if that after the reading of this Book any be unsatisfied still in this matter, and if any, Especially of the Heads and Rulers, have Doubts and Jealousies raised in them concerning Us and the Priests, and that they further would be satisfied and resolved for that end, let any wise Men propound for full satisfaction of all sorts of People, that We with the consent of the Chief in Authority that have Power in this Nation, who may preserve Peace and Safety among People, and thereby to stop all Jealousies, may Freely and Cheerfully, 4, 10, 20, 30, more or fewer of Us, give as many of the Wisest and Ablest of the Priests and Professors a meeting for Dispute, at any Place in England; at what Place, Time, and for what Continuance as they shall Ascribe and Consent unto, and to Dispute and Controvert betwixt Us and Them, any such Thing, and every such Particular as shall, or may be objected by any of the Heads and Rulers, or other grave understanding Men— and a little after he saith thus, And let such, whether Them or Us, that cannot prove ourselves to be the True Church of Christ, nor of the True Worship and True Religion, nor in the Truth, but is found to be in the Error and out of the Truth: Let such deny their Worship and Church, Renounce all their Religion, and Confess to all the World under their Hands, that they are, and have been deceived, and for ever hereafter stop their Mouths, and never profess nor practise any more what they have done in such a Religion; And freely upon these Issues and Conditions We will join Trial with Them. Let Them appoint, Time, Place, and proffer Terms at Their own pleasure, and then to all the World it shall be manifest, and to all People discovered, whether We have not good Ground and sufficient Reason to War against these Priests.  
The passage out of Edw. Burroughs being read at last, they then alleged they were not bound, neither would they stand to Edw. Burroughs' Terms (for such Meetings as these.) And then We Insisted upon Equity, and told them there was no reason (as in one of our Letters) that We should be so generously kind to Them, as to tell 'em the very Place where We would Assault 'em; for the nature of the Blasphemy We charge 'em with should be so Plain and Obvious, that every Christian shall be able to understand it to be so upon the reading it to them. But should we tell them the Names of our Books, Page, and Line beforehand, we had deserved rather to be laughed at as Fools, than looked on as Disputants; for this would be to send them our Arguments before the Disputation; if we should tell 'em all the Mediums from whence we intended to fetch them: We told them the Evidence we should bring▪ was not from ours, but from their own Books, and it was not sit we should tell them the Names of our Witnesses beforehand, that they might have time to Tamper with them, and make them speak what they never Intended, and so weaken their Testimony: We assured them the Blasphemy we Charge them with should be very plain, and they need not send for their Advocates from far Countries to Plead the Cause of it, and make People believe that Blasphemy is true Doctrine.  
The same liberty we allowed to them, after they had Answered our Charge, to Charge any of our Church of England Writers with Blasphemy, and without giving us Book, Line, or Page beforehand, we will either Disown or Justify it; be sides, when a Time of Disputation with an Adversary is Set, and I have sent him the Questions to be disputed on; was it ever Expected before, that I should before the Time send him all my Proofs: The Question you know betwixt us, is, whether they be Blasphemers or no? we hold the Affirmative, and offer to prove it; but they will make no defence for themselves, unless we send them all our Proofs beforehand. Presently they Cried out, we Reproach the Parliament, who have owned them to be Dissenting Protestants, whilst we would prove them to be Blasphemers; and indeed they did Strut Exceedingly for the Honour the Parliament hath done them, to Recognize them as Protestants, as if under the Protection of the Act of Parliament they might Blaspheme (Cum Privilegio) and not body must be so bold as to Ask them, why do you so? They told us we are going about most uncharitably to Damn them all. We told them, they may Repent of their Blasphemies and be saved: For Panl was once one of their Companions in Blaspheming the Name of Jesus Christ, and if they will Accompany him in his Change too, they may obtain Mercy as well as he.  
They told us Blasphemy against God, was the Sin against the Holy Ghost, because the Holy Ghost was God: We told them we were sorry it was so for their sakes; but for their Comfort we hope for to make it appear it was not that unpardonable Sin; so from the 12th of St. Math. we Explained to them the nature of that Sin, and stopped their Mouths, and now we began to Charge them with Blasphemy against God; they Entreated us to suspend a while, and they would desire to speak but one quarter of an Hour, and then they would be silent; we yielded it, than they talked against the Challenger, and the Unreasonableness of the Preliminaries what they pleased, and when they had Harangued thus a quarter of an Hour: Now Gentlemen, said we, we hope you will give us leave to talk out our quarter too: No truly, saith one of them, that is a new Bargain; whereupon the People Shouted and Hissed them, and as soon as we began to prosecute our Charge, one gets upon a Form and bawls aloud to the People, to stop their Ears, or Deasen them, that they might not hear us: Thus they continued, (for as soon as one was wearied another stepped up in his Place) till the End of the Day: Tho there were two Magistrates present, and many Persons of good Quality, with a great Company of all sorts of People besides, some of whom offered, if we would permit it, to have pulled them down and turned them out: This Disorder hindered us from prosecuting our design to any purpose, though we Permitted every one of them from London, or from Rome, if they pleased, to have free liberty to Dispute, if they will do it fairly without Noise or Clamour: No, they declared they did not come thither to Dispute, for they were not prepared: And whereas we had brought a great number of the Quakers Books both Old and New, and all of them of their most Celebrated Authors, they Cried▪ no Books, no Arguments; which occasioned great Laughter and Shouting among the People; but they still continued their long Harangue against our Preliminaries, and about the great sufferings they had Endured, designedly, that the People might not hear us; and ever and anon they would have been Charging us; Insolently urging us to prove ourselves Christians, and by and by we must prove ourselves Ministers of Christ; which was Answered, though we told them that was not the business of the Day. And 'twas a Cunning design of theirs to divert us from our Charge so much dreaded by them. When we were in the pursuit of their Blasphemies, to start another game in our way; we bid them Answer our Charge first, and then we should be at leisure to Answer any of theirs, provided they be not Charges of some little and small Errors and Mistakes, but downright Blasphemy.  
One of us got to a Corner of the Seat from whence he might be heard by some of the People, and laid open some of the Blasphemies we had to Charge them with, out of their Books, to the great satisfaction of the Auditors, who Cried out, Blasphemy, Blasphemy: but he could not proceed far without Disturbance: One of them very Pertly asked us, that if we looked upon them to be such Blasphemers, what is the reason that we have let them alone so long, that they never heard of such a Charge from us before (even thro' the space of Forty years?) and how comes it to pass that we have been so Careless of our Flocks: We Ingenuously told them, that we never had so right an understanding of their Principles as of late; but for the future we assured them that we shall (and we hope all the rest of our Brethren throughout all England will) take notice of this their Admonition, and double their Diligence and Vigilancy in their Respective places: A little after we took liberty each of us to propound an Argument, but could hardly go through with one of them; and upon Reading their Books to prove our Arguments, the People again Cried out Blasphemy, Blasphemy: It being near the Evening▪ one of their Speakers made mention of our Lord Bishop's Name, and that he had waited on him at Norwich, and Discoursed with him About this Matter in the presence of the Archdeacon (Dr. Jeffery's) And insinuated to the People as if my Lord had now a more favourable opinion of their Challenge than before, since he had given him a more Just Relation (as he said) of the Circumstances, but none of us could believe his Relation: About this Time, or somewhat before, they threw among the People great numbers of little Pamphlets, thus styled (The Christianity of the People called Quakers) though it neither Comes up to their Principles Expressed in their former Books, nor is said to be written from the Mouth of the Lord, and Sealed with the Eternal Spirit, as those are, and without any of their Names or name affixed to it, so that any of them, if Charged with it, may at their own pleasure deny it, as not agreeing with their former Teslimonies, but plainly designed to serve a present turn: This Charge of Blasphemy nettled them Exceedingly, and they sometimes Expostulated with us saying, the Charge was very High: we granted it to be so, but the worst of it was, we should Certainly prove it, if they would let us go on; but when we urged them with a passage out of Christopher Atkinson's Book (called The Sword of the Lord drawn) as Guilty of Blasphemy, they utterly disowned both him and his Books, saying, the Quakers had renounced him above Thirty years ago, though he was Moved (as he there Witnesses in the Title page) by the Lord God of Life, and the Spirit of Truth, as it was made manifest in him from the Lord. The Night approaching, and many of the People there being at great distance from their Homes, the Magistrates than Present seeing nothing more (which might tend to Edification) was like to be done, were pleased to put and End to the Contest, and Dissolve the Assembly: After we had declared, that seeing they had Challenged us, we would not leave the matter thus; but seek for some more favourable opportunity to make good our Charge against them; and so we Intent (by God's help) when the Days are long, and the Wether good, and if the Quakers will Answer fairly, we will permit any of them all to Appear; but if they shall fall a Clamouring, as they Incessantly did at this Meeting, we will very Civilly (by some means or other) take them by the Hands and lead them out of Doors: But notwithstanding they have done so much to hinder our good Design of proving our Charge to the People, we hope we have stopped the Gangreen that it spreads no further in our Corner, the People being generally satisfied, and do believe them now to be Blasphemers, because they Refused to come to a Trial, nor would suffer their Books to be Read. This we thought necessary to give the World an Account of, not only for our own Vindication, but their Satisfaction, which we the principal Managers have given under our Hands this 12th day of December, 1698.  
Edw. Beckham, D. D. Rector of Gayton Thorpe.  
Henry Meriton, Rector of Oxborough.  
Lancaster Topcliffe, Rector of Hockwold.  
December the 12th 1698.  
Having seen a Relation of a Conference (at the Management of which we were present) Attested under the Hands of Edw. Beckham, D. D. Henry Meriton, and Lancaster Topcliffe, We do hereby Testify and Declare, that the Sum and Substance of the abovesaid Relation is true.  
E. Wodehouse Justices of the Peace. John Wodehouse Justices of the Peace. John Meriton, Rector of Boughton. Laur. Park of Barton, St. Andrews. Henry Bell Esq; Thomas Fish Preacher at Kings Lynn. Thomas Walker, B. D▪ Fellow of Sidney Coll. in Cambridge. John Williamson. Minister of the Gospel. John Turner. Charles Peast. Phi. Wodehouse, Gent. William Blythe. Bellw. Raven. Edward Tilson. John Maxey, Junior.   

A Copy of the Quakers Challenge September the 7th 1698.  
Hen. Meriton, John Meriton, and Laur. Parke.  
IT is Prudence in Wise men, to hear and weigh a defence as well as a Charge. Francis Bugg hath Charged the People called Quakers in Print, and has been Answered to those several Charges several times. Some of the Answers wrote in Defence of the said People are Entitled, A Charitable Essay, A Just Enquiry, Innocency Triumphant, and the Counterfeit Convert a Scandal to Christianity: Which are those which at present occur to our Memory. And when you have read over those Answers, if you will give it under your Hands, that those Answers are Defective; Or if you think you have Matter to Charge us withal, let us have your Charge under your own Hands, and appoint Time and Place convenient, and we or some others of us (God willing) will meet You as Publicly as you Please. But we reject Francis Bugs Charge, as being already sufficiently Answered several times over, as also him to be one of the Persons concerned against us in Disputation, because of his unreasonableness.  
We cannot suppose you so void of Common Sense, as to look upon it suitable to a right Management of Controverfy, to answer an Opposer several times over in one and the same thing or things.  
And be it known unto you all, this is not thro' any Consciousness to ourselves, of holding any Errors; But if you think it is, you may if you please, try the utmost of your skill and strength, and see what you can get by it. Pray leave of Boasting, till you have obtained the Victory.  
Remember the Answer that was given to Benhadad, 1 K. 20. 11. You may make up a Quaker according to your own Dress, to please your Fancies, but Counterfeits will not pass with us for true Coyn.  
Therefore to conclude at present, as we said before, we are free, or some others of us, to meet with you or any of you all, Francis Bugg only Excepted, for the Reason's aforesaid, to take your Charge, and stand a public Trial, desiring only the Common Privileges to such occasions belonging, Provided as aforesaid you think meet, in your own Names, or any other of your Cloth, to Charge us.  
And through the Lord's assistance you shall hear from us, or some other of us, whom you or some of you, have endeavoured to traduce, and we doubt not Publicly to put aside that Disguise that by others hath been put upon us, and to make it appear to all  Persons, that we really are, in the Truth, and Simplicity of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  
Your real Friends. Rich. Ashby. Stephen Stanton. Tho. Buckingham. John Hubbard. Daniel Phillips. Richard Case. Philip tassel. Matth. Harrison. John Brown. Rich. Marler. John Hunter.   

A Copy of the Answer to the Quakers Challenge, sent to John Hubbard, Richard Ashby, Daniel Phillips, Rich. Case, etc. the 27th of October, 1698.  
Friends,  
IT hath not been from any distrust of the goodness of our Cause, or any backwardness in us to defend It, that we have been thus long in returning an Answer to the Challenge you sent us, but partly from not being able to resolve immediately, at that distance we Live, from those we had to Consult, how far it was sit to Comply with some of your Terms, that appeared unreasonable to us, and partly from the disiculty of getting your Books, which you might with greater Justice expect in this Case we should read, if they were permitted to go more freely, then yet we can find, into other Hands, as well as those of your Friends. But having, with a great deal of trouble, in some Measure got over this Stop, we shall not insist upon Francis Bugs bearing any part in the intended Dispute, Nor wave the Challenge you have turned upon us, instead of accepting of his, which yet we think you aught to have done, Notwithstanding what you Precarriously affirm in your own Cause, of his being unreasonable and Answered already.  
But your excluding him, shall not hinder us, or some of our Brothers, from giving you a Meeting, in Answer to your Challenge.  
And that we may prevent Tumults and Consusions, and that our Meeting may obtain the design we hope for, God's Glory and the Hearers Edification, we think fit to acquaint you with these following Propositions:  

I. That the Place to Meet in be West-Dereham Church, being pretty Capacious and well Galleryed.  
II. That the time of our Meeting be on Thursday the 8th of December, at Ten of the Clock in the Forenoon, and so on, as many Thursdays following, as there shall be occasion for.  
III. That but Six of a side be permitted to Dispute, and those Six to be known Inhabitants, within the Counties of Norfolk, and Suffolk, Or the City of Norwich, and that there be but one of those Six to speak at a time, and that he be not interrupted, unless he run out beyond the term of five Minutes at a time.  
iv That no Personal reflections shall be made one against another, that are Foreign to the Cause.  
V That a Notary of each side be appointed, to write down the Objections and Answers that are made by either Party, and that they be compared at the end of every Meeting, if there shall happen to be more than one.   
The matters we Charge you with are as follow.  

I. We Charge you with Blasphemy against God.  
II. With Blasphemy against Jesus Christ.  
III. With Blasphemy against the Holy Scriptures.  
iv We Charge you with great contempt of Civil Magistracy, and the Ordinances which Jesus Christ Instituted, viz. Baptism by Water, and the Lord's Supper, with Bread and Wine.  
V We Charge you, that the Light within as taught by you, leaves you without any certain Rule, and Exposes you to the forementioned, and many other Blasphemies.   
Hen. Meriton. John Meriton. Lau. Park.   

October 31. 1698.  
Friends,  
YOUR Paper, with the Charge upon the People called Quakers without a Date, came to the Hands of our Friend John Hubbard on the 27th Instant. You were pleased to call the Offer we made to you in Writing a Challenge, which term we think is no ways applicable to it. For we taking Notice of your readiness to Espouse Francis Bugs Charge and Challenge, we looked upon it very Reasonable, and Prudence in you as Wise men, to hear our Defence, therefore referred you to several of our Printed Answers, which if you had desired of us to have seen them, we would have procured them for you, but not one word of that from you, in so many Weeks time. And for our excluding F. B. from any Part of the intended Dispute, we have so much Cause and reason for it (we believe) as will sufficiently justify us, in the Opinion of all Judicious Persons. And whereas you render it difficult, to Procure our Friends Books, we are willing to expose them, to any that desires them, as is well known, and as you might have Proved, if you had made Trial.  
And now before we take Notice of your Propositions, we judge it necessary to inquire into the Extent of your Charge, whither it be upon the whole Body of the People called Quakers, or upon Particular Persons, or upon the Writings of Particular Persons, Especially your three first Charges. If you Charge a whole Body of People, you are not Just in your limitation, that the Persons that have a share in the Dispute, be only known Inhabitants in Norfolk, Suffolk, and City of Norwich, and at the same time Charge all the said People generally. If it be against particular Persons, we judge you ought to name Them in your Charge; if it be against the Writings of particular Persons, it is necessary for you to name the Authors, and the Titles of the Books, and the Pages, this we insist upon. These things Premised, we take Notice of your Propositions.  

I. As to the Place in West Dereham, we do not object against it, but are indifferent as to that.  
II. The day Prefixed being the Eighth of December, will not be convenient for some of us, being in Stoak fair Week.  
III. That Six Persons of a side only be Permitted to Manage the Dispute, and those Six to be known Inhabitants in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Norwich, we agree to, provided your Charge reaches not to any Person, or the Writings of any Person, that lives not in either of the said Counties, or the said City, but if it doth, we expect and account it very reasonable to be left to our free liberty in the Choice of our Six, and allow the same liberty to you. And that but one be allowed to speak at a time, is very necessary, and we like it well, but not to be limited Precisely to the space of five Minutes; yet to endeavour brevity, and before answer be made, that there be a little pause.  
IU. V Your 4. and 5. Proposition we like, as stated by you. And do expect an Explanation of the extent of your Charge, as is abovesaid, to be sent us without much delay, waving here to Repeat or Object against it, or any Article thereof, but refer that until we hear further from you. We are your Friends,   
Rich. Ashby. John Hubbard. Dan. Phillips. Richard Case. John Brown. Philip Tassill.   

To Rich. Ashby, John Hubbard, Dan. Phillips, Richard Case, John Brown, and Philip tassel; the Copy of a Letter in Answer to the Former, dated November the 3d 1698.  
Friends,  
WE Observe in your last, dated Octob. the 31st 1698. how apt you are to Catch at every little Escape, though nothing relating to the Causes, the omission of a date. We hope, though we forgot the 27th of October, we shall not forget the 8th of December. You are offended we call your first Letter a Challenge to us, though our betters have thought it to be the Boldest, and Pertest that ever was sent to the whole Host of Israel, viz. as you more than once in your Letter term it to us, or any of us all, and to any of our Cloth, and that from the Hands of such whom we never took to be any great Goliahs. But all this anger is it seems, because we so Zealously, as you think, espouse Francis Bugs Charge. One may see how ready you are to take Fire when so small a Spark will kindle you; For one of us was not there when he delivered his Charge; Another of us came by mere accident; and None of us were any other then as Witnesses to the delivery of it; which any Three of your honest Neighbours, we suppose, might have been without offence. As to the Books you mentioned to us to be Read, which you conceive would have cooled our Zeal for Bugg, and his so often as you say baffled Charge, You may please to know that we have Read them, and that Bugg is not Answered, nor can be Answered any other way (seeing this Charge is drawn from Quotations out of your Books) but by denying the Truth of Them, which your pretended Answerers do not do; but betake themselves to their usual Palliating and Painting tricks, to cover over and hid their deformities.  
We confess we had a better Opinion of your Principles before we saw your Books then now we have; for indeed we have received more satisfaction from your Answers▪ then from the Books they pretend to Answer, being confirmed more in our belief that they are Unanswerable. And if you writ in this manner, we shall never desire to take the Pen out of your Hands, for it will do us no Hurt; but for the Gall that is in the Ink. Yet because you say he must be rejected, and you will have it so, we have given you your Humour, and have accepted of your Challenge without him.  
Friends, Your People have been ever ready to say, Our Charges have been Lies and Forgeries, and every where have run with this cry in their Mouths; Lies, all Lies, because alas, they never Read our Books, or at least never compared them with your Authors: Therefore we perceive that writing Books will not do; but we must bring forth those that you have written at a Public Meeting, and lay them open before your deluded followers, and desire them to see with their own Eyes, and perhaps they may see such a Frightful Sight as they little expected there.  
You might easily have discerned that our Charge affects the whole Body of your People, it relating to Blasphemies so long and so often Printed and yet never Contradicted or Censured, but asserted to be from Persons Infallible. Blasphemies so often approved of by your Second day Meeting, where all your Books are Examined, and by an Index Expurgatorius Corrected, though written from the Mouth of the Lord. So that your Church hath owned them, and we may justly Charge the Blasphemies of these Books upon it, till they disown them.  
But you seem to be much concerned for the Restraint we lay upon you, so that you may not go out of this Diocese for your assistance. But truly Sirs, you see, we have put the same Restraint upon our selves, we will not go out of the Diocese, perhaps, but a little way from Home for ours; we cannot think you can be at a want for help in such a Diocese, where there are several Thousands of you.  
Besides if you will have a little Patience, the Persons you had probably designed for this Service may have work enough at Home ere long: For we are Inclinable to believe, that the like Charge to this will go thro' many Dioceses in this Kingdom; So that they may save their Powder and Shot till the Charge comes to their Door.  
Friends, though we intent to Charge you with Blasphemy out of your own Books; yet we cannot think it fit to give you the Author's Names, Line, and Page; for that were to send you our Arguments before the day we shall use them, that you might have time the more cunningly to Elude the force of them. It is enough to let you see, we intent to Charge you with Blasphemy, as expressed in our last, though we should not be so foolishly generous as to tell you the very Place where we intent to assault you. Besides we ourselves have not yet read over some of your Books▪ out of which as we are reading them, there arises every day new matter for a Charge, and so perhaps there may to the time of our Meeting; For we can searce open a Book of yours, but presently we are even frighted with such Apparitions that sends us to our Prayers, for a Poor deluded People that are daily haunted with them: And further we may add, that you have their Books as well as we, and would you read them over as we do, ye your selves could not but see those Blasphemies we Charge you with, being too big to escape your sight.  
But you think it just, the Authors of those Books out of which we extract our Charge, should be permitted to speak for themselves. You cannot but know, that most of those Authors are Dead, and as for them that are alive, we have already heard them in your Prints to little purpose: However, they have no reason to Challenge it as a peculiar due to them, to be the only Vindicators of their Cause, seeing every Particular Member of your Church is concerned in it, as well as they; So that it is a Charge upon every one of you all, as well as upon the Authors of those Books, you having Espoused them, till they be disowned, and condemned by you.  
To conclude, we cannot see how it can consist with either Justice or Prudence to alter, our Method, for the Reasons given; We therefore think it but a vain thing for you to trouble yourselves or us, with any more such Letters. Poor People that are going blindfold to Samaria instead of Dothan; the Lord open your Eyes to see where you are, and whither you are going, is the Prayer of your best of Friends, though you may possibly think as your greatest Enemies.  
Hen. Meriton. John Meriton, Lau. Parke.   

To Hen. Meriton, John Meriton, and Lau. Park, a Reply to the foregoing Letter, dated Nou. the 9th 1698.  
Friends,  
YOURS of the third Instant we received, wherein is the date of your former; in Answer to which when, we in Friendly sort told you of that Omission, it was not that we did Catch at any little escape of yours, which did at least relate to the Letter, if not to the Cause. But to proceed; As in our last we judge the term Challenge not proper to the offer we made, whatever the Judgement of your Selves, or Betters may be concerning it; As for its Boldness and Pertness (as you are pleased to term it) we take it to be another Escape of your Memories, to suppose it herein to exceed any of those (as you say) which were sent to the whole Host of Israel. But such as it is we doubt not to make good, and that in truth void of Wrath. As to Francis Bugg, you did Espouse his Charge blindfold, as appears by your after Inquiry, and reading of our Books, and did Espouse it by more ways than that one of Witnessing to the delivery of his Charge, which none of our honest unprejudicate Neighbours would.  
As for Quotations made by Bugg from our Books, you say the pretended Answerers deny not the truth of them, but betake themselves to their usual Palliating and Painting tricks, etc. This Assertion we have no cause to Credit, but for the present will say, that we know that in several Answers of ours to Books of this sort, there is frequently detected false Quotations, and his apparent Forgeries, which if either you have not read, or not observed, it might have been well enough to forbear that scurrility of Painting, and Tricks.  
Now for your Charge, you acknowledge it to be upon the whole Body of us, and therefore (as in our former) we think you are not just in your limitation, nor does your threat (if you will have a little Patience, etc.) fright us from still insisting on our Exceptions; For as our last did declare our acceptance of such of your Propositions as were equal and fair, and desired the rest might be agreeable, and such as we are persuaded no ingenuous or just Persons would Evade or deny us; So we still insist on them, not knowing any Power or Dominion you have over us, to overrule what we have so fairly offered to qualify your Limitations. For if you intent to confine us as Respondents, only who are within this Diocese, it is reasonable to confine you not to Charge Persons or their Books more remote or absent; For why should a Man whom you may Charge, be obliged to Answer by Proxy, when perhaps he can better defend himself; the Justice of the Common Law in this Case much exceeds your pretence of Edification; And this being denied by you, we take it for granted, your design is to Censure and pass Judgement on Persons unheard. And if your Charge be to be drawn from Books, it is as reasonable by the Common voice of Mankind, that their Titles and Pages be given, the Authors of which if living, have an undoubted right to explain for themselves; or if Dead, such notice is reasonable for our due preparation to Answer: Till which we shall only say, that the Living labours of the Dead have this Justice due to them, viz. that the whole be considered, and the Scope and Intent of the Writer be taken, and not rigidly, much less falsely to pervert his words to a Sense contrary and repugnant to the Scope of the whole: The refusal whereof will speak a design Partial, Injurious and Precipitant; but we hoping (on better Consideration) you'll do otherwise, do expect as above to be sent us, in such convenient time, as we may examine them, which cannot be in less time than Three weeks at least. This demand its true you laugh at, and call it a foolish generosity; yet, it being reasonable, we insist on it: For the frightful Apparitions which by opening our Books you say sent you to your Prayers, etc. we doubt your Frights or Fevers have been so great, as to prevent your having any true Idea of Them, or any loving concernment for Us therein: And not finding our selves haunted, as you suggest, we rather desire you to speak truth than offer false Sacrifice. For conclusion to this, and to try your Ingenuity, whether your Method be to do as you would be done unto, we put these following Questions.  

I. Whether you are willing to be Charged out of all the Old and New Books, Pamphlets and Sermons that your Brethren the Clergy have Wrote and Printed, to stand and fall by them.  
II. Are you willing we should Publicly Charge you with Errors, or Mistakes out of any of the abovementioned, and not beforehand give the Particular Instances to you; For know ye, that we expect Equal liberty with you, to Charge as well as to be Charged.  
III. Will you Personate all your Brethren as above, both Dead and Living, so as to be Charged out of their Books in their stead.   
Your direct Answer we expect without any further Evasion, Boast or Menace, in the interim conclude.  
Your abused (because not sufficiently known) Friends. Richard Ashby. John Hubbard. Dan. Phillips. Richard Case.   

The Reply, dated November the 16th 1698.  
Friends,  
YOUR last does not a little astonish Us. 1st. That you should deny your Challenge, which is as plain an one as Words in English can make it, and truly very brave, to all our Cloth, that is to Nine or Ten thousand of us. 2 . That you affirm, that we espoused Bugg's Cause, when you, or some of you cannot but know the contrary by one of us: For when the last Summer you demanded of Hen. Meriton, whether he would justify Bugg's Books written against you, he Answered, They contained Matters of Fact, which he was not capable of judging of, having not the Books to compare them with Francis Bugg's Writings; yet told you, that if his Citations were true (you see then he made an If of it, and therefore did not justify them) he would justify such Expressions were Blasphemy.  
But you are still offended at our unreasonable limitation of you as to the Place whence you are to fetch your Disputants. But Friends, did not you begin with us? Did not you limit us, when you rejected Francis Bugg, and all others too, that were not of our Cloth, some of whom you know too well might have been very useful to us in this Service. Nay, did not you reject Francis Bugg for this reason, because he had been Answered, as you pretend, over and over again, and was unreasonable, as if we had nothing to do but Actum agere: And may not we say the same of your Hackney Disputants, they have truged so long in that road, and have been Spurred and Galled by us enough already, and therefore in reason we ought to turn them off awhile, and give them rest till another occasion; More plainly, they have been Answered over and over already, and are unreasonable.  
Besides, Your Church, which you profess yourselves so Zealous Members of, have owned, and approved of those Books we intent to quote, and yourselves have been known to admire, and almost adore them and their Authors; And therefore till you disclaim them, you are as much concerned to Vindicate them as the Authors themselves; for by owning them you become joint Authors, and your Plea for them will be the Plea of Parties, and not of Proxies.  
But now, When the Court of Equity will not relieve you, you fly to Common Law; but if yond give us no better proof of your skill in it, then in this instance, we shall have little reason to take your Counsel in Law Business.  
Friends, 'Tis matter of Fact we Charge you with, that we find such and such Blasphemous Expressions in your Books: For matter of Right, whether such Expressions are to be esteemed Blasphemy, we shall leave it to the Judgement of the Auditory. The matters of Fact your Authors have already owned them, at least so much as will make good our Charge: And for matter of Right, whether such Expressions are Blasphemous or no, we think the Common Law will not allow the accused Malefactor, when he's convicted of the Fact a right, to Judge of the Law, or whether his Fact hath been a breach of it. Suppose we had Charged some of your Friends with Common Swearing by their Maker, and they should not deny matter of Fact, that they have said such words only; they excuse them with a great deal of Artifice, that they were spoken in Passion, that they dropped from them rashly, or their minds did a little run out, or truly they do not affect such Speeches, or they may see Cause otherwise to word them, is there any Law or Equity such Men should be admitted in any Court in the World to Plead and Apologise for Common Swearing. If matter of Fact be Proved or owned, may not the Judge turn such Men out of the Court, and pass the Definitive upon them. The fact is owned by their Men themselves, that such Expressions are in their Books, so much at leastwise as will prove the Charge, and let the Auditory (whom we appeal to as Judges in this Case) determine whether Blasphemy or no. We dare affirm, it will be easier for the People to Judge that such and such words are Blasphemy, than such words are Swearing. And we are Sorry to see you so Zealous for such Authors, only to give them an opportunity to excuse Blasphemy. At last, you direct us to that Golden Rule in Divinity, to do as we would be done by, and think you have Graveled us with three Questions, which you suppose we cannot Answer, if we stick to our former measure, without apparent Violation of it.  
Now Sirs, what are those hard measures, I pray? Why truly, after we have Charged some of yours with Blasphemy, in some Books Printed 10, 20, 30, some 40, Years ago, that were never Corrected, nor Censured by your Church in your Second days Meeting, erected on purpose to Examine Books and Licence them, but have been approved and commended to us, and admired by almost all of you; we demand, that you would either justify, or disown them publicly under your hands. And now you ask us very pertinently, whether we are willing to be Charged with all the Old and New Books and Pamphlets that our Brethren of the Clergy have written or Printed to stand or fall by them.  
Such an Impertinency as this is would be almost Intolerable, but that we are so commonly used to them by your Party: Do but Scratch your Heads a little, and consider seriously the force of such a consequence. We are bound to justify, or disown all the Books of our Brethren, as to every little Error or Mistake, because we call upon you only to justify or disown the Blasphemies of yours: We doubt not but there have been some tolerable Errors in ours, which are no great blot to an Author that acknowledges himself to be a Man, viz. fallible, but a mighty prejudice against the Infallible Club, whether at Rome or Grace-Church-street, that pretend they cannot Err: And we are only obliged to a Charitable forbearance in such Cases, when you will be obliged for every Error you find in yours, by reason of such a pretence, to disown them as Cheats.  
But if any of our Authors have wrote or Printed Blasphemy, we are sure such have not been approved or allowed of by our General Meeting, our Convocation, who have made bold to Censure them without ask the Author's leave; or if there be any such that have escaped the Knowledge of the Convocation, and therefore not Censured by them, perhaps they have been condemned, if not burnt by Parliaments and Universities; or if they have escaped such a Censure, bring out such Books of ours when you will, and you shall see, we will either justify or disown them, without calling for the Authors to come and plead their Cause.  
To the Second Question we Answer, You shall have equal liberty with us, produce our Books, and your Charge against them (Supposing it be of Blasphemy) when you will after you have first answered ours, and we will give you leave to reserve your particular instances to the very Time and Place of Meeting if you please; For we are assured, that Blasphemy is of so strong and rank a Scent, that every Christian that hath not his Nose quite stopped, that as St. Paul says, can but exercise his Senses never so little about Good or Evil, as soon as ever it's opened or discovered, will presently nauseate and turn away from it. And we are sorry that so many of you have got such a stuffing in your Heads, as not to perceive it; Nay, you think them sweet Odours sure, that you will not be satisfied till you be allowed Advocates to Plead for them, as sound and wholesome, and therefore to be continued in the best Room of the House, the Church.  
The third Question is Coincident with the First, but we must answer it, or you'll say we dropped it for its Weight; for there is no reason we should appear in the Porson of all those our Brethren, so as to be Charged with every little Error out of their Books, in their stead; but this we will do, bring forth their Books and Blasphemies, as we havesaid before, and we will either justify them or disown them, without consulting the Authors of them. And this is all that we desire of you, either to justify or disown Yours and Their Blasphemies under Your Hands, which we may expect from you by the same rule you lay before us, do as you would be done by.  
And why may we not expect this of you, seeing you have abandoned you Authors in lesser matters, as in their Orders about Ribbons, Lace, Slit-wast-Coats, Prancing Steeds, Costly Habits, fine Clothes, Stately Buildings, in for bearing to Thee and Thou, and Sir your Betters, Seeing many of you have opposed their Orders in Paying Tithes, women's Meetings, Swearing in Courts of Judicature, of carrying no Guns in their Ships, or using the Carnal Weapon.  
Last of all, We take Notice, with much joy, to see you so much fall off from the former rude and rugged behaviour of those Men, whose Cause you espouse, towards the Clergy: It is not long since your Address to them was in that Tinkerly Language, Greedy Dogs, Babylon's Merchants, Devil driven dungy Gods, Witches, Bloodhound, Sodomites, Gimcracks, Wheelbarrows, Tatter demallions, which you have now Exchanged for more familiar and kind Expressions, to call us Friends; though your former Carriage hath been as Divinely Authorized as your present Blasphemies; Your very Rail have been, as you have pretended, by Inspiration. We hope since you have begun to draw from that Old filthy Spirit that dwelled in your Ancestors, you will at last totally abandon them, seeing you have abandoned them in lesser Matters, and why not in their Blasphemies? Friends, Pray trouble us no more with your Letters, for our Measures are fixed, and you may Choose whether you will meet us upon the Terms resolved upon or no. No more from those who are resolved to continue your real Friends, whether you will or no.  
Hen. Meriton. John Meriton, Lau. Parke.   

Here followeth the Copy of the Quakers last Letter, dated November the 23d 1698. To which the Ministers made no Answer.  
Friends,  
YOURS of the 16th Instant We have received; the tenor of it declares Your purpose still to evade our just demand, as is set forth in our 2d and 3d Letters to you; we shall now give you a brief Reply, because we perceive our Letters are troublesome to you. First, if you were as real as you pretend Friendship towards us, the Moderation of Friendship, questionless, would prevent your being astonished at our denial of the Term Challenge in our Letter to you: For than it had been our place to have Charged you, so we should have made ourselves Plaintiffs, and you had been Defendants, We doubt not but upon more mature thoughts, your astonishment will vanish away. 2dly. We still insist upon our former demands, as just and reasonable; for how can you (or any Man whatsoever) think that we, or any others for us, can make Answers to Matters thus hiddenly Charged upon us, whilst you refuse us the knowledge of them as (you say) they stand in our Books. Pray be plain with us, and if there be such Rank Blasphemy (as you say) bring it forth, do not be shy, Give us Author, Title, Book, and Page, and if you please, tell us in the first place, what is Blasphemy. 2dly. Wherein do you Charge us with Blasphemy against God, and against Jesus Christ, and against the Holy Scriptures? What are the Words of those several Blasphemies? Your direct Answer to those particulars. 3dly. We think it not worth while to follow you thro' all the Parts of your Letter, it being a great part of it Rattle, and Noise, besides our present business. 4thly, You evade our Instance of the Common Law. We distinguish between matter of Fact, and a Right to Judge. You have Charged us with matter of fact: We demand a Copy of our Charge, that we may prepare our Answer to make. (as a point of Justice allowed by the Common Law to Male factors) We deny your having any Jurisdiction over us, as Judges, and before we submit, we will have full proof of your Commission. Temporal Judges you are not, and to be Spiritually qualified you must prove, before we acknowledge you as such. 5thly. Seeing you resolutely refuse our just demand, we do not look upon ourselves obliged to Meet you under the limitation of your Terms.  
We stand to our former offer, and by the Terms we have offered to qualify yours, and if you refuse, it shows (for all your pretence of Friendship) a contrary design upon us; we cannot look upon your Resolution to Friendship any thing else, but an empty pretence, until (as a proof that it is otherwise) you give us the instances of your Charge in Form and Manner aforesaid; which is not (as you say) to send us your Arguments beforehand, but the matter of fact you Charge us with. This as a point of Justice from you we seek, not your mercy, make your Arguments as strong as you will. But while you thus put us off, we look upon it no other than a shift, and Evasion on your Parts, and a design to overrule us. We leave it with you as a Test upon your resoluet Friendship. Give us our just demand of Author, Title, Book, and Page, with convenient time (as set forth in our last to you) to prepare to make Answer; which if you still deny, we look upon your pretence of Friendship to be a mere Compliment and Decoy, and a Design of much evil to us Couched under't. Notwithstanding we are your Friends, and desire you would mind the witness of God in your Consciences, that admits of no deceit, and will, if minded, lead you to deal plainly: To which you must stand or fall one day.  
Richard Ashby. John Hubbard. Dan. Phillips. Richard Case. etc.  
P. S.  
SEeing you have rejected our Terms as aforesaid, and we have refused to be imposed upon by some of your Limitations, we therefore shall take our Liberty, either to Meet or not Meet you: And if we Meet you, to have others of our Friends present with us, who are not Inhabitants within this Diocese, if we see Cause, and if they have freedom thereto.   

A Certificate, of several Principal Inhabitants within the Parishes of West-Dereham, and of other adjacent Parishes, to obviate the false Reports given out by the Quakers wherewith they endeavour to make the World believe, that the late Norfolk Challenge was not made by them to the Clergy of the Church of England.  
THE Parish of West-Dereham in Norfolk, having in it several Divisions and Sectaries, and but an Exceeding small Salary for a Minister, discouraged most Men from supplying the Cure; By reason whereof it was seldom well Supplied for any long time together, and the greatest part of the People in danger of falling to the Quakers, who seldom fail of making their Markets in such dark Corners; until the present Minister thereof undertook it, at the request of some Principal Men of the Parish, and entered upon that Cure in June, 1691. and very laboriously, and constantly has continued till this present time. Against whom the Quakers have been in a continual rage, for being disappointed of their Prey. Which displeasure of theirs they could not forbear to Express by many undecent Acts, becoming a People of such pernicious Principles and rugged behaviour as they. Such Instances whereof as at present occur to our minds are these.  
The Wife of one Becket a Quaker, gave herself the trouble of going three Miles to the Ministers House, on purpose to vex him with Quakerly Questions in a Quibbling way, upon Aseension day Morning 1695. His Family can Witness the truth of this, as also Mrs. Bishop, a Principal Person of the Town of Barton, who happened to be with the Minister then. We of this Parish, and divers other Persons of Neighbouring Parishes too, do very well remember the time, that Becket, the Husband himself, watched our Minister in a Lane (not far from the Church) lined on both sides with People, to Dispute him; when his Spirits were exhausted with Preaching, and his Strength weakened, by performing the Duty of the Day.  
One Phillips a Quaker. went to disturb our Minister at his own House, one Monday in May last, to Challenge, and Provoke him to Dispute with the Quakers, at a Meeting at Stoak, that was to be held on the Morrow, as himself confessed after he came Home; And he and his Friends set abroad the Report some days before, to call the Country together, and then gave it out, that the Priests promised, but durst not come▪ both which we believe to be false.  
This Phillips, together with one Mason and Beket, by speaking Profanely of the Ordinances of Christ, and setting up a Conventicle contrary to Law, in an unlicenc'd Barn, where there never had been one before, and their restless Importunities to make Men go to their Meetings, and by vilifying our Minister (for no other Cause but preserving his Sheep from being devoured by the Wolves) gave our Minister and us great occasion to dread an Apostasy of the People from the Christian Faith.  
This, and nothing but this, made us and our Minister willing to permit Mr. Bugg to come among 'em, to try if he could conjure down this busy Spirit which possesses the Quakers, and is so troublesome to us, having heard, that he had thrown that unclean and Blaspheming Legion out of some other Places before. We and our Minister accompanied him to one Quakers House, and sent one of his Printed Charges in a Letter to Sam. Cater a Speaker; Further than which, we believe our Minister was not concerned; And it was his great desire of saving Souls, and a quiet life, that made him engage so far: For he was always averse, that either he or his Brethren should engage in a Public Dispute. He, to our knowledge, was ever so far from giving a Challenge, as that he never would accept it when it was offered, till now; For many Provocations and Challenges has he had; One above all the rest we cannot forget, which was given him in Writing when he was in the Pulpit, by one Lily, in sight of the whole Congregation: Which besides many more, he evaded as well as he could, till this last bold Challenge came on, which was to all the Clergy of England, as well as to his Brethren and him. So that whatsoever the Quakers may pretend to the contrary, we verily believe, They are the Challengers, and none but they: But we hope it has done much good, and had the Ministers been permitted to make out their Charge, which was Artificially drowned in Noise, Quakerism in these Parts, would have received a Mortal Stroke.  
The truth of all this is Certified by us, whose Names are here Subscribed.  
William Fenn. William Young. Richard Taylor. Geo. Archer. John Smith. John Wright. Tho. Wade. Tho. Complin. John Goddard. Tho. Ward. Tho. Hubbard. William Prick. Caleb Mayor. Grace Lamson. Marry Park. Barth. Ramsey. Sam. Chicco. Wil Sargison.  
FINIS.