Some Reasons Humbly offered against the Quakers unreasonable Request, touching Elections of Members to serve in Parliament.  
WHEREAS on February the 10th 1707/8, Leave was given to bring in a Bill for the more easy Polling the Freeholders' of Elections of Knights of the Shire, for the County of Sussex and Yorkshire. And having understood that the Quakers make Application to have their bare Declaration serve instead of a Legal Oath, and that without the Words [As in the Presence of Almighty God], which as it appears great Presumption in them to expect; So I Humbly beg Leave to offer some Reasons against their Request. And  
I Because they are such Mortal Enemies to the Christian Religion, denying Jesus of Nazareth to be Christ the Son of God; and by vilifying and Contemning the Holy Scriptures, and Reproaching the Christian Ministers, chief, or in the first place, because they Preach out of the Bible. All which, and much more I have proved out of their Books, in my Book now published, Entitled, Goliah's Head cut off with his own Sword, and the Quakers routed by their own Weapons, etc. And Sold at the King's-Head, the Crown, and Green Dragon in St. Paul's Churchyard; and at the Bible under the Piazza in Cornhill: And which I stand ready to make good to their Faces, if desired.  
II And since they can take a Legal Oath to serve their private Interest, why should they not do it to serve the Public? That many of them have, there are many Instances in the Courts of Chancery; and in particular George Whitehead, against whom Mr. Thomas Daniel and Elizabeth his Wife, Exhibited a Bill in my Lord Mayor's Court; to which George Whitehead put in his Answer upon Oath, April 9 1695. as may be seen by the Records of that Court; out of which I took a Copy of his said Oath, Attested by Mr. Gibson, Attorney in that Court. But  
III They by Principle are Enemies to the very Constitution of Parliaments, declaring in their Books publicly, That a Partiament chosen by most Voices, are not like to act for God, or the Good of the People. Again, That it was through Ignorance that the People subjected themselves to Hereditary Government, standing in a single Person successively; and that our Nation have been under the Bonds of Slavery in this Respect. Moreover, That all Kings (and consequently Queens) sprung up in the Night, since the Days of the Apostles, among the Anti-christs': And that such as dote upon Earthly Kings, are Traitors, Apostates, Spiritual Egyptians, etc. These were their ancient Seditious and Anti-Monarchical, as well as Anti-Parliamentary Principles. But were forgiven by the Act of Oblivion: But since their Toleration, they have afresh reasserted them; saying in Print, We are not sensible that we have altered any one Principle of our Faith since we were a People; but are the same in every respect that we were 50 Years ago; we know not one Article of the Christian Faith in which we are altered since we were a People. Therefore blush not publicly to declare, That we are not changed in our Principles. And if so, I Humbly conceive it stands them upon, first to retract these and the like Principles, before they presume to ask such Favours, as no Subjects besides them dare to do.  
IV. Their Presumption farther appears, by their Contempt of Authority; For let the Queen's Majesty put forth Her Royal Proclamation for the strict Observation of a General Fast, or Day of Thanksgiving, for some Signal Victory, or other National Blessing, under Pain of Her High Displeasure; They take no notice thereof, either in City or Country, but one goes to Blow, others to Cart, others keep open their Shops, in Contempt of Her Royal Authority: How then do they deserve the Favour of the Government, who will not Obey Her Majesty in one of Her least, and most Christian Commands? But again,  
V Whereas the Laws of the Land not only enjoin the Ministers of the Establishment, but all Preachers and Teachers of separate Congregations, to Abjure the Pretended Prince of Wales; which both Conformists and Dissenting Protestants readily Obey. But as for the Quakers, they wholly refuse Subjection to the Laws in that Case made and provided, to the ill Example of Her Majesty's good Subjects. How then can they, without great Presumption, ask such singular Favours of the Government, who thus trample under Foot their Authority? But,  
VI Besides all this, altho' they are become a considerable Body of People, yet they will not personally assist Her Majesty, and the Kingdom, in this time of War: And that their being thus passed by with Impunity, 'tis presumed that many turn Quakers on that Account; so that for every Man that turns Quaker, the Queen loses an assisting Subject, whereby the Strength of the Kingdom is thereby weakened. And it is farther observable, that amongst the Quakers, there are no Cripples on that account, no Wooden Legs, Broken Arms, or Lost Limbs: But when there is any Advantage in Trade, procured by the War, no People upon the Earth are so ready to run and go to reap the Benefit of it; who thereby (like the Jews) enrich themselves. All which duly considered, what great Presumption is it in them to beg such Favours, (and such singular Ones too, as none but themselves have the Face to ask).  
Lastly, But besides all this, they are so uncharitable, as that they account all but themselves, from the Queen on the Throne, to the Beggar on the Dunghill, such Infidels, that they will neither marry or bury with Us; yea, they account that to be married with a Minister, is such an Abomination, that as their own Words are (in one of their Orders by me) It is a Dishonour to their Holy Profession: And that such of them as do, they deny them burial with them. How then can they expect from such as they account Infidels such singular Favours, without an unwarrantable Presumption? But for them to Request, as I am told they do, to have the Words [As in the Presence of Almighty God] left out, is such an unparallelled piece of Presumption, that none but a Quaker can be guilty of, especially considering that the most noted among them, George Whitehead for one, stands charged with declaring for Truth, that which he knew to be False, and that in a plain Matter of Fact, and that in more Instances than one.  
To conclude these brief Remarks; I grant, that in their late Prints, they sometimes will seem thankful to the Government for their Exemptions from those Obligations, that all Christians, both Conformists and Nonconformists, are obliged to, under certain Penalties. But to their Friends, in order to keep up their Pretences to Infallibility, and Prophetical Inspirations, they attribute these their Advances to the fulfilling of their own Prophecies, as I have showed in my Book above-noted. For when their Solemn Affirmations was first granted them, to be taken instead of a Formal Oath, and which was obtained by the frequent Solicitations, and other secret Methods of their Grandees. Yet this their Solemn Affirmation was by many of their Brethren, and still is (of which I am an Earwitness) accounted as bad as a Legal Oath, and that because of these Words, viz. As in the Presence of Almighty God. And thereupon complained, That their Friends George Whitehead, etc. had subjected their Testimony to Man's Will, contrary to their ancient Testimony: Upon which George Whitehead, etc. wrote an Epistle to satisfy their Scruples, (one of which I have by me) in which are these Words, viz. Let all now be thankful, that the Lord hath so tendered the Hearts of many in Authority, as to subject their Wills so far to Friends Entreaties.— Let none therefore count, or call this a subjecting our Testimony to the Will of Man, seeing God hath so far subjected Man's Will to our Christian Desire. And it is farther observable from this Epistle, in which they laboured to satisfy their Friends Scruples, touching their said Affirmation, that they quote not one Verse of Scripture, but the Books of Fox, Penn, and ten more of their Apostles; which is a Demonstration that it is as George Whitehead teaches in his Book, Truth Defending, etc. p. 7. That what is spoken by the Spirit of Truth in any, (meaning themselves) is of greater Authority than the Scriptures, viz. That they account their own Books of greater Authority than the Holy Bible. And since they have in Print denied our whole Religion, and declare they differ in the Foundation from all Christians in the World; it is Humbly hoped, that they shall not therefore be Privileged with Favour's above all the Queen's Subjects. Signed on the behalf of all Christian Churches, by  
FRANCIS BUGG.   

SOME REASON'S Humbly Offered against the Quakers Request, Touching ELECTIONS.