A LETTER FROM An English Reform Quaker, To his Friend in Scotland of the same Persuasion: With the Answer and Reply thereto.  
MY Friends, I once shown myself bend and courageous for your Principles; yea not only so, but counted you the only Apostles of our Land: But being now by the grace of God convinced of your evil Practices, Diabolical Opinions, and Erroneous Ways, I cannot but in Conscience tell you the reasons why I now leave and departed from your Society, and am convinced, that no well grounded person in the Principles of Religion, and even those of your own Faction will discommend me therefore▪ after a serious and impartial trial of these few following Reasons▪ But multiplicity of words being vanity, I proceed to the thing intended; And it is this,  
First, Whether or not do ye own the Scriptures to be the Word of God▪ Ye say, ye do own them to be such; yet notwithstanding whereof ye deny part of them. But Secondly, Ye are worse than the Papists; For we cannot charge them with such a defection from the Scripture, as we can charge you with; for ye own part of your Translation, and other Part thereof ye deny, notwithstanding of the curse that is pronounced against Adders to the Scriptures, or Parers therefrom, which saith, Cursed is he that addeth or taketh from the Scriptures, for his name shall be taken out of the Book of Life. But the Papists they own their whole Translation, and addeth nothing thereto, nor pareth nothing therefrom; yet that part of the Scriptures which ye own, ye altogether misconstruct, and take it in as literal a sense, as if the Scriptures were not at all mysterious; But if we take them in so literal a sense, they shall seem contradictory the one part thereof to the other. As for example, when our Saviour was accused and mocked by the high Priests and Elders, he answered nothing; and when he was beat in the high Priests Hall, he checked his smiters, saying, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me? Which places conform to the Literal sense thereof, seem contradictory as aforesaid.  
Secondly, I shall treat upon brotherly love, as the first part of your misconstructions, instituted by our Saviour himself, in that 5 Chapter of that Epistle of St. Paul directed to the Ephesians, Verse 2. Which saith, Walk in love, even as I have loved you. But I understand not what sort of love this can be of yours, that suppose a man should beat you, scandalise your honest name and reputation, defraud you of your goods, and seek to invade your persons, yet ye will not at all reprove him; whereas God himself expressly commanded the contrary, saying, Leviticus 19 17. Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him, and Christ's own Warrant for reproof in the above-cited place: But the right Interpretation of brotherly love is, before ye avenge yourself of your Neighbour, rather suffer a double injury, remitting your Cause to God, who, saith St. Paul, Rom. 12. 19 Vengeance is mine, and I will repay it.  
Thirdly, Quaeritur, Whether or not ye deny the two Sacraments? I know by my own Experience that ye do so. I shall begin with the First, viz. Baptism, which serves 10. For washing and purifying us from our sins, Mat. 28. 19 20. A Sign and Seal for engrafting us into Christ, Gal. 3. 27. And Christ's own Warrant for it, saying, Go ye thorough all Nations, Baptising them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  
Fo●●thly, Ye deny also the Lords Supper▪ therefore I shall speak a little to that Point likewise, which is this, viz. We have Christ's own Warrant for it, 1 Cor. 11. 23, 24, 25, 26. which saith, That the same night wherein he was betrayed he took bread, and after he had given thanks, broke it, and said, Take ye, eat ye, this is my body, which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the Cup when he had supped, saying, This Cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for the sins of many; this do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me, etc.  
Fifthly, What say ye anent not giving Thanks for your daily Food; Christ was not of your mind, for he gave Thanks when he broke Bread, as is expressly set down in the above-cited place. I would only ask you, whether you merit any such thing at God's hands, or not? If ye do not, then consequently ye are the most ungrateful people in the World, who will not so much as give God thanks for your sustenance.  
Sitxhly. What say ye anent women's Preaching, I find one express Word to the contrary, 1 Timothy 2. 11. 12. Suffer not a Woman to Teach, but to be in silence, and learn with all submission, etc. As likewise, ye suffer all Persons to Preach, although never so Illiterate▪ Whereas the contrair is expressed, in Deut. 17. chap. 9 11, 12, and 13. verses. As also the Word of GOD is to be preached by those that are sufficiently Gifted.  
Seventhly, Ye deny giving Honour to any Person; But Jacob was not of your Opinion, when he met with Isaac, he embraced, and saluted him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, Gen. 33. chap. and verse 4.  
Now my Friends, 
 Ye see how I have numbered up some few Errors out of many, but I content myself with those few, which may be ●●fficient (if God will) to reclaim you from your Errors, recall you from your Apostasy; and as if it were to give Divorce to that evil Spirit, which hath too long possessed you; for if ye continue in that Diabolical opinion of yours, I can liken you to no other thing than Wolves in Lambs Skins, Monsters that destroys all that is Sacred both in Heaven and Earth, and tears all in order to Salvation. Therefore ye should try the Spirit, whether it be of God or of Belial. I would we were all of one mind, and that God would break in upon your hard and stony hearts, and sow the good seed of the Word therein, that ye may turn unto him: But if ye will not turn while the voice is calling, Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die? But continue in your perverse ways, God that made you will not save you, but cast you out of his sight for ever. Therefore, my Friends, prevent that ●ourse by speedy repentance, and say with holy Job, If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more. Sir, I rest,  
Your most humble Servant, J. L.   

Answers to that Letter presented by some of the Clergy against us.  
Friend,  
YE talk, that ye once was a Man bend upon our Principles and counted us (as ye say yourselves) the only Apostles of our Land; and ye say, that ye cannot but departed from our Society, upon the account of some few alleged Errors, of our Profession, which thou hast Summed up in a Sheet of Paper, and in the Conclusion of it, thou tells us: That if we abide in this Diabolical Opinion of ours, thou can liken us to no other thing than Wolf's in Lamb's Skins; and a Monster, that destroys all that is Sacred, both in Heaven and Earth, and Tears all to Pieces, in Order to Salvation; By which Sentence and Expression of your Folly, thou hast committed an high Sin against God, and hast put a shame upon that Opinion which thou dost profess; as if we could ascend up unto Heaven, and take it by force, (if we may so speak) and thou likewise sayest, that we are this day an Angel of Light, and to Morrow a Beelzebub: which Expression, ought rather to be spoken against yourselves, than against us, for ye are always Various in your mind, and can never content yourselves with one and the same Principle, but altars many things in the same; whereas we are the same Church to day that we were a thousand years since; As also ye say, that suppose a Man should beat us, scandalise our honest Name and Reputation, and defraud us of our Goods, etc. We will not at all reprove him; Whereas we have Christ our Saviour his own example for the same, as is evident, and clearly appears in that 27. chap. of his Gospel, written by St. Matthew, 12, 13, and 14 verses of that Chapter, which says, That when he was accused, and mocked of the high Priests and Elders, he answered them nothing &c. And in like manner, in that Fifth Chapter of St. Matthew at 13. v. of that Chapter, he sayeth, Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheeck, turn to him the other also. And sicklike, ye charge us with defection from the Scriptures, and calls us worse than the Papists, because ye say, we own part of your Translation, and denys other parts thereof, but they own their whole Translation, which speaks forth evidently against yourselves; and by the same ●eans ye prove yourselves worse than them. I say no more, but wish you may turn you from your folly, and turn you to the good old way, and we shall be one People, as there is but one Shepherd.  
Your Assured Friend G. H.   

A Reply to the above-written Answer.  
FIrst when I set Pen to Paper, and Compiled my last Treaty in form of a Letter, (which is a short View of some few Errors of that Sectary called Quakers, but if I have passed any thing in it, I hope the Reader will be Candid, and judge Discreetly of the same, considering the Indisposition of the Author) and I thought not it should be laid open to the View of the whole World, but by reason of an confused and insignificant Answer which I have received, made and composed by some of their own Faction, not proceeding orderly, but first coming to the Conclusion, and then to some few Paragraphs thereof, whereby they may get some little shadow of Scripture at they pretend to, albeit strictè loquendo ut antea pr●d●o●tur, ye shall find the Places which they have cited literal sensu sumpia Nonsense, (if I may so speak) as is above-specified, therefore I have been forced to add this following Reply▪ wherein till (by God's Grace and Assistance) I shall orderly proceed, and add the Reply ●s following.  
As to the first Paragraph, Which is the Doctrine of Non Reprobation, Ye say, That ye have our Saviour Christ his own Example and Warrant therefore▪ which if holden as a part of your Religion, it will make the Scriptures contradictory the one part thereof to the other; as for Example, When our Saviour was accused, abused, and mocked by the High-Priests and Elders, he answered them nothing; and when he sayeth, whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also▪ notwithstanding when he was smitten in the High-Priests-Hall, he checked and reproved his Smiters, saying, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me; which places seems contradictory to the other, conform to the Literal Sense thereof; but strictè considerando & figurative loquendo eadem significant, as is above rehearsed.  
As to the second, ye say, That ye can destroy nothing that is Sacred, neither in Heaven or Earth, Whereas by your evil ways, ye draw others from the Faith, and Deludes yourselves, and thereby heaps up Wrath against the day of Wrath to fall upon yourselves, and adds Fuel to Hell's Fire.  
Thirdly, Ye say that ye were the same Church 1000 years since that ye are yet, whereas the Errors, which have risen up in the Church, which ye do thereby defile, we find were not come in at the six Century, neither was the Church ever governed by Quakers.  
Fourthly, Ye say we Confute ourselves in this Point, viz. That ye are worse than the Papists, because ye do own part of our Translation and denies another part thereof. To which I Reply▪ That seeing the Papists have a Translation, although somewhat different from ours, yet owns the whole therein contained, in that respect they are better; but ye owning part of your Translation, and another part thereof denying, ye are much worse than them in that respect. But seeing every Person, though never so Illiterate▪ doth Confute your Errors, I with the Eastern Churches do leave you (seeing I can prevail nothing) to wallow in your Filthiness; and I Protest, and take God to be my Witness, I would by the Grace and Assistance of God have reclaimed you▪ and did endeavour as far as in me lay to heal your Back-slidings, but ye hated Instruction and refused to be Informed; and so I fear, that that Word is fulfilled on you, which sayeth, He that is filthy, let him be filthy still.  
FINIS