A Word to the Well-inclined OF ALL PERSUASIONS. Together with A Copy of a Letter from William Penn to George Keith, upon his Arbitrary Summons and Unjust Proceedings, at Turners-Hall, against the People Called Quakers.  


THis following Paper is intended for an Answer to George Keith's Notice of another Meeting at Turners-Hall, the 21. of the Month called April, 1698.  
We hope that the Wise and Judicious of all Persuasions, will both Approve our past Absence from such sort of Meetings, and our not Bowing to the like Proceedings, since their Tendency being rather to Profane than to Promote Piety and Charity, which ought to be the Chief End of all Truly Religious Assemblies: Which being said, as an Advertisement to them that Read this Paper, we now apply ourselves to you chiefly, that frequent Turners-Hall on these Occasions; since 'tis for your Sakes that we are Concerned, to take this Public Notice of what is done there; that it may appear to you, and such as may yet have a better Opinion of G. K. than he deserves, that we are in the Right, not to gratify him in complying with such Public Meetings of Strife and Confusion. And we must tell you freely, if you have any Just and Serious Regard for the Honour of Religion in general, we cannot see how you can do less than Discourage them, instead of Censuring us for declining them, and that for these Reasons following.  
1. That such Meetings are rarely to Edification, when even That is intended: But these are manifestly for Abuse, and to stir up Levity and Prejudice against us; and look more like a Bartholomew-Fair, or Stages of Buffonery, than Religious Assemblies; and as such, are understood and disowned by Impartial and Sober People.  
2. It is at the Instigation of a Man, who hath, of late, breathed out Revile and threatenings against us, since his Defection from his Ancient Principles, Practice, and Society, and is now become, not only Ungrateful, but Rude and Deceitful, as we have manifested in our Printed Answers to him, Unanswered by him.  
3. He began with Printing, and there we have followed him from step to step hitherto, leaving nothing material Unanswered, which we take to be the fairer, more substantial, and edifying Method.  
4. He is a Stray to this Day, that no known Religious Party Owns or lays Claim to, that we know of; and therefore not of W●ight enough for our Notice, after the Long-Suffering and Kind-Treatment we have expressed towards him, the Persecution we have suffered from him, and the many Books that have been written in Answer to his repeated and new-vampt Cavils against us.  
5. His Offers were not, nor now is, for Meeting by Agreement of both Sides, but for one upon his own Terms: He must Summons, Dictate and Impose, Time, Place, Matter, and Judges also, or it will not do with him.  
6. There could be no Reasonable and Just End proposed for such Meetings that might induce our Compliance, all Circumstances considered, since there was no Intimation of any Persons to be there, whose Tender Consciences wanted Satisfaction from us. And as for the Vindication of ourselves from such Exceptions as are made against us, it hath been fully done already in our Printed Answers to him. Wherefore it must only have been to have gratified the Envy and Levity of G. K. and a few other Prejudicated Persons: And we Value Religion, our Public Liberty, and Reputations at another rate, than to expose them after such an Ill and Trival manner.  
But yet again, that you may farther see what a Man G. K. is, and how little reason we have to take any more Notice of him, we Entreat you weigh these following Considerations, etc.  
1. There is no need that we Defend ourselves against his Charges and Exceptions, since himself has so often, and so well done it, when made by other Enemies. Pray see his Books, i. e. Immediate Revelation, etc. those against R. Gourdon, Scholars of Aberdeen, Baptists of London, and Priests and Professors of New-England and others.  
2. And as he hath repeatedly Vindicated our Doctrines as Scriptural, Primitive, and Christian; so has he Pledged his Inward Sense to Vouch for us as the People of God; at divers times pleading his Inward Sense of God's presence with him, in maintaining our Religion as Christian, and us as True Christians, in walking up to it. After which, what is to be said for such a Man, or what-more against him, with respect to his present Practices; For what greater Evidence of Union, Satisfaction and Concurrence can any Man give, than to declare, from an Inward Sense, given (as he said) by the Spirit of God, that we are the People of God; Which he hath often affirmed. And what greater Levity and Enmity, than to run Counter to us, and to Rally and Excite all sorts of Enemies against us, for only believing and adhering to the same Principles, and Preaching the same, and no other Doctrines, than such as we Believed and Preached, when he declared he had that Unity with us, and Inward Evidence for us.  
3. He has Endeavoured to render us as a People Divided, and as if the better part of us were with him, that he might expose them, the more, he chiefly strikes at, while he is Divided from us, for we know not of one in the Three Kingdoms, that was accounted in Unity with us at the time of his coming for England, (which is now about Four Years) that does adhere to him; notwithstanding the Clamour and Noise he has made, and the Dust he has raised to cloud the Reputation of our Profession.  
4. He Insinuates Mighty New Discoveries, to Vilify and Debase others, and as such his Work is Entertained and Improved by some Busy and Restless Adversaries; whereas in reality he is chiefly a Copy, not an Original, in that he says little material, but what has been said already by other Public Adversaries, many Years ago, and as often particularly Answered: So that here is in substance, no new thing, but what our Bitter Opposers threw at us above Twenty Years past, and which is now licked up by G. K. and again spit out at us to his own Shame and Confusion.  
5. But it seems the Force and Credit of this Pretended New Discovery, has been his Antiquity amongst us, which we say is the Aggravation of his Folly or Insincerity: For no Man of Common Sense can think, that one of his Pretensions to Learning and Religion, should be Thirty Years, in finding out what the Quakers were, or whether himself was a Quaker: Nor is it probable, That any Man in his right Mind, would Embrace so Decried, so Despised, and so Suffering a Persuasion, as the World knows ours has been, and yet be Ignorant of what he joined with, Preached up, Writ and Suffered for.  
6. The Two Persons Living, whom he mostly Vilifies, viz. G. W. and W. P. were his Orthodox Christians, and Dear Brethren, about Five Years passed in America, and then and there he urged the Orthodoxy of their Writings, to Justify himself; though now he perversely pretends to prove the same G. W. and W. P. Antichristian, etc. Wonder not therefore, Reader, if we think not this Man upon Equal Terms with us, or ourselves under the like Obligations to him, that we might be towards a fair Adversary, who, after our many Meetings with him, Patience towards him, and Pity for him, hath turned the Deaf Ear, and suffered his Pride, Passion, and Revenge, not only to render Fruitless all our Christian Endeavours towards him, but to become the Epitome and very Common-place of all the Malice of our preceding Adversaries.  
We pray God Almighty, to make him truly sensible of that fearful Lapse he is under, and of that Mystery of Iniquity that has wrought in him, to the Overthrow of the Good State of Mind he once knew amongst us; and which he hath (since this grievous Revolt) acknowledged he once Enjoyed in Fellowship with us, that so he may Repent, and receive Forgiveness for his Foul Prevarications, both with God and Man.  
Signed on the Behalf of those Concerned, by T. Story.   

The Sustance of this foregoing Paper was delivered in Print at his Meeting at Turners-Hall the last Year; and being sensible of the good Effect it then had with Persons Unprejudicate; it is thought fit to Reprint it, adapted to the present Occasion.    

A Copy of a Letter from William Penn.  
George Keith, Bristol, the 16th of the 2d Month, 1698.  
IT is ●●me Surprise, thou shouldst be unwilling, after thy many Summons and Challenges, to meet me at a Select Meeting in my particular Case, when thou seemest by thy General Letter, to propose a Select one for us All, that thou hast Summoned to appear at Turners-Hall.  
The Excuse thou givest, Looks to me not so Candid as might have been expected from a Man of thy pretences, since what Injury thou supposest I have done, might by the Report of such a Meeting have been Repaired, as Credibly as if a greater Number of Witnesses. For if thou art only to be Righted, as publicly as thou thinkest thou wert wronged, no less Number than what was there, if any other Persons, or Place aught to satisfy thee. But when thou callest to mind how publicly thou hast Staged and Condemned us, for the worst of Heretics, without any Limitation of Number, or Regard to Qualifications of Persons, or our Consent at all to such a Meeting, Citing us, Arraigning and Condemning us not only Arbitrarily, but without a Copy of our Indictment; naming to us neither the Subject of thy Exceptions, nor the Books out of which thou takest them, and less, the Passages attacked and oppugned by thee. But that which augments my Wonder, is, That for all the Wrongs, thou hast or may'st Commit against me, thou thinkest I aught to be satisfied with a Select Meeting of equal Choice, in order to Right me. Now I cannot understand, why it is not as Reasonable for me to propose a Select Meeting, equally Chosen, in order to hear thy Exceptions against me, as for thee to propose such an one, after thou hast, in my Opinion, Injured me, in order to make me Satisfaction? Is not Prevention better than the Difficulty of a Cure. But, wouldst thou be willing we should choose Arbitrators (as thou callest them) for thee, as thou hast done for us? Or, wouldst thou think us equal and fair (if we were to choose) to pick out those that have prejudged thy Case? That believe thee Erroneous, and that are of a Church that has persecuted thee, and who are of the Sentiment, if not of the Charity towards thee, that the Rattle-Snake Man is towards us. But by thy last Letter it seems to me, as if thou didst design not to have us present; and indeed in thy former Letters also, by making the Conditions so unequal; or, rather, in allowing us none at all, and so putting us beyond a possibility of complying with thee. For who was ever thought a fair Adversary, that refused the Persons charged any share about Time, Place, or Auditory? Or, a Copy of the Matters to be exhibited against them? Should we treat all sorts of Adversaries at this Rate, and every Party of Protestants one another, that have Differences, and Controversies about them; what a state of Confusion and Strife, as well as Injustice, would the Nation be in? But, I fear, thou carest not what thou dost, to be revenged upon some of the People called Quakers; and, indeed, upon all of them, and their Profession too, for their sakes, because they could not dissemble with their own Consciences, in winking at thy Proceedings; so unlike thy former Principles and Conduct, when thou wert as good a Man, and as much thyself, as thou hast been since every jot. O, George Keith! 'tis hard for thee to kick against all these Pricks! The Lord give thee Repentance, that through a deep and effectual Sorrow, thou may'st be forgiven thy very heinous Offences, and be restored to the Flock of God, that thou art so sadly gone astray from, if not too late. This is the fervent Desire of (I think, I may say) the most evilly entreated of all thy old Friends, and yet thy well-wishing Friend for all that,  
William Penn.   

LONDON, Printed and Sold by T. Sowle, next Door to the Meetinghouse in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-Street, and at the Bible in Leaden-Hall-Street, near the Market, 1698.