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Show The AuTlion's Ll FE.: VoL. I. 14-:l 169). , cumft3nces? Let him know then, that I did not only i\ever write fuch a V""v"'V ' Pamphlet, but I am fure that I do not remember ~b~t I ever read one of ' fuch a Title, or heard of it; nor was I _of tha.r Pnnciple, and therefore I ' return the Civility of his Conclufion to htm agam; for I thank God, I was ' always fo muc!t for Civil f:..ib.erriu, that I thought no Man ought to lofe ' them for his Religious Pnnczplcs, and farther that they wer~ ne.ver to be f fecured by this orthat Man, but by~ Good a.nd Equal Co!fflitunon of Go' vernment, as fame Pa~ers by me, whtch I ~nt at tha~ T1me, as well as ' diverfe Perfons yet livmg of good Repu~atton_, can evtd~nc~ for. me. · ' The aforefaid Author alfo charges htm With Prevanc~tmg tn rbe fat_( .R · and fhewing an inumperate Zeal f(ir a boundlefs Lzberty of ConJCJ .. e;~n'&c To which he fays ' In this he would be Charitable, but let him ~"firh be.Juft. If there wer~ no Prevarications, the~ there is no Need of ' an Intemperate Zeal for Liberty to thadow, or reconcile them to my former 'Principia; and I am fo much a Fiiend to him ~nd _his Brethren, that_l ' with them free from all Intemperance and Prev.artcatzons to~, an~ that m ' all Reigns: And if it be poffible, or worth Whtle to r.econc1le htm ~etter ' to my Condufi, let him perufe my Great Cafe of Lzberty of Confetence, ' printed 1671 and my Letter to the Statu of Embden 1672, and my Pre· 'Jent State a/England 167), and he will find I was the fame Man th~n, ' and aB:ed by the fame Principl~s: Not more int~mperate .in the Reign ' that favoured it than in the Retgn I cpntended wuh that dtd not favour ' it : And no Ma~ but a Perfecutor_, which I coun_t a .Be aft of Pre!, and a ' declared Enemy to Mankind, can wnhout great InJufiice or Ingratttude re' proa.ch that Part I had in King James's Court. For I think, I may :lay ' without Vanity upon this Provotatian; I endeavoured at leaft to do fome ' Good at my own Coft, and would have been glad to have done more": ' 1 am very fure, I intended, and. I thin~, I did Harm to n~ne, neither Par· ' ties nor private Perfons, my own Fam1ly excepted, for whtch I doubt not ' this Author•s Pardon~ fince he fhews himfelf fo little concerned for the . ~ Mafterof it. . . . Jle iiprefent About the latter End of the Summer thts Year, he agam went down mto •ftt Di[puutt the Wefi of England, and was prefent in the 8th Month at a ,Difpute held 1ttelklham. at .Melkjham in Wiltfoire, between one John Plympton a Baptift, and John Clark a !l.uaker. The Baptifl had dar'd the ~uakers to a Corlference on Ftve Heads, viz. 1. The Univerfality of Grace. 2. Baptifm. 3· The S:'pper. 4· Perfe8ion. I• The Rifurrefbon. John C/orl< notably anfwel'd hiS ObjeCtions. but Plympton continuing to cavil againft the Plaineft Scripture Proofs ~ven when the Auditors were fatisfied, would not be £lent. The Eveni~g app~oaching, and William Pen!' finding hirnfelf unde! a Concern ~o bear his Tefitmony to the T R U1' H m that Affembly, termmated the Dtfpute by an open and free Declaration, which the Auditory received with fingular Attention; and he concluded the Meeting .with Prayer. :A lArge Meet- On the J)th of the 9th Month a Meeting was appointed at Wellr, and a ing•rWells large Room at an Inn, with a Balcony next the Street was taken for that ~~:;P? Jbe Purpofe; and the Bifhop duly certified of the fame. The RoOm was quick~ 1 r er. ly filled and there was alfo a great ConcourJe of People in the Street; fo that fo~ the Conveniency of his Double Auditory, W. P. plac'd himfelf in the Balcony, and thence preached to the People; but in the Midft of his Declaration came.Officers from the Mayor with the following Warrant, viz. Woffr.cnt[r6• rkM.tJorof ~ell$. We01 City and}. To the Con!lables, Verderors, and Serjeants at Burrough. . Mace, of the faid City. W Herem William Penn andfeveral others called Quakers 11re now rio· touj/y and unlaw/uUy a.ffembled and gathered t~gerber in t1JH Cir.y, and the Jaid William Penn is now Preachint or Teaching man Houfe not hc~nfe4 according to the late J1J1 of Parliament. Thefe are therefore in His 1l1a;efties ]\/aTilt VoL. I. The AuT H o n's LIFE. lfj }l~me to reg11ire you to take the Jai~ William Penn, and hi11J immediate/ tO bn.ng before II:! to anfwer the Premifes. Given under our Hands and leat:r ~ tim 15th Doy of November, 1695. Matthew Baron, .iHayor. William Salmon. The Officers rudely officious, though defired to tarry till he had ~0 .forc:d him away infiantly ?efore the Magifhates; wlio upon Examin~ti~~ findtng the Houfe was certtfied, and that by difturbing a lawful for an un· lawful Affembly, they had o~erfl_lot ~hemfelves, excus'd the Matter as well as they could, and pref~ntly dtfm1fi h1m ; having done jufi enough to rn::ml~ feft the Keennefs of t~etr Stomachs for the old Work of Devouring, in that ~~;'ra~~~dh~~tbi~~rt~~ t'reo:. whemng their Teeth again, after the All of About this Time, the People called ~Jiaker.r· foliiciting the Parliament in the .Cafe ofqaths, w: P. prefenred to the Houfe of Commons, before whom a Blll for theu Eafe was then depending, the following Paper, viz. To the Honourable Houfe of C 0 M M 0 N S. .A Few Words mwe their Perufal, upon Occafion of th• BiU to <J'tufa tile People caUed Q.uakers from Swearing. : T H AT the Requeft of ~he People called .f&d!<m may he Indulged , by the Memhers of this Honourable Haufe, it is humb'lV prcipoft;:d , to t~e~ to confider the Narure and Fulnefs of the Security they offer and If It be found to amount to the Weight and Value of an Oath it·; ' ~ohd there will be no Difficulty in accepting it in Lieu of an Oath. IS , he Pledge that every Man upo_n Oar.h gives of his Truth is his Soul; he mean~ that God lhould deal wuh lum according to the T th f h · : Affir~auve or Negative given by hiri:t in the Name of God. Naw0 th;: , the. fatd People do as much, viz. Th:tt t~ey pledge their Souls too in thetr Way; that they mean the fame Calltioti whh rllcm ihat Swear ~ d 'are under the fame Reverence in th.eir fimple and folemn'.Ayor 7f ' "a ' therefore giveth~ fame Security; I fhall beg this Honourable Ho~fe30 ' confider three Thmgs: to ' Fir.ft, That this People make it an Article of their Faith and Pr:1El:ice : and a great .Part of their Charafrerifiick, Not to Swear at all: They' think , (whether mtfiaken or no) that the Righreoufn~fs of ChriiHanhY does not , Need _qr ufe .an _Oath; fo that. You have thetr Religion, in the high eft ~xerctfes of tt? 10 Human Affaus, for Your Security. , Secondly, That they have· often, and at very dear Rates, prov'd to the , World t_hey Mean what_they Say.; . ~nee :hey have frequently Chofen to lofe. thetr Eftates; and he and die In J:ul, rather then Save the 0 : Deliver the <;>rh~r, by devia.ting frol!l their Principle; and fince i;efu~~ , Cafes, Integnty IS t~e Sefullty all atm at, it is hard to conceive which . , Way any Man can &tve a greater; nor are they fo infenftble, as not to , know th~t Untruth m. the~, after this great Indulgence, · is a more a ra· , vated Cm~e than PerJury tn others; fince rhey excufe themfelves f~om , ~~~s~weanng, by a Profeffion of an exaCler Simplicity and g1eater Shiff· , ' ~aftly, T~cy Humbly ~ope, that being to fuffer for Untruth as for , P~rJury, t~etr Requefi wtll not be uncafie; fince they fubject their Intc;- . , gnty tQ Tr~~l, upon the hazard of . a Correction, that it iO much greater , than rhc l"'ature of the Offence, m the Eye of the Liw would bear , ~ec them then, pray,_Speak in their own Way; and ifFalfe,' be PunHh'd i~ , Seours. And fince this Honourable Houfe has teftified an excelling Zea1 to _ cure the Rights and Priviledges of that Great Body They Repr<;fent, : thff Hepre[amto thtHoufoof Commont•P,.. ptrt01ttmting .r-fltving. |
