MANY have been the Adversa­ries, both of us and our Holy Profession; some of whom not being Contented to Oppose us, only in Point of Doctrine, wherein we differ from them; but rather than not Re­proach us enough, have taken Liberty to Misrepresent us, with holding Errors which we deny, and have not yet been proved upon us.

But in all this Opposition, God that has called us into his Living Way, and Worship, hath at all times Effectually [Page 4] Qualified some in our days, as he did in Primitive times; for the defence of the Gospel; by which means our Adver­saries of that kind, are better Informed or Defeated.

But our Grand Enemy, Envying our Peace, not being Contented to see Sion Prosper, hath by his Subtil devices, be­gotten in Some (from among our selves), First, a Coldness to Truth it self, and from thence, a letting go Charity to their Brethren, which have Led them in­to Envy, and Bitterness; Fruits that of late more especially have been brought forth; and so much Resembles Cain's Nature, that as much as in them lyes, would slay the Reputation (at least) of their Brethren; even as he did the Na­tural Life of his Brother; and which is worse, I fear for the same Reason too.

Now, that which Leads me to the fore­going, was upon Perusal of a late Pam­phlet, Subscribed G. W. Called, Some­thing by way of Reply, unto a Paper lately Published in the Citty Mercury, Signed by Twenty Four Men, being also a sort of a Vindication of a former of the same [Page 5] kind, Subscribed D. S. The tenour of which Paper, Signed by those Twenty-Four was to detect D. S's. abusive Work, who in the Name of the Chri­stian Quakers, would Insinuate Guilt (up­on many Honourable Brethren, most of whom long since are deceased) as Charg­ed by F. B. and other malicious A­postates, most, if not all, of which Ca­lumnies, have been heretofore answered, and our Friends Vindicated.

But such is the Humour of our Present Adversaries, that rather than not be doing, they will not only Dig up the Graves of such, but Rake in their Ashes, whose Me­mory, even to some of themselves, since Bu­ried, have, I make no Question, been Pre­cious to them.

I shall now leave Generals, and pro­ceed to a Particular Observation on this Pamphlet, Signed G. W. who in his first page saies, Viz. I know not who was the Au­thor, i. e. D. S. Neither do I Pretend to Justifie all that he has said therein. At this rate another of the same kind may come out Subscribed T C. disowning [Page 6] that he knows Either, nor will he Justifie them in all they say; so that we are, & like to be traduced by a sort of Lurking Ad­versaries, who by smiting in the dark, are accountable to no Visibles; but how­ever, he that is Invisible beholds them, who will not let them escape the reward of that Evil work, without they Re­pent.

In his Third page saith, Viz.—But that You should be so Impertinent first to put on your selves the Name of Christian Quakers, &c. In answer whereto I appeal to the Im­partial; whether it is not more pertinent for Twenty-Four Men, that are known to have been of that Perswasion for ma­ny Years, to Sign on behalf of that People, rather than a Nameless Author to do it, and yet he Complains, would any thing but Gross Folly and Ignorance, be guilty of such Weakness.

Again, in his 4th. page says, And In­deed if you Could make the World believe, that the Christian Quakers could give forth no Christian Testimonies, without your leave as you would Insinuate, &c. Here again, I do appeal as before, desiring the Can­did [Page 7] Reader to peruse that small Paper Signed by the Twenty-Four, who doubt­less would find the Genuine Sense there­of, to intend no other, than whereas D. S. had Imposed upon the World a false Libel, in the Name of the Christian Quakers; they holding themselves to be of that Society, were willing to undeceive such as might be misled by it; assuring them, that that Book was not Printed by Direction, or Approbation, of that People; therefore 'twas Requisite that some, known among them, should Clear themselves, and Brethren, from that Imposture.

Then again in the same page he revi­lingly Suggests, that the Twenty-Four are no Christians, where he says; It is Possible some might have thought you to have been of that Christian Society, but now your works have absolutely denied it; with much more of the same kind in that page; and all for disowning that Book Signed by D. S. and no other reason known to us: Doth this Malicious Author endea­vour to Un-Christian us? And for our Satisfaction, in the 5th. page gives a Chal­lenge [Page 8] on behalf of himself, &c. Viz. But if any Christian People should Question the truth of these Charges hinted at, and elsewhere more at large; we do offer publickly to prove the greatest part of them, in any publick place convenient, to the faces of these Twenty-Four Men, &c.

In this he is somewhat Modest, by saying, the greatest part, which Na­turally Implies the lesser he cannot prove, yet not so modest neither, but that he is more Liberal to Charge us in the dark, than he so much as pretends to prove to our faces. Then again, who is this we that makes this offer, surely it must be D. S. and himself; in the most Natural Sense of that place Cited, although un­known, as he before said; and how these unknown Brethren should know how to meet with each other, and we that known Neither to meet with them both, I cannot tell; and which is worse, when they do meet, tis more then Pro­bable they will not agree; for G. W. says he doth not Pretend to Justifie all D. S. has said, for, but however, as of [Page 9] Old, with Herod and Pilate, they a­greed in Condemning the Innocent.

My task in this (sober Reader) has been to discover the Insincerity, and Disingenu­ity of this G. W. but that of D. S, as well as in General, he is disowned in the Name of that Christian People by the Twenty-Four; he is also more particularly an­swered by our Friend Robert Bridgman, to which I refer for Satisfaction, in Re­ference to D. S. and to the particular Calumnies, in both our Occult Adver­saries; I do recommend thee to the Books following, Viz. The Quakers Vindi­cation, in on Sheeet, given to the Parlia­ment against F. Bugg's Calumnies. And Innocency Triumphant over In­tolency also; The Counterfeit Convert, a Scandal to Christianity, and the Certificate therein annext to the Preface; likewise the Iust Inquiry into the Li­bellers Abuse, all by George Whitehead. And for answer to his Six page about Jeptha's Daughter and Micah's Mother, I refer unto Tho. Ellwood, Antidote, Chap. 8. Sect. 1. from p. 205. to 210, and Sect. 5. [Page 10] p. 214, 215. For it would be unreasona­ble to suppose, we should as often make re­peated Replies, as our Adversaries pleasure is to repeat Charges upon us, long since an­swered, and refuted; so that we shall rest Satisfied, in that Care already has been taken, to Vindicate our Innocent Brethren, knowing that no Candid Reader will Judge them Guilty, without exami­ning whether true or false, especially since they are now reminded and recom­mended to the abovesaid Books.