them, thofe controverfial books which are principally defigned, and any ways calculated, to lead the reader to attend to their connected and real meaning, must be esteemed the most interesting and edifying.. If the following treatise be not compofed for this pur pofe, and formed to anfwer, by the bleffing of God, this end, it is owing to an error in judgment, and contrary to the fincere intention of the Author.

Justice to myself and cause, makes it needful for me to observe, that there is as little of perfonal reflection in the following work, as the nature of the fubjects treated of would admit. It was indifpenfibly neceffary to be fomewhat perfonal, in examining the pretenfions of Fox and Barclay to an immediate and extraordinary commiffion from God. For, every man laying claim to the infallible fuperintendency of the Deity, and recommending his fyftem to the attention of mankind, with an unfhaken confidence that he has received it by the inspiration of the Holy Ghoft, does, by this very pretenfion, call upon all, not only to examine his principles, but his temper, character, and actions; and, if they fee any thing in them inconfiftent, abfurd, and unworthy the infpired fervants of God, their reflections muft unavoidably be perfonal, and, it is acknowledged, very mortifying to these men, who would, without fufficient credentials, be thought the peculiar favourites of Heaven, and the unerring Preachers of Truth and Righteoufnefs: But, no judicious reader will deem this unfair or illiberal, because it makes an effential part of the fubject to be debated.

In my Reply to the Author of a Letter to Dr. Formey, I do not recollect any unhandfome reflections upon that decent and elegant writer : But, Mr. Phipps, as an Author, is a different fort of character.. I have

not

not therefore fcrupled, in fome places, to retort a few of his rude and violent expreffions upon himself; and, to convince him I am not afraid of the fcourge of his fevere pen, I have frequently given him a little of that wholesome correction, which his affected fuperiority, as well as arrogant and contemptuous treatment of his opponent, truly deserved.

With regard to the Quakers, we readily acknowledge, they are now a refpectable body of men in civil fociety; and we would by no means depreciate their excellencies, as the enemies of Prieftcraft, and the friends of liberty, religious and civil. Nor would we deny that there are many among them who deteft hypocrify, mean artifice, and almoft every fpecies of intemperance and difhonesty. With pleasure we can bear the following teftimony to feveral of them: We know them to be honourable, as well as honeft, in their dealings, charitable to the poor, conscientious obfervers of relative duties, and confiftent in following, with zeal, their religious principles: However, a perfon, we think, must have a very contracted mind, and be remarkably ignorant of all authentic hiftory, not to know and confefs, that there are men of all religions in the world, whether Jewish, Mahometan, Pagan, or Popifh, who are diftinguished for charity, temperance, probity in their dealings, focial virtues, and conftant piety, according to the require-. ments of their refpective fyftems. But, will it from hence follow, their religious creeds are true? Can it with any certainty be inferred, from their worthy Conduct in civil life, that they know the true character of God, and worship him aright? If so, then Mahometanifin, Paganifm, and Popery, may be deemed, with fafety, religious fyftems, conformable to the divine nature and will, fince there are fome perfons among those who profess each of them, that are

truly

truly amiable for many virtues, which conduce much to the happiness of civil communities. i

We acknowledge, that no man pretending to be a faithful difciple of Jefus, according to the New Teftament, can justify this his pretenfion, to any per fon acquainted with that book, without fervent piety a venerable regard for that divine worship which is prefcribed by the express doctrines and precepts of Chrift, and a hearty and conftant obfervance of perfonal, focial, and civil, virtues : But, no confiderate dif ciple of Jefus will pretend to infer, from hence, that every man who is temperate, honeft, decent, and a worthy member of fociety, as well as a zealous wor fhipper of an invifible Being or Beings, muft, therefore have received the genuine principles of Chriftianity, or be governed by religious fentiments which are truly conformable to the revealed will of God.

Thefe obfervations I thought proper to make, in order to show the reader, that no conclufion can be drawn, that a perfon's religion is certainly divine, be cause it leads him to cultivate what all men call mora lity, or what many of the religious term devotion and piety. For, though there cannot be any religion from God, that does not influence his children to love him fupremely and their neighbours as themselves, and confequently to obferve frequent devotion, and the most refined morality, both perfonal and focial; yet every religion of any note, profeffedly inforces the ob.. fervance of thofe duties in civil communities, which are neceffary for the peace, harmony, and happiness, of fociety. Hence it is we find some perfons, amiable. in their tempers, pure in their manners, juft in their dealings, ftrict in their devotion, and compaffionate to the diftreffed, that are ignorant of genuine Christianity, and very averfe to attend to the evidence for its divine authority.

Perfons

- Perfons of these characters are fome times not only more virulent in oppofing the plain fenfe of the New Teftament, than many of the licentious and prophane, but better able to object to the humbling doctrines of the Son of God, with fome degree of credit and fuccefs, because countenanced, as it were, by their regular manners and decent lives. What I have here obferved will furnish us with a reason, I apprehend, why the virtuous Seneca, the exemplary Plotin, and the no less eminent philofopher Porphyry, and numerous others from among the Stoics and later Platonists, who were in civil life temperate, honest, amiable, and learned, continued, throughout their lives, to reject, and, many of them, violently to oppofe, the divine, doctrines of Jefus and his Apoftles.

Whoever attends to thefe remarks, which are confirmed by historical facts and the experience of all ages, will readily acknowledge, that though the Quakers juftly claim the character of being honeft and peaceable neighbours, and are feverely ftrict and devout in their modes of fpeech, dress, and worship; it will not therefore follow, that their religion is conformable to the New Teftament, nor can it be with any juftice inferred from hence, that he who confcientiously examines and oppofes the principles of their renowned champion Barclay, muft therefore be actuated by motives that are contrary to the genuine and pacific fpirit of Christianity; which the Obfervator in feveral places feems plainly to infinuate.

I have no perfonal quarrel with any Quaker, and would indulge no difpofition to hurt them, were it in my power, in their perfons, fubftance, or reputation, as members of fociety; and I fhould think it a moft painful and diftreffing scene, to fee then, or those who are deemned heretics, or even open and avowed b

Deifts,

Deifts, oppreffed by the inforcement of penal ftatutes, whilft they injure no man's property, perfon, or liberty! The views I have of Chriftianity induce me to think, no perfon who properly understands and is truly in fluenced by it, can be a perfecutor or oppreffor of any, not even of those, who, with the greatest virulence and cahimny, oppofe it. Sirro ali

Mr. Phipps fhould have been replied to long e're now, had not the death of a dear and valuable rela tive thrown more than ufual indifpenfible bufinefs upon me, which neceffarily prevented me from attending to the controverfy. This alone has been the cause of my! delay, and not any apprehenfions, though fome have intimated the contrary, that my objections to the Apologift were not, upon the whole, founded on

truth.

་

And now I mention Mr. Phipps, I would take the liberty of hinting to him, that if he attempts to write again in defence of his friend Barclay, and Thould be able, with the affiftance of any of his friends, to point out the defects of his opponent's performance, I will Hold myfelf ready to receive any true information from him, and fhall be ever willing to rectify any mistakes. For, in whatever particulars truth fhould make him victorious over me, I do really think, it will be fo far from being a difgraceful fubmiffion, that it will be my honour and glory, to acknowledge openly the victory. But, I muft beg leave to obferve one thing to him: There is no argument fo conclufive, no writing fo guarded, nor any confutation of an error fo clear, but what a captious obfervator might twist and pervert, and fo render it obfcure, to the fuperficial reader of his own performance. Inttead then of writing loose obfervations upon detached pieces, let him ftand forth, to the public, as an ingenuous artlefs man, and

either