ment Tenacioufnefs of their own Opinions; their Bitternefs toward all who differ'd from them; their Impatience of Contradiction, and utter Want of Forbearance. even with their own Brethren.

But the grand Stumbling-block of all, was, their open avowed Separation from the Church; their rejecting fo many of the Doctrines and Practices, which the others accounted the moft facred; and their continual Invectives against the Church they feparated from, fo much sharper than Michael's Reproof of Satan.

Were there fewer Stumbling-blocks attending the Reformation in England? Surely no. For what was Henry the Eighth ? Confider, either his Character, his Motives to the Work, or his Manner of pursuing it! And even King Edward's Miniftry we cannot clear, of perfecuting in their Turns, yea and burning Hereticks. The main Stumbling also still remained, viz. open Separation from the Church.

7. Full as many were the Offences that lay in the Way of even the fincere Members of the Church of England, when the People called Quakers first profeffed, that they were fent of GOD to reform the Land. Whether they were or no, is befide our Queftion: It fuffices for the prefent Purpose to obferve, that over and above their open, avowed, total Separation from the Church, and their vehement Invectives against many of her Doctrines, and the whole Frame of her Difcipline: They fpent their main Strength in difputing about Opinions and Externals, rather than in preaching Faith, Mercy, and the Love of God.

In thefe Refpects, the Cafe was nearly the fame when the Baptifts first appeared in England. They immediately commenced a warm Difpute, not concerning the Vitals of Christianity, but concerning the Manner and Time of adminiftring one of the External Or dinances of it. And as their Opinion hereof totally differed from that of all the other Members of the Church of England, fo they foon openly declared their Separation from it, not without fharp Cenfures of those that continued therein..

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into the nethermoft Hell. Who is a wife Man, and endued with Knowledge among you? Let him think of this. Think of this, all that love your Country, or that care for your own Souls. If now especially you do not think of this one Thing, you have no Excufe before GoD or Man.

5. Little more Excufe have you, who are ftill in doubt concerning this Day of your Vifitation. For you have all the Proof that you can reasonably expect or defire, all that the Nature of the Thing requires. That in many Places, Abundance of notorious Sinners are totally reformed, is declared by a thoufand Eye and Ear-witneffes, both of their present and paft Behaviour. And you are fenfible, the Proof of fuch a Point as this, muft, in the Nature of Things, rest upon Teftimony. And that God alone is able to work fuch a Reformation, you know all the Scriptures testify. What would you have more? What Pretence can you have, for doubting any longer? You have not the leaft room to expect or defire any other, or any ftronger Evidence.

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I trust, you are not of those who fortify themselves against Conviction; who are refolved they will never believe this." They ask, "Who are these Men? We tell them plainly: But they credit us not. other and another of their own Friends is convinced, and tell them the fame thing. But their Anfwer is ready, Are you turn'd Methodist too?" So their Teftimony likewife goes for nothing. Now how is it poffible thefe fhould ever be convinced? For they will believe none but those who speak on one Side.

6. Do you delay fixing your Judgment, till you fee a Work of GOD, without any Stumbling blocks attending it? That never was yet, nor ever will. It must needs be, that Offences will come. And scarce ever was there fuch a Work of GOD before, with fo few as have attended this.

When the Reformation began, what mountainous Offences lay in the Way, of even the fincere Members of the Church of Rome? They faw fuch Failings in thofe great Men, Luther and Calvin! Their vehe

Why, I did once myself rejoice to hear (fays a grave Citizen, with an Air of great Importance) that fo many Sinners were reform'd, till I found they were only turn'd from one Wickedness to another; that they were turn'd from Curfing or Swearing, or Drunkenness, into the no lefs damnable Sin of Schifm.

Do you know what you fay? You have, I am afraid, a confufed Huddle of Ideas in your Head. And I doubt, you have not Capacity to clear them up yourself: nor Coolness enough, to receive Help from others.

However I will try. What is Schifm? Have you any determinate Idea of it? I ask the rather becaufe I have found, by repeated Experiments, that a Common English Tradefman receives no more Light, when he hears or reads "This is Schifm," than if he heard or

read

Bombalio, firidor, clangor, taratantara, murmur.

Honeft Neighbour, don't be angry. Lay down your Hammer, and let us talk a little on this Head.

You fay, "We are in the damnable Sin of Schifm, and therefore in as bad a State as Adulterers or Murderers.

I ask once more, what do you mean by Schifm? Schifm! Schifm! Why, it is feparating from the Church." Ay, fo it is. And yet every feparating from the Church to which we once belonged, is not Schifm. Elfe you will make all the English to be Schifmaticks, in feparating from the Church of Rome. "But we had juft Caufe." So doubtless we had; whereas Schifm is a caufelefs Separation from the Church of Chrift. far fo good. But you have many Steps to take, before you can make good that Conclufion, that a Separation from a particular National Church, fuch as the Church of England is, whether with fufficient Cause or without, comes under the Scriptural Notion of Schifm.

Şo

However, taking this for granted, will you aver in cool Blood, That all who die in fuch a Separation, that is, every one who dies a Quaker, a Baptift, an Independent or a Presbyterian, is as infallibly damn'd as if he

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deftroy it where-ever it does. In Part you prevail. You keep many from hearing the Word that is able to fave their Souls. Others who had heard it, you inducè to turn back from GoD, and to lift under the Devil's Banner again. Then you make the Succefs of your own Wickedness an Excuse for not acknowledging the Work of GOD! You urge "That not many Sinner: were reform'd! And that some of thofe are now as "bad as ever! "

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Whofe Fault is this? Is it ours? Or your own? Why have not Thousands more been reformed? Yea, for every one who is now turned to God, why are there not Ten thousand? Because you and your Affo ciates laboured fo heartily in the Caufe of Hell; becaufe you and they spared no Pains, either to prevent or to deftroy the Work of GOD? By ufing all the Power and Wisdom you had, you hinder'd Thousands from hearing the Gofpel, which they might have found to be the Power of GOD unto Salvation. Their Blood is upon your Heads. By inventing, or countenancing, or retailing Lies, fome refined, fome grofs and palpable, you hinder'd others from profiting by what they did hear. You are anfwerable to God for these Souls alfo. Many who began to taste the good Word, and run the Way of God's Commandments, you by various Methods prevailed on to hear it no more. they foon drew back to Perdition. But know, that for every one of thefe alfo, GoD will require an Account of you in the Day of Judgment !

So

34. And yet, in fpite of all the Malice, and Wif dom and Strength, not only of Men, but of Principalities and Powers, of the Rulers of the Darkness of this World, of the wicked Spirits in high Places; there are Thousands found, who are turn'd from dumb Idols, to ferve the living and true GOD. What a Harvest then might we have feen before now, if all who say, they are on the Lord's Side, had come, as in all reafon they ought, to the Help of the Lord against the Mighty? Yea, had they only not oppofed the Work of GOD, had they only refrained from his Meflengers; might not the Trumpet of GOD have been heard long fince in

26. "Nay (fay fome) but GoD is a God of Wisdom. And it is his Work, to give Understanding. Whereas this Man is one of them, and he is a Fool. You fee the Fruits of their Preaching. No, my Friend, you don't. That is your Mistake. A Fool very poffibly he may be. So it appears by his Talking, perhaps Writing too. But this is none of the Fruits of our Preach-, ing. He was a Fool, before ever he heard us. We found and are likely to leave him fo.

There

fore his Folly is not to be imputed to us, even if it continue to the Day of his Death. As we were not the Caufe, fo we undertake not the Cure of Disorders of this Kind. No fair Man therefore can excuse himself thus, from acknowledging the Work of GOD.

Perhaps you will fay, "He is not a Natural Fool neither. But he is fo ignorant! He knows not the first Principles of Religion. It is very poffible. But have Patience with him, and he will know them by and by. Yea, if he be in earnest to fave his Soul, far fooner than you can conceive. And in the mean time, neither is this an Objection of any Weight. Many when they begin to hear us, may, without any Fault of ours, be utter Strangers to the whole of Religion. But this is no incurable Difeafe. Yet a little while and they may

be wife unto Salvation.

Is the Ignorance you complain of among this People (you who object to the People more than to their Teachers) of another Kind? Don't they "know, how in Meeknefs to reprove or inftruct thofe that oppose themselves ? " I believe what you fay: Many of them do not: They have not put on Gentleness and Long-fuffering. I wish they had: Pray for them that they may that they may be mild and patient toward all Men. But what if they are not? Sure you do not make this an Argument that God hath not fent us? Our Lord came, and we come, not to call the Righteous, but Sinners to Repentance: Paffionate Sinners, (fuch as thefe whereof you complain) as well as thofe of every other Kind. Nor can it be expected they fhould be wholly delivered from their Sin, as foon as they begin to hear his Word. 27. A greater Stumbling-block then this is laid before you, by thofe that fay and do not. Such I take it

for