1697. have called it a foul and falfe Reply) to T. Ellwood's Anfwer. And in his Epiftle fays, he ' has omitted nothing that is material. I fuppofe he means, that he has omitted nothing which 'he thought might tend to abuse and defame 'the Quakers and me; for that he has omitted 'the most material Parts of my Book, and thrust in many Paffages, idle, impertinent, false and wholly foreign to the Subject, only that he might mifreprefent, ridicule and flander us, I shall have Occafion hereafter, by plenty of In

'ftances to fhew.'

I might cite a great deal more, to explicate this Controversy, and fhew their Dif-ingenuity in it; but by this we may judge what a Reply this of the Snake's was, and by this Tafte (to ufe his own Words at the End of the Snake) the Reader may guess what a plentiful Meal we might have had, if T. Ellwood had published his Rejoinder, but that, as I faid, he did not; for what Reafon I cannot juftly affign: For though our Friend George Whitehead (in his Answer to the Snake in the Grass) writ allo A brief Examination of fome Paffages in the faid Book of the Snake's, filed Satan difrob'd, &c. as being concerned therein; yet he refer'd to a further Answer by T. Ellwood, pag. 186. judging it No fair Reply to T. Ellwood's Anfwer; and fo it appears (fays he) and I expect will be made further appear, if T. Ellwood deems it worth the while to un'dertake it: Which he did, and writ twenty feven Sheets in order thereto; and why he fhould be prevented from publishing it, by G. Whitebead's

Whitehead's brief Examination, I do not fee, 1697. being much larger and fuller ; but perceive he was fo modeft, that he was apt to be put by of his Work, if any other put in before him, as will further appear on another Occafion hereafter. And fo I fhall leave it, hoping however one Time or other, to fee this and fome other of his Pofthumous Works published by themfelves, as they well deserve.

And here our Friend drop'd his Pen, till another Occafion offer'd.

And that was next (or at least the next he laid hold on) after a Vacancy of two or three Years, on this Occafion :

Some angry Priefts in Norfolk, on our Friends having a Meeting near one of them, and Truth fpreading to their Regret, they challenged a Difpute with fome of our Friends at WeftDeerbam in that County, the 8th of the tenth Month 1698, where fome of our Friends appearing and anfwering them, fo disappointed the Priests in their envious Defigns in the faid Difpute, that they afterwards promoted two Petitions against our Friends to the Parliament (one from Norfolk, the other from Suffolk) to ftir up Perfecution against them, that what they could not do by Arguments, they might by Force. To which two Petitions, our Friend T. Ellwood (having obtained Copies of them) writ A fober Reply on Behalf of the People called Quakers, to two Petitions against them (the one out of Norfolk, and the other from Bury in Suffolk) being fome brief Obfervations upon them, &c. printed

Ee 3

1698. printed 1699, manifefting their mischievous Machinations against the Truth and Friends ; which, with fome other Difcouragements, through the Labour and Induftry of Friends at London, in attending the Parliament, and delivering printed Papers, particularly, A few Confiderations bumbly offered to the Members of Parliament, to obviate fome evil Jealoufies and Defigns again the People called Quakers, fo quashed their malicious Purposes, that their Petitions were never delivered to, or received by the Parliament; but fell and came to nothing, and their evil Defigns were fruftrated, Friends were preferved, and Truth profpered over their Heads,

1699. About this Time alfo, our Friend William Penn being gone to Pennsylvania (in the feventh Month this Year) and G. Keith continuing his Oppofition against Truth and Friends, fome times more general at Turners - ball, where, as the Courfe of his delirious Diftemper returned (as Jofeph Wyeth obferves, in his Anfwer to his Advertisement this Year) he held his contentious Meetings once a Year, to pick Paffages out of our Friends Books to cavil at (though he could not answer nor clear himself of T, Ellwood's, or others that were writ against him) and fometimes more particularly against fingle Perfons, efpecially William Penn, against whom he chofe to vent his Malice above moft others, especially now in his Abfence, making him the Butt of his Indignation; and published two Books against him, one called The Deifm of William

Penn

Penn and his Brethren, &c. This our Friend 1699. T. Ellwood undertook to anfwer, and made a confiderable Progrefs in it, in a large Book of between thirty and forty Sheets, which I fhall cite fome of, beginning thus:

'We read of one in former Times, who be'cause he had given up himself to do Evil, was faid to have fold himself to work Wickednefs • in the Sight of the Lord, 1 Kings xxi. 20, and 25. Whether George Keith hath directly fold himself, or only let himself out to hire, I will not undertake to determine; but evident it is, ' that fince he crept into the Intereft of that which is called the Church of England, and ⚫ become a mercenary Hackney to fome of the Clergy, he hath laid out himself, with his utmoft Vigour, to work Wickedness, not only in the Sight of the Lord, but in the Sight of the Sun; afferting, defending, maintaining and upholding divers both Doctrines and Practices in Religion, which upon a declared full Con'viction, and from a profeffed Affurance of divine Openings, and immediate Guidance of the holy Spirit, he had before not only renounced, but declared and written against as falfe, fuperftitious (if not idolatrous) and antichriftian; and to fill up his Measure of Iniquity, ⚫ and heap it up that it might run over, he hath not only (to gratify his Supporters) fhot his ' unadvised Bolts at the feveral other Bodies of Proteftant Diffenters, but in an especial manner (and in a moft virulent, and to him peculiar Stile) hath evomitted Floods, not of Reproach

Ee 4

only

1699. only and bitter Revilings, but of the most malicious Slanders and Falfhoods, that ever perhaps were poured from the Pulpit, or fqueezed through the Prefs against the People called Quakers, whom once he owned for his Brethren, and with whom he profeffed to hold 'Communion for more than thirty Years. ‹ Herein he hath exceeded good Jofeph of old in his Liberality, but in another kind: That good Man bestowed a Fivefold-mess of his good Things on his Brother Benjamin, as a Token of his peculiar and abundant Love to him. This bad Man has bestowed double and treble that Proportion of his evil Things on us: The Effect of his peculiar and fuperabundant Hatred to us, to fay nothing here of his tailing Rhetorick and bitter Invectives against us, wherewith he hath prophaned the Pulpit, which lie under the juft Cenfure of the more difcreet and well-minded of his Auditors. An Inftance of his Malice and Injuftice from the Prefs, is a late Book of his now lying before me, called The Deifm of William Penn and his Brethren, deftructive to the Chriftian Religion, expofed, &c. The Word ( Deifm | being fomewhat an uncommon Term, may rot per" haps be readily understood by every Reader. • As it has been oppofed to Atheism, it has been taken in a good Senfe; but as it is now ufed, it is taken in an ill Senfe, as importing an Acknowledgement or owning of God only, or of the Godhead; but not of Chrift, with refpect to his Incarnation, or being manifeft in the '

Flesh