Copy of a Paper delivered into the Yearly. Meeting, &c. ; the other, The pretended Yearly-Meeting's nameless Bull of Excom. munication, &c. In which last, George Keith gives an account of his coming to the yearly-meeting, (1695) and of his entertainment in it when admitted, (as if he had never been there before) viz. that he was allowed to sit at the great square table among the ministers and commissioners, as he calls them that could hold about it either fully or near double; the number of twenty-four; whether by allusion to the twenty-four seats and elders, mentioned Rev. iv; but doubling the number, he doth not determine; adding, I think it suits not their crying out so much as they were wont, against chief seats in the synagogues, to erect such a stately fabrick in their meetinghouse, at that time, little differing from the manner of a throne, but that it is low upon the floor, covered with green cloth. All which only serves to shew his own pageantry; and which our Friend Thomas Ellwood corrects him for, according to his deserts. For the table will hold few more than twenty-four, or twenty-eight at most, and only necessary to lay books and papers on and write upon.

In the beginning of this book, our friend Thomas Ellwood resumes the controversy from the beginning, shews the rise of the dif ference, and proceedings thereupon, in relation to George Keith, particularly after his coming into England, in the beginning of 1694; and

how he came to be disowned by the yearly meeting in 1695, for his rejecting the advice of the former, and opposite carriage thereunto; which being so excellent to the matter in hand, and setting the controversy in a clear light, I shall here insert it, which begins thus:

It is an old observation, That none prove more angry and implacable enemies to any society of people, than those that, for their disorders and unruly behaviour, have been disowned by the society they once were of; á certain vindictive enmity usually getting up in such, and stirring them up to load that society by which they were denied, with all the reproach and infamy they can; thereby both gratifying a revengeful spirit in themselves, and thinking also, by recriminating others, to extenuate at least their own crimes.

That thus it was in the early times of christianity, may be gathered from the writings of the apostles, particularly 2 Tim. iv. 14. 2 Pet. ii. -1 John ii. 18, &c. 3 John 9, &c. Jude ver. 4. Among those in this age whom Satan hath drawn to this degree of malice and madness, George Keith, a Scotchman, is the latest, -but not the least; whether with respect to his anger, or his envy. He, having been bred a scholar, before he came amongst the people *called Quakers, and having acquired more of school-learning than most (it may be in his own opinion, than any) of that people have, hath -given in himself, a demonstrative proof of the apostle's proposition, I Cor. viii. 1. Know

ledge puffeth up, where edifying charity is not joined with it. For human knowledge is apt of itself to lift up men's minds, that have, or think they have it, in any degree of eminency; and makes them think better of themselves than of others, or than themselves deserve; whereas, true charity useth knowledge to instruct, and thereby builds up; not to puzzle and confound, and thereby destroy others; but that charity this man not having, but being vainly puffed up in his fleshly mind, from a proud conceit of his own abilities; and residing in America, among a plain people, who better understood plain and simple truth, than the nice distinctions and subtilties of the schools; and there advanced to the office of a scholmaster, with a standing salary, as I have been informed, of an hundred and twenty pounds per year, he soon began, like Diotrephes of old, (3 John ix. 10.) to affect preeminence in the church; and nothing less .would serve his turn, than to rule and overrule all. And that he might not want matter to work upon, and some pretence to begin on, he not only found fault with Friends' ministry and discipline there, but having, in private discourses, put some captious and ensnaring questions to some particular persons there, whose simplicity he thought he might most easily betray, he, by wresting their answers to a wrong sense, took advantage to complain against them, for holding, as he said, gross and vile errors; and with impetuous heat, pro

secuted his charge; and not being so fully nor speedily answered as he expected, by those Friends to whom he complained, who seeing the innocency of the accused, and his evil design in accusing, could not countenance him therein; he involved them also in the like charge of cloaking, or covering gross and vile errors, damnable heresies and doctrines of devils, &c. Nor gave he over, till by continual clamours and frequent disturbances, he had filled Friends' meetings with strife and contention; and at length having leavened a party to himself, made an open division and separation from Friends, setting up separate meetings for himself and his party, in opposition to the meetings of Friends before settled there. And having got the printer to his party, and thereby the only press there, at his command, he maliciously put the difference into print, and thereby spread it not only in those parts of America, but in Europe also. These things drew. Friends there, after much patience. and long forbearance, to deal with him in a church-way, and to give forth, at length, a tes timony against him; which proving uneasy to him, he came over from thence to England, about the beginning of the year 1694; of which some Friends of Pennsylvania having notice, came over also; and at the yearly, meeting of the people called Quakers, held at London in the fourth Month that year, the matters relating to that difference being fully heard and considered, the sense of that meeting was;

That the separation lay at George Keith's door; and that he had done ill, in printing and publishing those differences as he had done. And the advice of the meeting to him thereupon was, To call in those books of his, or publish something innocently and effectually to clear the body of the people called Quakers, and their ministers, from those gross errors charged on some few in America; and retract the bitter language in them, so far as he was concerned; and sincerely to use his utmost endeavours with his friends concerned to remove the separation, &c. Which sense and advice being drawn up at large in writing, was then in that meeting delivered to him, and soon after printed by one of his party, with very envious reflections upon it, as may be seen in a small pamphlet, called a True Account, &c. to which I refer. But so far was George Keith from regarding the sense, or following the advice of that yearly-meeting, that in several printed books by him soon after published, he rejected it, denying it to be the sense or advice of the yearly-meeting, or that to be the yearly-meeting that gave it. Which abuse this last yearly-meeting, in the third month past, taking notice of, and upon further dealing with him, finding him, instead of being humbled and sorry for the evil he had done, more hardened therein, justifying himself both by word and writing, and rejecting the meeting's advice; that meeting, after it had heard him patiently, till he of his own ac