116 2heI.IEE of the LIB.I. this being the first of their Books, ( as far as I can remember) that I had ever feen. § r80. 24. Prefently upon this the Quakers began to make a great Stirr among us, and a&ed the Parts of Men in Raptures, and fpake in the manner of Men in- fpired, and every where railed againft Tythes and Ministers. They fent many Papers of Queries to divers Minifters about us : And to one of. the chief of them I wrote an Answer, and gave them as many more Que(lions to anfwer, entituling it The Quakers Catechism: Thefe Pamphlets being but one or two Days Work, were no great Interruption to my better Labours, and as they were of (mall Worth, fo alfo of fmall Cott. The fame Ministers of our Country that are now flenced, are they that the Quakers molt vehemently oppofed, medling little with the_reft. The marvellous concurrence of Innruments tellerh us, that one principal Agent doth a& them all. I have oft asked the Quakers lately, why they chofe the fame Minifters to revile, whom all the Drunkards and Swearers rail againft ? And why they cryed out in our Affemblies, Come down thou Deceiver, thou Hireling, thou Dog ; and now never meddle with the Parlors or Congregati- ons ? And theyanfwer, 1. That thefeMen fin in the open Light, and need none to discover them. 2. That the Spirit bath his times both ofSeverity, andofLenity. But the Truth is, they knew then they might be bold without any Fear of Suf- fering by it : And now it is time for them to fave their Skins ; they fuffer enough for their own Affemblies. r8r . zp. The great Advancement of the Popilh Interef by their secret agen- cy among the Seetaries, Seekers, Quakers, Behmenifis, &c. did make me think it neceffary to do fomething dire&ly againft Popery and fo I published three alp- rations againg them, one to prove our Religion safe, and another to prove their Religionunfafe ; and a third to(hew that they overthrew the Faith by the ill Reso- lution of their Faith. This Book Ientituled, The fafe Religion. § 182. 26. About the fame time I fell intotroublefom Acquaintance with one Clement Writer of Worcefler, an ancient Man that ( had long feemed a forward Pro. feffor of Religioufnefs, and of a good Converfation, but was now perverred,to I know not what : A Seeker heprofeft to be, but I eafily perceived that hewas ei- ther a jugling Papift or anInfidel; but I more fufpe&ed the latter : He had writ- ten a fcornful Book againft the Miniftry, called Jut Divinum Presbyterii, and after two more againft the Scripture and againft me, one called Fides Divina, the other's Title I remember not : His Affertion to me was, that no Man is bound to believe in Chrig that doth not fee confirming Miracles himfelf with his ownEyes. By the Provocationsof this Apoffate, I wrote aBook, called, The coreafanableneel of Infidelity, confining of four Parts : The firfi, of the exttinfick Witness of the Spiritby Miracles, &c. to which I annexed a Difputation againft Clement Writer, to prove that the Miracles wrought by Chrig and his Apoftles, oblige us to believe that did not fee them. The. Second part was of the intrinfickWitnefsof the Spi- rit, to Chrin and Scripture. The Third was of the Sin or Blafphemy againft the Holy Ghog. And the Fourth was to reprefs the Arrogancy of reafoningagainft Divine Revelations. All this was intended but as a Supplement to the SecondPart of The Saint, Refl, where I had pleadedfor the Truth of Scripture: But thisSub- je&I have face more fullyhandled in my Reafons of the Chriilian Religion. At that time Mr. Gilbert, a learned Miniffer in Shropfbire wrote a fmall concife Tra&ate in Latin (as againft a Bookof Dr. Owen's, thoughhis intimate Friend) to prove that Chrifi's Death was not neceffary abfolutely, but of Divine Free Choice; and in anfwer to that Book, I wrote a briefPremonition to my Treatife againft Infidelity to decide that Controverfy. *183. 27. Mr. Tbo. Foley being High Sheriff, defied me to preach before the Judges which I did on Gal.6. 16. and enlarged it toa Treatife, entituled, The Cru- cifying of the Worldby the Croft ofChrifl; forMortification; and put an Epigle fome- what large before it to provoke rich Men to good Works. g 184. 28. Some Men about this time perfuaded me, that if I would write a few Ingle Sheets on feveral Subje&s, though the Style were not very moving, yet it would do more good than larger Volumes, becaufe man People will buy and read them, who will neither by nor read the larger. Whereupon I wrote fiat, One Sheet again the Quakers, containing thofe Reasons which Mould fatisfie all So- ber Men againft their way. g 185 z9. he fecond Sheet Icalled AWinding Sheetfor Popery,containing a Sum- mary of Moderate and Effeetual Reafons againft Popery : (which. tingle (beet no Papig hitherto hath anfwered.) §186.
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