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1. HAD we first Condemned George Keith in Print, as Guilty of gross Errour, Hypocrisie, Unbelief, and afterward in Print Challenged and Summo∣ned him to a publick Tryal before us, at a Meeting appointed in our own time and place, without his Privity or Concurrence, as he has done by some of us, he and
others more indifferent, (who better know common Law and Justice than him∣self) might have justly reflected upon us, as very Arbitrary and Unjust Judges, to be thus preposterous and extra-judicial in first Condemning, and then Summoning Men to Tryal.
2. Had we for some weeks aforehand raked in George Keith's Books to pick out Matters against him, and only given him a General Charge of most Erroneous and hurtful Principles, (or of his self Contradictions or Calumnies against us) contrary to the Funda∣mental Doctrines of the Christian Faith and Re∣legion, and then in Print, Advertisement and Summons to a publick Trial, (i. e. to hear himself Charged and Proved Guilty) without so much as affording him any Copy of the parti∣culars of his Indictment or Charge before Trial, or of the Books and Pages referred un∣to therein, (for a due preparation to answer) as he has done against us, I am perswaded he would not be so served or surprized, but might have justly deemed this procedure ve∣ry unfair, precipitant, and unjust.
3. All which undue, Arbitrary, and Ex∣trajudicial Proceedings, and new Court of Judicature, as erected by George Keith, I with the rest of my Friends and Brethren concerned, both as Men and Christians, have refused and rejected, and do protest against
the same, as unwarrantable both in the sight of God and just Men: As Christians we are not to be subject to George Keiths, Summons without God's Call, nor allowed to gratifie his Ambitious, Contentious Spi∣rit, or such as cause Divisions or Offences, &c. As Men, we are obliged to have respect to the Civil Government and Peace, and not to Countenance or Abet Strife and Con∣tention in any Publick Meeting, tending to Divisions and Confusions, contrary to the Intent of the Law it self, which is Enacted, For the Ease and Liberty of Dissenting Pro∣testant Subjects in the exercise of Religion and Religious Worship, in order to unite them in Interest and Affection, (as the Words and Reason of the Statute are) for which end, only Meetings and Meeting Houses are tol∣lerated, and entred on Record, and not for Stages of Contention.
4. The first point in Difference between George Keith and my self, that I remember, and which I was really dissatisfied with, was, his Notion of Twelve Revolutions (or Transmigrations) of Humane Soulr, (whether of all or some of them) passing out of one Bo∣dy into another to have Twelve Intervals of Life, to accomplish one thousand years on Earth; Arguing from these Scriptures John 11. 9. Psal. 90. 4. 2 Pet. 3. 8. and some others, if I mistake not; if he says I do, let him give us a plain State of his own Notion
herein, which as I understood him, was according to some passages in the Book of Two Hundred Queries, concerning that Opinion of the Revolution of humane Souls. For which Notion, I am sure he argued in a Book of his in Manuscript, which he shewed me before he went over into Ame∣rica, and then would have had it Printed, but I then (in dislike to it, and love to him) disswaded him from Printing it, yet he told me since his return, he had brought it over with him, but I suppose is afraid to Print it with his Name to it; how he has covertly Writ and Discoursed in Fa∣vour of his Notion of the Revolutions, or varied about it, he (and some others) knows.
5. I am not conscious to my self of Errour, either in Reference to the Resur∣rection, Christ's Satisfaction (or Sacrifice) or his visible coming again in his Glorified Bo∣dy (without us) to raise the Dead at the great day of Judgment, or of having denied the same, as he has in that and other things unjustly accused and aspersed me in two of his late Pamphlets; The one styled, A True Copy, p. 31. and the other, Gross Errour, p. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. I say, I am not conscious of denying Christ's com∣ing again without us, in his Spiritual Glo∣rified Body, &c. By my Questioning some Anabaptists (as William Burnet and John
Newman) about their Carnal Expectations of Christ's coming again in the Flesh t•• be seen with their Carnal Eyes, in opposition to his Appearance and Light within, G. K. has dealt very unfairly by me in leaving out [Blood and Bones] after the Words [Body of Flesh] in my Answer to Newman, and thus partially Cited by G. K. in his said Gross Error, p. 3. And to prove me Guilty of Unbelief, because I said, We do not Read of a Third coming of Christ in the Flesh, yet to be expected; Hereupon seems his most colourable Charge against me, but I think it no more proves me an Un∣believer in this point than himself; for our not Reading of a third coming of Christ in the Flesh, only Questions such a manner of his Coming, and proves not me Guil∣ty of Unbelief of his Coming in a more excellent manner, viz. in great Glory in hir Spiritual Glorious Body; For George Keith has confessed the Body of Christ to be wonderfully charged as to the mode and man∣ner of its being, it being no more a Body of Flesh, Blood, and Bones, but a pure Ethe∣real or Heavenly Body, like unto which the Bodies of the Saints are to be at the Resur∣rection, (Way cast up, page 131.) and en∣dued altogether with Heavenly Qualities; The Husk or Dressy part not the true Body, &c. as more fully in his Book, stiled, Gross Error, p. 9, 13. Now if Christ's Glorious Body be no more a Body of Flesh, Blood
and Bones, (as George Keith saith) How should his Coming a third time in the Flesh, or in a Body of Flesh and Blood, &c. be expected again, to be seen by the World with their Carnal Eyes, or Eyes of Flesh.
6. George Keith's formerly Writing and Arguing against the continuance of Water-Baptism, Altogether denying it to be commanded to the Apostles by Christ, Matt. 28. and being but a Shadow buried with other Shadows, not to be raised up again, in a Book Intituled, Quakerism Confirmed, Printed 1676. Sec. 6. And his lately Writing and Arguing for the continuance of Water-Baptism, as a badge of Believers Christian Faith and Profession, and of Service to be continued in the Church by true Christians under the Gospel, in his Book, Intituled, Truth Advanced, Printed 1694. p. 173, 174, 175, &c. Such his Wavering, Variation, Uncertainty, and Inconsistency, together with his great Envy in repreach∣ing us in his Printed Books, contrary to his own former Testimonies in Print, shews he is now no Quaker, nor Friend (but Ad∣versary) to the People called Quakers. Both John Whitehead, William Penn, my self, and divers other Friends, have patiently suffered under G. K.'s Abuse, and Misrepresentations in Print for sometime, I having writ a Let∣ter to him, to clear my Conscience in great plainness, for which I suppose he Envies me the more, I have hitherto forborn (and do
yet forbear) to publish an Answer to detect him. He being fallen into other Hands to deal with him, and Load him with his own Fruitless Work, (for I find it no great Diffi∣culty to Answer him) And I believe that they (i. e. T. Ellwood, and J. Penigton) have Conscientiously Opposed and Obviated his In∣jurious Attempts even about divers of those points Charged by him against us. We now wait to see where he will Center, after all his Hovering, Waverings, Turnings, and La∣bouring to Gratifie our Adversaries.
London the 30th of the 4th Month. 1696.
G. Whitehead.