The Christian-Quaker and his divine testimony vindicated by Scripture, reason, and authorities against the injurious attempts that have been lately made by several adversaries, with manifest design to rendor him odiously inconsistent with Christianity and civil society : in II parts. / The first more general by William Penn ; the second more particular by George Whitehead.

Sect. XIII The Baptist's Impious Forgery upon the Quakers about the Scriptures, which are in Reality owned and used by them.

AFter thou hast erroniously accused that of God in us, as not sufficient to direct, thou proceedst in thy false ficti∣tious Dialogue thus, viz.

Chr. Is it ingenuous and honest in you to deny the Scripture to be a Rule to others, and at the same time you make it (though by mis-interpreting it) a Rule to your selves? Are not you ashamed of this Deceit and self-condemned of plain Partiality.

And then he most falsly personates the Quaker.

Qua. Thou mistakest us; for when we make Use of the Scriptures, 'tis only to quiet and stop their Clamors that plead for it as their Rule.

Reply, Who but an Ungodly Man would have brought forth such a lying Forgery as this in the Sight of the Sun, as the Quakers Words, which is not the Speech of any real Quaker so called, but one of thy own making to speak as thou pleasest for thy own wicked ends; and thy Lye upon the Quakers is manifest herein: Is this the Way thou proposest for our Conviction, to make Lyes thy Refuge? Was it not known unto the World, that we have a better and more serious Esteem of the Holy Scriptures then here thou represents, as knowing them to be profitable to the man of God, who is come to know that eminent divine Rule of the Spirit which opens them, and to make use of them in Subjection thereunto.

As also our denying that they are the Rule of Faith is no Proof that we deny them to be any Rule at all, while in Subserviency to, and Proof of the greater, we make use of them as the Spirit of God teacheth, and for the Infor∣mation and Conviction of them that have a Belief con∣cerning them; for the End still that they may eye that Light and Spirit of Truth which gave them forth, and come to know that Inspiration of the Almighty which gi∣veth the Understanding.

As for Deceit, Impudence and presumptuous Conceit, which

thou T. H. accusest us of, thou art highly guilty thereof thy self, or else thou couldst never forge such Lyes against us as thou hast done. And we wish thou didst in Reality own the Scriptures, as (feigndly in Words) thou pretend'st: So far are we from strenuously endeavouring to take Peo∣ple off of the Scriptures (as falsly thou accusest us) that we desire all might come to know the Righteous Ends for which they were given forth, by that divine Light which opens them.

Much of thy dirty stuff is gathered out of other dirty lying Pamphlets, which have been long since answered.