A catechism and confession of faith approved of and agreed unto by the general assembly of the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, Christ himself being chief speaker in and among them : which containeth a true and faithful account of the principles and doctrines which are most surely believed by the churches of Christ in Great Brittain and Ireland who are reproachfully called by the name of Quakers ... : to which is added An expostulation with and appeal to all other professors / by R.B.

CHAP. XV. (Book 15)

A Short Introduction to the Confession of FAITH.

HAving thus largely and evidently perfor∣med the chief Part of that which I pro∣mised in this Treatise, in giving a full Account of our Principles in plain Scripture-words; and also answering by the Scriptures the chief and main Objections made against us, I come to a Confession of Faith, in which I shall not be so large, for that I judge it not convenient to make an Inter-repetition of all the Scriptures before∣mentioned, which, if needful, the Reader may easily observe were not very difficult to do: But whereas a Confession of Faith calleth rather for an Affirmative Account of one's own Faith, then for the Solution of Objections, or any thing of Debate in a Discursive Way, which is both more properly and pertinently performed in a Cate∣chism, therefore I have here only done so. I am necessitate sometimes to intermix some words for coherence of the Matter, as sometimes (And)

and sometimes (Therefore) and the like; but not such as any ingenous Person can affirm, do add to the Matter, or that may any wise justly be reckon'd a Comment or Meaning, and there∣fore to avoid the Censure of the most Curious Carping Critieks; these are marked with a dif∣ferent Character. Likewise, unless I should have ridiculously offered to publish incongruous Grammar, there was a true Need sometimes to change the Mood and Person of a Verb; in all which places, whosoever will look to the words, shall find it is done upon no Design to alter any whit the naked import of them: as for instance; where Christ sayes, I am the Light of the World; were it proper for me to write thus, I am the Light, &c? Or can it be reckoned any whit contradicting of my Purpose or Promise to write, Christ is the Light, where the first Per∣son is changed to the third? Also, sometimes I express things which are necessarily understood, as when any of the Apostles say We, there in∣stead of We, I write Apostles; and where they say You, speaking to the Saints, there I mention Saints instead of it for the Connexion of the Sen∣tence sometimes requires it; as in the first Ar∣ticle, in mentioning that of 1 Joh. 1. 5. concer∣ning God's being Light, and in such like Cases, which I know no impartial Reader would have

quarrelled, though wanting this Apology, which I judged meet to premise, knowing there is a Ge∣neration, who when they cannot find any real or substantial Ground against Truth & its Follow∣ers, will he cavilling at such little Nicities, there∣fore such may see this Objection is obviated.