An Account of the doctrine and discipline of Mr. Richard Davis of Rothwell, in the county of Northampton, and those of his separation with the canons of George Fox, appointed to be read in all the Quakers meetings.

Reader!

THere have been great Contentions, and various Disputes concerning the Doctrine and Proceedings of Mr. R. Davis, of Rothwell, and those of his Separation; and as well the Magi∣strates and Ministers, as the People of England, are yet in the dark concerning them. Wherefore, having in my hands a Copy of their Church Covenant, together with the Explanation thereof, as it was Printed, by their Order, in the Year 1694, and deli∣vered to divers whom they stile Church-Officers, and others in Fel∣lowship with them; I deemed it not amiss to communicate the said Covenant, with the Explanation, to the end the Nation in ge∣neral may be acquainted with their Doctrine and manner of Dis∣cipline among themselves; that, for the future they may not lie under any false aspersions; nor the People of England under any mistakes with regard to them.

I would not hereby intimate, that every individual Member of this Separation lyeth under the obligation of this Covenant in ter∣minis: For I'm inform'd, that very few, besides their Church-Officers, are acquainted with it; and that the new Members are admitted by a shorter Covenant: But the Mystery lies here, That the People (as occasion serves) are, by the Officers, informed of the meaning and design of their entring into Covenant with them, from the Contents of this Covenant and Explanation: So that, it is the same thing (in their sense, and as the Officers ma∣nage the matter) as if they had expresly obliged themselves to all and every thing contained therein. This is all I think fit to say on that Head. Let the Covenant plead its own Cause, especially coming into the World with the advantage of so large a Comment from its own Masters.

You have here likewise an Account of the several particulars of their Discipline; wherein, I hope, and I verily believe, I have not injured or misrepresented them in any respect. If I have, and they please to give publick notice of it, I will be obliged to retract all such particulars, and to give them publick notice thereof in another Edition: For, as I design nothing hereby but the service of the Church of God in general, and of this Excellent Establish'd Church of England in particular; so I could not hope that God would permit me to be instrumental in either respect, should I be found in the number of those who wilfully or negligently Slander or Misrepresent their Brethren.

And if the State of that Separation be, indeed, such as is set down in the following Account (which I take to be the case of the greatest part of the Independent-Congregations throughout the Na∣tion) I would humbly propose it to the Reverend the Clergy, to con∣sider what Methods are most probable to reconcile this Branch of the Separation to the Communion of our Church; and, among o∣thers, whether the present endeavours of forming the Clergy into Societies, pursuant to the Advice of His Grace the Lord Arch∣bishop of Canterbury, may not prove a probable means, through the Blessing of Almighty God, to secure so great an happiness to this Church and Nation?

The most effectual way to deal with an Enemy seems to be to turn his Weapons upon himself. If these Men secure the interest of their Societies by a mutual Correspondence, what hinders but we may do the like? Were they dispersed as the Ministers of the Church are; or did they neglect to acquaint each other with those things which relate to their common Interest, it would be impossible for them to Subsist. Indeed the several Sects among us are so many formed Combinations against the Establish'd Church; and, tho' in many things they differ from each other, as much as Light doth from Darkness, yet they seem universally agreed to Crush the Church of England. If so, the consequence is plain; You Gen∣tlemen of the Church of England look about you, and suffer not your selves to be undone by piece-meal; which you must necessarily be without a joint Ʋnion among your selves. Nothing is more confirm'd by Reason and Experience, than that every pub∣lick Work is best carry'd on by a friendly Ʋnion and Correspon∣dence among the Ʋndertakers; and certainly the great Work of the Salvation of Souls deserves our Consideration in the Methods of the most prudential Polity. God Almighty has distributed his Talents variously among us; and the only way to make them all useful, is, first, by frequent and familiar Conferences with each other, to discover where they lie, and then to employ them as the publick judgment shall determine.

After the Copies of these Papers were sent to the Press, Francis Bugg delivered into my hands a Copy of the Canons of George Fox, which are judged proper to be Printed with the Account of the Davisites; they being a farther Confirmation of the Agree∣ment of the Sectaries, in endeavouring to distress the Church of England; and for that reason among many others very obvious, I have here presented you with a just view of the said Canons.