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I Will dispatch this Head, with a pleasant Story I find in the Printed Tryals of G. Keith and others in Pensylvania; where the Government is in Mr Penn, as Propriator, and under him chiefly Manag'd by Quakers, who are Ju∣stices of the Peace, and in other Commissions there. But so it fell out, that some Pirats took a Sloop
of theirs. This put them into great Distress, betwixt their so much cry'd up Principle against using outward Force, tho' in their own Defence; which a whole Dozen of them, and George Fox the first, Sign'd in a Declaration to K. Charles II. in the year 1660. to be Anti-Christian; which Declaration is inserted in the said Tryal, with other Testimonies of the Quakers, against even Defensive War, tho' to save their Throats or Goods from Thieves, Robbers and Cut-Throats (I use their own words) as being Atheism, and a Mistrusting of Provi∣dence in Restraining Evil Men. They were in great pain how to save this Principle and the Sloop too. But that was impossible. And all their Sloops, and all that they had,
might have gone the same way, if they wou'd not oppose Force to Force: which at last was resolv'd upon, and they re-took their Sloop, and made some of the Pirates Pri∣soners. They soon found that necessity in Government, when it was in their own Hands, which they cou'd not be convinc'd of while it was in the Hands of others.
But they must not go from any former Principle, for spoyling of their Infallibility: Therefore they Coyn'd, or Borrow'd a pretty Di∣stinction, and said that they did not use the Carnal Weapon, as Qua∣kers, but as Magistrates And now all is whole again.
This is the same Salvothe Pope has for his using the Temporal
Sword. And this is not the only thing which the Quakers have learnt from the Church of Rome, which I briefly touch upon.