Forgery no Christianity, or, A brief examen of a late book published by one T. Plant, a Baptist teacher, under the title of A contest for Christianity, or, A faithful relation of two late meetings &c. as also some animadversions on J. Ives's postscript and an expostulatory postscript to the Baptists / by Thomas Ellwood.

TO THE READER.

THat which I here present unto thy view, is a brief Examen of a late Book, publish∣ed by one Thomas Plant, under the specious Ti∣tle of a Contest for Christianity; wherein he pretends to give a Faithful Relation of Two late Meetings, between the Baptists and the Quakers: And that his Title might end as plausibly as it begun, it is submitted to the Judgment of all Judicious and Impartial Men; with this Addition, Read, Consider, Examine and then Judge.

Three Parts of Four, of the Liberty given, I have taken; to read, consider, examine, and there stopt, reserving the judicial part to thee. Had my Opponent done so too (as well as said it) thou hadst had a fuller Account, and we fairer Dea∣ling from him. But I have no Design to pre∣occupy thy Judgment, which by how much the freer it is, and less susceptible of private Im∣presses,

by so much the more capable it is of pro∣nouncing a just and even Sentence, which is all I desire at thy Hand: yet two or three Particu∣lars I am willing to give thee a short Hint of, and that rather in this place then in the follow∣ing Treatise it self.

1st, Concerning the Title of my Opponent's Book, viz. A Contest for Christianity. A very fair and glittering Title, set out, as it were on purpose to draw in Guests. But as Good Wine (according to the Proverb) needs no Bush; and the Best Accommodations are not alwayes found in those Inns which hang out the fairest Signs; so neither wilt thou find any thing in his Book which may bear proportion to his lofty Ti∣tle. The Book it self begins with a Charge, exhibited by the Quakers against one of the Baptists, containing Matter of Forgery, Per∣versions, Lyes and Slanders: This was the proper Subject of those Meetings; but this they would not come to the Test of, but thrust us by with a rude Clamour that we are No Christi∣ans: Of this he pretends to give a Relation, and mis-calls it, A Contest for Christianity: How much more truly and aptly might he have called it, A Cover for Forgery, since their chief Design and Aim was, to divert us

from the Proof of that Charge, whereof For∣gery was the greatest part: To shew him there∣fore his Mistake, in thinking he contended for Christianity, I chuse to let the following Trea∣tise bear this Title, Forgery No Christianity.

2. Concerning the Time of its Publication; it was about Two Moneths after the last of those Meetings, before their Relation was made publick; which (if I apprehend aright) con∣duces not at all to its Reputation, but rather gives Ground to suspect the Truth of it, and call its Credit into Question: For, if (as is pretended) it was taken in Short-Hand at the Meeting, what need so long an Interval for the transcribing of Half a Dozen Sheets. I leave it therefore to thy Consideration, Whether the Reason of this needless Delay was not, that they might have time to Cabal about it, to lay their heads together, & consult how they might model it most to their Advantage; and by comparing it with those which we had before published, to ob∣serve what to alter, what to add, what wholely to expunge, and what to transpose or transplace, that thereby they might be sure to thwart the Accounts we had given, and make their own speak as loud for themselves as they pleased.

3. Concerning my present Ʋndertaking; I am not ignorant, that to invalidate another's Relation, is a Work of some Difficulty; since it is not enough that I my self know it to be False, unless I am also able to disprove it: To urge my own Personal Knowledge, would be but (with T. Plant) to make my self Judge: To compare it with our own Relation, and from the Disparity infer it False, I judge not fair nor reasonable, but blame our Adversaries for dea∣ling so with us: To produce Testimonies of Per∣sons then present, would be uncertain and inde∣cisive, since it might either be questioned, whe∣ther the Persons were impartial; or doubted, whether their Memories were sufficiently re∣tentive: I have taken that way which I con∣ceive to be clearest and freest from Objection, viz. To Oppose the Relation to it self, and by such Instances as I could gather from it self, to manifest and demonstrate to thy Under∣standing, that it is Imperfect, Partial and False.

Now, as I have chosen to steer this Course in a modest Respect to thee, that I might not, without some kind of Demonstration, obtrude my Sence upon thy Belief (as my Adversary too confidently and frequently doth his) so I must

request of thee, That thou wilt not think, much less conclude, that the Exceptions which I shall now offer thee, are all I can justly make against their Relation; or that I allow those parts of it as True, against which I have not here par∣ticularly excepted: but that I therefore offer thee these Exceptions (not because these are the only, nor perhaps the most weighty, that might be given, but) because these are the most obvi∣ous and easie to be evidenced: For, I speak considerately, I do really think there are not many Pages in the whole, which, in one respect or other, either for Adding, Diminishing, Transposing or Perverting, may not justly be excepted against.

T. E.