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SATANS HARBINGER ENCOUNTERED &c.
Before I come to the Book it self, I shall touch a little upon the Preface, and begin with an expression or Da|niel Leeds's, which runs thus.
It is my real belief, That the Quakers at first came forth in life and power, and made a good beginning.
Answer. Did they so? How comes it then to pass, that the first Instruments of that good beginning in life and power, as G. Fox, G. Whitehead, E. Bourough, R. Habberth••rn, Is. Pennington &c. and their antient works and Writings, must be thus brought upon the stage, by this Dan••el Leeds himself, even in this very book, endeavouring thereby to prove their doctrine false, inconsistent, and little less than a meer heap of confusion? Can such things be an effect of life and power? And if he say, They lost that life and ••••wer again, before those books were written: It may then be observed, how in the same Page he insinuates, as if the loo|sing of it again,
was through their contending with one another about trifles and Ceremonies, instituting this and that order, and getting into form &c.Whereas it is well known, that many of the above named Friends Books were written before the Institution of those Orders, (as he calls them). Besides, I find in a Paper entitulad A breif Admoni|tion &c. (delivered to Friends here at the yearly meeting in the year 1696., Which as I am credibly informed) was written by Daniel Leeds, there being also the two letters of his name, with two letters more subschribed to it) after having expressed what an healthy flourishing Country this was about eight years before, this passage, viz
Doubtless it might have so continued, if the kernell of life and love had not took wing &c.Now hence I observe, That (accor|ding to this aknoledgement (for such it is implicitely at