Answer. But I thought that God had been the keeper of his people, and Christ the shepherd of his sheep, and the Holy Ghost the comforter of them; I thought this Infinite Being had been the great preserver of men in religion.

In his eighth page, he brings divers texts of scripture to prove the power of the magistrates, which we never denied, especially when they exercise their power and authority to the terror of evil doers, and the praise of them that do well. And at the latter end of the said page he says, "From the whole, I conclude, with submission to better judgments, that it is warrantable from scripture, and agreeable to the doctrine and practice of Christ and his apostles, for the laws aforesaid to be put in execution."

Answer. But, alas! this is all beside his assertion. His business was to prove a legal forced maintenance for gospel ministers, or else he doth nothing. What! hath he been travelling through all his pages, and brought forth nothing but this windy doctrine at last? He speaks of submission to better judgments, and I would have him, if he dare to do it, submit to the judgment of Christ and his apostles, who I think have fairly decided the question in favour of the poor abused quakers, that it is not according, but contrary to the language of the Holy Ghost, in the holy scripture, that gospel ministers maintenance should be forced by a coercive power. From what has been said, let all ingenuous christian readers judge.

I

In the ninth page, "Nevertheless (says he) if any arguments can be produced from scripture, or right reason, of greater strength and weight to prove the negative, than there may be to maintain the affirmative; I hope I shall readily subscribe thereto."

Answer. A person would from those expressions almost hope for a recantation from him, especially if he seriously considers the doctrine of Christ and his apostles, as here noted at large.

"But (saith he) till I receive further light, conscience commands me to conform to that measure I have."

Answer. He had best to have a care of the commanding power of an evil conscience.

He goes on, "And while I do conscientiously conform to that measure of light within me, walking in obedience to all its commands and directions."

Answer. But suppose that light in him should be darkness: then, as Christ said, "How great is that darkness?" as for certain it is, when he goes about to prove that for truth, which is contrary to Christ's doctrine.

As to his saying "Then the quakers must let fall the grand article of their religion."

Answer. Let him seriously read over the first chapter of John, as also many other places of the holy scripture on that subject of the light, and if he is not one of those who are blinded, perhaps he may be undeceived, and his gross mistake rectified. mistake rectified. I hope he is careful of preaching such doctrine in his pulpit.

A certain church member of the presbyterian way, in New-Engand, told me, that their minister told them in his pulpit, "That we denied the Bible, or Holy Scriptures." And made the poor woman really believe it to be true, than which, nothing could be more false. But the honest woman thought she would try me. "Was you (says she) brought up among quakers? were your father and mother quakers? Yes, said I, they were so called. "And (says she) would they suffer you to read in the Bible when you were a little boy?" Yes, and correct me too, because I was not so willing to do it as they would have me to be.

Thus have the poor quakers been abused in divers pulpits in New-England and other places, for which reason, I would advise all professed christian ministers in New-England, and elsewhere, wherever this may meet with them who have so abused us that for the time to come they do not tell the people in their pulpits, that the quakers deny Christ, the Scriptures, the power of the magistrates, and many other things, which would make a volume of themselves, if they were all penned. For them to cry out in their pulpits, "Have a care of the

delusions of the quakers," and at the same time to delude the people to believe lies of them is really horrid.

"Oh! but (say they) the quakers are more orthodox now than they were;" when, in truth, it is the calumnies that have been cast on us are now made more manifest to be falsehoods. And then ought not they to be glad at the news of our reformation?

T. CHALKLEY.

REMARKS

ON

JOSEPH METCALFE'S POSTSCRIPT.

ow I shall consider his postscript, in writing of which has dipt his pen deep in the gall of bitterness in some rts of it, which I shall touch a little upon, as I shall me to them.

But to begin, "Notwithstanding (saith he) all that I ve said in the preceding discourse concerning maintence: yet as to my own particular, if a temporal mainnance had been my chief aim, I should have discovered eat folly in accepting a call from so small and

poor a ople." Answer. From his words, one may conclude it was s aim, though not his chief aim; and then, as to the epherd's call, ought it not to be from the great Sheperd Jesus Christ? and if they will answer this call, he ys, "Go forth." Where do we find any example for minister of the gospel, to stay and preach to only one articular congregation? Pray let them produce it if they

in.

But now suppose a place should present to Joseph Metalfe, where the people were richer, and more of them; ould he not leave his poor flock, to go to the rich? 'ray let him have a care, as he says, that his own heart o not deceive him: we but too plainly perceive, by the ractice of those money ministers, that the loudest call, › the most money. Query, upon this great word call, whether the sheep use to call the shepherd, or the sheperd the sheep? Do not they strangely invert the order of nature here, in their pretended call from the people? Christ the true shepherd said, "My sheep hear my voice." So that he and his servants, or ministers, call the sheep, and not the sheep them; and those holy shepherds called

their sheep freely, though these must have money for their calling, and the sheep call them too: neither will that satisfy some of those shepherds, but they will needs have money from some poor sheep that never called them; and if they cannot give it them freely, they will have it by force. A young shepherd said to one at Salem, in New-England, "That though Paul had power, and did not use it, yet he would use his power." But that blessed apostle never pretended to any forcible power, except the force and power of love.

He, the said Joseph Metcalfe, complains of his small income for preaching, and of his poverty; though it is probable he has more than all the twelve apostles, and seventy disciples, when they were sent forth by their great Lord and master; and to be sure he has more money for preaching, than they all had. But he has con fessed his call is not divine, therefore not from Christ; for he says, "If he had a divine call, he could, forego every thing in the world." And so he is but a legal literal preacher, and minister: a minister that forces himself to offer, and would also force those who receive not his offering, to pay him, though against their consciences.

And as for his family's starving, I never heard or read of any christian minister's family starving, especially in a christian country; nor I believe he nor any body else. Certainly there is need to cry out to those men, O, ye

of little faith! who clothes the lilies, and feeds the sparrows, shall he not take care of you? O, ye of little faith!” I fear they forget the doctrine of him, whom they sometimes call the Lord.

As to what he writes in the second page of his postscript, if he duly minds what I have written in answer to his, I think he cannot imagine that the flaming vengeance there poured out by him upon us, can any way touch us; but let him and them, which are concerned in the work (for I understand he had the help of a cunning man in this work) have a care, that it fall not on themselves and truly the poor quakers may be very thank ful that the flaming sword is not in their hands: for if it