Public Trial of the Quakers, Title page – Errata
A PUBLICK TRYAL OF THE Quakers IN BARMUDAS Upon the firſt Day of May, 1678.
Firſt, The Charge againſt them was openly read containing theſe Particulars: As
1. That a Quakers pretended Saviour within him, is not the true Chriſt, but the Falſe Chriſt, the Devil.
2. That the main end of the Quakers Meetings in theſe Iſlands, is to make the Lords Chriſt, His Holy Spirit, His Angels, and Apoſtles, all Lyars and Falſe Witneſſes of God.
3. That the Prim-Principles of a Quaker, are the ſame Held and Profeſſed by the Beaſts, which Paul fought with at Epheſus.
Secondly, The whole Charge being Proved by the Teſtimony of the Holy Scriptures: was found by the Sheriffe, and Juſtices of Peace, a true and juſt Charge.
Thirdly, Being found Guilty, they are here Sentenced, and brought forth unto the deſerved Execution of the Preſſe.
By SAMSON BOND late Preacher of the Goſpel in Barmudas.
Hoſ. 5. 2. The Revolter is profound to make ſlaughter.
Prov. 21. 24. Proud and haughty ſcorner is his Name.
BOSTON IN NEW-ENGLAND: Printed by Samuel Green, upon Aſſignment of Samuel Sewall: 1682.
THE PREFACE TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.
BEing lately informed, that the Quakers had left a Paper (with a Gentleman in theſe Iſlands) intimating a chalenge to the Miniſters here, viz. Whether the Miniſters God, or the Quakers God, were the true God; little notice was taken of this their Folly: in a ſhort time afterwards, a Juſtice of the Peace acquainted me, that a Quaker brought him a Letter, and would have him deliver it unto me, but he refuſed to receive it from him: And ſome few dayes after this, an honeſt Neighbour told me, that the Quakers had reported up and down the Countrey, ſ…. That I would as ſoon take a Bear by the Tooth, as Diſpute with them: and withal, that thereby the Leading Quakers did confirm and increaſe their party: Hereupon I ſent unto them (a Synagogue of Libertines) the Charge in the Title Page aſſerted, [Being Anſwers to three ſhort Queſtions.] And in the Paper (which was ſent the 15th. day of April 1678.) they were informed, that I would be ready to prove (from the Holy Scriptures) the charge againſt them: upon the modeſt motion of any one or more Quakers in theſe Iſlands, (on any Lecture-day in Devon ſhier-Tribe Church) in order to a Regular and Peaceable Diſputation, for the inveſtigation of the Truth of the true God; which Pap…r the Quakers received and accepted. And according to the general Directions therein given, they came (the firſt day of May following, to the place aſſigned, (but without giving me any ſpecial notice of it,) Then Francis Eaſtlack, a Teacher amongſt them, moved for a performance of my promiſe, in reference to the Charge (which he called a Chalenge) under my hand againſt them: I forthwith told him, that I was ready (by Chriſts help) to do it: howbeit, by the way (as I told them) I thought it fit to ſignifie unto them, ſc. That as they had accepted the Paper which I had ſent to them, ſo they had thereby bound themſelves to all the terms and conditions therein expreſſed: as Namely. 1. That the Diſputation is to be Regular; that is to ſay, I am (in the firſt place) to prove the whole Charge, without any interruption from any one of you; That then any one or more of you may (without interruptions from me) anſwer my Arguments, or give your Aſſent. 2. That the Diſputation is to be peaceable; that is to ſay, one perſon only (at a time) is to Anſwer; That the Diſputation may not end (as uſually ſuch kind of Diſputes have done) in an unprofitable Confuſion, but to the ſatisfaction of the numerous, and judiciou… Hearers: And that at the end of all, They may judge (according to the Scriptures of Truth) between you and me: Let me here pray the Reader to take notice, that not any thing ſaid by me (touching the Regular and Peaceable Diſputation) was gain ſaid by any of them, whoſe ſilence was (by all the Hearers) taken for their full conſent: yet, notwithſtanding; herein, they declared themſelves moſt unfaithful, for they frequently interrupted me, more eſpecially, by caſting in impertinent objections, ere I ha… half anſwered this or that Scripture, which ſome one or other of them had propoſed; thereby in deſign (as I thought) to obſtruct the ſpecial matter, ready to be uttered for the ſatisfaction of the Attentive Hearers; which urged me (as I muſt confeſs) unadviſedly to ſay, that what I had, and ſhould then have declared, I would cauſe to be Printed, that full returnes might be given to the objections made, and Scriptures wreſted by them: ſaying, If I could not be heard I would be read: herewithal, I cannot deny, but that I have in the returns, inſerted ſundry things from judicious Authors (for confirmation) or further explication which I might not then have alledged, though I had not met with any interruption at all: And f…raſmuch as ſome of them have (as I am informed) ſince ſaid, that their buſineſs was not managed aright by them, and that ſome things were forgotten to be ſpoken; not only theſe but all other things which might ſeem for their advantage, I have (in their due places) ſet down and anſwered; upon the whole I do aſſure the Reader, I ſhould not have given my ſelf this trouble; had they not (by their manifold interruptions) provoked me to make that inconſiderate open promiſe as above: concerning which many of the Hearers have ſince been my frequent Remembrancers; and probably others may be ready (on default of performance) to reflect ſlanderouſly upon me, whoſe reviling rudeneſs is but too well known:
And ſo Farewel, SAMSON BOND.
This inſuing Diſcourſe had been Printed ſooner, had not Mr. John Foſter (the Printer) been diſenabled by a tedious ſickneſs, of which he Died.
ERRATA.
Page 18. line 19. read doubled. p. 38. l. 40. r. aſſert. p. 51. l. 13. for believed, read belied the Letter. p. 81. l. 11. r. free. p. 85. l. 11. for perſon r. reaſon. p. 100 l. 24. r. either.