George Fox Digged Out of His Burrows, Account of dispute 1 (1 of 1)
A Narration of A CONFERENCE OR DISPUTE, This last August 1672 (so called) in the Colony of Rode-Iland and Providence, Plantations in N. ENGLAND, between Roger Williams of Providence (who Challenged Fox by writing (which followes) and all his Friends then met on Rode-Iland, (and G. Fox withdrawing) Iohn Stubs, Iohn Burniat, and William Edmundon (three of their ablest Apostles) on the other, that is, (on the pretended Quakers) Party.
HAving long heard of the great name of G. Fox, (a man cried up by the People called Quakers) and having read his book in Folio (some years since) against,The Occasion of the Disputation. as I think above six score Books and Papers (written by pious and able pens against them) and now this Summer hearing of his coming into these Parts of N England, and the poor cheated Souls the Quakers with joy expecting his coming,G Fox his Book in Folio weighed. as the coming of an Angel of light from Heaven: I read over his Book afresh (as in the holy presence and eye of God, (with a single Eye and Heart) and more clearly finding his Answers so weak and silly, so Anti-Christian and Blasphemous, and yet so Imperious and Scornfull, so Cursing and Censorious, [2] Damning and Reprobating all that bow not down to their new Upstart Image, my Spirit rose up within me, and I believe the holy Spirit of God (in answer to my poor Petitions and Meditations) resolved and quickened my Spirit to the present Undertake and Service. And therefore for his most holy Names sake, and the name of his most holy only begotten, the true Lord Iesus the God-Man and Mediator &c, And for the honour of the most holy Spirit of God (so horribly torn in pieces by this foul Spirit of the Quakers) For the vindicating of many of the precious Truths of the old Christian purity, and for the sake of so many precious Souls lying slain and bleeding before me, I made this Offer following to G. Fox, and any or all his Followers or Associates, then together at New-port on Rode-Iland. Tis true G. Fox, was at Providence some few dayes before, and spake publickly; and it was free for me publickly to have heard him, and opposed him; But going the last year to one of their general Assemblyes at New-Port, A Spirit of Confusion in the Quakers Meetings.and having begun to present to them some Considerations about the True Christ and the false, the True Spirit and the False and being cut of in the midest, by sudden Prayer of one, and the Singing of another, and then by the Prayer of another and the sudden dissolving of the Assembly, I resolved to try another way, and to offer a fair and full Dispute, according to Ed. Burrowes (and therein G Foxes) Offer in his large Epistle to Foxes Book. To this Purpose I drew up my thoughts into fourteen Propositions; and knowing that New-Port was the chief Town on Rode-Iland and Providence on the Main, and that G. Fox had spake at both places and bewitched many with his Sorceries, I sent this Paper following to G. Fox at Newport, viz,