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<DATE>2014-06-16</DATE>
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<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<P>THE Quakers Plea, ANSWERING ALL OBIECTIONS, And they proved to be no way dangerous, but FRIENDS TO THE KING: And may be tollerated in their RELIGION, with &s;afety to the Kingdom.</P>
<P><HI>P. H.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for the Author, 1661.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="3">
<PB N="3" REF="3" MS="y">
<HEAD>Whereas it is objected at this day by many, that the <HI>Quakers</HI> (&s;o called) are a dangerous People towards the King and his Government, and therefore not fit to be tollerated, as they &s;ay, upon the&s;e Rea&s;ons.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Becau&s;e many of them have been in the Army again&s;t the King and Kingly Authority <HI>(as it is &s;aid)</HI> under the commands of the late u&s;urped Powers of Pro|tectors, Parliaments, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Becau&s;e they will not &s;wear, nor take the Oath of Allegeance to the King, nor give any credible a&s;&s;u|rance by Oath or Promi&s;e, or other &s;ecurity that they will be peaceable, and not fight, nor take up Arms again&s;t the King, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Becau&s;e they are a People not conformable to the Church, and not agreeing with the cu&s;toms and fa&s;hions of the Kingdom, but are &s;ingular in their wayes, and keeps a corre&s;pondency among them&s;elves, holding great Meetings, and thereby may &s;educe many more of the Kings Subjects to their wayes and Principles.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>To all the&s;e I An&s;wer in order.</HEAD>
<P>THe fir&s;t Rea&s;on, <HI>Becau&s;e many of them</HI> (viz. <HI>the</HI> Quakers) <HI>have been in the Army again&s;t the King and Kingly Authority, under the Commands of the late u&s;urped Powers of Pro|tectors and Parliaments,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<PB N="4" REF="4" MS="y">
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. Though it is acknowledged that &s;ome who are now called <HI>Quakers</HI> have been in the Ar|my under the Protectors (&s;o called) and their Par|liaments, that warred again&s;t the King, yet it is not true of all of us, for &s;ome that are now <HI>Quakers</HI> (&s;o called) were in the Army for the King, and al&s;o many of us were never in any Army, neither for nor again&s;t him; &s;o that the &s;trength of this rea&s;on is avoided, becau&s;e we have not all in general been in Arms again&s;t the King, and therefore now not a dangerous people on that Rea&s;on, becau&s;e the &s;trength and force of the Rea&s;on is fetched from that cau&s;e in General, which all of us are not guil|ty of, and &s;o now not a dangerous people (in Ge|neral) on that account, though &s;ome have been in Arms at &s;ome time as afore&s;aid, under the Powers again&s;t the King; neither is it an infallible &s;ign, or certain rea&s;on of a dangerous Per&s;on, or People to|wards the King, to have been &s;ometime in the Ar|my under the late Powers again&s;t Him, becau&s;e &s;ome that are now the Kings neare&s;t Friends, and Pillers of the Government, and no whit dangerous to him, have that &s;ign upon them, and are fully concluded under that rea&s;on of once being in the Army again&s;t the King.</P>
<P>But Secondly, Though &s;ome that are now called <HI>Quakers</HI> were once in the Army, under the Powers again&s;t the King, when their knowledge and judg|ments were not otherwi&s;e framed, but were of that Principles and Practice, that fighting and going to war in it &s;elf was lawful, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Yet being now al|tered and turned in their judgements to the con|trary, and that it is not lawful (in the Admini&s;tra|tion of the Go&s;pel) to fight again&s;t, or go to war
<PB N="5" REF="4" MS="y">with Carnal Weapons in any wi&s;e, there is now no danger of us on the former account, becau&s;e the fear of pre&s;ent danger now concerning us, cannot rightly be placed on that rea&s;on (of what) we once were, being now changed in our Principles in that ca&s;e, and cannot now fight, or go to War with car|nal Weapons again&s;t the King, nor any man upon the earth; and this being now our Principle in that ca&s;e (notwith&s;tanding what&s;oever it hath been heretofore) we cannot ju&s;tly now be concluded to be a dangerous People to the King, becau&s;e &s;uch of us (who&s;e Principles) were once &s;o, are chang|ed even from that Principle and practi&s;e of going to wars, and fighting, and now are all of that mind and heart, that in the admini&s;tration of the Go&s;pel, it is on all occa&s;ions what&s;oever unlawful to go to war, and fight with any man with carnal Weapons, contrary to the Doctrine of Chri&s;t. But</P>
<P>Thirdly, It cannot ju&s;tly be judged concerning us that we are a dangerous people, as we are Qua|kers for that cau&s;e and rea&s;on which we might be, or do when we were not &s;uch, &s;o that we cannot now be reputed a dangerous people, as we are tru|ly &s;o, and called Quakers, upon that rea&s;on al|leadged again&s;t us of what we were, or might do when we were not Quakers, becau&s;e we are now (as &s;uch) turned from that Principle of fighting, and as Quakers, never any of us took up Arms a|gain&s;t the King, and therefore as we are Quakers, cannot be ju&s;tly judged dangerous nor condemned, neither feared as &s;uch &s;eeing that (as &s;uch) and ever &s;ince we were &s;uch, we never took up arms again&s;t the King, nor gave ju&s;t cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition of being dangerous to the King and his Government, and we
<PB N="6" REF="5" MS="y">cannot ju&s;tly &s;uffer in any ca&s;e now for what we might be, or do before we were &s;uch, for now we hold the principle, and practi&s;e al&s;o of living peace|able with all men, and not to fight again&s;t, or war with any; and if any proceedings be again&s;t us now in any ca&s;es, it is only as we are &s;uch, and not as we were &s;uch in another capacity.</P>
<P N="2">2. Rea&s;. <HI>Becau&s;e they</HI> (viz. <HI>the Quakers</HI>) <HI>will not &s;wear, nor take the Oath of Allegiance to the King, nor give any credible a&s;surance by Oath or promi&s;e, or other &s;ecurity that they will be peaceable and not fight, nor take up armes against the King,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Fir&s;t, Though we will not &s;wear, nor take the oath of Allegiance to the King, it is not becau&s;e we will not take that oath, but becau&s;e we cannot take any oath at all; For we cannot &s;wear at all, be|cau&s;e of the command of Chri&s;t, who hath expre&s;ly forbidden to &s;wear at all, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. So though we will not &s;wear Allegiance, yet that is no good rea&s;on that we are a dangerous people, for our refu&s;ing to take the oath of Allegiance is not out of Rebellion to the King, or as though we had &s;ome re&s;erve of future intents of Rebellion, or con&s;piracy towards him, and would not therefore &s;wear Allegiance, but would leave our &s;elves free to intend, or act evil to him, but it is out of good con&s;cience, and that we may keep the commands of Chri&s;t, there|fore only do we refu&s;e to &s;wear in that, and all o|ther ca&s;es, and &s;o no true con&s;equence can be col|lected that we are a dangerous people on that rea|&s;on, neither is it a certain rea&s;on and infallible &s;ign that a people is dangerous towards the King for denying to take the oath of Allegiance, becau&s;e many people that will &s;wear, and take that oath,
<PB N="7" REF="5" MS="y">are &s;till accounted dangerous, and may be truly &s;o accounted, and may not be wholly friends to the King and his Government, though they have taken that oath; &s;o we cannot be truly judged to be more the Kings enemies, nor le&s;s his friends, though we will not &s;wear Allegiance, &s;eeing it is not denied of Rebellion, but for con&s;cience &s;ake.</P>
<P>Secondly, We are ready and willing to give a credible Te&s;timony in the fear of God, that we &s;hall not Rebel, Plot, or imagine to the hurt or di&s;tructi|on of the King his per&s;on, or ju&s;t Authority in the verity of yea and nay, as God is our witne&s;s, or we &s;peak the truth in Chri&s;t and lie not, &s;uch credible te&s;timony (which is as binding to us to be perfor|med of us, then any formall oaths are to them that take them,) we have given and are ready to give for our &s;ecurity of peaceable living, and that we &s;hall not Plot nor Rebel again&s;t the King, but live peaceably, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And &s;uch our Te&s;timony in yea, and nay given &s;olemnly by us, as God is our witne&s;s, or we &s;peak in his fear, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> is as credible &s;ecurity, as any oaths, promi&s;es and engagements of any o|thers, and will be performed as truly and perfect|ly; But</P>
<P>Thirdly, No better te&s;timony can be given of us of our peaceablene&s;s, and that we &s;hall not Plot, nor Rebel again&s;t the King then experience it &s;elf, experience I &s;ay is the &s;ufficient and be&s;t witne&s;&s;e, that we are peaceable, and free from Plotting and Rebellion, for we have alwaies been &s;o &s;ince we were a people, both before and &s;ince the King came in, and never &s;ince that we were a people have we taken the occa&s;ion (though often profered us) to war with, or fight again&s;t any by Ri&s;ing up with
<PB N="8" REF="6" MS="y">carnal weapons; but have ever been &s;ubject (ac|cording to a good con&s;cience) to every Authority that have been over us, and we are &s;o clear, and free in the&s;e matters, that we can challenge the whole world to accu&s;e us, or detect us of the con|trary; &s;o our refu&s;ing to &s;wear or engage our &s;elves by oath in Allegiance to the King, argues not any danger at all towards him, or as if we were a dan|gerous people and not to be tollerated, becau&s;e we are ready to give te&s;timony of our peaceable living, &amp; al&s;o experience witne&s;&s;eth that we are a peace|able people, and have alwayes been &s;o, and we are ready to te&s;tifie in the pre&s;ence of God, that we are (re&s;olved in the Lord) &s;o to continue.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Rea&s;.</HI> Thirdly, <HI>Becau&s;e they are a people not con|formable to the Church, and not agreeing with the cu|stomes and fa&s;hions of the Kingdome, but are &s;ingular in their wayes, and keeps a corre&s;pondency among them&s;elves, holding great meetings, and thereby may &s;educe many more of the Kings Subjects to their wayes, and principles,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Fir&s;t, it is true, we are not conformable to the Church of <HI>England,</HI> nor agreeing to the cu|&s;tomes and formalities of the Nation in many things, yet this argues no danger at all in us, for it is not out of perver&s;ne&s;&s;e, malice or evil minded|ne&s;s that we do not comform to the Church, but for con&s;cience &s;ake, and for con&s;cience &s;ake we cannot conform in many things, as in particular may be &s;hewed if it were the pre&s;ent ca&s;e to be re&s;olved, and tis our de&s;ire to di&s;pute the Ca&s;e with the Fa|thers of the Church, and being tis not of malice, nor evil mindedne&s;&s;e towards the King and his Go|vernment, that we do not conform to the Church,
<PB N="9" REF="6" MS="y">and Cu&s;tomes of the Land, but wholly and only for Con&s;cience &s;ake, and that we may keep our con&s;ci|ence clear, and not &s;in again&s;t our God, therefore no &s;ound rea&s;on of Danger concerning us can be drawn or alleadged again&s;t us, becau&s;e of our not conforming to the Church, neither is conforming to the Church a certain and infallible &s;ing of a per|&s;on, or a people to conclude that they are not dan|gerous towards the King, becau&s;e many that door may conform, may (more truly then we) admit of &s;u|&s;pitious danger, and this is very true; Wherefore our not conforming to the Church, renders us not to be accounted a dangerous people, becau&s;e many that may conform to the Church, may be dangerous more then we.</P>
<P>Secondly, but as for not agreeing with the cu|&s;tomes and manners of the General &s;ort of people of the Land, this is much of the &s;ame with the for|mer, and the &s;ame an&s;wer may be given; for though it is true that we do n ot agree in many cu&s;tomes, and formall fa&s;hions and manners of the generall &s;ort of people, this is al&s;o for con&s;cience &s;ake, and le&s;t we &s;hould &s;in again&s;t God, this is the only cau&s;e wherefore we refu&s;e to follow, and are departed from many of the cu&s;tomes and fa&s;hions, and man|ners of this world, being mo&s;t of them in the vaine glory, and &s;uper&s;titions, and flatteries, ambitions and deceits of this evil world, and all &s;uch cu&s;tomes, fa&s;hions and manners as are vain glories, flatteries and deceits, we agree not with any in the&s;e things, but are &s;eparate from them, and oppo&s;ite to them, and that for good con&s;cience &s;ake; yet this argues no danger at all, as though we were a dangerous
<PB N="10" REF="7" MS="y">people to the King, and his Government, upon this rea&s;on, for this &s;hews no danger at all, becau&s;e we do not contemptuou&s;ly nor rebelliou&s;ly &s;eparate our &s;elves from the people, into divi&s;ion or &s;ingu|larity in this ca&s;e, but only for good con&s;cience &s;ake, as being convinced of the evil of the&s;e things, and that they are not good, therefore we deny, and &s;eparate from them; and al&s;o this is no certain rea|&s;on, nor infallible charracter that we are a danger|ous people, for many that do conform to all the cu|&s;tomes, and manners, and wayes of men are not ex|cluded from &s;u&s;pition of danger; but even &s;ome &s;uch as do conform both to the Church, and all cu|&s;tomes and manners of the Land, may be a more dangerous people then we are; &s;o this rea&s;on &s;hews not truly that we are &s;uch as is objected again&s;t us, (to wit) a dangerous people, and not &s;it to be tol|lerated.</P>
<P>Thirdly, as for being &s;ingular in our wayes, and holding corre&s;pondency one with another; thus it is, we are &s;uch as do fear the Lord, and are &s;eparated from this evil world in all its wayes, and vanities, and are only &s;ingular &s;o, and not otherwi&s;e, as that we cannot joyn with, nor conform unto any thing in word, work, or action, which is contrary to the Scriptures of truth, and to the exerci&s;e of our pure con&s;ciences; But &s;o are we &s;ingular as that we love the Lord our God above all, and delights to &s;erve him in a pure heart, and we follow after truth and righteou&s;ne&s;s, mercy and peace, the good of our neighbours, and the glory of the Lord, and the con|trary we hate, and are &s;eparated from, into &s;ingula|rity and &s;eparation, and we love one another, and
<PB N="11" REF="7" MS="y">are united in the bond of peace, and are members of one body (to wit Chri&s;t) and are of one heart, and one &s;oul, even as it was among the Primitive Chri&s;tians, &s;o it is among&s;t us all this day in re&s;pect of our union and corre&s;pondency, for no other we hold then they, even in the truth, and in the power of God, and only &s;uch is our union, and fellow&s;hip; and this corre&s;pondency is no rea&s;on of danger on our part towards the King, excepting our fear of the Lord, and love to him, and denying wickedne&s;s, and loving righteou&s;ne&s;s, and our love one to ano|ther in the bond of peace, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> argue danger in us, which I hope no wi&s;e man will either &s;ay, or &s;up|po&s;e, nor conclude that by rea&s;on hereof (to wit) &s;uch &s;ingularity and corre&s;pondency (as afore|&s;aid,) we are a dangerous people, and not to be tol|lerated.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, As for our great Meetings, and the &s;uppo|&s;ed danger of &s;educing more of the Kings Subjects to our wayes, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> I &s;ay our Meetings are only for the wor&s;hip of God, and to wait upon him, and af|ter the example of the Scriptures, and Primitive Chri&s;tians, and &s;uch is our onely end after &s;uch a good example, God is our witne&s;s, and is no rea&s;on of danger towards the King, &s;eeing the end of &s;uch our practi&s;e is good, and not evil, not to Plot or contrive ought again&s;t the King and his Govern|ment; But to wait upon the Lord, and to wor&s;hip him according to the example of Scripture, and as we are per&s;waded in our hearts by his holy &s;pirit of truth, and we abiding in that way and &s;pirit in the exerci&s;e of our pure con&s;ciences to God-wards, cannot bring forth evil towards the King, nor effect
<PB N="12" REF="8" MS="y">any dangerous thing to his per&s;on or Government; and as for the &s;uppo&s;ed danger of &s;educing the Kings Subjects, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> we are not &s;uch as do, or would &s;educe any out of the way of the Lord into error, neither are we hereof yet truly detected or convinced, though &s;ometimes hereof fal&s;ely accu|&s;ed; But &s;uppo&s;e many do turn to our way, and be|come one with us in our Principles and practi&s;es, (which is the &s;uppo&s;ed danger,) this is no rea&s;on that we are a dangerous people, but rather the con|trary; for the more that are turned to us, and be|come of our principles (and &s;o will not fight not war again&s;t the King, but doth renounce that prin|ciple and practi&s;e as well as we) the &s;afer, and more &s;ecure is the King and his Government, ina&s;much as the more danger of harm he is in, the more people is of that principle to war again&s;t him, and the more that are turned from that principle to us, to be a peaceable people, and re&s;olved alwayes to live in peace with God and our Neighbours, the more &s;afe and &s;ecure is the King; &s;o that truly con&s;idered, though many &s;hould turn to us, and to follow our wayes, is no rea&s;on that we are a dangerous people, but clean the contrary, as is plainly proved.</P>
<P>Secondly, But to make Laws again&s;t us, and to Per&s;ecute us to Impri&s;onment, Bani&s;hment or Death, is not the way of keeping people from turning to us, and this will certainly be found; but the more we are &s;ought to be &s;uppre&s;&s;ed by &s;uch means of Rigour and Violence executed upon us, to Impri&s;onment, Per&s;ecution and Bani&s;hment, the more will people incline towards us, to follow our wayes and Principles; For tis common in all
<PB N="13" REF="8" MS="y">Ages, that what&s;oever people have been per&s;ecu|ted for their Religion and Con&s;cience &s;ake, that people have grown more numerous thereby, and &s;o will it be now; for al&s;o there is a property in <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> people to affect &s;ufferers, and to &s;uffer for our Religion, will more encline the hearts of peo|ple towards us, then many are now aware, and will decline them from you and your Authority, if it bring forth per&s;ecution, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And hereby will the Lord and all good men be grieved and vexed a|gain&s;t you; &s;o to &s;eek to &s;uppre&s;s us, and to keep people from following of us, and turning to us by &s;uch means of Per&s;ecution, is no happy, nor yet ble&s;&s;ed and pro&s;perous way for you to proceed in, nor is that any good rea&s;on, arguing danger of us, though there be a &s;uppo&s;ed danger in many fol|lowing our way.</P>
<P>Thirdly, And &s;uppo&s;e that any or many &s;hould be &s;o per&s;waded in their Judgements and Con&s;ci|ences, to turn to our way and follow us, and to dare tru&s;t their &s;ouls in the following of our Religion, what a hard thing, and how unrea&s;onable will it be, that &s;uch &s;hould be limited and re&s;trained by force, by Bani&s;hment or Death, from that Way and Religion of which they are &s;o per&s;waded as afore&s;aid, with which they dare freely tru&s;t their &s;ouls, &s;eeing the God of Heaven hath re&s;erved in his own power, to work Faith in the Heart, and to convert to Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and to per&s;wade the Con&s;ciences and Judgements of men, therefore its proper to him to be Lord and Ruler in this ca&s;e; And it will be wi&s;dom for the Rulers of this world to Rule well over the outward Man, in the things
<PB N="14" REF="9" MS="y">pertaining to this world, and to permit and allow all people to turn unto, to follow and practi&s;e that Religion which they dare tru&s;t their own Souls withal, and as they dare give account unto the dreadful God, of what they believe and profe&s;&s;e in his dreadful day that will come upon all the World; and let peace be kept among men in their outward conver&s;ations, and let every man keep his own peace with God, and look to it as he loves his own Soul, for that ought to be dear to every man, and in all rea&s;on and equity every man &s;hould have the liberty to profe&s;s and practice that Reli|gion which he can tru&s;t to for the Salvation of his Soul.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, Suppo&s;e we are not tollerated, but &s;uch force put upon us, to the Bani&s;hment and Impri&s;on|ment of &s;ome, and to the cau&s;ing of others to de|ny their Religion and Con&s;ciences, and conform to the Church, Cu&s;toms and Fa&s;hions of the Land; they that do &s;o conform, will never be &s;uch as that you will not have &s;u&s;pition or cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition that they are &s;till dangerous and to be feared by you, yes much more then &s;uch as cannot conform, for &s;uch who do conform as afore&s;aid, thorow the force of the Laws, and the fear and terror of this World have renounced (by &s;uch conforming) both the Fear of God and good Con&s;cience, and will ac|count them&s;elves an oppre&s;&s;ed people by you, and wil be alwayes grudging becau&s;e of &s;uch force upon them, &amp; being turned from the principle that now keeps us from fighting and waring again&s;t you, they are then at liberty even to rebel again&s;t you upon occa&s;ion, &s;eeing they have renounced good Con|&s;cience,
<PB N="15" REF="9" MS="y">and conforms contrary to their Judge|ments thorow your fear, and have for&s;aken that Principle which now keeps from going to war; all the&s;e things being con&s;idered, it may ju&s;tly be con|cluded, even according to the very Principles of Policy, that the King is more &s;afe by granting a ju&s;t Toleration, then he can be, if all were conformed by force, contrary to their Con&s;cien|ces.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>THE END.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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