Cler. What, without a call?

Qua. To be able, is a sufficient call; and no call sufficient without ability.

Cler. But who shall judge of that call?

Qua. He who hath it, and they to whom he ministereth.

Cler. The common people are rare judges!

Qua. The commonest man is a good judge, whether he be edified by his preacher, or not.

Cler. Perhaps they are both enthusiasts.

Qua. They may be pious Christians for all that; if their affections be good towards God, they will certainly be saved.

Cler. Nay, I don't wonder at your charity for enthusiasts: it is but natural.

Qua. I have charity for all men, as every true Christian hath, even for thee. Art thou an enthusiast?

Cler. No: I am a member of the church of Christ.

Qua. Shew it by thy charity. Thou hast neither charity nor understanding if thou wouldest exclude all enthusiasts from Christ's church.

Cler. They exclude themselves.

Qua. Thy censure is passionate and cruel. No man chooseth to be an enthusiast, nor knows that he is. Wouldest thou damn him for invincible weakness?

Cler. What shall I do with him, if he will not be reclaimed ?

Qua. That is part of his, weakness, and thou hast nothing to do with him. What wouldest thou have to do, where thou canst do nothing? Those who have conscience, know that it is not to be commanded nor plied.

Cler. A whipping-post has sometimes worked great cures that way. Qua. Upon hypocrites. Dost thou reckon conscience an evil ? and would a whipping-post cure thee of thine ?

Cler. You are an unmannerly fellow.

Qua. Would that were the worst I could say of thee!

Cler. Sir, what can you say of me?

Qua. What I will not say. I do not like thy example so well as to follow it; nor will I fulfil the character that thou givest of me. I will only assure, thee, that thou art not qualified to rebuke unmannerly language; and that for myself, I would rather want breeding than charity. Cler. I perceive my censure of your brethren, the enthusiasts, touches

you.

Qua. With compassion for thee, who art the greatest enthusiast that I ever met with.

Cler. Hey day! Mr. Pert; what, is your head turned?

Qua. I am going to shew thee that thine is for reasoning hath no manner of effect upon thee; and thou reckonest every man who is out of thy favour, to be moreover out of the favour of God. All which is manifest enthusiasm, and the worst part of enthusiasm, the enthusiasm of monks and dervises, of bigots and persecutors of all sides and sorts, Cler. Thou art a very merry fellow.

Qua. I am not merry. Thou makest me melancholy to see such an anti-christian spirit in thee.

Cler. Are you really in earnest, when you charge me with enthusi asm?

Qua. Thou chargest thyself, by declaring for persecution; a crime against the very essence of Christianity. If thou art not an enthusiast, thou art worse.

Cler. Why, I tell you, I am an enemy to enthusiasts.

Qua. In that very thing thou art one. Thou art an enthusiast against enthusiasm. If enthusiasts hurt not thee, why shouldest thou be their enemy?

Cler. I am sure you talk like a wild enthusiast.

Qua. So thou sayest, but thou provest nothing. I talk against per

secution.

Cler. To punish disobedience to our spiritual governors, is, forsooth, persecution!

Qua. I thought I had already shewn thee the vanity of thy language about spiritual governors, which words contradict each other. None but God can govern the spirit of man. All government amongst men is human government, which meddleth only with the peace and property of society. When it would controul the consciences of men, it invadeth the jurisdiction, and usurps the prerogative of the Almighty, and is guilty of persecution.

Cler. But don't you disturb the peace of the church, which is part of the government?

Qua. We ourselves are part of the church of Christ, and give no disturbance to the rest; and if thy pride be disturbed at our Christian liberty, the scripture condemneth thee. We cannot, as we are Christians sacrifice our conscience to any man's ambition. Can a peaceable compliance with private conscience disturb any man who hath the Spirit of Christ? The business of religion is to find a way to heaven. Art thou disturbed because I choose that which appears the shortest, and which to me is the only comfortable way?

Cler. But if you be in a wrong way, and I would compel you into the right way; I do you no injury, but real service.

Qua. Friend, hast thou ever been there? And have not I the same written directions from the inspired men of God as thou hast, about the length and difficulty of the road? If thou wouldest take my divine rules for travelling out of my hand, or force thyself upon me for a guide, and drive me into a road which I do not find in my book, and make me pay for all this; I shall suspect thee for mine enemy, and for a treebooter, who wouldest carry me out of the way into a wilderness, to rob me. Let me ask thee a question, Wouldest thou be compelled to accompany me in my journey heavenward ? Cler. No, faith, for two unanswerable reasons: First, you are not going thither.

Qua. I dare neither think nor say the like of thee: only thy road is not my road.

Cler. Secondly, you have no warrant to compel me.

Qua. Thou speakest truth. No man hath a warrant to force faith, or to carry another man's conscience.

I

NUMBER 72.

Dialogue between a Country Clergyman and a Quaker, continued.

Cler. But you allow me a right to direct conscience.

Qua. Yes, if it liketh thy direction. I have the same right.

Cler. You have self-conceit in abundance.

Qua. When thou art free from it, thy rebuke may be seasonable. I think I have impartiality too: my religion bringeth me no rents, I only seek salvation from it.

Cler. Smart again.

Qua. Dost thou feel it?

Cler. If I do, I ought to bear it, you know, from a teacher.

Qua. I wish thou wert one. I am sure thou hast hitherto taught me nothing. I bave fully confuted all thy propositions, and thou hast not answered mine.

Cler. You are too wise a man to be confuted or convinced.

Qua. By thy arguments, undoubtedly.

Cler. By any arguments.

Qua. That are insufficient.

Cler. In short, you are the most incorrigible sect living.

Qua. And art not thou vain to endeavour to correct what thou sayest cannot be corrected ?

Cler. I would, at least, do my duty and save your soul, if I could. Qua. My soul is safe in the blood of Christ. Knowest thou any other safety?

Cler. Your safety will fail you, if you do not worship him in a proper manner.

Qua. I believe in him, I pray to him, and to God through him : I pray for his Spirit, I seek bis will in his word, and beg for light to understand it, and praise him for it; and I live soberly. Is not this the whole of religion, and of religious worship? Canst thou teach me any better?

Cler. If you were to be taught, I could teach you to worship bin decently.

Qua. Thou meanest, I suppose, to bow at sounds, to make legs to a table, and to say after thee. This is not religious worship, but a task which any Infidel can perform; nay, we have creatures amongst us that are not rational, and yet can perform it.

Cler. Was there ever such profane buffoonery?

Qua. Why truly I think not.

Cler. None but a pagan could jest thus with sacred things.

Qua. Thou art mistaken, friend; pagans reckon them sacred, and solemnized in their temples a number of merry motions, which were a jest to the primitive Christians.

Cler. Good things are not the worse for being abused by the hea

thens.

Qua. True, nor foolish things the wiser for being used by Christians. Cler. What, do you call the ceremonies of our holy church foolish?

Qua. No, but to me they are not edifying.

Cler. To me they are, but your heart is hardened.

Qua. Do not things that are edifying soften the heart? Else what are they good for?

Cler. Grace must go along with them.

Qua. Friend, won't grace do without ceremonies? Whoever hath grace, is already edified: And cannot I pray for grace without ceremonies ?

Cler. Our church has established them as necessary to decency and edification. Has the authority of the church no weight with you? Qua. Yes, great weight, where she erreth not.

Cler. Of which you pretend to judge.

Qua. Dost thou follow any church without knowing why? or should any man?

Cler. No.

Qua. Then every man ought to judge of every church, as thou dost; by separating from every church but thy own; doubtless, because thou art most edified by her and when she edifieth me also, I will also join with her.

:

Cler. You ought to join with her she is the established church. Qua. If ours were established, wouldest thou join with us? Cler. How! I join with fanatics!

Qua. It becometh not me to return ill language; but it is plain that thou valuest not establishments; and why wouldest thou expect it from others, and set up duty against conscience?

Cler. Conscience ! cant !

Qua. By our conscience we must please God; but if it offendeth thee, I will call it by another name; I will call it opinion. Now, suppose I differ in opinion with thee and thy church, wouldest thou have me be an insincere man, a hypocrite, and a liar, by declaring myself of thy opinion, when I am not ?

Cler. No, but

Qua. Haye patience: I have another question to put to thee Wouldest thou have me change my mind, when I cannot change it ? Cler. No man shall tell me that it is impossible for him to be of the true religion.

Qua. I am of the true religion, and so thinks every man; it being every man's nearest interest to be of the best.

Cler. A medley of religions is pernicious to society.

Qua. Pernicious (if thou pleasest) to the pride of men, who would ride upon society over the belly of conscience. But what hath human society to do with what is in the heart of man concerning a future state, wherewith there can be no human commerce? Human society indeed should beware of those men who, under colour of conducting them to the other world, would engross this; of men who would make the whole body politic their slaves and tenants; and would take so much care of postures and opinions, as to leave them nothing but postures and opinions to take care of.

Cler. A fine harangue, truly! Who are the terrible fellows that do or would do all this?

Qua. All who would bear no religion in the world but their own. The Popish clergy have done it; and all other clergy, who make the

same demands upon society that they do, would do it. Do not all thy high brethren make the same demands, and contend for all the tyranny, and wealth, and pomp of popery?

Cler. I am not for Popery: But I am for the church's having all her own power and lands.

Qua. That is, thou art for the worst parts of popery, but not for po pery. Friend, religion claimeth neither power nor lands: had none, the apostles had none, and we claim none; a interfere with society, as they do who demand every thin and good in society.

Cler. A pretty fellow to regulate society!
Qua. I meddle not with society: I only desin
Cler. What have you to do then with churc
Qua. Nothing. What hast thou? They

by the popish monks.-Art thou one? At L

resumed them again: and doth the church of Christ condemn the reformation? or, what hath she to do with the cheats and robberies of monks, but to condemn them?

Cler. I hope you will allow us to keep what the law gives us.

Qua. But why claimeth thou more? And hath not the law that gave, a power to take away ?

Cler. I dare say, you don't mean your own estate.

Qua. Yes, surely, if I robbed the public to get it, or turned the bounty of the public to the public detriment.

Cler. Have you the impudence to say that the clergy do so?

Qua. Friend, there are clergy who do so; who for their own pride and debaucheries starve the laiety that feed their luxury; who receive all their power and revenues from the laiety, and leave the laiety none. And there are others who have great benefices for the exercise of religious functions, and never exercise any; but convert them into Sine Cures, or leave them to a hireling. This, friend, is worse than impudence, whereof I am not guilty. Does the Spirit call them to this? for, if I am not deceived, you all declare yourselves called by the Spirit.

Cler. I know you are nibbling at our keeping curates, and yet you keep a bailiff upon your estate.

Qua. Yes; and I will turn him out, if he neglect my affairs, or trust them to a carter. How dost thou like the example? It is of thy own choosing. And thou puttest the cure of precious souls, for which Christ died, upon the same foot with the care of corn and cattle, which men eat; and upon a worse foot, if thou wilt not suffer us to choose our spiritual bailiffs.

Cler. And so you would bave the same authority over clergymen, as over your ploughmen. Mighty civil!

Qua. We maintain both, but at very unequal wages. Where would be the incivillity or injustice of laying out our own money for our own use?

Cler. Then the church might starve for you?

Qua, Friend, thou mayest be learned, but thou art very ignorant. The church of Christ cannot starve, because it liveth not upon meats, and drink, and money.

Cier. Nor consists of solemn faces, prim cravats, plain coats, and

broad hats.