Selected quad for the lemma: order_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
order_n	appeal_n	meet_v	monthly_a	32	3	16.2044	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94202	A reviler rebuked, or, Abraham Bonifield's envy, falseness and folly, in his late book, called The cry of the oppressed, etc., laid open in this answer thereunto Written by Oliver Sansom...	Sansom, Oliver, 1636-1710.	1696 (1696)	Wing S685; ESTC R43915	56,159	52

W. and S. C. on his part But his own Confusion and self-contradiction sufficiently shews the falseness of his Story For whereas at that Quarterly Meeting at Newberry in the 5th month 1691. he threatned to Appeal to the Yearly Meeting and says p. 14. That I thereupon proposed as a medium a Referrence to some Ancient Friends at London he says in his 12. p. that the Letter he sent to me at the time of the Yearly Meeting at London was in order for me be assistant with him in the Prosecution of the Appeal proposed by my self at the Quarterly Meeting at Newberry Here he makes as if I had proposed his Appealing to the Yearly Meeting But in his Letter to the Monthly Meeting at Reading dated near nine months before this though placed after in his Book he makes as if I had proposed a Referrence to some ancient Friends as a medium to prevent his threatned Appeal to the Yearly Meeting And yet in his said Letter afterwards to me at London having mentioned his being as he said necessitated to Appeal he proposes this Referrence as a new thing thus But to prevent nevertheless the more Publick notice and knowledge thereof if thou please we may the rather endeavour to have it referred to a certain number of ancient Friends c. Thus he is in and out staggering and inconsistent with himself Yet upon this false suggestion that I proposed this Referrence he abuses me at his pleasure In his 13th p. he says when he spake with me after the same manner at Gracious-street as he had written I seemed as a man surprized and one amazed as not knowing what to answer or say for my self but speedily sought for some House or Place to get away and hide my self from him I did not know before that he counted himself such a terrible Body that the sight of him should fright me nor do I yet know any thing I have done for which I need to hide my self from him or any one else though the company of such a quarrelsome man is not desirable to any one that loves Peace But this which he hath said of me here is modest in comparison with what he says in p. 42. where he repeats this matter for he loves to repeat things often over that he may make the more noise there he says thus No sooner had I spoken to him of it but he immediately hasted and rushed away from me as a man affrighted and surprized looking one way and another for his flight and speediest getting away and much like says he to the Thief if I may use so pertinent a Simile that desires the dark and shadow of the Evening to cover and hide himself from the light and discovery of the day How well this Language and Simile becomes him I leave to the Reader to judge But for all his representing me so surprized and amazed at his Presence one might think he was in some great maze himself when he writ that Letter to me For besides it is nonsensical throughout he gives this for his Reason why he would have the Difference then heard at London viz. To prevent those sad and evil effects it hath already brought forth I thought those effects that are already brought forth had been past preventing But this is like him Besides this Letter to me he has Printed another which he writ to the Friends of the Monthly Meeting at Reading and would read it to them though it was after the Judgment given against him After that he Printed another which he brought to the Quarterly Meeting in the 8th month 1692. and had the confidence to press to have liberty to read it in the Meeting though he had abused and vilified the Quarterly Meeting before and Appealed as he says from them to the Yearly meeting These serve to discover his own Folly and froward Disposition But that which is most strange is that after he had so often declared how much he was in Conscience concerned to stand up against W. L. and J. B. for Usurping Authority Rule and Lordship over Friends and Meetings and had set forth his Charges in the most aggravating terms He now tells us of an Offer he made to W. L. and J. B. of a free and voluntary forgiving and passing by of all Offences c. without either mentioning or bringing up of any of the Causes or Grounds of the Difference Nay he doth not so much as mention any shew of Sorrow or token of Repentance as a condition for this free forgiving and passing by of all Offences By this it may be guessed what a sort of Concern it was that he had and how little there was of Conscience in it Yet he says he was hearty and in good earnest and says A. H. R. and M. S. can witness that he was so who were Eye and Ear-witnesses of it But though they might be Eye and Ear-witnesses of his Proposals methinks they should hardly undertake to be Witnesses of his being hearty and in good earnest However he seems to impute the unsuccessfulness of this to W. L's asking him impertinent Questions as he calls them about the frame and temper of his Spirit and whether he was in a fit condition so to propose One would think a Man that were in a good frame and of a right Temper of Spirit would not have counted that an impertinent question Upon this I perceive he began to bend his Mind towards Printing For the next thing in his Book p. 16 17. is The Copy he says of a Letter he sent to G. W. and S. C. in order for their help and assistance and to stop and prevent Printing A long scribble he troubled them with and to make them amends for it suggests p. 18. as if they had lost or pretended to have lost his Papers of Charges Complaints Grievances c. It would be tedious as well as needless to take notice of all the impertinent Letters and Papers he has Printed in his Book Therefore passing by some I take notice that in a Paper without date called Some offers of Peace once more proposed to W.L. J.B. c. p. 19 20. he returns to his pretence of Conscience and nothing less will serve his turn then in order to Reconciliation with W. L. and J. B. than their confessing themselves guilty of those high Charges he had before exhibited against them which he elsewhere tells us are Crimes of an High and Criminal Nature Yet in p. 22. he says at a Meeting which he had with some Friends at London he did sign a Paper containing a free and voluntary forgiving of W. L. and J. B. But immediately adds In which I was neither clear nor at all satisfied because neither Repentance manifested nor any Satisfaction given to me the Person aggrieved and offended How ill doth this agree with his fore-cited offer to freely and voluntarily pass by all Offences c. without either mentioning or bringing up any of the Causes or Grounds

unawares the Ground of the present Difference viz. That after the former Difference had been ended he and some others recollected some omission or shortness says he in our not so stating it in the former relating to that part of the Difference we thought very material and necessary to have been inserted as the Ground or Hinge upon which most of our Discontents did hang and depend upon which occasion says he the old matter not brought before to light and more new ones daily appearing did occasion me to draw up first my own particular Dissatisfactions in order to present and to have them heard and redressed either by the Monthly or Quarterly Meetings And therefore says he in order thereunto I presented the Monthly Meeting with a Paper of Complaint of my Aggrievances See now Reader the restless Temper of this Contentious Man that no sooner was one Difference with him ended but he began to study how to raise another He feigns some fresh occasion and thereupon pretends to recollect some omission or shortness in stating the for mer Difference that he might take fresh occasion to differ again But is it not strange that this pretended omission should be of something relating to that part of the Difference which he and his thought very material and necessary to have been inserted as the Ground or Hinge upon which most of their Discontents he says did hang and depend This was a shortness indeed sufficient to unhinge all their Discontents and render the Difference at least on their side gronndless But rather than his Discontents should want an Hinge still to turn and return upon he would bring forth old matter not brought to light before for he says upon which occasion the old matter not brought before to light and more new ones daily appearing did occasion me to draw up first my own particular Dissatisfactions Was this like the Truth that is plain and innocent and void of the beguiling Crafts of Men Doth not this either discover the beguiling Craft or Folly of a Man out of Truth and neither plain nor innocent thus to keep back some old matter and that too no less it seems than the Ground or Hinge upon which he says most of their Discontents did hang and depend and not insert it not bring it to light when his old Difference was to be put an end to Now having drawn up his own particular Dissatisfactions I presented the Monthly Meeting says he with a Paper of Complaint of my Aggrievances This Paper of Complaint one might reasonably expect should have been the first in his Book but it is not brought forth till in his 7th page But his Book begins with another Paper pretended to be a Complaint of several Friends belonging to the Monthly Meeting of Reading to the Quarterly Meeting at Ore against W. Lambell for not Recording in the Monthly Meeting-Book A. Bonifield's particular Complaint against him and Jo. Buy Now though his Charges against W. L. and J. B. r were in order of time before his Complaint to the Quarterly Meeting at Ore against W. L. yet since he hath placed the latter first I will give some account of that first It is a Complaint against W. L. consisting of two parts one for refusing to Record in the Monthly Meeting-Book the Complaint he had made to that Meeting against W. L. and John Buy and that Meeting 's referring it to the Quarterly Meeting the other for not bringing the Meeting 's Book to the Meeting and refusing to let him have it to look into The better to set off his Complaint and to give the more Countenance and Authority to it he pretends that several other Friends belonging to the Meeting were troubled and sore grieved at W. L's refusing to Record his Complaint c. and did from thence take occasion to draw up that Paper of Complaint to the Quarterly Meeting against him and that those Friends did appoint him A. B. to deliver it on their behalf as also on his own and accordingly he hath signed the Paper thus By Abraham Bonifield on the behalf of the rest concerned Now in all this he hath not acted in the Truth that is plain and innocent but hath used beguiling Craft to deceive his Reader For when the Friends appointed by the Quarterly Meeting to hear his Complaint and end the Difference came to examine the Matter and inquire into the Particulars I well remember for I was one of them that when we asked him who and what Friends of Reading Meeting were one with him in that Complaint which he had signed on the behalf of the rest concerned he could not or would not name one but R. Sandilands being present did acknowledge that he was one with A. B. therein And whereas he Charges W. L. and it is the main part of his Charge that he refused to Record the Complaint in the Monthly Meeting-Book after the Meeting had referred it to the Quarterly Meeting notwithstanding that it was the Order Conclusion and Agreement of the Monthly Meeting I do not remember that it was made appear to us that the Monthly Meeting did order W. L. to Record it in their Book though they did refer it to the Quarterly Meeting to end it And it doth appear by the Coomplaint it self as A. B. has published it that W. L. did not refuse to stande to the Agreement of the Monthly Meeting for referring it to the Quarterly Meeting to be ended For the Complaint saith The Meeting came to this Vnanimous Conclusion viz. to refer it to the Quarterly Meeting to end to which both Parties did agree So that the substance of the Matter was answered by W. L. in agreeing with the Monthly Meeting to refer it to the Quarterly Meeting And it is no sign that the Monthly Meeting was offended with W. L. for not Recording it that most of the Friends belonging to that Meeting when they understood A. B's Intention to Complain of W. L. at the Quarterly Meeting did sign a Certificate on behalf of W. L. and J. B. of which this following is a Copy directed thus To the Quarterly Meeting at Ore the 15th of the 7th Month 1690. Dear Friends WHereas our Friend Abraham Bonifield has taken Offence in his Mind against our Dear Friends John Buy and William Lambole more especially against W. L. and in this offensive Mind hath been raking dislikes against W. L. and J. B. both to the Disquieting of himself and also to the Grief and Sorrow of Friends Now these may let you know that we whose Names are here under-written being Eye and Ear-witnesses of the Conversations of W. L. and J. B. and their Deportment amongst us do give you to understand our Sense concerning them which is They are Men fearing God and of a Clean Conversation and make Conscience in the sight of God of what their Practice is And whereas our Friend A. B. has let into his Mind that W. L. doth exercise Lordship over his Brethren and

the big Words and empty Flourishes which A. B. hath used to set forth the greatness of the Capital Difference as he calls it it seems the Difference was but slenderly grounded against W. L. if it wanted to be made out by Remarks upon his Person and Qualifications But be that Difference what it would since A. B. acknowledges it was not only referred to be heard and ended by J. O. and J. K. but also that it was so for he adds as accordingly they were viz. heard and ended who but one of a restless and unquiet Mind an Evil Contentious Spirit would have renewed the remembrance of an old ended Difference By this the Reader may see some of A. Bonifield's Qualifications and by these guess at the rest which are so Remarkably Evil that they need no farther Remark to be made upon them In the 8th page of his Epistle he reflects not only on W. L. and J. B. but on the Monthly and Quarterly Meetings too For having set forth but very falsly the great Endeavours and Entreaties he used to obtain Justice and a fair Hearing as he pretended he adds Tho' all in vain and to no purpose because of their so over-swaying of Meetings for Affection and Interest because still and always says he There was a Ruling Party both in Monthly and Quarterly Meetings so that what they were minded or resolved should be was to be and what not neither could should nor was to be admitted That this is a great Falshood and Slander upon the Monthly and Quarterly Meetings of our County of Berks is notoriously known to all our Friends that frequent those Meetings and therefore need no other Refutation there being so many that can Witness against it But it is usual with him to charge his own Faults upon others and Preheminence being the thing he hath long aimed at and sought after that he might Sway Rule and Over-rule Meetings at his pleasure his being disappointed thereof by them he mentions and other Friends also who saw his Ambitious Aspiring Humour and Contentious Temper and opposed him therein hath stirred up in him a Spirit of Revenge to upbraid them with that which himself was guilty of But as herein he hath done wickedly so hath he also done it foolishly and the Reward of Fools Confusion and Self-contradiction falls upon him For when he hath charged W. L. and J. B. with over-swaying Meetings for Affection and Interest so that what they were minded or resolved should be was to be and what they were minded should not be neither could should nor was to be admitted He immediately adds And it may be also observed how doubtful and timerous W. L. and J. B. c. all along from first to last have been of themselves and concerning the Effect and Event of things Was this a sign of their having or being of a Ruling Party in Monthly and Quarterly Meetings If they had so over swayed Meetings as he says that what they were minded should be was to be and what they were minded should not be neither could should nor was to be admitted surely they needed not to have been doubtful and timerous as he represents them concerning the Effect and Event of Things Here A. Bonifield's Passion hath run him on ground He designed to defame those Friends at a venture and the first thing he charges them with is Superiority Rule Sway in and over Meetings both Monthly and Quarterly so that they could do what they pleased what they had a mind to have done must be done and what they would not have done must not be done says he This if it were true were bad enough one would think and he needed not have heaped up more But his Envy extended further Therefore running on without Consideration he represents them at the same time doubtful and timerous not considering how disagreeable those terms are to that great strength and power of Sway and Rule which he had but just before represented them to have in and over Meetings by which they could do or keep undone whatsoever they pleased The truth is both the one and the other is a Falshood and a Slander of his own devising and this discovery of his Folly is very just upon him Now that himself was guilty of seeking and endeavouring to carry on his Contentious Design by Interest he himself has unadvisedly acknowledged in this place For speaking of an Appeal which he falsly says was pretendedly sought endeavoured and allowed by O. S. he adds And earnestly and truly endeavoured by me and that by all the thought-of ways means and interest that possibly I could find obtain or make use of on my part in order thereunto So that though there was no cause for the Appeal he mentions nor ground for him to charge me as he doth here and frequently in his Book with seeking endeavouring and allowing it to which I may answer in its place yet he plainly discovers that that which he wrongfully blames those Friends for to wit overswaying of Meetings for Affection and Interest was the course he took for carrying on his Appeal namely by all the thought-of ways means and Interest that possibly he could find obtain or make use of on his part as his own words are Besides the former he contradicts himself again in this place For speaking of his Intreaties used still and all along from time to time and one time to another for but Justice and a fair Hearing in his Case he adds in both this and the former Differences And he confest but a little before p. 5. that one of the two former Differences was heard and ended by J. O. and J. K. and in this place acknowledges the two former were heard and ended So that there is no end of Contention with him but rather than be quiet he will call for Justice and a fair Hearing even of such Differences as himself acknowledges have been referred heard and ended before More Observations might be made on his Epistle but these foregoing may somewhat discover what Spirit and Temper he is of which the Book it self will afford occasions of manifesting more fully I shall therefore here only note that he flatters with his Reader at the end of his Epistle as he did at the beginning of it and after he hath vented a great deal of Bitterness Envy and Falshood in it subscribes himself in the close thereof Thine in the Truth that is plain innocent and void of the beguiling Crafts of Men. 'T is true indeed that Truth is plain and innocent and void of the beguiling Crafts of Men But it is also true That he is not in that Truth but out of it and contending against them that dwell in it And his pretending to be in the Truth that is void of the Beguiling Crafts of Men is but a Crafty Artifice of his to beguile his Reader by To his Epistle he tacks on something by way of Introduction to his Book in which he opens perhaps

Complaint of any Grievances relating to them He cannot dares not say they did what then had he to do to exhibit a Complaint of Grievances relating to the Monthly Meeting without the Order Direction or Appointment of the Monthly Meeting Nay without the Consent or Privity of the Monthly Meeting If he had not been a very Busie Body he might one would think have given the Monthly Meeting leave to have made their own Complaint of Grievances relating to them if they had any So that this is so far from being a Reason for him that it is a Reason against him weighty enough of it self to have justified the Quarterly Meeting for not reading his Complaint openly in the Meeting A. B's second Reason is Because every Member is equally concerned to exercise the Sense and Vnderstanding that God has given them This I grant but when a Controversie is brought to a Meeting and that Meeting agree to commit the Hearing and Determining thereof to a Select Number surely then no Member of that said Meeting ought further to concern himself in that matter without the Concurrence of the whole Meeting To manifest yet farther the Vnfairness of this Man observe that in p. 3. he says I never left my Case wholly unto them viz. the Seven c. or satisfied at all nor any further nor otherwise neither than as constrained and forced to what I did When as all the Friends then present know that he agreed with the Meeting in it And his excepting against one for the Meeting named eight at first is an ARgument that he consented to the Meetings Choice in the other Seven But that which puts it out of all doubt is that about half a year after at the Quarterly Meteting at Reading he offered to the Meeting to refer and leave his Cause to the Hearing and Determination of these same Seven Friends whom the Meeting had chosen before and that no delay might be occasioned by the absence of one of them he himself named another Friend and desired he might be added to the Six in the room of him that was absent which plainly shews he approwed the Choice and accordingly he went on to exhibit and make out his Charges before them Yet he hath another setch which looks with rather a worse face than the former for when he said I never left my Case wholly unto them viz. the Seven c. he adds To subject or stand to their Award any otherwise than only conditional and with this proviso if managed impartially and to satisfaction p. 3. and p. 5. He says Seeing a Publick Hearing of it could not be obtained I condescended to the aso esaid provided it was done impartially and to satifaction And in p. 6. speaking of his having condescended to refer the matter unto the aforesaid for an Hearing Ending c. he adds yet not without a conditional Reserve Now doth not this manifest great want of Sinoerity in him to pretend and make a shew of giving up his Cause and leaving it to Friends to hear and end and yet at the same time have a conditional reserve in his Mind a secret Proviso to let himself loose by Doth this agree with his writing himself Thine in the Truth that is plain Innocent and void of the beguiling Crafts of men Surely one would think he writ that Craftily that he might the more easily beguile those that are indeed Plain and Innocent Now pray mark what this private Condition this Mental Reservation this secret Proviso was he gives it in these words viz. If managed impartially and to satisfaction p. 3. Provided it was done impartially and to satisfaction p. 5. Who was to judge whether it was done impartially but himself And for whose satisfaction did he provide but his own Was not this an abominable Juggle and Abuse for him to pretend to give up his Case to Friends and leave it to them to Hear and Determine and yet keep a secret Reserve in his Mind that if he was not satisfied with the end they made he would not stand to their Determination This among Men of the lowest Pretences either to Religion or Common Honesty is not counted Honest He had better have told the Meeting at first he would leave it to them or such as they should choose to end it if they ended it to his satisfaction otherwise he would Appeal from them for so it seems he did intend from the first as he intimates p. 5. I condesended to the aforesaid provided it was done impartially and to satisfaction else did intend says he to refer it by Appeal to the Yearly Meeting And as he intended not to stand to our Determination unless it were to his satisfaction so it seems as if he had intended also before we medled with it not to be satisfied with what we should do in it For in the Paper he had drawn up before we came to enquire into it and which when we came he read to us as his Reasons for refusing to let us meddle with it he says Seeing there was such an irregular step made in the very beginning by which he means the Meeting 's not letting him read his Complaint in the open Meeting we cannot reasonably expect these few can either go on well or end it so as it ought to be to satisfaction And so much had he possessed his Mind with that or at least pretended so that when we came first to Reading about it he would not open the matter to us nor yield that we should at all meddle with it Now I desire the Reader to observe and consider the Nature Temper and Spirit of this Man how prone he is to Contention and Quarreling and what contrivances he has and what Provision he makes to continue and perpetuate Discord and Strife by excepting against the proper ways and means for ending it For Experience shews it too seldom happens when Differences fall out between Person and Person that such an end can be made thereof by the most Judicious and Indifferent Persons that can be chosen as will prove to the satisfaction of both sides Now if the Persons differing after they have left or referred their Difference to others to end shall be at liberty on either side to fly off and refuse the Determination made because they don't like it or it is not to their satisfaction what end can be made of Differences Surely this contrivance of his doth not proceed from the Peaceable Spirit of Christ but from that Spirit which loves Dissention and Discord and would not willingly ever be without it and therefore seeks by all the ways it can to encrease it and keep it up A. Bonifield hath another Exception against us and that I think snews his Folly as much as the former doth his Falseness He is angry that we gave any Judgment at all alledging that we were appointed for Reconcilers not Judges but to hear and end all Differences betwixt them so he has it in his Title