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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62893	The Muggletonians principles prevailing being an answer in full to a scandalous and malicious pamphlet, intituled A true representation of the absurd and mischevious principles of the sect called Muggletonians : herein the aforesaid principles are vindicated, and proved to be infallibly true : and the author of that libel, his scandalous title and subject proved as false to truth, as light is to darkness, and that he knows no more what the true God is, nor what the right devil is, nor any true principle or foundation of faith, for all his great learning he so much bosts of, then those Jews that put the Lord of life to death, for learned and taught reason is but natural, and so falls short of the glory of God, as will appear in the following discourse / by T.T.	Tomkinson, Thomas, 1631-1710?	1695 (1695)	Wing T1840; ESTC R18719	47,859	79

the Words from your Neighbour the Seed of Faith and then Cry Thus saith the Lord. What do you bring as an Offering but what you have stolen from others do you delver anything but Trascriptions and Historical Notions the Repetitions of the Letter of the Scriptures and the Sentences of the antient Fathers 2 Cor. 10.16 there is the Line you boast in so that you do no more in ephect but rob the Dead to cloath the Living For have you so muth as opened the Meaning of one Text of Scripture in all your blind Pamphlet you have named the Words and then left them to Answer for them selves as I shall shew hereafter Again you further Object against their Doctrin of Infalibility in that they say They write by an unerring Spirit Now say you an Infalible Spirit implys the highest Certainty But say you his Book is Inconsistant with it self for Muggleton saith I am perswaded in my spirit and I do rather belive that there were Seven Hundred Thousands than Seven Thousands Revel 11.13 though the Revelation of John doth but express it but Seven Thousands Now say you to be perswaded and to belive a Thing to be so are Inconsistant to Infalibility for that admits no less than I am sure of it say you CHAP. IV. ANSWER THE Prophets did both of them write by an infallible and un-erring Spirit the Doctrine of them Six Principles the Knowledg of which John 17.3 Salvation doth depend upon but as to some perticular Points that are besides the Foundation there is not that Nessessity to be so positive But as to the Essential Points of Faith they were written by an un-erring Spirit and are infallibly True and against Men and Angels they affirm it and we as truly believe it to the great Peace and Satisfaction of our Minds For what is it that can satisfy the Mind of Man but Truth having the Seal of Life in it as every true Minister of God hath For every true Minister of God hath Power to set Life and Death before Men and can say Matt. 18.18 Now is fulfilled such and such Things Also he that is sent of God 1 Cor. 2.15 knoweth the Things of God and he that believeth in such a One knoweth the Things of God likewise But how can you judg of Infalibility that do not own your self Infalible but Falible What is Falible but a Lye and must a Lye be the Judg of Truth He that knoweth the Mind of the Lord he may Instruct from the Lord 1 Cor. 2.15 Vers 16. but he that hath not the Infalible Spirit doth from his lying Spirit prescribe Rules to God and would be God's Counsellor Now must such ignorant carnal sleshly Men as these Judg Infalibility that have nor own no other Spirit but what is Falible But to come to the Point and Charge against Lodowick Muggleton For although the Prophets and Apostles were Infalible as to all essential points of Faith yet as to other things that were circumstantial and not so essential in such things Prophets and Apostles may differ about them in their Experience and Judgment Thus Paul withstood Peter Gal. 2.11 and Reproved him and though Paul there gainsaid Peter yet in som other things Paul himself was not positive As for Instance Paul treating on Marriage 1 Cor. 7.6 he speaks as the Prophet Muggleton doth here and tells the Believers That it was his Judment That it were better for them not to Marry And further adds That he thinks ● V●se 39.10 That this his Judment is right and that it was from the Spirit of God Now I presume by what you have said of these that had you been living then and had heard of Paul's talking of having the Infalible Spirit of God you would presently have judged him a false Apostle notwithstanding the Miracles he had done and that he had contradicted himself and that his thinking was inconsistant to his Infalibility and so was not to be Believed Again if you had heard that Paul Circumcised Timothy Asts 16.3.2 Gal. 5.2 and yet nevertheless told the Galatians That if they were Circumcised they could not be Saved I say had you been in those Days Would not you have said That Paul had Contradicted himself and the Scriptures both Matt. 28.2 Luke 24.2 and would not you also have judged the Four Evangelists to have Contradicted one another in several places for as you Judg and Condemn these so you would have Judged them for these were sent by Jesus Christ and Paul was sent by no other God Again in Page 9. you quote John Reeve saying that he saith That he is Indued with a divine Gift to write a Volom as large as the Bible and as pure a Language as that is without looking into any Book or having any real Contradiction in it Upon these Words you make the Reflection fallowing Your Accusation runs thus saying That if the purity of the Language be a Sign of Truth Then say you I am sure it is far from being either True or Infallible For said you they do not write true English nor good Sence as likewise it often fails in the propriety of Words in Concord and Connexion being without Method Purity or Elogancy c. CHAP. V. ANSWER SIR in Answer to this The truly Wise do know that God's Messengers never regard fineness of Speech but soundness of Matter Not so much the Original of Words as the Original of Things even such as they are moved too by the Holy Ghost and not such Language as you are moved too by your Educated Spirit of Reason which is the Angels nature Fallen But in that you have no where contradicted our Principle which shews what the Person and Nature of Angels are therefore there is no Occasion given here to Dispute it but to Return to the matter aforesaid Spiritual Truth or Gospel Life was ever plain and was never delivered with new quined or high-flown Words of Man's Wisdom 1 Cor. 2.1 This made an old learned Philosophical Bishop Judg so hard by the Revelation by John not thinking it John's because of the Rudeness of the stile Dionisius For said he I see his Greek not exactly uttered the Dialect and Phrase not observed I find him said this Bishop using barbarous Phrases And Paul was called a clouter of Skins a Cobler by the Philosophers and a Man of no Breeding And he acknowledged himself but rude in Speech though not in true Wisdom but he had taken some Learning up at the Foot of Gamalial but he laid it down there again as soon as the Spirit of Faith became his Teacher All his Wisdom that he now valued was the Knowledg of Christ Crucified and Risen again which his former Wisdom could not know Acts 22.3 but on the contrary was the Persecutor of him Again Spiritual Truth or Faith was ever brought in Naked and Simple and in poor Array But Falshood doth ever indeavor to

have done it And that roaring Lyon Jefferies did say afterwards That he was sorry that their Laws were so unprovided that they could not take away Muggleton 's Life So that it is apparent that the Spirit and Life of these Two Witnesses is not killed but after the Two Winnesses of the Spirit are dead the Spirit and Life will remain in vigour 6thly Wherefore as the other Two Witnesses of Water and Blood did last to the end of the appointed time of their Commissions even so likewise will the Revelation of this Commission last to the end of the World for tho the Doctrin is declared as to the Substance yet in that Doctrin will Revelation arise grow and increase in such as hear it and understand it to their eternal Happiness Joy and Glory and shall Prevail and Triumph over all Forms and Opinions in Religion that now totters more than ever through its own Instability And now Sir are you not either Blind or Malitious or both that would forge Contradictions where there is none yea and to make Lies on purpose to make Truth appear Infamous So that are not you a Shifter of all Shifters and know not where to six or what to say or how to disprove it either by Scripture or sober Reason It 's a poor Shift to falsfy the Words of your Oponant because you have not anything that seems plausible to Answer Sir is this your Learning Pray do you believe that Book of the Revelation by St. John to be true Revelation and a part of holy Writ If you say you do then why will you not give your own Centiments of so much as one Verse and tell the Meaning thereof And if this Interpretation of theirs be not good Sense why do you not Reprove them with better But finding your Ignorance to be such therefore it had been better for you to have let this Book alone and plainly to have said That it was Sealed and you could not read it in its own Sense And it had been better for you to have let these Two Witnesses alone and all the Believers of it alone but you were appointed to that end that your Lies and Slandees against it may bring you to a full Reward For this Book of the Revelation by John was not writen for your Edification but for the Instruction of this last Witness and Benifit of the Seed of Faith to the End of the World as a peculiar Blessing Seal'd to them from Heaven And therefore by this Blessing of Faith and Knowledge in the Scriptures of Truth which is now given unto us we do from hence find that you have no part of the Blessing of this Book of the Revelation of St. John as may appear by these Seven Particulars following As First This Commission of the Spirit hath seen into the Book of Life wherein they have found the Names of the Prophets Apostles Chap. 20.15 and the Witnesses of the Spirit Recorded there as true Commissionated Messengers of God but your Name was not found there as a Minister of God This is the first Evidence of your Exclusion Secondly These Witnesses and the Believers thereof Chap. 14.3 have looked and seen those Hundred forty and four thousand Virgins that were Redeemed from the Earth standing with the Lamb their only God on Mount Sion singing that new Song of all Praise to the Lamb But you not having learn'd that Song of all Praise to the Lamb were not found amongst them but we Chap. 17.5 22.18 looking about have seen you in that great City Mistery Babilon the Mother of all Harloting and Blaspheming Priests who are said by the Spirit to have the Curse of this Book for ading and taking away from it For you add your own Imaginations to it and so from thence will make your own confounded Reason to be the Judg of it as I shew'd before in Chap. 2. Thirdly As we have seen you add your own vain Thoughts to it so likewise have we seen you taking away from the Words of this Prophesy Chap. 11.2 and the Two Witnesses thereof For you will not suffer those last true Prophets to have any Footing here but would thrust them out of the Book of Life Chap. 18.7 and thrust yourself into it But this Commission sheweth us That God will take away your part out of the Book of Life not that you had any there but that you thought you had and thought your Name was there but you are not in the Book of Life to be found neither as a Teacher nor as a true Believer as those Two Witnesses are and the true Believers thereof We have found our Names in this Book of Life of the Lamb Chap. 3.5 the only and alone wise God to our eternal Comfort and his everlasting Praise Forthly Again you have further taken away from this Book Chap. 22.4 2.18 19 12. 1.18 in that you denyed God to have any Body Face or Shape So that as the Blessing of this Book is That the Saints shall see his Face so the Curse of this Book is That such as have denyed him as aforesaid shall never see his Face to their Comfort Fifthly you have likewise taken away from this Book Chap. 1.8.18 2.8 in that you teach that the Alpha and Omega did not die But this Book doth declare that the Alpha and Omega the First and the last did die and shed his Blood by which he redeemed his Elect Seed so what part can you have in this Purchase seeing you deny that God had any Blood or offered up any Life by sheding of the same Sixthly 1 John 5.20 Revel 19.16 17. 15.13 1.8 22. ● 16 18.8 17.14 You also further add and take away from this Book of John in that you say That there is a God distinct from Christ And further say That Christ Jesus our Lord is not the sole God But this Book of John owns no other God at all but Jesus Christ giving him the Titles of First and Last the Alpha and Omega King of Kings God very God true God great and almighty God and the God of all Prophets Where then should there be any other God besides Jesus Christ our Lord for this divine Apostle who lived and leaned in the Bosom of this Lord knew not any other God as is abundantly proved Seventhly and lastly This God the Lord Jesus you have Renounced his Prophets you have Persecuted and Belied the true Faith you have despised for you have not only Contradicted and Dispised the Doctrin of the Second Commission which was the Commission of Blood but you have also to agrivate your Crime called the Doctrin of this Third and Last Commission which is the Commission of the Spirit and which is one of them three great Armies that in Heaven will follow the Lamb upon white Horses Chap. 19.14 which is the Righteousness of Faith in his blessed Person I say you have called this Commission Blasphemy Delusion Deceat And that it is say you made up of Impiety Nonsense and Alsurdities And in general calls them mischevious Principles Confusion and Contradiction and that we are a peraici ous and contemptable Sect c. So that from hence it doth plainly appear Chap. 19.15.20 21.27 That you have brought yourself under the Judgment and Sensure of that Book of John and of this Commission of the Spirit which doth so fully explain that Prophesy being sent to finish the Mistery of God Chap. 10.7 And now behold it is finished and you have beard and now you will find Psal 62.11 that Power belongeth unto this God and to this his Commission of the Spirit FINIS

we are Obedient unto all the Civil Laws of the Land and give to every Man the Respect due unto him All therefore that we desire of you is That we may pass peacibly through your Country towards our Inheritance but you are not willing that we should no more than Edom was with Issrael Numb 20. but have presumed to stop our Course by judging and condeming our Faith Now if our Faith be true as we know it is then you have given Judgment against your self you were not aware of that Caution of our Saviours Saying Judg not and thou shalt not be Judged Matt. 7.1 Now in that we know that our Faith is of God and is Truth therefore is it of Power to reign over that which judgeth it But if we might come to Reason together then I would demand of you wherefore you did send out your judging Pamphlet against us and would not subscribe your Name to it Were you afraid of holding Tryal with us for fear you should be worsted by us as others have been heretofore and so were for working Mischief privately and yet ly in Cognito thinking belike that Faiths Power could not find you out to give you an Answer otherwise how could you find a Name to your Book and a Name to the People you wrote against but have found never a Name for your self but have left it to us to find a Name for you which according to holy Writ is Elimas a Corrupter Acts 13.10 a sworn Enemy to Truth and the Accuser of the Brethren being of a worthy Descent Successor to Simon Magus being newly crept out of the Colledg of Priests which came out of the Mouth of the False Prophet such a one as Amaziah the Priest of Beth-el Rev. 16.13 Amos 7.12 who could not abide a poor Prophet a Herds-Man that he should once speak near the King's Chappel because it was the King's Court in which Learned Amaziah was the Doctor and Chaplain Thus have you delt with these Prophets of the Lord and for fear that this poor Prophets Doctrin which you like Amaziah call Mischevious should take any Ephect amongst the People From hence you have secretly spred this your Pamphlet into your Brethren the Priests Hands all the Nation over and have endeavoured to make our Principles as Contemptable and Odious as possibly you could in order to make them seem the more Rediculous and this your Book must be as a Pattern for them to frame their Arguments by and those their Arguments must be as Bulworks of Defence to them and as Bullets shot against us Sir Esther 3.8 You have acted in the very same way as Haman did against Israel saying in this manner to the King There is a certain malitious and mischevious People scattered abroad amongst the People in all places and their Laws are differing from all People neither keep they the King 's Church-Laws therefore it is not for the King's profit to suffer them let them be destroyed for their Principles are mischevious Now I being a Member of this dispised People seeing your Spite and Malice against us who have broke no Law am from hence moved to return an Answer and this my Reply shall not spare you altho I am given to understand That you are a Doctor of the National Church for God and Faith is no respecter of Persons in such a Case Therefore this my Reply shall persue you until it overtake you and when it hath overtaken you it shall fasten a Witness in your Conscience that you have been a Fighter against God his Prophets and People and against the Sacred Scriptures and a false Representer of the Muggletonian's Principles and I shall not be long in proving the same For In the Preface of your Book you say That John Reeve was by Profession a Baker which Saying of yours is utterly False So here you haue forfited your Title-Page which instead of a true Representation is a false one But you bring him in as a Baker to make him the more Contemptible with the Learned but if he had would that have made him more uncapable of being God's last Messenger I tro not no more than it did Amos who was but a Herds-Man as aforesaid For this is evident that the Saints have found in all Ages that the Learned have ever stood up as an Enemy and Judg of spiritual Truth as will more appear in the sequel of my Discourse But to proceed to The Accusation against us In your Presace you call us poor deluded Souls and by the Name of a contemptible and pernicious Sect and blasphemiously affirm that it is made up of Impiety Nonsence and Absurdities and that we have not so much as the Shadow of Reason to support us From hence say you we will not submit to the Tryal of it being uncapable of Argument and that you wrote not that your Trealise for our Sakes that have not Reason and Argument as you say to answer you but for the Sakes and Satisfaction of the World and of the Learned who are capable say you to hear Reason and Argument CHAP. II. ANSWER AS to them Judging and Condemning Censures against us shall be answered Chap. 15. And as to your Reason and Argument you so much bost of I am willing to allow it its Prerogative and give it its due of having Government as to all Terrestial Affairs Deut. 1.13 Acts 26.3 18.14 15. But wherefore should it enter upon God's Prerogative so as to take upon it to judg divine Things that are Eternal Luke 20.14 by its unclean serpentine Reason But to such as are learned in Faith's School doth know Matt. 11.25 that he that doth Minister spiritual Things is to lay Reason and Argument by as to the sinding out of any heavenly Secrets by the most persingst Reason that is For Reason is not Heaven-born James 3.15 and so is but Natural and it is the natural or moral Law that enlightens it but Faith being of another Nature which is Spiritual Psal 19.7 John 1.4 and so the Law of Faith serves to quicken and enlighten Faith and when it is enlightened then she Rules as Mistress over Reason Therefore though the Kingdoms of this World lys in Reason yet the Kingdom of Christ lys in Faith which ever appears simple John 18.36 Luke 17.21 2 Cor. 1.12 Luke 1.53 6.25 and yet it is this poor despised Seed that receives the Gospel it s the Simple and the Foolish that catch Heaven The Poor are filled with the Substance of spiritual Truth when as the Rich in Reason Notion and Argument are sent empty away Therefore away with your Arguments where Faith is sought Matt. 4.18 Amos 1.1 Acts 18.3 Coll. 2.8 there the Fisher the Herds-man the Tent-maker Ai and he that you call the Baker rather than the Philosopher are to be trusted Do you teach the World by your Reason and Argument as you say this manifests that you and

your Brethren are the Worlds Ministers and the World hears you and hence it is that you appeal to the World 1 John 4.5 John 7.7 for the World will Love its own Here now you appear to be a right Legolist Deut. 27. Judg 17.10 11 12 13. in imitation of the Levits of old for that Priesthood was to teach Reason the Moral Law for its reasonable Service that it should not Murder Commit Adultery Steal or bare false Witness which Reason is subject to do But all the Prophets spiritual Declarations belonged to the Elect Seed of Faith Psal 119.100 and was spoken into that innocent Nature that cannot do Evil and that in order to a further degree of Knowledg Love and Obedience Wherefore then if by your Teaching you can keep your Disciples in Sobriety and the Bounds of Reason this is a Virtue and brings with it the Temporal Blessing promised that Seed but if so it be Deur 28.2 3 4 5 6. that your Reason will seek Lordship John 19.7 Mat. 18.6 and would be a Judg and Controwler of Faith it is nothing less than a Devil and will be damn'd to Eternity And herein appears your Blindness notwithstanding your earthly Wisdom Ezek. 34.17 Matt. 25.33 1 John 1.17 because by it you cannot distinguish betwixt the Two Seeds of Faith and Reason or the Law and the Gospel But to proceed and come to the Matter in Question Would you Priests have us be tryed by your Arguments Then you are like to have the Cause if you must be your own Judges like the Jews by our Saviour his Prophets and Apostles But this we presume to tell you that your Reason being but Natural 1 Cor. 2.13 1 John 4.1 Rom. 2.2 Acts 17.2 24 25. therefore it cannot try spiritual Truth but our Faith can try your Arguments and it can take up Reason as a Servant to argue with you in the Balance of your own Reason the Angels Nature fallen nevertheless we can no more agree than the Prophet Jeremiah and those National false Priests did in the like Dispute Because Faith when it takes up Reason it takes it up not to expound and open the Sence of Scripture Sayings but as a Servant to Illustrate that Revealed Word by Argument for the further Confounding of that unclean domineering Reason that doth oppose its spiritual Sence But on the contrary when learned Reason takes up Words of Faith it expounds it by the Imagination of Reason Rom. 1.25 Revel 3.9 in respect its Reason is Lord in its Soul and so turns Truth into a Ly and the Elogancy of its Speech must form the Substance of the Matter 1 Cor. 1.20 Revel 11.2 and then War is proclaimed against the Truth and so Truth must be trod under Foot Thus did the false Priests deal by Jeremiah Come say they Jer. 11.19 let us devise Devises against him and let us destroy the Tree with its Fruit and let us out him off that his Name may be no more Remembred That is let us destroy his Person which is the Tree and let us destroy its Fruit that is his Doctrin or Declarations for he is in bringing in another Priesthood therefore Report and we will Report Jer. 18.18 20.10 2.8 Mal. 2.7 let us frame our Arguments against him for he saith That they that handle the Law know not God when as it is written That the Law shall not perish from the Priests nor Counsel from the Wise Misrepresenting Doctor are not your Arguments answerable to theirs even to a Hair Therefore as true Wisdom was departed from them so it is now from you and from all those National pretended Gospel-Ministers tho you bost as they did yet have you nothing but an empty Title not so much as a grain of spiritual Sense appeareth but as it was their Blindness so it is yours who understand not that the spiritual Law of Faith will never depart from that Spiritual Priest the true Christrian Ezek. 7.26 1 Pet. but his Lips shall ever preserve true Knowledg And this Priesthood will never terminate but will be with them to the end of the World For after Faith is enlightened by a Commission from Heaven then it needs no other Teacher 1 John 2. ●● but that Unction which it hath received for the Spritit of Faith is Christ's Vicar But your outward visible Worships that are taken up from former Commissions they are ended and the spirit of God is gone out of them but this will bring a Box upon my Cheeks by you Non-Commissionated Minister as your Predecessor did to Micaiah the Prophet with a 1 Kings 22 2● Which way went the spirit of God from me to thee But as the Law of Faith Isa 59 21 Heb. 10.58 which we have known and received will never depart from us so we need not to your assumed counterfit Priesthood but live by our own generated Faith now awakened or eluminated Ephes 5.14 by the Doctrin of this Commission of the spirit for we have no new Faith given but the old awakened as aforesaid for Faith was but once given 2 Pet. ● 18 and every Commissionated Prophet Messenger or Minister of God Ads a further Light and Knowledg to it So that now through Grace we have attained to a more principal Degree of Knowledg of the true God and the right Devil than others had before us so that from hence we are not wanting in Wisdom to answer your strongest Arguments your Reason can devise 〈◊〉 ●1 ●1 Therefore muster up your Army raise all your Forses from all parts and from all your Priests that you have distributed your Books to yet shall you never be able to disprove by your Subtilty quell by your Power 〈…〉 or subdue by your Force the Muggletonian's Principles because Salvation and nothing less is their assured Walls and Bulworks But to your following Arguments I apply myself to Answer by truth of Scripture The Accusation against us In Page the First you make your Book to consist of Two Queries First Whether John Reeve and Lodowick Muggleton are sent of God Secondly Whether they are the Witnesses spoken of in the 11th of the Revelations To your First Querie you have largely repeated several of their Saings which you say they pretend to be true Characters and Evidences of their Commission Now after your Ramble in Page the 4th your First Evidence is That John Reeve saith That God spake to him Three Mornings together And say you Muggleton saith That it is God's speaking plain Words to the hearing of the outward Ear as well as the inward Soul that doth make a Man a Commissioner This Evidence say you is of no value because say you I cannot tell whether it be a true Voice or an imaginary lying Voice such a one as John Reeve said was in John Robins It is say you but their say so And then you conclude saing For let their

apropriates David's Key to belong to it Psal 149.4 which Key lyes in such and the like Sayings The Lord takes Pleasure in his People he will beautifie the Meek with Salvation this is the Key that opens Heaven And as follows Let the high Praises of God be in their Mouth and a two-edged Sword in their Hand and then with the other Key and Sword To execute Vengance upon the Heathen and Punishments upon the People To bind their Kings with Chains and their Nobles with Fetters of Iron To execute upon them the Jndgment written And this is the Key that opens and none can shut and shuts and no Man can open Psal 149.9 This Honour saith David belongs to all living Saints For these Keys and Sword belongs to all Saints Isa 54.17 57.4 and David himself in those and the like Sayings had flung into the Fire all that dispised his Spirit of Prophesie of his God's becoming Flesh and Sealed them up in these Words Saying divide their Tongues Psal 55.9 for I have seen Violence in the City Cast them down in thy Anger Consume them in Wrath Psal 59.13 let not them come into thy Righteousness blot them out of the Book of Life and let them not be written with the Righteous Psal 140.10 Let burning Goals fall upon them let them be cast into the Fire The Prophet Jeremiah likewise meeting with the Seed of the Serpent opposing his spiritual Declarations concerning God's becoming Flesh and his Sufferings by that Seed Seals them up to Death Eternal for they were for devising Devises against that Doctrine of his therefore he powereth forth these Imprecasions against them saing O Lord Jor. 18.23 29.22 forgive not their Iniquity neither blot out their Sin from thy Sight c. And then changing his Words he speaks in the Person of God saying Jer. 23.14 They are all unto me as Sodom So that we see that the Prophit's Curse is God's Curse Jer. 6.30 And further saith he The Saints shall call them Reprobate Silver This is Gospel Power the Lawes Curse penetrades down into the Grave Ez●k 32.24 26.27 29. the first Death but the Gospels Power and Curss raises it again from the first Death into a second and eternal Death being a living Death and dying Life And thus we see that every true Minister hath Power to set Life and Death before 〈◊〉 And that Ministry that hath not that Power Mark 16.16 John 3.18 is no true Ministry Now what a blind Guide is this that connot see these plain Scriptures but cries out Prove this by Scripture Woe be to all such as are led by these blind Guides Oh that all the Elect were but delivered from their Captivity and Bondage under their Formalities and might come to hear of Truth that their Joy and Peace might abound being the Seale of eternal Life But it is a wonderful thing that such Preachers as those who cannot Believe that any Prophet hath Power as aforesaid and yet they themselves shall take upon them to Judg Mans Faith and Condemn him for it so is it not a wicked thing to deny the Prophets and Apostles Power of the Keys of Heaven and Hell and yet presume to do that thing themselves whilst they acknowledg themselves but falible Men Doth not this Make you justly damned in your selves But it is no wondring at it for what saith the Scripture He hath blinded their Eyes John 12.40 they Stumble at Noon-Day They have all the Spirit of Slumber And now I shall return to Answer this Misrepresentor's false Reflections upon our main Principles yea such as the very Scriptures stands upon and on which eternal Life wholy depends In Page the 18th you bring in John Reeve sciteing him thus Saying God is not a Spirit but hath a Body Your Reflections are thus The Accusation The Scripture makes a Body and a Spirit Tow opposite things so that a Body is not a Spirit nor a Spirit a Body Eccles. 12.7 A Spirit hath not Flesh and Bone Luke 24.37 The Scripture calls God a Spirit but never a Body God is not in form of a Man but is invisible and no Man ever Saw him or can CHAP. VII ANSWER 1. Your Citation is false For John Reeve's Words are thus That God is not a Spirit without a Body By your false Citation you would have your worldly Disciples to think That he affirms That God is a Body without a Spirit But to come to the Point I must tell you That the Body and Soul are not Two contrary Things and if your Solomon Eccles 3.19 told you so with one Breath he tells you the quite contrary in another but many times wise Solomons Verse 20. do not know the meaning of their own Sayings Solomon was a wise Man 1 Kings 3.12 12 24 11.4 but the Wisdom which he craved and that God gave him was but natural so that Solomon's Writings are but the Operations of his natural Reason and from sum intrigate Sayings of his Father David So they are no Scripture for he was no Prophetical Man Matt. 12.42 2. Again If the Body and Soul are two contrary things as you say and in Oposition to each other then was the Body and Soul of Christ at variance with it self and in Oposition with each other and so two oposite Things If so then Christ's Body did not go to Heaven nor never would And belike you do not belive that Christ's Body is in Heaven any more than the Quakers and I know not how you should believe it because your God hath never a Body So Christ is none of your Fatherly God if he have a Body Can a Spirit live and subsist without a Body where do the Scriptures say That God is a Spirit without a Body Did not you learn your own Catechise or if you did have you forgotten doth it not teach saying to your Pupils That God is a Spirit Or a spiritual Substance most Holy Wise Just and Infinite Now if it be so that God hath a Substance then he must on necessity have a Body And if he be Holy Wise and Just he must have a Person to possess his ravishing Glory in and yet to be of uncompounded Purity Exod. 15.3 Is it not said That God was a Man of War that shews that he is in the form of a Man Also Christ told the Pharises Ma●● ●● 17 Josh 9.1 3. That there was no Man perfectly Good but one which was God 3. Moreover if your Soul can be more Wise Just and Holy without your Body then turn it out of the Body and see what Holiness and Justice it can Act without its Body 1 Cor. 6.19 But the Truth of Scripture is That God had a Body and Person from all Eternity R●vel 21.23 1.14 10.1 a spiritual Body brighter than the Sun more clear than Christial and that is the Reason why Mortality cannot

Bishops Then must them Books and Traditional Reports be viewed by the Learned now made Bishops and what Agreed and Aquiest with their Principles was counted Apostolical and what did not agree Revel 2.2 was rejected and counted Heresy or else they Translated them falsly playcing down some things of their Sayings and leaving others out that made against them And when any Man was by these established Bishops Judged or Accused for Heresy tho he lived before their Days then all his Books must either be Currupted or Burn'd for they must be made to speak quite contrary to what they did in several things on purpose to make those Authors the more Contemptible For it was ever so that all that are Non-Commissionated Ministers of God and such as head an Anty-Church are for hideing Truth from the People as the Papists do the Scriptures to the end they may keep up their fleshly Honour so that there is but little known and received in the World at this Day as well as heretofore but the universal common Opinion Therefore it is that your National and Traditional Churches doth so sound forth their own Triumphs raise heaps of Authors of the First Centuries as agreeing with their Catholick Principles Crying Antiquity Church-Visability famous Men are on our Side c. When as the Truth on 't is all is but Clamour and Noise for many of your Authors are meer Forgeries and Lies For Instance 1. There be several Books that have the Name of such Mens Works as were never their Works as Abdyus Bishop of Babilon is said by some of your Catalogue Makers to live in the Days of Christ others say that he knew their great Church-Historian Egisipus that lived near Two Hundred Years after Now the one of these must be a Ly and they make the Substance of this Book to be of curious Talk with Bodilis or Infernal Devils which is a mear Roman Forgery 2. There is also that which is called Saint James the Apostles Leturgie which hath a Prayer in it for all that live in Monastries and yet there was none built of some Hundreds of Years after the Apostles Days 3. And that Egisipus before spoken of hath Five Books under his Name But it is said by some of your Church Writers that Ambrose that Roman-Church-Bishop who lived in the Year 380. was not only the Traslator but the Author of them Books which is like enough for he was not chosen Bishop for his Goodness but for his Greatness even as one of the Dukes of Savoy was chosen Pope for his Greatness sake as your Church History doth shew 4. These Corruptions have been very Common and very Antient for Dionisius Bishop of Corinth who lived about the Year of Christ Two Hundred complained sadly of his being abused in this Nature Therefore said he in one of his Books if that Book was his I wrote several Epistles but the Messengers of Satan hath sown them with Tares pulling away some things and puting to other some for whom said he Condemnation is laid up And as there was these Forgeries and Corruptions aforesaid so likewise there is many of your other great Authors which you would make Apostolical and yet they do not agree with you in several things that you quote them for nay some Differences are so great between you that I wonder you do not Condemn them for Hereticks as for Example 1. Turtulyon who lived in the time of the Ten Persecutions being a great Historian and by your Church counted famous did not much contend for Bishops nor much valued Ordination but said That Lay-men were Priests and gave this Reason for it saying That after Faith is Received then Man lives by his Faith and that Faith said he becomes Christ's Vicar and from hence he concluded that Three Believers will make a Church He also denyed Childrens Baptisme and therefore said he Why hastneth this Innocent Age to the Remission of Sins we are much more wary in worldly Things Is it meet we should commit the Sacrament of Baptisme which is a divine Thing unto them we would not commit the Things of this Earth He also condemned Second Marriages and much more Persecution for Consience All these things are quite contrary to you 2. Irinius Bishop of Lyons who it is said knew Ignasius and Policarbus yet he held and tought the Souls Mortality 3 And Justinus who lived in those Days you cannot deny but that he did both hold and teach That God was in the Form of a Man from all Eternity 4. And further There was never a one of all these aforesaid that held a Trinity of Persons in one God-Head No not Oregen himself whom your Church doth so extol altho he turned Apostate and denyed the Faith and Sacrifised to Devils to save his Life but what is he so cry'd up both by Papist and Protestant for is it not for his lofty Stile and philosophical Notions and in that he would make his Divinity to stoop unto his Philosophy For he held with Plato 1. The Souls Infusion and tought that all Souls were made together and sent down from Heaven to be Imbodyed 2. He Tought That after we rise again we shall have all need of Baptisme to purge us clean 3ly He in one place condemned Second Marriages and in another Contradicts it again 4ly He Tought that Devils were Bodilis-Spirits and also that all Devils would be saved at last This sure is it that pleases you at a Haire But as to his Doctrin concerning God that cannot please you so well for the Arians challing him to be for them and therefore they say That Oragen denyed That the Son was to be Adored or Prayed too for he is saith Oregen not the Author but the Procurer of the good Things of God So that we pray not to him but to God for his sake And Augustin your Saint produces this as Oregen's Opinion concerning God And thus much as to your great Apostolical Fathers as you call them who lived in the time of the Ten Persecutions As to those other Antient Popes Bishops Fathers and Counsels that have been set up by the Roman Imperial Power and Authority I shall not treat on them here for he that hath but a Grain of spiritual Sense predominating in him will easily see them no other but the Mother of Harlots or Mistery Babilon that sets upon Tongues Nosions and Languages as hath been unfolded in a Treatise intituled The White Devil uncased which may come to be extant in time This is the Sum of your Church-History so that what Satisfaction can any Man have by all your Authors and Apostolical Fathers as you call them as also your Translators of their Works who were most of them Corrupters each one endeavouring to force the Matter to sute with his own Opinions as Epephanius Rufenus and several others who it is said corrupted several Authors So that all their Books are but troubled Waters to drink being not of that Ephecasy as to