of hell and thus men and women have known good and evil by eating of the forbidden fruit of lust This many Ranters were guilty of to my knowledge neither is your Quakers people free for I know of those that have fallen to the Quakers thinking to finde ease there but they will finde the Quakers Principle but a broken Reed These things concerning the Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge of good and evil are opened more at large in The Interpretation of the Eleventh of the Revelation so I shall conclude this point 2. I am to make good by Scripture that the Soul of man is mortal This is one of the easiest points that is to prove by Scripture and experience These are the words that George Fox doth ground the Immortality of the Soul upon as followeth Saith he For God breathed into man the breath of life through which he became a living Soul And then George Fox asketh Is this breath of life by which man became a living Soul mortal And saith Is this thy knowledge as if it were impossible for me to answer or to make good by Scripture CHAP. VI. ANSWER THis point hath been proved by Scripture in all our other Writings as aforesaid and that Book of the Mortality of the Soul the chief subject it treats upon is to prove the Soul mortal but all these things will do Fox no good nor convince him of his ignorance in this point Fox had hard luck that he could see none of these Writings for nothing might have better informed him in these things but the Book of The Quakers Neck broken onely that makes Fox so ignorant of all things for that Book doth but name the Heads of these things but in the other Writings aforesaid they are more largely expounded But to give a little further answer to this point here First I shall prove that breath of Life God breathed into Adam to be mortal and doth die Let the Reader minde I do acknowledge that Breath of Life God breathed into Adam which made him become a living Soul it was immortal when it came from God but it was breathed into an earthen vessel Adam being of the earth he was earthly and so capable to be overcome by temptation from a heavenly body viz. the Serpent Angel now Christ being the Lord from heaven therefore he was not capable to be overcome by the temptations of earthly bodies viz. the Serpent Angel his seed in mortality Minde also this Breath of Life which God breathed into Adam wherein he became a living Soul it was immortal so long as he stood in obedience to God and no death could have touched him but this I must tell the Reader Adam could have had no other heaven than this world he being made of this earth he should never have gone higher to the place where God is the holy Angels and all spiritual Bodies are there Adam should not have come But this I say Adam should have been freed from all sickness diseases and death and should have lived a Paradisical life of peace upon this earth for ever if he had kept that state he was created in I confess this was a state that I was always desirous to get into and I did endeavor much after it but could not attain unto it but when the Revelation of Faith did arise in me the Spirit of Faith which I call the Spirit of Christ or God shewed me what the state of Adam was in the state of innocency and the Paradisical heaven here upon this earth but when the Spirit shewed me the Form of God Angels and other Creatures in a Celestial state in the Celestial Heavens in all glory I thought then that this earthly Paradise though it had been for ever very inferior and below that which I am sure I shall possess But to the matter in hand I shall make it appear that Adams Soul did die though it was the breath of God made it live yet by disobeying the command of God this Life must die as in Gen. 2. and verse 17. For in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Is not this plain that Adams Soul did die notwithstanding the breath of Life God breathed into him this became mortal and did die If you Fox shall say the soul departed from the body and the body died this is the opinion of most people but it is an ignorant dark opinion contrary to Sence Reason or Faith for if the Soul slip out of the body or depart from it that cannot be said to die but to part one from another for a season besides the body is a dead lump fit for no use without a soul Also the Scripture saith The soul that sins shall die The Scriptures doth not say the soul shall slip out of the body that sins but shall die it is that which sins that must die And did you Fox ever know a body commit sin without a soul if you did not methinks you might be convinced of your ignorance and teach the people no more that lie Where do you read in Scripture that ever any bodies were condemned to die We read in Scripture in many places of souls that shall die and souls that shall be cut off from the land of the living but never of bodies Again it is said that Christ poured out his soul unto death Will you Fox be so wicked to say that Christ did not die He poured out his soul unto death Death took Christs soul into it self that is death swallowed up his soul It is not said he gave his body for a Ransom for sin but he gave his soul a Ransom for sin How should any man be saved from eternal death if Christs soul did not die But I know the Quakers look for no benefit from the blood of Christ all their happiness it must come from the Law written in their hearts that they call the light of Christ in them for they know no other Christ neither within them nor without them For this I say they that cannot believe that their own souls shall die cannot believe that the soul of Christ did die and so they can receive no benefit by the death of Christ The Reader may see the innocence in the Quakers Writings Fox saith He doth believe in Christ that suffered rose again and ascended and yet Christs soul did not die according to the Quakers faith for if they do acknowledge that Christs soul did die they must needs acknowledge their own souls must the also And if Fox had believed the one he would have believed the other and never have put me to this trouble to answer that difficult point as Fox thinks to prove from Scripture that the soul of man is mortal if there were no Scripture at all experience would prove that every day we see it with our eyes Also I would ask Fox or any other where the soul of Lazarus was those four days his body was in the grave I believe Fox
himself did interpret this Scripture to the Eunuch or did it belong to a mortal man I think you will not be so grosly ignorant to say that Christ himself went into the Eunuchs Charret and interpreted those Scriptures to him Surely if the interpretation of Scripture had belonged onely unto Christ and not unto man as Fox doth assert then Christ must have come from heaven and have went into the Charret in Philips stead because Philip was a man and interpretation of Scripture doth not belong to man as Fox the Quaker saith May not any man that hath but the light of sense and reason in his understanding see the gross darkness of these Quakers which pretends to be in the clearest light of all the seven Churches but to my knowledge the darkest of all in point of doctrine And as for that saying of Scripture We shall be all taught of God it is not meant that God will teach every particular man and woman himself do you Fox believe so why then do you prattle to the people when you meet as if you would interpret the meaning of Scripture and teach the people the knowledge of Christ for you are but a man why do not you let Christ teach the people himself seeing you will have all taught of God and allow no man to interpret Scripture nor teach the people For if you say Christ doth interpret Scripture and not Muggleton because Muggleton is a man and the interpretation of Scripture you say belongs to Christ and not to Muggleton for Muggleton is but a man so Quakers are all taught of God and not by man I marvel why there is so many Men-teachers amongst the Quakers seeing teaching knowledge of heavenly things and the interpretation of Scripture belongeth to God and Christ and not to man If I were of your faith I would give over teaching and talking of the Scriptures and leave it to God and Christ to whom it doth and it would be well for you Speakers of the Quakers if you had done so before you took upon you to preach Christ within you you have undertook to teach that which you say God will do and to interpret Scripture which you say doth belong unto Christ But I see all those people that will be taught of God and have the Scriptures interpreted unto them by Christ himself and will not receive the interpretation from man I say those people are more ignorant and dark in their mindes than those that are taught by man And I am sure the Quakers people would have known more truth if they had been taught by man that hath a Commission from God as Reeve and Muggleton hath than they do by all that God ever taught them in their lives And the Interpretation of Scripture we have given if understood would have informed their Judgements more than all the Interpretation of Scripture that Christ ever did interpret unto the Quakers people since the name of Quakers was put upon them yet we are but mortal men and must die But to clear the scruple that may arise in mens mindes because I speak thus I shall shew in a few words how men may be said to be taught of God and how the Interpretation of Scripture may be said to belong unto Christ First when God chuseth any one man or more to be his chosen Prophet Messenger or Minister God doth furnish such with wisdom and understanding and revelation to declare the minde of God to the people what God would have the people do and look how many people or who ever doth believe this Messenger sent of God they may be said to be taught of God and are taught of God So likewise he that hath the gift of Interpretation of Scripture as Prophets Apostles and we the Witnesses of the Spirit hath our Interpretation of Scripture may be said to belong unto Christ and that it is the true Interpretation of Christ himself because we had our Commission from him to teach the people and to interpret Scripture to as many as believe us to their great peace and satisfaction of their souls And in this sense people may truely say they are all taught of God and that Christ hath given the true interpretation of Scripture by his servants the Prophets Apostles and Witnesses of the Spirit to our everlasting peace and comfort yet all this is declared by men yea by mortal men and not by Christ himself as the Quakers do vainly imagine 6. Also Fox saith Christ opens and no man shuts and saith Doth not John say No man was found worthy to open the Book but the Lion of the Tribe of Judah And saith Was not Christ annointed to preach CHAP. XXXVI ANSWER THis beareth the same sence as the other whatsoever the Prophets Apostles and Witnesses of the Spirit doth it may be said Christ doth it as the Prophets they preached of Balm in Gilead and of Eye-salve to anoynt the peoples eyes that they might see what did belong to their peace and where they might have salve to heal the wound in conscience which sin had made in their souls this is called the preaching of Christ by his Prophets 2. The Apostles had power given them by Christ to open the eyes of the blinde and to give light unto them that were in darkness and in the shadow of death and brought those that believed their doctrine into the light of life eternal Also they had the Keys of Heaven and of Hell to bind sin upon the consciences of unbelievers never to be forgiven and to loose the sins of those that did truely believe their doctrine of Christ and thus they did open the Book of conscience in the believer and no man could shut up that conscience which the Apostles doctrine opened neither could any man open that conscience the Apostles shut up in unbelief This also is called the preaching of Christ and opening and shutting the Book of Conscience by Christ yet this was done by men and not by Christ himself But in regard they did preach the Gospel by vertue of Authority from Christ and they were anointed by him to preach the everlasting Gospel and had power given them to open the Book of Conscience in some whereby they did believe in Christ and shut the conscience of others up in unbelief and thus that saying of the Scripture is fulfilled that Christ was anoynted to preach the Gospel of glad tidings of salvation for what his Messengers doth it is as if he did it himself Again we the Witnesses of the Spirit are anoynted and chosen of Christ to preach the everlasting Gospel and Christ hath given us power to set life and death before men and we have power to binde and loose and to open and shut the Book of Conscience and no man can shut that conscience we have opened neither can any man open that conscience we have shut up in darkness as to any spiritual knowledge or true peace this many can witness on both sides if
they would but our other writings doth speak more large of this point so I shall say no more as to this Onely this that this power we the Witnesses of the Spirit have is the power of Christ as the Prophets and Apostles power was in their time therefore said to be done by Christ himself But I know Fox the Quaker is willing to believe that dead Prophets and Apostles were Messengers of Christ but he doth not believe there is any sent of Christ not alive but what is within them but he shall find that we the Witnesses of the Spirit were sent of God and have as great power given us as any Prophet or Apostle whatsoever And as for that saying of John Revelation 5. That no man in Heaven nor in Earth nor under the Earth was able to open the Book but the Lion of the Tribe of Judah This I would have the Reader to minde for it is a vain thing to talk to Quakers of interpretation of Scripture by man that is alive but John that spake these words being dead the Quakers believe his words though they know nothing what he meant nor what that Book was that none could open but Christ This let the Reader minde that there is three Books that are to be opened by Christ as you may see Rev. 20.20 And the Books were opened and another book was opened which is the Book of Life Now to give the Reader to understand these three Books the first Book is the Law written in mans heart this Book are all the Heathen are to be judged by when it is opened at the great day of the Lord. The second Book is the Conscience of people who hath heard the preaching of Faith in Christ yet did not believe when this Book is opened they shall be judged at that great day in themselves for their unbelief The third Book is the Book of Life wherein all true believers Faith is written and according to their works of faith they are judged and so according to the works of unbelief are judged and according to the works of reason their thoughts accusing shall the Heathen be judged according to what is written In these Books shall all people be judged both small and great Mind and look what judgement Gods Messengers hath given unto men in this life the same will Christ give when he doth raise them again at the last day as I have said before therefore this Book which no man in Heaven nor in Earth could open it was the Book of Life and none was found worthy to open the Book of Life but Christ he being the Lion of the Tribe of Judah This Book of Life must needs belong to Christ to open and to no man else for he is God the first and the last the beginning and the end of all mankind but what is this to interpret Scripture Christ hath given that to man but I have opened these things more large in the Interpretation of the whole Book of the Revelation In the last place I shall say something as to the Quakers principle practice Fox saith in the end of his Pamphlet against me that I am judged with the Spirit of Truth and over me saith Fox is the true and Faithful witness Christ Jesus the Corner-stone which will grind me to powder Further Fox saith in Christ is his people meaning the Quakers that reign over my head that can raise and reign over the head of the curser and Fox saith Edward Bourn whom thou hast curst and damned who is far above thee and thy Father in him that redeems out of the curse and destroys thee and thy Father both I do acknowledge that Christ Jesus the Faithful Witness the Corner-stone should grinde me to powder if he doth not own me to be sent of him if I do curse any without a commission from him or if I should curse any of the true Christs people then let that curse be upon my own head as Fox saith Also I was always willing that those people that were ingrafted into Christ by Faith should be above me for there is no people in Christ but such as are ingrafted into him by faith which I am sure no Quaker is as in that state neither can any man be a member of Christ but by the hearing of Faith and faith comes by hearing how can any preach the word of faith except he be sent as I am sure no Quaker never was sent of Christ to preach therefore no Quakers people in Christ But that Christ the Quakers people are in I that am a man hath power over some I have separated their Christ from them one from the other and hath shewed them the true Christ to their great satisfaction and they have bin glad they were rid of the Quakers Christ Others again hath bin condemned by me both them and their Christ neither would I let them and their Christ part one from another but torment each other for this Christ the Quakers hath in them is the Law written in their hearts and the Christ the Quaker people are in is the motions of this Law and sometimes they do well then the Law is quiet in them and their Christ giveth peace to them so I knowing this Christ was born with man and man born with it as the Apostle saith being under the Law then free from grace But being born again we are not under the Law but under Grace but the Quakers people are under the Law though not the outward letter as the people of the Jews were yet they are under the Law written in their hearts as the Heathen were before any Law was given and this is the Quakers Christ within them and that Christ they are in so that Christ the only God hath chosen me and hath given me power over the Quakers Christ within them and themselves also to keep them together so that the one shall not part from the other for though they shall desire that this Christ within them might part from them but it will not but torment their souls to eternity This will be Fox the Quakers portion and many more Quakers besides and if you Edward Bourn and others of the Quakers whom I have cursed do get over or above that curse and sentence I have passed upon you let your righteousness be what it will I say then Cain shall get above and over that curse God himself pronounced upon him and so shall Judas get above that curse Christ pronounced upon him Furthermore if you Quakers were not wilfully ignorant and blinde you might see that this commission of the Spirit given to John Reeve and Muggleton hath had great power over the Ranters and Quakers it hath broken the Ranters principle all to pieces so that none dares hold up an argument to defend it you Quakers also are very much shattered you are not like the people ye were 16 years ago this some that had a love for you have seen confest The Ranters
suffered in the flesh but he did not die as he was God CHAP. XXIV ANSWER HEre Fox hath discovered his Allegorical Cheat as I have made appear before For saith he in the fourteenth particular of this Book the Quakers owns the Son of God who was crucified and laid in the grave and rose again and sits at the right hand of God yet Fox saith the Godhead life did not die Here Fox hath manifested his great ignorance of life that died also he hath cut himself off from having any part or portion in the death of Christ for God and Christ is all one undividual or undivided Essence Person and Substance so that when Christ died God died and when Christs blood or soul was poured out unto death the soul of God was poured out unto death also Christ being God and Man For no man can truly say Christ was God and Man except he were God as well as Man for if there be another God besides Christ or above Christ then Christ is not God as well as man as people do vainly imagine Now we read that Christ poured out his soul unto death and will any dare to say that the soul of Christ was not the soul of God it is high blasphemy to affirm the contrary besides it cuts a man off from all benefit of the death of Christ for no blood but the blood of a God can speak peace to the soul of man therefore it is the blood of Christ speaketh better things than the blood of Abel because Abel was but a faithful man But Christ was God as well as man yet this Godhead life did die and quickened again by its own power which Abels life could not do being but a man But what should I talk to Quakers of these things for they do not believe that any souls die no not their own they all slip away and leave the body to suffer so Fox saith Christ suffered in the flesh but his soul did not die but slipt out of his body for he doth not own that Christs soul died neither as he was God nor as he was man But this is opened more large concerning the Godhead life dying in The Interpretation of the whole Book of the Revelation But what think you Fox did Cain kill the soul or life of Abel or no or did he onely drive his soul or spirit out of his body Surely if Cain had not killed Abels soul his blood would never haye cryed for vengeance in Gods ears and in his own conscience as it did if his life had not been killed What do you think Fox that Judas did by his soul when he hang'd himself did he onely hang the body that his soul might slip away and leave his body to suffer What do you think the sufferings that all Quakers of late and others have undergone in imprisonment and banishment some have died by reason of those sufferings but you Quakers do believe it was nothing but their bodies that suffered their souls suffered nothing they slipt out of their bodies and went some where you know not where So your persecutors did you no great hurt onely turned your souls out of your bodies before the time as a Landlord doth a bad Tenant turns him out of his house for not paying his Rent he never kills him So the Quakers souls are never killed they are only separated from the body so that there is no great harm done by the persecutors they do but onely separate soul and body one from the other they do not kill life in the Quakers for life cannot die the body indeed may suffer but life cannot die This is Fox the Quakers faith and all Quakers else that I have talked with and were not the Quakers blinded and hardned they would be ashamed to own such a Principle for all true Believers are ashamed of the Quakers faith in this point nay men that are meer moral men that have no light but the dictates of nature do know by experience that the spirit and soul of man doth die for nothing can be capable of pain but life nor nothing can be capable to die but life yet these blinde Quakers cannot believe that life can die as aforesaid 19. Page 21. Muggleton saith God the King of Heaven is not in this world at all Fox calls this Lies also For saith he thou dost confess that Christ is God and John saith he was in the world but the world knew him not Also Fox saith the true Prophet saith he fills heaven and earth but saith Fox the false prophet saith God the King of Heaven is not in this world at all CHAP. XXV ANSWER THat saying of mine is truth That God the King of Heaven is not in this world at all not in his Person and Essence or Substance as is clearly opened in The Neck of the Quakers broken which whosoever doth read that Book may see every one of those sayings of mine more clearly opened than in this Treatise yet George Fox calls them all lies and darkness and such like though what I have written in that Book is as true as any Writings of the Prophets or Apostles and are of as great Authority and will prove as true in the end as theirs But to give the Reader a little light to see the gross darkness of this Fox and his subtilty Fox brings the words of John and saith Christ was in the world but the world knew him not Minde Did I ever deny in all my Writings that Christ never was in the world I always in all my Writings justified more than any man living that Christ the onely God was in this world in the state of mortality which the Apostles did witness unto therefore it is that John saith Christ was in the world but the world knew him not which doth imply that Christ was not in the world in his person at that time when John writ those words if he had John would have said Christ is now in the world but the world knows him not So that it is clear to those that know the Scriptures that Christ the onely God was not in this world at all in the Apostles time he was in the world before he suffered death and the world knew him not but after he was ascended he hath not been in this world never since and this John and the rest of the Apostles knew very well and they preached this Christ that was in the world but the world knew him not therefore they persecuted him and slew him and would slay him again if he were in this world now so John knew well enough therefore he testified that Christ was in the world in his own person but the wicked world put him to death because they knew him not but he is not in the world now for he is ascended for John knew if Christ had been in the world in his person at that time they would have done unto him as they did before and because Christ was not
late not in any I marvel how you Quakers can have Christs person manifest in you and how you can speak in his person Let the Reader mind the Quakers Cheat they own Christs person without them yet this person of Christ without them is manifest within them See the deceit of this Fox I have read of Christ manifest in his Saints and Apostles by his Spirit or Seed of Faith but I never read that Christs person flesh and bone was ever manifest within any man that was alwayes without man and will be without man for ever distinct of himself Also Fox saith the Quakers speak in Christs person Here is another Allegorical speech without any distinction I have heard that an Ambassador hath represented the person of a King and his speech by vertue of a Commission from the King is in the Kings stead but the Ambassador is not in the Kings person though he represents the Kings person the Kings person is at a great distance from his Messenger So it is with Christs Ambassadors as Paul saith We are Ambassadors in Christs stead beseeching you to be reconciled unto Christ by our doctrine Now Pauls person and Christs person were at a great distance one from the other for Christs person was in heaven above the stars and Pauls person was here upon earth so that Paul did not speak in the person of Christ that being at such a distance as I said before but Paul and the rest of the Apostles by vertue of their Commission given from Christ were Ambassadors of him and so stood in Christs stead but Christs person was far enough off from them as a Kings person is far off when his Ambassador is in a strange Land who represents the Kings person as aforesaid But the Quakers they will get into Christs person and speak there or else they will get Christs person into them and so Christ must speak there in their persons so as I said before the Quakers will not be separated from Christ nor suffer him to separate himself from them though I know they never were in union together neither was Christ ever in them that I have damned nor never will be neither were they ever in Christ nor never shall be Neither doth Fox own indeed that person of Christ of flesh and bone that died at Jerusalem to be now living in heaven above the stars but Fox and the Quakers Christ they so much talk of is a meer Allegory without substance a Christ that may be blown away with the word of a true Prophets mouth as I said in The Neck of the Quakers broken Also Fox saith Solomons Books are good Scripture though I say they are not being not in the spirit of Solomon that gave them forth Here I perceive that Fox and the Quakers are got into Solomons spirit just as they did get into Christs person I see Fox can get into spirits as he doth into persons but I perceive Fox is got into Solomons spirit and he blames me because I am not in Solomons spirit I do seriously confess that I am not in Solomons spirit and I am glad I never was in his spirit for who ever is in Solomons spirit doth not know the true God nor the right devil for Solomon knew neither of them though he was a wise man in things of nature but ignorant of spiritual and heavenly wisdom for Solomons wisdom hath the Ground-work of much lust of the flesh and idolatry for the Ranters practice was grounded upon Solomons practice who knew so many women so the Ranters thought they might have the same liberty seeing wise Solomons Writings were owned for Scripture-record thus they continued many of them in their practice of lust till many of them were weary of it as Solomon was when he was old and then they left off that practice and turned Quakers and so fell to be the greatest idolaters of any as Solomon did to his Heathenish-Wives drew his heart away from the worship of Moses to worship idols So is it with those Ranters that are turned Quakers they are become absolute Heathen idolaters for when they were Puritanes so called they were zealous for the letter of the Scriptures and did practice a good life as near as they could to the letter but after they fell to the practice of lust being encouraged by Solomons writings they left that legal Worship and civil practice the Law tied them unto and followed Solomons practice of lust And now they being turned Quakers are fallen to heathen idolatry that is to say the Quakers they worship an unknown God a Spirit without a body they adore a Christ within them and never mindes a body of Christ without them at a distance they believe their own spirits to be immortal and cannot die they believe their spirits go to God or into God again according to Solomons words they believe Gods Spirit being an infinite Being without a body and that this infinite bodiless Spirit taketh all things into it self and so their spirits being immortal they go into God when they die they will not acknowledge that life or soul doth die but departs out of the body they know not where notwithstanding the Scriptures are so full to prove the soul that sins shall die and experience shews it doth die So that the Quakers are become the greatest spiritual idolaters of any and the greatest fighters against a personal God of any for as Solomon did fall to worship the heathen womens visible Images or Idols so do the Quakers worship invisible Idols as a Spirit without a body and that their own spirits may subsist without bodies and that spirits may be capable of happiness or misery without bodies this is the Heathen Philosophers opinion they brought into the world that Principle of the Immortality of the Soul and that Spirits might go to happiness or misery without bodies And the Quakers hath got the Heathen Principle to a hair therefore become Heathen Idolaters as Solomon was for the Scriptures declares another thing Where doth the Scriptures say that God is an Infinite Spirit without a body The Scripture saith God is infinite and so he is Also the Scripture saith God is a Spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and truth but it is not said God is a Spirit without a body for this I say that if a man may worship God in spirit and truth in this natural body as the disciples of Christ did in their natural bodies and as I my self do in my natural body then of necessity it will follow that God hath a spiritual body whereby I may worship him else I shall worship I know not what as you Quakers do And because Gods body is a spiritual body therefore Christ said when on earth God is a Spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and truth he knowing that body of his that was then a pure natural body should by his death and rising again be made a spiritual body and then all true Believers
have passed upon many of the Quakers people As first Fox saith He believes that my Sentence will return back upon my self as in pag. 6. 2. Fox saith That those I have cursed are clear over my spirit as in pag. 12. 3. Fox saith Had the Quakers nevar seen letter of Scripture or any man yet saith he the Quakers could have spoken in the power and spirit and in the divine light of Christ had he never seen letter of Scripture nor man as in pag. 18. 4. Fox gives glory to his God and Christ within him who hath as he saith set him and other Quakers above that Curse and Sentence I have passed upon them as in pag. 20. 5. Fox blames me for saying God hath made me Judge of the Quakers spiritual estate and yet saith he thou owns thy self to be but a mortal man Oh how Fox despiseth that a mortal man should be the Quakers Judge of their immortal souls as they imagine for saith Fox the spiritual man judgeth all things as in pag. 21. 6. Fox blames me for saying that the spirit of reason in man is the devil and Fox seems to justifie the Magistrates that persecuted me because I say they were reasonable men And Fox further blames me for fleeing from the devils malice yet he judgeth that if those Magistrates devils had inflicted more corporal punishment upon me than Imprisonment it had been but reason the devil still for saith Fox thou canst no say it was unreasonableness in them according to thy own saying as in Page 23. 7. Fox calls me a laying spirit because I say it doth not belong to Christ now being in Heaven to interpret Scripture For saith Fox doth not the Scripture say all shall be taught of God and that he opens and no man shuts and doth not John say no man was found worthy to open the Book but the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and was not Christ anointed to preach as in page 24. CHAP. XXIX ANSWER FIrst as for that sentence that I have passed upon the Quakers people and others it is irrevocable and will be as sure upon you as if God had said it with his own mouth for as I said in that book we are as true Ambassadors of Christ as Moses the Prophets and Apostles were and if they were sent of God we are sent of God and if there were any power in their Sentence and Judgement to those people in their time so sure will the Sentence and Judgement of us the Witnesses of the Spirit be upon you and as many of the Quakers people as hath or shall fall under it Neither shall that curse I have passed upon you despising Quakers return upon my self no more then the curse of Moses which open'd the ground to swallow up wicked rebellous men alive for desiring the Priests office So wil it be with you Fox the Quaker in that you have rebell'd against the Messengers of Christ and strove for to be a Minister of Christ when as he never chose nor sent you yet you will proudly contend with those that God hath chosen anointed and seal'd to declare the highest mysteries that ever was declared by man yet you look upon your self to be better able to preach the Gospel then we you who knoweth not the true God nor what the devil is nor that your soul must die nor any one true principle of Faith yet you are taken by the people to be a man of knowledge and so you encourage your self to be a Minister of Christ and yet knows not what the true Christ is nor where he is and do you think that Hell shall not open its mouth and swallow you up alive Yea I say it will and you shall not escape for I know and see it will be so and you shall find my words to be true to your eternal pain and shame as Corah Dathan and Abiram did by Moses 2. Fox saith those I have cursed are clear over my spirit CHAP. XXX ANSWER IT is a marvellous thing that damned men should be over his spirit that hath a commission from God to condemn despisers of the Holy Ghost it is as if a prisoner that is condemned by the Judge for his breach of the Law should have that curse he pronounced upon the man over his own head By Fox his conceit the man is in a better case then the Judge for the man may as truely say that the sentence and curse the Judge hath passed upon him is clear over the Judges spirit as if the condemned man were in a better condition then the Judge yet the one goeth to be hanged according to the Judges sentence and the Judge goeth to his Palace So is it with you George Fox and many other of you Quakers you must go to the damnation of eternal death according to my sentence and I shall enter into everlasting life that condemned you so that you shall never clear your selves from that curse I have passed upon you but it shall be over your spirits and upon your spirits to eternity 3. Fox saith had the Quakers never seen letter of Scriptures or any man yet saith he the Quakers could have spoken in the power and spirit and in the Divine light of Christ CHAP. XXXI ANSWER HEre Fox sheweth plainly that the Quakers light of Christ within them is nothing else but the Law written in their hearts their thoughts accusing and excusing as the Heathen have the Apostle speaks of and no divine faith of Christ at all Mind the Scripture saith by faith we know the world was made and by faith Abraham offered up his son Isaac and faith is the evidence of things not seen and the Apostles preached the word of faith and this I say no heavenly spiritual or divine light can be truely understood but by faith And this I say further that the letter of the Scriptures were spoken by the word of Faith and by faithful men for there is no writings under Heaven that are the ground of Faith nor doth give satisfaction to the mind of man as to his eternal salvation as the letter of the Scripture doth if understood and believed by man how could man have known the creation of the world and how God appeared to Noah before and after the Flood or whether there were any Flood or no but by faith Or how can any man know that God appeared to Abraham Isaac and Jacob and gave them to prophesie so many hundred years before of God becomeing flesh and that he should save men from sin by his death even as many as should believe in his name with great and mighty things that hath been done by the power of faith which the letter of the Scriptures doth relate which no man could comprehend nor know but those that have faith in the letter of the Scriptures yet Fox the Quaker he could have spoken in the power and spirit of the Divine light of Christ though the Quakers had never seen letter of
to Darby Goal any more But this is that I would have the Reader minde that if I had been taken in a Meeting as the Quakers are then the Judge would have had the Law on his side and all other things I was accused of as blasphemy and how I had power to damn and to save and that I was one of the two Witnesses spoken of in the Revelation and that their believing the Scriptures now they were damn'd by me would do them no good these with such like things were given in against me I say all things would have been swallowed up in one meeting and the Judge would have took up that Law and would have given Judgement and Sentence upon me as he did to Baptists and Quakers in my sight onely for meeting contrary to the Act. Therefore if you Quakers would forbear meeting you need not suffer for your faith at all and if you would be ruled by me or take my advise not to meet at all for I am sorry that many innocent harmless people should waste their estates suffer Imprisonment and impoverish their health and suffer banishment and so bring their lives to an end before their time for that which is not truth For you do but imitate other mens Commission and practice so that you are traditional people as all other Churches are for if you do not meet contrary to the Law you need not suffer the loss of a groat for your Faith nor your Christ within you for the Powers of the Nation are of your minde as to your doctrine the Pope will agree with you as to that but all the strife amongst you is about Discipline this I am very sensible of Therefore I never rejoyced nor desired the sufferings of the Quakers for their meetings though I knew they suffered for a Lie yet I always pittied them when they were imprisoned and banished for meeting though I know they rejoyced at my Imprisonment and were sorry there was not worse punishment inflicted upon me the truth of this is clear by the writings of Richard Farnsworth and George Fox and other Quakers that I know who justified the Magistrates in what they did unto me and thinks the Magistrates might have punished me worse if they would but I know they would not have spared me so much as they do the Quaker had they had the Law on their side as they have against the Quakers But no more of that here 7. Fox calls me a lying spirit because I say it doth not belong to Christ now being in heaven to interpret Scripture Yet saith Fox doth not the Scripture say all shall be taught of God and that he opens and no man shuts And doth not John say No man was found worthy to open the Book but the Lion of the Tribe of Judah And was not Christ anointed to preach CHAP. XXXV ANSWER HEre the Reader may see the ignorance of Fox the Quaker and all the rest of them of the true meaning of the Scriptures also I shall make it appear to those that have any true light in them that the interpretation of Scripture doth not belong unto Christ now nor never did but it belongs onely unto such men as he sends and hath given them the gift as thus First Moses was a man and did not he interpret unto his brethren the Israelites in Egypt the sayings of God unto him concerning their deliverance out of that bondage Did not Moses and Aaron interpret and shew signs and wonders in Egypt of those things God had revealed and made known unto them Was not these men that did this 2. Was not Joseph a man that did interpret his own dreams and the dreams of Pharaohs Butler and Baker and Pharaohs own dream Will you Fox say it was God that did interpret Pharaohs dream was it not Joseph a man like himself therefore promoted to great honor 3. Was not Daniel a man that did interpret the King of Babylons dreams Did God interpret the Kings dreams or Daniel that was a man did not those Kings of Babylon promote Daniel to honor in that the Spirit of the Holy Gods had given a man such wisdom and understanding to interpret Dreams Visions and hard Sentences all this was done by a mortal man and not by God himself 4. Was not the Prophets mortal men and not God yet they did interpret to the Kings of Israel and Judah the councel of the God of Israel what he would do if they would not forsake their idolatry and turn unto the worship of the Law of Moses he would make them desolate yet these Prophets were but men and not God Though Eliah did call for fire from heaven and destroyed two Captains and their fifties and fire to burn up the Sacrifice in the sight of the people and destroyed four hundred of Baals priests and shut the heavens that it rained not yet he was but a man it was not God himself that the King would or did seek after to kill him it was a man like himself Also Jeremiah when he unfolded and interpreted the Councel of God that other Prophets had foretold of concerning the destruction of Jerusalem to Zedekiah was it God himself that did interpret it to the King or was it Jeremiah a mortal man or no So all the Prophets little or much gave interpretations of the Councel of God concerning Jerusalem they were all but men and were not the people of the Jews bound to believe those men whom God sent except God would come himself Why then doth the Prophet Isaiah say Who hath believed our report or to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed His meaning is this whosoever doth believe we that are Prophets sent of God believe but our report and you shall know the true God the God of Israel and the strength of his arm to save and deliver you from your sins but except ye believe our report who are men like your selves the arm of Gods saving health will never be revealed unto you for God will not do it by himself but by us his Messengers who are men will his arm of salvation be revealed unto if you believe our report 5. Was not Philip a man that did interpret that saying in Isaiah the Prophet which the Eunuch read Act. 8.32 He was led as a sheep to the slaughter and like a lamb dumb before the shearer so opened he not his mouth Here Philip ran to the Charret and asked the Eunuch Vnderstandest thou what thou readest as verse 30 mark Said the Eunuch How can I except some man guide me Here you may see that the Eunuch did not expect that God himself should interpret Scripture unto him but saith he how shall I know the interpretation of Scripture except some man guide me that is except some man interpret it to me as the words doth imply for Philip opened those sayings unto him which made the Eunuch to understand and believe and be baptised Now will you Fox say that Christ