lusts you shew where your hearts is without pitty or compassion who wilt not cover thy own flesh but it is that you may be made manifest and you have shewed that you are out of the doctrine of Christ you have been pleading for your interest in the earth there is your God and with the doctrine of Christ you are judged and your community we abhorre but the communion of the Saints we own and servants in their places diligent serving the Lord and children obeying their Parents in the Lord and forsaking all for the Lord and he that doth not is not worthy of him This we witness Whereas you are slandering and saying We are breaking marriage bonds and wedlock because we question what Scripture the Priests have to marry people and take money for it O ye enemies of God where do you read in all the Scriptures that the Priests are to take money for marrying of people such trades we deny if you call that wedlock Marriage is honourable in all things where the the bed is undefiled and that we own but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge and such we deny and all the Priests practises which they have no Scripture for and therefore we question them with authority and deny them both Whereas you are speaking of some that are not free to be Tenants Is the Lord drawing his people from under you taskmasters as from under Pharaoh which are proud and oppressors which you Priests have been examples of and taught the people And this torments you now you Priests because you are against it who have been the oppressors of the creation and are but the Lord is gathering his people from under you now as he did from under Pharaoh and doth proud Pharaoh begin to rage if this torment you you shall see more come with everlasting songs upon their heads singing over Pharaoh and his host The song of Moses and Lamb is begun to be heard in our land and the children of Israel which had their land-marks What 's that to you Egyptians proud and covetous who are for destruction as your father Pharaoh was who was an oppressor proud and a taskmaster Therefore wo to you bloody Cains which are compast under the wo you are of the stock of them that build Babel who are Babylon harlotted from the living God and your Mother hath sit as a Queen deckt with her colours but now the time of her widowhood is come and loss of children and she hath lost many children and that many Kings and Merchants of the earth laments crying Alas alas Whereas you are speaking of tumults and attempts put this not far from you for this may be seen in some of your generation this shall stand for your selves as it is made manifest what tumults are in your congregations And your boasting as giving up your bodies and estates But let these words return upon your selves again and see where your bodies are where your lives and estates are for many lies in prison because they will not pay Priests Tythes which is contrary to the Lord Jesus Christ and his doctrine which the Apostles ever lived in for he never sent you for you confess you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were You say There is not a prophesie in all the Scriptures that takes away all outward teachers Here I am full of the Spirit and power of the Lord to declare against you for in John he saith Ye need not any man téach you There is mans teaching outwardly denied and in Heb. 8. he saith Ye shall not teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord for all shall know him All who are in the new Covenant witnesseth this and who witness the new Covenant witness the Son of man and Jeremiah prophesied That they shall no more teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord And here you enemies of the God are raced out of the Covenant and are ignorant of the Lord And Ezekiel saith Thus saith the Lord I will deliver my sheep from their mouthes that hath devoured them such as you that have sought for the fleece and for the wool and I will search out my sheep and finde them out and feed them upon the top of the mountaines saith the Lord of hosts he that hath an ear to hear let him for he feeds upon the top of the mountains of Israel And Isaiah saith All the children of the Lord shall be taught of the Lord and much peace shall they have and in righteousness shall they be established And here let this prophesie judge you to be out of the new Covenant and contrary to the Prophets and Apostles which say You are not sent immediately as the Apostles were so how can you witness their conditions so here you have brought your selves under the chain And Jeremiah saith The Lord speaks in him Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will make a new covenant not according to the covenant I made with their fathers but this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those daies saith the Lord I will put my laws in their inward parts and in their hearts will I write them and I will be their God and they shall be my people And all these Scriptures I charge you all ye Priests of England to have laid waste and have brought none into the new Covenant neither are you there your selves who stumble at the light and denies the first principle They that need no man to teach them such you write against and speak against and so deny the new Covenant and bring the conditions of those that were not come to the Covenant to oppose the new Covenant them that are in it And for quoting many Scriptures of the Epistles and bringing the conditions of the Saints written in the Epistles and not knowing what condition they were written to let the readers of the book examine the Scriptures which you bring in your book and then they will see how you wrest the Scriptures to oppose the truth and how ignorant you are of the Scriptures You are bringing the Apostles which said If we minister unto you spiritual things it is least if you minister unto us carnal things This was spoken to them that denied the Priests the Saints and would not hold up such Priests as you Priests of England which seek for your gain from your quarter and have Balaams wages which is a horrible filthy thing and which the wo is upon and seeks for the fleece and makes a prey upon the people and if they will not give it you sue men at the law did ever the Apostles so Here O England let thy teachers who are in their whoredom from the life be witnessed against by all the Prophets and Apostles life and let all thy whoredoms testifie against thee in thy face for with the eternal life of them all thou art judged eternally You are speaking of Christs sending forth his and say
A short ANSWER To a book set forth by seven PRIESTS who call themselves MINISTERS of the Gospel of Christ but are plainly discovered to be lyers and slanderers and envious of them who are the true Ministers of Christ who abide in his doctrine With A vvord to the Reader To read with understanding and let the light of Jesus Christ within judge for to that in the conscience it is spoken LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the black-spread-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls 1654. A Reply to a book set forth by some Priests about Beverley whose names I do finde subscribed to it who saith The light in man before faith is not pure Answ. The law is just holy and good and what is holy is pure what is just is pure what is good is pure what is perfect is pure which Law is the Schoolmaster until faith after faith is come we are no longer under a Schoolmaster and this is witnessed amongst as And this you Priests about Beverley say is not pure Jos. Bellet Joh. Pomrey Paul Glisson Christoph Feake Jo. Simpsom Geo. Cockin Law wyse I charge you command you give over deceiving the people you seven who are perfect in iniquity without the Law of God And Moses saw Christ wrote of him that which saw him was pure and is pure And here you have shewed forth your ignorance and blinde judgement and not knowing neither Law nor Faith for the truths sake have I replied to your book of errors who is in the light of Christ which lets me see the Law and the Schoolmaster both And you which say you were not sent immediately as the Apostles were with the immediate which sent them are you all judged Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson Christopher Feake Jo. Simpson George Cockin Law Wyse which is seven perfection perfect in the mystery of iniquity acting against the mystery of godliness you are the beast which stands upon the sea with your seven heads and upon your heads the names of blasphemy who are out of the Apostles doctrine and life that say the light before faith is not pure whose mouths are opened with blasphemy against God and his Name and his Tabernacle which is with men the light which discovers sin and evil you are seen that such as you might be more manifest with it which are manifest now to all the children of light and the children of the day praises praises be to the Lord God for ever for that which shews sin is eternal and is pure and that which is before Faith is perfect just holy good and pure and it is written The Law is the Schoolmaster till Faith and that we own in its place which is just holy good and spiritual and you which owns not God owns not Faith nor the Law to be pure for the Law hath dominion over a man as long as he lives which you Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson Christopher Feake Jo. Simpson Geo. Cockin Law Wyse have cleared your selves to be without Law and Faith and both and so you are not fit to teach others so it is you that have slandered the innocent to have laid waste the Scriptures when you are they that have laid waste the Scriptures your selves Christ the Church Faith and Hope and the Law which stumbles at the light so the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth doth return a righteous judgement upon you unrighteous judges so in righteousness doth he set the innocent free To you all this is the word of God This is the word of the Lord to you that have subscribed your names to the book whose folly in it out of you hath appeared and to be viewed with the children of light it is seen and your nakedness and where you are who doth conclude the Light before Faith is not pure and who doth say God doth not send Teachers and Pastors and Elders immediately forth now as he did the Apostles And here you are concluded to be without the immediate life as the Apostles were in who were sent immediately from God See the miserable estate and condition you are in and with the immediate life you are judged who have professed your selves to be teachers to others and guides to others which hath gone on in such strains and presumptuously judgeth the innocent but God who is immediate sees you all and from him you all have your reward and your judgement which is eternal to that light in your consciences I speak which shall be your condemnation eternally which hate it and stumble at it and it will witness me when the book of conscience is opened and it you have condemned And to all people that have a love to Christ which love this light that those before mentioned do stumble at it is it that will lead up to witness Faith it is it that will lead you up to witness the Anointing it is it that will lead you to witness Hope it is it will lead you to witness Christ the Head and to know all the Saints which have unity in the light and so not to stumble at the words that proceeds from the light but with the light waiting upon God the Father of light with the light the Scriptures will be opened to you there is your teacher The light if you walk in it you will not stumble but have the light of life and if you hate it it shall be your condemnation eternally You shall witness what I speak for to that in every mans conscience I speak which if you love the light that Christ hath enlightned you withal it will guide your hearts together to hold the Head which if you hate this light you hold not the Head and all that ever you act or speak is in the invention of your own work so you are condemned with the light To the light in every ones conscience I speak which shall witness me when the book of conscience is opened and all things judged with it and out of it This is to all them that the Priests calls brethren to take heed to the light within them which Christ hath enlightned them withal that with it they may see all them that stumble at it and hate it which are to be condemned with it To you this is the word of the Lord Priest Somthing in reply to that which you do conclude as first to awaken your souls that are apt to slumber to take heed of the evil of the times pride covetousness formality which these clamour against which you call Quakers Reply Here you own their doctrine you call Quakers and with it you see your selves and what state you live in and yet in Page 52. you say Go not after them hath their doctrine stirr'd you up and let you see your pride formality and oppression and slumber and that which declaims against these you say go not after Priest Another false slander that you Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson and the rest charge upon them
Fathers and he hath the one hath the other also And here I charge you in the presence of the living God to be lyers and know nothing and see not the Father nor the God head can a man see the eternal power and God-head of God and know nothing of the mystery of the Father and of Christ as a Mediator but here you shew you know nothing of the eternal power of God nor the God-head of God nor the mystery of the Father nor of Christ as a Mediator who stumble at the light but these things we see with the light which Christ hath enlightned us withal an witness you to be without for the Apostle which witnessed the God-head knew the mystery of the Father which the heathens knew not And in your p. 10. you say That the Quakers say that this light before mentioned is pure which Christ hath enlightned withal and you conclude that this light in the conscience is not pure and saith How doth vain man justifie that which God condemns and would perswade us that nature is not corrupt Here again I charge you in the presence of the living God to be lyers and blasphemers nature is corrupt but the divine nature is not And you that declare and say That the light of Christ wherewith he hath enl ghtned is a corrupt nature Here I charge you in the presence of the living Lord to be lyers and the lye spake out of the false Prophets mouths and conclude you all to be blasphemers who saith the light of Christ wherewith he hath enlightned every one that cometh into the world is corrupt nature and not pure and saith God condemnes this light of Christ which is pure and that 's your own condemnation the light and saith Vain man justifies that which God condemnes Here I charge you again to be lyers for the light of Christ doth condemn vain man and it is according to the judgement of God this light and this light wherewith Christ hath enlightened every one that cometh into the world shall be your eternal condemnation And you are as high blasphemers as ever your Fathers were who concludes that the light which he hath enlightned withal is not pure and call it corrupt nature but this light as I said before condemns corrupt nature and that which is not pure and that you shall eternally witness for to that which Christ hath enlightned you withal I speak which shall eternally condemn you and witness me when the book of conscience is opened you that hate it whose deeds are evil and stumble at it but to all you that love it and walk in it shall not walk in darkness but shall have that light of life as I said before And you say Moreover they say the Quakers That this light discovers every evil as it ariseth in the heart And your Answer is That this light doth not discover the greatest evil which is unbelief Here you shew your selves to be blinde guides indeed which saith That the light of Christ doth not discover to man the greatest sin unbelief And here we witness you to be lyers for we witness it shews man all his weakness and wants and we witness waiting in this light of Christ we see more light and strength renewed from God and the Gospel enjoyed and self-denial in following Jesus in the light which he hath given us which teacheth to take up the cross and deny the world in which world we see you to live in void of the knowledge of God and stumbling at the light And again you are speaking of a moral law Reply But that 's without and there it shall stand as you are in the first nature and abundance of such stuff out of it you have vented which is not worth mentioning And again you are speaking of the Spirit of truth to covince the world of sin and you hope it will convince some of these deluded ones because they believe not Part of this shall stand for your selves you deluded ones but the Spirit of truth you know not that part is ours and with it we see you to be without God in the world stumbling at the light whose hope shall perish which when the book of conscience is opened shall witness me eternally and condemn you and all people everywhere that hate it You say Some may dare tosay their hands are clean but who can say their heart is clean I can and see all your hearts unclean who stumble at the light the pure in heart sees God and see your hearts which are deceitful above all things you which knows it not Here you shew you hate the light indeed who knows not your own hearts and here you have shewed you are not fit fellows to preacheth Gospel nor speak to others whose hearts are not clean Here you have made manifest you never saw God for the pure in heart sees God and you see not your own hearts and how can you pray you cannot pray lifting up holy hands to the Lord whose hearts are not clean There I charge you in the presence of the living God your prayers to be hypocritical and your hands to be full of blood And again whereas you are talking of shewing to man how impossible it is to enter into paradise O ye blinde guides what have ye to do talk of paradise that knows not your own hearts or shewing man the way The Lord hath given me a pure heart and clean hands by which all your deceits are discovered and paradise we witness which no such corrupt hearts shall enter who disobey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ whom the plagues of God is due to and to you that hate the light murtherers Cains who are so wrangling about the light and says The light in the conscience discovers not secret things Here you are out of the obedience of the light and contrary to Christs words who saith That the light that he hath enlightned withal shews man his evil deeds and he will not bring his deeds to it because he knows they are evil and therefore he stumbles and this is his condemnation and there you are to be condemned with the light of Christ who are querying who knows his heart and there you are manifest to be in the first nature and judgeth the light of Christ to be corrupt nature like your selves which you and your nature are to be condemned with the light of Christ which is pure and eternal which is the condemnation of you and all the world that hate it Wherein you say That we conclude that power accompanies that light to destroy every evil as it appears to them that yield up themselves to it It appears by your stumbling at this light of Christ in man that you are ignorant of the Scriptures who saith Ye are sanctified by the obedience of the Spirit And as many as receives him to them he gives power to become the sons of God And the Son makes free and he was manifest to destroy
Apostle spoke of and them as Christ spoke of coming in sheeps skins but now you are made manifest to be the wolves with the light which you stumble at as your fathers ever did Whereas you say The righteousness by faith or power of Christ in you is not to be rested in Nay from this you are excluded the power of Christ in you and the Faith and Righteousness who stumbles at his light who saith you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were but the just lives by his Faith And whereas you say The externals of the Gospel are to be used with the power of godliness and transacted to the glory of Christ Here all may see your confused muckie stuff who would mix your externals with the everlasting Gospel power of Godliness and glory of Christ And your external religion not abolished to the new creature things that be external and worldly Here you shew your selves to be enemies to the cross of Christ and your external Religion is carnal which the new creature feeds not upon and the pure Religion you are cleared from which is to be kept unspotted of the world and this is eternal and all old Ceremonies and your external Religion comes here to be trampled upon with the new creature where all things are become new but from this you are cleared and kept without who stumbles at the light Something to that you call your confession of apparel and faith this is your doctrine if you see a man boast in apparel be not troubled it may be all his portion in the world Here you shew you are holders up of the world and whom ye are friends to and Lot's righteous soul was grieved at their filthy conversation and holders up of boasters you are which the Apostles doctrine denies both and said it was excluded and gives way to that the Apostles declared against and though you say the Scripture declares against pride and wantonness in apparel yet you would not have it declared against and saith If thou see a man boast in apparel be not troubled And here you shew again what Spirit you are on the world loves its own contrary to the righteous soul Whereas you say Apparel grew in use for distinction of sexes and qualities of persons modesty and custome of the country and members of societies and greater matters Was it the apparel that grew in use for distinction of all these there you are who knows one another outwardly with your apparel who are in the customs of the country without in the fashions of the world without the doctrine of Christ and not in the kingdom of Christ and we know all creatures were created to be used in their places as servants to us and whatsoever we do and use it must be to the glory of God So all your pride amongst you rich and proud ones must down the sword of the Lord is drawn out of the sheath and fitted for the slaughter take warning all you proud and lofty ones that are numbred for the sword and all your bags of honour as you call it must be trampled upon for that which is in esteem with you in your generation is abominrble to the Lord but all men in the Lord we honour In the lusts of ignorance you are and you would make people believe it was their apparel which kept off the bruitish sort of men In the lusts and in your ignorance you are in the wanton world ignorant of the true God who confessed you was not sent before as the Apostles were and so you have not learned Christ and know not his coming and all this dirty stuff is not worth mentioning You say You declare against those who hath cast off the denying of respecting of men and you call this abominable pride Here you manifest your selves who make no distinction among men for all men in the Lord we honour but all men out of the Lord are not to be honoured for ungodly such as you are are for condemnation and the beast is not to be worshipped who hates the light as saith Jude As for your speaking of the fine linnen of Saints and the new name silence flesh and vain bablers who are without in the world but thieves who have got the Saints words but in the generation and nature of them you are that put the Saints to death who saith The persecution is much taken off in England One of your Mothers which two servants of the Lord were moved to go to Cambridge were whipped and scourged till their bodies were torn and many in your Synagogues in the North some stocked stoned beat and many imprisoned as in Carlile Kendal York Chester Lancaster Newcastle which these Goales now doth witness it the fruits of your Ministeries and now it self doth shew it's Babylon and Core and not sent immediately as you confess it as the Apostles were and God is bringing down your pride your honour renown and glory the sword of the Lord is drawn against you take warning and against all your gluttony and drunkenness which you are speaking of in your book which is not worth mentioning which shews where your mindes are but I shall let it stand for your selves And sometimes you seem to be against these things and then you turn to your God again and so denies the living God Something you do write and oppose the law of community as you call it Here you are against the Spirit of life for they that did believe were of one heart they that do believe are born of God and amongst such there was was no oppressour no taskmaster it 's said all things were common no man said This is my own but with the Spirit of the living God which sanctifies all such bruitish sensual lustful devilish and worldly covetous taskmasters oppressors and whoremongers thieves lyers cursed speakers as you are who live in all unrighteousness and in pride loftiness hath no part in this communion for no unrighteousness shall inherit the kingdom of God but your law and community is without and we deny it and you to have any part in this communion but in the lake that burnes who stumbles at the light in which there is unity and saith it is not pure and that you are not sent as the Apostles were immediately who act sin and unrighteousness and stumbles at the light so all the ungodly you think are let loose but here is no bait for them but are kept out you and them both with that in which is your communion but all the conditions of the Saints passages travels and progresses we own in their places and who acted under figures and shadows we own but you who are not come to Christs doctrine who is not come to give your coat yet who hath two you we deny And as you say giving a coat of two to him that hath none This torments you you stumble at this as at the light you enemies of God and murtherers with the
was made manifest but you are made manifest what generation you are of the day is come that declares it You say Why may not Satan help on mortification for such an end as to take away the death of Christ without you For Christ is without you we witness but your mortification that the devil helps on we deny and the plain Scriptures without any private interpretation we own and all your sences meanings interpretations and disputes we deny and you to be in Babylon in the state of the Pharisees Sorcerers and among dogs swine some in the lust and some in the mire are not some drunk and some as proud as they can go let you conversation witness it and all your arguments and consequences we do deny for you say You are not sent immediately as the Apostles were therefore ye are to be declared against that leads people with the mediate into the earth the lust and mire envious proud and covetous like your selves and the plagues of God is to come upon you all who live not in the doctrine of Christ Priest And whereas you slander and say That many writings of the the Papists are applauded and used by them of this way Reply Your writings and theirs we abhor which are contrary to the doctrine of Christ And whereas you were speaking of Jesuits books we put you all together Jesuits and Priests for you Priests have had their Law to maintain your Ministery and guard your Pulpit for with one Law of men have and are you Priests of England and Jesuits upheld so we that cry against Popery doth and must against you all and with the Spirit of the living God for it was before her Law was for where some have spoken in their time have been imprisoned and many lyes in prison now so he that sits in heaven laugheth at you the Lord hath you in derision and them that dwell in the light are on the watch have seen what your books have brought forth your folly and that the truth is exalted above all your lyes and slanders And they are at the battering of error who are in the commandment of the everlasting God who witness the everlasting Gospel the revelation of Jesus and the life of the Prophets and are in the obedience of the Faith who doth warn all to take heed of all seducing Spirits which draws from the light within which enlightens every one which comes into the world there is every one of your teachers in particular there is every one of your condemnation that hates it whose deeds are evil Priest Whereas you slander and say That some of them you call Quakers do expose themselves to be persecuted to sufferings Reply O ye persecuters and slanderers would you justifie your selves in destroying the innocent and make this your cloak and say They expose themselves to it when many are almost murthered in your steeple-houses but God is the strength of his people Priest And whereas you say That they put no difference between the Papists and the Protestants Reply Are they not both in a nature which are not in the power of God and who hath one law of Queen Maries for your protection for you have had that Popish Law of Queen Maries to defend you and doth not the Scripture say Every one that cometh into the world is enlightned with Christ which light is your condemnation that hate it which light searches the secrets of every mans heart Priest You say God who commanded light to shine out of darkness Reply This is not your condition it hath not shined forth of you which stumble at the light which hath enlightned every one that comes into the world Priest While you have been in your sinful silence you say Some privily have brought in damnable heresies denying the Lord that bought them Relpy This shall stand for your selves who saith You are found all your life time groaning under the burthen of sin Here I take all people in the light to record by whom I see you deny the Lord Jesus who came to save his people from their sins and to destroy the works of the devil which you say They must all their life time groan under and the Apostles said They were made free from sin and here your doctrine is contrary to theirs as in p. 15. and I take all people to record and let them read 2 Pet. 2. if you be not those Peter spoke of Which denies the Lord Jesus that bought them and hath brought upon your selves swift destruction many doth follow your pernicious wayes by whom the way of truth is evil spoken of and through covetousness and fained words you have made merchandize of the people who have gone in the way of Cain after the error of Balaam as you now have made it appear to the children of light who beguiles unstable soules eyes full of adultery sporting your selves in the day time evil beasts made to be destroyed speaking great swelling words of vanity through the lusts of the flesh promising your selves liberty but the mean while your selves are the servants of corruption and they that are escaped from you through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ comes to be entangled again among you their latter end is worse then the first and they had better never have known the way of truth but it is happened to such as the old proverb is The dog to vomit and the sow to the wallowing in the mire Therefore a warning to all you brethren that are in the light and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ that you may be kept unspotted from the world and to reign over all such who are in the lusts of the flesh and out of the doctrine of Christ that serves not the Lord Jesus Christ but your own bellies Queries 1. And whether the Gospel you speak of be the four books Matthew Mark Luke and John and if those be the Gospel then every one that hath these books hath the power of God to salvation and then that Gospel is preached and printed and that Gospel may be carried under their arms or in their pockets the Gospel we know and are established in it and we do not aske you this question because we would know it for your knowledge we deny but answer it to them you call your brethren 2. Whether that light that gave forth the Scriptures which enlightens every one that cometh into the world shall be every ones condemnation that hates it or the words of the Scriptures declared from it or this light which Christ hath enlightned withal when Christ saith This is the condemnation the light And whether there is any condemnation but this 3. And whether ye do own and believe in that one offering which hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified 4. And whether they are not in unbelief and not believe in this offering which say Men shall never be free from sin while they are upon earth and say They shall never come to perfection upon earth 5. And whether they that say so be not in the state of the Pharisees which brought no fruit to perfection though these professed a Christ to come yet they would not own this offering 6. And whether they that say Man shall not be sanctified throughout and shall not be made clean from sin while he is upon earth be not them that trample the blood of the new Covenant under foot and make the blood of Christ of none effect and denies Iesus Christ that bought them 7. And whether Christ Jesus doth not save his people from all their sins and set them free to reign as Kings upon the earth all these things we know and witness but to you Priests about Beverley and thou Priest Feak and the rest that subscribe to this book that saith They must lie groaning all their life long under it These queries are for you to answer that gave forth this book so here it is manifest that this everlasting offering that perfects for ever them that aresanctified is not owned amongst you Priests but onely to talk on as the Pharisees did of Christ From them whom the world scornfully calls Quakers who is in the power of God which shall make all the world to quake and tremble FINIS