everlasting life through faith in him The other evil is it makes men listen to the false imaginations and deceitful perswasions of their own hearts which hath been the cause of all Idolatry superstition and disobedience to the Law of faith that hath been for men leaving the spiritual teaching and commands of Christ in the Scripture and following their own Invensions and heart Imaginations run themselves into several false practises and bould disobedience of which this of yours is not the least for the greater pretence of light in disobedience the greater evil And this bouldness of thy heart by following its Imaginations is further manifested in thy saying how should the seed of the woman break the Serpents head if the seed of the woman the unction or Christ within and the seed of the Serpent the man of sin be not within By which all may plainly see who are in the light thy denyal of the death of Christ who by his death and blood-shed in that once suffering at Jerusalem did break the Serpents head according to Gods decree and appointment but thou in denyal of that and to give him a plaister for his his broken head tellest the world or unbelievers that their light within which is their heart imaginations and vain fancies without that which is preached by Christ and his Apostles to give light is the seed of the woman that breaks the Serpents head no other breaking of his head wouldest thou have them to believe and thus wouldest thou if thou could save the breaking of the sepents head and give him a hellmet rather Thou runest on with a many words some stollen from Scripture and some thy own Imagination and to conclude what sayest but this is a mystery Answ To which I answer 't is a mystery indeed but it is the mystery of Iniquity for it denyeth Christ Jesus and setteth up false devices in his room but the righteous desires not to know the deepness of Satan as thou speaks in thy former paper thou saist to me poor man how hath thy father befooled thee hath not the God of this world blinded thy mind 't is so or else thou wouldst see thy nakedness and be ashamed of thy ignorance with more such big words And this was because I had said the light of Christ is manifested by the preaching of Christ and his Apostles hearing and receiving of which said I is the inlet to the Spirit of promise and for proof I alledged Gal. 3.2 Acts. 2.38 the truth of which thou not being able to gainsay smitest me thus with thy tongue for reveng in thy offence at truth but when thy passion was somewhat over and thou hadst forgot why thou wast angry thou saidst the very same thy self which thou condemnest in me thy words were these Did not the Galatians receive the Spirit by the hearing of faith that is sayst thou by believin that Christ which Paul preached also thou saidst that is the word of faith which we preach saith Paul and hearing of the word of faith the light in the conscience is the inlet to the Spirit of promise In answer to all which I said what cause hast thou thus to complain against me when thou art forced to say the same thing with me thou hast in this disarmed thy self and yeilded the victory 't is in vain for thee to take up for another charg Let the wise Reader now judge if there were not just cause for thee to lay thy hand upon thy mouth in silence or confess thy folly for exclaming against me for saying what the Scripture saith when thou sayest the very same with me and with the text of Scripture alledged save only thy addition the light in the conscience which is to be thrown to thee being thy own Idol and not belonging to the text But thou for want of a gracious humbled Spirit to acknowledg the truth when it is so plainly laid before thee continuest thy old corrupt language like Balaam to curse where thou knoweth the Lord hath blessed but thy mouth is ordered contrary to the desires of thy heart Be it remembred saist thou that thou hast owned the light of the conscience to be the inlet to the Spirit of promise There is no cause Martin to forget that being remembred that thou sayest with me that light is by the hearing of faith preached by the Apostles Then in thy former paper touldst me of Juggling the which I called upon thee to prove but thou not being able returnest to ask me if I have not saved thee some labour and done it my self Answ Martin this is just like thee to shew so little cause for so large accusation thy labour hath been great enough were it known to prove that thou cannot but I will shew how with male labour I have opened Martin Masons Juggling Box who cried condemnation against me for that which I found he himself had and I also found that when he had called the people together pretending to shew them Christ the Saviour and light and truth there I discovered all to be nothing but a crucifix and false fained lights and tryfels of self-dinying Thou mayst have spared the labour of telling me I one while own the Letter to be the inlet to the Spirit of promise and another time own the light of the Conscience to be the inlet sometime calling the Letter sometime the Spirit the Rule Answ For I never owned to thee any light of Conscience but that which is the preaching of Faith in the Scriptures which Light or enlightning thy self hath before owned though fore against thy will and for thy pretended light that hath not ' its original from that faithpreaching power of the Apostles I deny it as a deadly darkness where hast thou that word Letter from me calling it the inlet or rule is it not a word of thy own divising against the Apostles preaching or to use thy own termes a Brat of thy own begetting why wilt thou father it upon me charge it not upon me but chalenge thy own Is not thy foundation saist thou built upon the Letter dost not thou account that for the word of God Which Paul and Petter preacheed Answ I do account that for the Word of God which Paul and Peter preached and I am built upon that foundation which they have laid which is Christ Jesus as 1 Cor. 3.10 11. And this is denyed by none but the raiging Heathen and disobedient denyers of Christ to be come in the flesh the Apostles Paul saith to the Thesselonians 1 Thes 2.13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing that when ye received of us the word of the preaching of God ye received it not as the word of men but as it is indeed the word of God which also worketh in you that believe let this be compared with thy denyal of that to be the word of God which Paul preached and those who hear thee will account thee as Paul wileth Gal. 1.8 Art thou not
Scriptures and following their own Inventions which they call light And of this Martin Mason and his fellows do manifest themselves to be as guilty as the former and so with them denyers of Christ to be come in the flesh for whosoever are denyers of that Christ Jesus who died at Jerusalem for mans redemption and his teachings and commands given forth by him and his Apostles while they were personally upon Earth amongst men must needs be found guilty of the Apostle Johns brand upon them 1 John â—3 2 John 7. Your Evasion of Christ coming in your flesh will not cover your deceit but more discovers your opposition to Christ Jesus for your telling men of Christ coming in their flesh or your flesh is to make them deny Christ come in his own flesh or the flesh which was the onely flesh or body that God came in to give his Law or Testament of faith to men and was appointed to suffer and seal his Testament with his blood Thou often talkest of the light within telling men and women in secret of every sin they commit yet thy light doth not tell thee or them of your sins of unbelief against that Saviour who tells thee in his Gospel that the world shall be condemned for sin because they believe not in him Thou wilt not open thy window to let this light of righteousness shine into thy dark heart but only light thy self and others with the nightly Torches of your own kindling which at the best let you but fee that evil and that righteousness which is onely in relation to the Law of works by which Law none shall be justified or condemned thy light is a Popish light and had its kindling from that fire and not from the Alter Christ Jesus and therefore is a strange fire and so an abomination from which fire hath been the kindling of mens minds in way of merit by their own works against the Justification that is by faith only according to the Scriptures in the maintaining of which faith in Christ Jesus many thousand who have washt their long robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb and have not loved their lives unto the death but have laid down their lives in witness of that truth in which they have been such overcomers that one would think there should have been no more rising up of that beaten down falshood in the accuser of the Saints yet here appears the same Spirit moving from below which though it hath not the horns and teeth and clawes of the beast to kill and rend the Saints as the former did yet it hath the mouth or voyce of the Dragon to accuse and curse and smite with the tongue those who deny to receive their false devices by which voyce thou callest it blalphemy in me to say the Spirit is received by the hearing and receiving of faith preached and so accuseth the Apostles also of blasphemie of whom I received it Gal. 3.2 Ephes 1.13 Act. 2.38 because it denies the Spirit is received by thy dark works Thou biddest Jonathan tell thee was the bearing of faith Gal. 3.2 hearing the Prophets and Apostles or hearing that Christ which Paul preached to be in all Jew and Greek Barbarian Scithian bond and free Answ If Martins eyes had a Christian opening he would see that either he must deny Paul to be an Apostle and the Apostles to preach all one Christ or say these are both one and if Martin should tell me that the Christ which Paul preached and the Christ which Matthew Mark Luke and John and others of the Apostles preached was not all one Christ all that hears him tell me so will say he speaks not truth and for Barbarians Scithians c. the Apostle in that place names them not and where he doth namethem as in Col. 11. He doth not name them as having Christ without or before faith in him but that as to the Jewes so to all others Christ is the same both in the offer of himself to all by his preaching as also his indwelling with them in receiving him by faith but neither in Col. 11. or any where else doth the Apostles preach Christ to be or dwell in any either Jew or Greek but by faith only quite contrary to your teaching without which faith wrought by the Apostles preaching thy pretended Christ unction and light within is all vanity and deceit Thou askest what shal be the condemnation of all man-kind who never heard of the name of Christ at Jerusalem if not the light of Christ placed in the conscience and wherefore is the light of Jesus left there in the heart of every man and woman if not to lead men and women out of sin into holiness and whether any thing without can redeem a Soul from sin but that Jesus who is the light of the world and shines in the conscience of every man and woman in the world Answer these queriers without any Serpentine evasion conjuring consequence or Antichristian falicies saist thou Answ The condemnation of the condemned shall be for not believing in the name of that Christ who dyed at Jerusalem as the Scriptures lively and abundantly stand up to witness though the dark generation calls them dead John 16.8 9. and 12.48 Mat. 16.16 Mark 25.41 42 48. And thy saying they have not heard of the Name of that Christ that dyed at Jerusalem is of no value for it is but thy false witness in the maintenance of thy own evil cause and therefore to be rejected being a neggative against the Scriptures affirmative besides thy own words the light of Christ placed in the conscience is against thee for how shall the conscience be enlightned by Christ that never heard of him Rom. 10.14 15. Here thou hast Ensnared thy self now thou must either acknowledge with me that the enlightning of all consciences is by the preaching of the faith in that Christ who suffered for sin at Jerusalem or plainly deny him to be the Christ whom thou denying art in sin as the same Christ tells thee John 8.48 and till thou hear the voyceof that Christ who calls thee out of the State of sin or unbelief to believe in his Name and wash away thy sins in his blood thou art not in the State of Holiness but in uncleanness what ever thy heart Imaginations and false fancy may sooth thee up withall for there is no State of cleanness or holiness spiritual but by faith only in that Christ Jesus who suffered at Jerusalem Which Christ Jesus the light of the world in his sufferings at Jerusalem did without them redeem Souls from sins thy Queries denying this doth manifest thy denyal of that Christ who died for sinners whose redemption doth work faith and light in men but not any thing in man doth work his redemption for as formerly I have told thee and others of thy generation at which you have been so wrathful but never gave any answer that redemption is the cause
and that before they were without Christ and so make the Apostle a lyer which God forbid or tell Martin Mason he cannot escape being the lyer and therefore by the sentence of his own mouth must have his mouth stopped a many foul and wicked words proceed from thee in the next place which I will leave to all who have learned to let their words be few and gratious to see by what Spirit thou art led and to Judge whether such expressions to avoyd answer be the new tongue speaking of a Saint or speaking like the Dragons Thou asks me if I shame not to tell thee with my false tongue that thou contemns the faith in the sufferings of Christ Answ I would thou wert repentantly ashamed at thy contempt of the sufferings of the Lord Christ that dyed at Jerusalem which contempt of thine is manifested in these words in thy paper But thou speaking to me and the drunkard and scum of the earth who fed your selves with the meer froathy verbal faith in the sufferings of that single man Christ Jesus at Jerusalem and yet wallow in your wickedness are not saved or redeemed from your sins And in the same Raper alledged 1 John 4.2 Saist thou did the Apostle here signifie that every one that confesseth Christ come in the flesh of the single person at Ierusalem that every one confessing this is of God why then the Pope will say he believes this Now let the honest hearted in the Nation whom thou calls upon to Judge let them I say Judge whether this language be not a contemptuous speaking Thou as the manner of thy generation is when thou calleth others to Judge leaveth out that which thou knowest will most evidence thy contempt as here thou leaves out the word single man and single person which were thy words to me but here thou leaves them out and then callest to the wise in heart to Judge will not thy light within let thee see this to be falshood and dissimulation Christ Jesus was the Son of Mary according to the flesh but thy brethren who called him the Carpinter Maries Son Mar. 6.3 speak that in despising contempt against him So he was the Man Christ and a person like unto us in all things save only sin but thy calling him single man and single person at Jerusalem is from the same spirit of despising contempt as the honest hearted will tell thee Martin thy light leading thee in wayes contrary to the way of faith only in that Christ that suffered at Jerusalem leadest thee from the true and everlasting light life to the place of death darkness for there is no life or light leading to Salvation but by faith in that Christ only who suffered at Jerusalem which thou plainly dost deny and ragest so against me for discovering thy flying to any whose faith thou callest meerly froathy and verbal will not help thee in thy denyal of faith to Salvation for such is no faith the Scripture tells thee there is one faith Ephes 4.5 which faith Justifieth saveth Gal. 2.16 Ephes 2.8 but whence hast thou thy frothy verbal faith that is the device of thy Spirit of delusion which as it would have many Christs to deny that one Christ who suffered at Jerusalem so it would have many faiths to deny that faith which is to Salvation according to the Gospel thy telling me of wallowing in my wickedness with the drunkards and scum of the earth is but thy raging at rebuke for thy bold Blasphemie against the Lord that bought thee Now Judge saist thou O ye wise in heart is the Scripture 1 Tim. 2.5 call not him who suffered at Jerusalem the man Christ Jesus and may not I use the language of the Apostle Answ The wise in heart are no formal Quakers will tell thee thy language is quite contrary to that of the Apostles for the Apostle in that Scripture calls the man Christ Jesus the Mediatour betwixt God and man But thou calls him the single man and single person in contempt of faith in him and to make men deny his Mediatour-ship the Apostles language is a confirmation of their belief in that Christ Jesus who believe in God thy language is to destroy their belief in that Christ Jesus who beleeve in God and so thou art manifested to deny both the Father and the Son 2 John 9. Thou bids me peruse thy paper again and see if thou saidst not no other Jesus do I own but the Lamb of God which was slain from the beginning of the world Answ Thy expressions in that is but the liberty thou takes for occasion and to deceive thereby those who hear thee for the name of Christ or Lamb slain or Redeemer or Annointed thou dost but use them words to exalt thy pretended light within that so thou mayst bring down and deny that Christ whom thy fellows slew at Jerusalem and this all may see who have but half an eye of discerning to be the whole drift of thee the rest with thee hadst thou said no other Jesus do I own but the man Christ who dyed at Jerusalem and faith in him only to be Salvation thou hadst some cause to bid me peruse thy paper but whoever peruseth thy paper or thee shal not find that and that not being in thee all thy expressions of Christ and light or unction or womans seed and the like are falsely applyed to thy secret invention Thou saist I tell thee in two several places that thou crucifies Christ again and that I break forth into rage because thou tells me he is slain in me Answ I told thee thou would crucifie the Son of God again and good cause had I when thou told me not only that he is slain in me as thou here saist but also that he is still slain for me which here thou saist not which is the continuance of thy deceit to leave out that which thou knows will most discover thy falshood is not this plain lying and dissembling in thee to tell the world I said that which I said not and to cry out against me and dissemble the cause But thou art ashamed truly to declare to the world what I said to thee and the occasion because thou knew it would confound thee that which thou calls my raging was my alledging the Scriptures against thy false affirming Christ to be still slain for me which Scriptures prove that Christ the Lamb that was slain is alive for evermore Rev. 18. and that he once sufferered for sins the just for the unjust 1 Pet. 3.18 and that he was once offered to take away the sin of man Heb. 9.25 26 28. But thou said I dares say is still slain for me was his first death insufficient and shall Christ from his immortal and glorifyed being be brought down to die and suffer again let the Reader now judge what breaking forth into rage is in this he who affirms Christ Jesus to be still slain for sinners must
deny him to be risen from the grave ascended make right application of this or let the wise of the nation that hears thee do it if Christ be still slain for me as thou saist he is it must be bodily for so was his dying for sinners then is he in the grave and not risen or ascended but thou saist the heaven which contains Christ is a mystery to my dark mind But I answer 't is rather thy dark mind which to set up thy mystery of iniquity would cloud the Heaven that contains Christ according to the Scriptures Acts 3.21 and 1 11. Thou returns a slender account of my counsel given unto thee to leave thy false luminaries and turn thy feet into the testimonies of the true light in calling me lyer and false Prophet blasphemer and such like but those who were but in doubt before will now be fully satisfied what light is in thee compared with the pure peaceable Spirit and mind of wisedome John 9.8 the Leopard saist thou cannot change his spots and 't is hard for thee to leave thy lying thou saist I kill the Scriptures can that which is dead be killed Answ I did not say thou killed the Scriptures dost not thou tell a lye then to say I said so I said thou would kill the Scriptures if thou could when thou should obey them and have them alive again to defend thee against others and this was because sometimes thou said the Scriptures thou owned and that they were yours and that thou owned that which gave forth the leaves and would bring them forth to condemn others and at other times when thou art called upon to obey them thou calls them dead letter and life-less books and saist it is a damnable doctrine to say the Spirit is received by the hearing of faith preached and believing according to the Apostles preaching in the Scriptures let the reader now judge whether this loud out-cry against me of lying be not justly returned upon the head of the cryer Martin I have told thee and many of thy generation that you cannot kill the Scriptures but that they are and will be a continual living against you and all opposers of truth and though thou say can that which is dead be killed yet dost thou and thy fellows make all the vile warr you can against them in which you find them so living that it is a torment unto you and makes you rage against the remnant of woman-seed who keep the commandements of God and faith of Jesus according to the Scriptures Thou asks if in two several places I do not call the Scripture dead letter Answ If I do 't is where I call thee a Saint see if thou canst find that in my paper thou tells me I run on in lying because I said thou runs for shelter amonst those thou accounts thy enemies who knows no other burial with Christ but burial in water calling them the cheif Princes of Meshech and Tubal Answ Had not I good cause to tell thee of running for shelter to thy enemies when thou runs to defend thy self against Baptisme with the word sprinkling a word begun and used in way of contempt by those whom thou and thy generation are against as much as against me yet art forced to make use of their weak weapons having none of thy own in this case and now to make them more of thy side and to rise with thee against me thou saist I call them the cheif Princes of Meshech and Tubal but let my paper be looked on with impartial eyes and it will be told thee 't is applyed to thee and thy generation and all who are found to band themselves against the Baptisme of repentance I not nominating any particular but him I writ to though thou say I mean those called dippers yet thou hast not the word dipper from me Thou saist I have invented an abominable lye besides non-sence in two lines and this abominable lye and non-sence is because I say thou bids me prove whether Christ commanded Baptisme to his Disciples yea or nay and did the Lord require it of his people to this day yea or nay Answ Was not the matter we had in question Baptisme see my answer to James Naylors sixt position set down in thy former paper my words there are these it is not faith but a fancy to run to other helps then the Spirit received by the hearing of faith preached by Christ and his Apostles all other teaching or Spirits are but lying vanities leading to the denyal of obedience in that faith required as in the Baptisme of repentance and the like thou undertaking to reply to this said 't is indeed thy darling thy Diana which must down is thy sprinkling with water the Baptisme of Christ did the Lord command or require it of his people to this day Now the reader thy cloak being taken off may see the abominable lie non-sence whether in me who answers thee according to the matter in question or whether it be not rather in thy self who to flie the answer talkest of sprinkling which is from the matter and is neither darling or Diana of mine but that thou must dandle such babbles to delude the spectators surely thou art not so blind in thy self as thou seems to be to think that any who can hear right from wrong will not hear thy guiltiness of Lying and non-sence to call upon me to prove Sprinkling which belongs not to our question to avoid thy answer in denyal of Baptisme But though thou canst not say any thing in answer thou can tell how to give the lie it s an observable thing in thee that when thou hast the least to answer thou makest the greatest noyse in railing accusations thinking thereby to take off the Reader from seeing thy folly but the wise will soon descern thy poverty and miserable nakedness Thou thinks it not enough to tell me I vent an abominable lie nonsence for speaking truth but fearing that insufficient to effect thy will thou tellest me thou never knew of one pretending to more piety then I that excelled or equalled me in the devillish art of lying Answ Surely the violence of thy evil disease through delusion will appear to all men I cannot but think thou speakest contrary to what thy thoughts are of me what a miserable condition is thine in this to accuse me not only to them who knows me not but also to them who knows me of that which in thy thoughts thou dost not think is so but thy denyal of truth in me is to cover thy denyal of truth in the Scriptures as in the matter in question the Baptisme of repentance which yet remains a Conquering truth over all thy Sprinklings and Lyes and non-sence which paper-walls thou patches together to defend thee from answering what was charged upon thee in the point of Baptisme Thou saist in the art of Lying I am a noble servant to my Master Answ That doth but
you do and said That the state of Perfection is the Man Christ or any power in man whereby he can keep the Law without Faith in the Man Christ Is not this the Doctrine taught by thee and thy generation all which is to set up your selves to be the coming of Christ in the flesh denying that Christ that came in the flesh which the Apostle John teacheth confession of 1 John 4.1 2. thy exposition of which to pervert the Truth doth manifest no lesse which is that the Apostle meanes Christ come in the flesh of others though all the Apostles in their preaching doth preach belief in that one Christ that came in his own flesh or person in which he suffered at Jerusalem for the sins of all men and not in the flesh of others as thou expoundest for that is the coming of those who say loe here and loe there which are false Christs forewarned of Matth. 24. Who to set up themselves and throw down Christ Jesus by false Expositions pervert the Scriptures by which is manifest who rules in the fleshly tabernacles of such Children of disobedience It is but the Lyer saist thou that tels me my Master hath not commanded me to judge Answ Martin thou wilt not seem to take notice because the world should not know that I told thee there is difference betwixt a Judge and a Malefactor I told thee thou shouldest answer thy own Maker at the Bar and stay taking upon thee the Judges place till thou be a Saint and then thou wilt know that thy Master whom thou now callest the Singlo Person that died at Jerusalem and is alive for evermore bids thee judge not Luk. 6.37 1 Cor. 4.5 to bear off this blow thou bringest Christs words John 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my word hath one that judgeth him but this is no defence for thee but wounds thee deeper for Christ tels thee there what one that is that shall judge which is the Word that he hath spoken which thou callest the dead Letter But thou to deceive by thoughtst to keep this out that thou mightest take the Judges place thy self and so to exalt thy self above Christ and then sayst he is thy witnesse O bold presumption was ever a greater exaltation in a cative so low Christ came not saist thou to send peace but the sword to the Man of sin whom thou servest Answ And yet I am farre from serving thee or any such exalters of themselves against Christ if thou understoodest those words of Christ Mat. 10.34 35 36. part of which thou hast stolen to speak proudly with thou wouldst not have placed them thus but wouldst have known that they are nothing for thy purpose Thou talkest of the Saints Judging the World and the Spirituall man judging all things Answ As I have told thee Stay till thou be a Saint and then thou wilt not be so hasty to be a Judge but wilt better know how and when such Judgement shall be and that the Spirituall mans judging is discerning all things not judging or censuring persons and then thy manifestation of Faith and obedience to Christ and his Gospel will be a judging and reproof to unfaithfulnesse and thy tongue will be taught more tamenesse then to smite others therewith for then the Spirit of God will tell thee that thou hast nothing to do to judge another mans Servant he stands or fals to his own Master Rom. 14.4 then thou wilt learn to speak with a new tongue and that old blasphemous cursing presumptuous tongue that runs without guide will be pluckeâ— out and be no more the loud belman to a corrupt heart Thou askest me By what authority I judge thee for an enemy of righteousnesse and why I judge the People called Dippers calling them the chief Princes of Meshech and Tubal and by what authority I judge the Priests of the Nation for Antichristians I judge thee not I leave that to him to whom thy judgement and condemnation doth belong the Word of God tells thee of thy enmity against righteousnesse in warring against that Word Where have I judged the people thou callest Dippers or called them the chief Princes of Meshech and Tubal shew it if thou canst Or where I have named the Dippers in my Paper upon any such account It is with thee as I told thee formerly thou wouldest shelter thy self amongst others thou seest thy want and wouldst have help in the defence of thy cause which maketh thee cry also to the Priests of the Nation as thou callest them telling them I judge them Antichristians Thou art driven to a great straight surely thou takest me for some forraine enemy that wilt thus claw thy domestick enemies to engage with thee against me but thou dost trouble thy neighbours with such a false alarm when I have occasion with either those thou callest Priests or Dippers I shall stand up in the manifestation of truth according to what I have received from the Lord and shal leave the judging or censuring them and all men to him to whom all judgement doth belong and my self shall not judge or passe sentence on any man Thou tellest me I shame not in one of my Arguments to affirm that the Letter under the Name of the words of Christ is Spirit and Life in it self Answ What cause have I to be ashamed of affirming the very word of Christ himself John 6.36 but thou hast cause to be ashamed of thy ly saying I affirm the Letter which is a word of thy own and not of mine In another place saist thou thou concludest the Spirit of God in the Apostles who were Saints is the Rule to try and discern false Spirits Answer If I do t is no contradiction of the former seeing the word of Christ and Spirit of God in the Apostles were one and spake one and the same thing The truth is Martin thou wouldest gladly say something to my Argument but thou canst not thou knowest that way of arguing was begun by thee in which if thou hadst dealt faithfully with those to whom thou hast so generally divulged our difference they would plainly see where the right of reasoning is and who hath most cause to be ashamed of their Argument Thou saiest the Spirit of God in the Apostles at their death returned to God that gave it them but saist thou wouldst thou have me as sottish as thy self to say and unsay and own their Writings to be the Spirit of God This thou writest to deny the Apostles preachings and teachings to be the infallible Rule to try the Spirits whether they be of God Answ That Spirit which the Scriptures speakes of from whence thou hadst that saying the Spirit returns to God that gave it though thou quote it not Eccles 12.7 is not that Spirit by which the Apostles did preach Christ and work miracles but of the Spirit which is the mooving and acting in the bodily being of all men which the Apostles had before
then we say both one thing by thy own acknowledgment But I say the dead Letter is the Quakers Books therefore thou saist the same with me repent thou of thy error in calling the Scriptures dead Letter Thou saist thou never readest grosser contradictions to thy knowledg then hath dropt from the pen of this Painted Pagan as thou callest me Answ I believe Martin the Painter is mistaken and spoiles his work for want of color this surrilous way of thine with all the falseness of thy alegations will discover thee to all that read the Papers Loud accusation and little proof layes open folly it is a small matter for a man of thy language to be larg upon charging evil upon others but very scant in making good what you charg Thou saist in the next place that for all my folly and confusion I must give thee another rotten reed of Egypt as it were for a farewel in an argument which for substance thou saist is thus c. Answ I will leave thy substance and bring the whole substance it self the argument as it was given to thee by me They who by an infallible Spirit were Master Builders and layers of the foundation of the Saints Religion and who are heard of all who are of God and who have the Spirit of truth and who accounts all accursed who preach any other Doctrine then they have already preached must needs be the true touch-stone and infallible tryal of Spirits whether they be of God or no and denyal to be tryed by them is a plain testimony of an evil cause and that the Spirit is the Spirit of error and lyer But the Apostles were they who by an infallible Spirit were Master Builders c. As these Scriptures testifie 1 Cor. 3.9 10 11. 1 John 4.6 John 8.47 Acts 2.4 2 Thes 2.13 14 15. 1 Thes 2.13 Gal. 1.8 9 10. 2 John 7.8 9 10. And Martin Mason denyeth their tryal and calls it dead Letter Therefore his Spirit is not of God he is guided by the Spirit of error Thou for want of an answer to this callest me forgetful willful lying Beast Did not he even now saist thou a litle before in his other argument say that he desired to be tryed by the light in the Saints conscience and not by the dead Letter and yet taxeth me O blush and be a shamed Answ I am neither Beast or Lyer nor forgetful of what I have said before I have laid down the plain truth to thee which is that the Apostles teachings or Scriptures is the true touch-stone and tryal of Spirits I have not in any place called them dead Letter but have alwayes told thee that the light in the Saints consciences is received from thence therefore I have no cause to blush or be ashamed at the truth the manifestation of which makes thee be wrathful out of which thou brings the Beast and Lyer and blush and be ashamed there not being a word in thy tongue to answer of which if thou cold be ashamed there would be hopes of thy repentance and good cause hast thou to blush and be a shamed of this proclaming thy folly for 't is a low disgrace to one pretending such high things to be so discovered as thou art in such want of answer and in evil words corrupting thy good manners According to the grace of God given to me saist thou as a wise Master builder I have laid the foundation saith Paul 1. Cor. 1.10 he builded upon the rock other foundation then that is laid can no man lay which is Jesus Christ in all Jew and Greek Barbarian Scithian bond and free Luke 3.11 to this unction within did Paul direct the People Answ Whosoever rules and observes thee will see thy desire to set up thy self for a wise Master builder for which read thy motto Pro. 26.12 16. Thou joynes several declerations of the Apostle together to pervet them if thou cold from his Gospel order of teaching to thy own corrupt sence and foysts in thy own words amongst to make fit a lye the Apostle in neither of these places or any where else doth direct the people to the unction within them till first they have heard the preaching of the Apostles in the doctrine of faith and believing thou tellest me of a brat of my own begeting but if this be not of thy begeting 'tis the begeting of some of thy generation from whom thou hast received it to nurse do not think to Father such prodigious birth upon the Apostles their begeting men to the faith was by preaching Christ Jesus who was not in those before to whom they preached that is your false invension to oppose the truth the Apostle saith he laid the foundation thou saist it was laid in them before a flat contradiction to the Apostles teaching and the Scripture thou quotes Col. 3.11 Doth not say Christ is in all Jew and Greek before they received him by faith through the Apostles preaching but plainly telleth thee if thy ears cold hear verse 10. where Christ is in all which is in all them who have put on the new man which is renued in knowledg after the Image of him who hath created him by which is manifest according to the whole teaching of the Apostles that Christ is in all who are in the faith but in those in whom faith is not the Apostles have not any where said that Christ is there Therefore thy opposition to the Apostles and that Christ which they preached is made plain and that thou and thy fellows would set up your own heart-Imaginations and false deceiveings in the place of Christ And would perswade men of a Christ in all before or without the preaching of faith by the Apostles that they may deny the Apostles preaching and that Christ which they preached to those who before were without him Ephes 2.12 And where Christ was not named Rom. 15.30 That which lay dead saist thou did at the hearing of the voyce of the Son of God live Answ That which hear thou saist lay dead is that which before thou callest the Christ in all the royal seed the unction the Lord of glory crucified in them so that by thy doctrine the royal seed the unction the Lord of glory and Christ in all lay dead till it did at the hearing of the voyce of the Son of God live what greater confused nonsence can be delivered then to say Christ the Son of God lyeth dead till he hear the voyce of Christ the Son of God and live can such babling be without blaspemy those who knew and in whom Christ the hope of glory is will see this thy dead Image that thou would set up to deny the Lord that bought thee After thy complaint of allmost weariness thou follows with somthing to the poor hears as thou callest them whom thou saist are wedded to their water and counts no Saints who submit not to their ceremonies thou bidest them answer thee in good earnest can