Acts 10. 34. where Peter saith of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons Sixthly where thou sayest there is no absolute decree of Election and reprobation from Eternity and sayest see a late Confession of Faith by Burroughs To this I say there is no such position in his confession of faith as thou here hath asserted but that we do believe that their is a state of Election and Reprobation as is there confest and faithfully acknowledged Seaventhly thou sayest that the Scriptures are not the Rule this is charged upon them by the Ministers of New-Castle as thou sayest To this I say as many as are begotten of the immortal seed to a lively hope by the word of God which abides for ever are his sons and children and such are led by the Spirit of God and it is their rule and not the letter Rom. 8. 14. and yet such are not Papists nor to be parallel'd with Bellarmine who shews the Scriptures are not necessary for they acknowledge that they are necessary that the man of God may be perfect and throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3. 17. Eighthly thou compares us to the papists for saying the baptisme of Infants is not to be proved by the Scripture and quotes Bellarmine for calling it a tradition that 's no where written To this I say though we are no Papists yet I believe that Bellarmine confesses in this thing more truth than thou for it is very like it is a tradition which in its beginning was instituted by the Papists Church yet however this I am sure of that it is not recorded in the Scriptures of truth that ever God commanded it or any of his Ministers whom he sent forth practiced it therefore the Papist and thou that preaches it up as an ordinance of God is required to prove if you can when God ordained it or any of his Apostles practiced it and if you cannot Confess you have taught for ordinances mens traditions and seeing the Papists do confesse it is a tradition well may you Protestants doe the same for you had the practice of sprinkling Infants from them and in this you have drunk the whores cup. Ninethly whereas thou sayest that one day of seaven which we call the Lords day is no more than any other day and that it is without divine Authority To this I say further there is no command of God in the Scriptures for observing the first day of the week as a Sabboth of rest by ceasing from all bodyly labour of man servant or maid servant cattle and stranger that is within our gates as there was a command of God to the Jewes to observe the seaventh day and keep it holy to the Lord for a Sabboth of rest to them their sons and daughters man-servants and maid-servant cattel and stranger that was within their gates which Sabboth unto them was a signe and thou further sayest we make it Tipecal in which thou compares us to Bellarmine which comparison is altogether unequal for though Bellarmine counted it Tipical yet we make it not Tipecal for it was the seaventh day and not the first day which we say was a signe and concerning the first day of the week if thou hold that it was commanded by divine Authority as the seaventh day once was when thou writes again shew when it was commanded and where the holy Scriptures testifies of any such Command Tenthly whereas thou sayest that we say the Lords Supper as administred in your Churches is nothing but a bit of bread and wine and that we speak scornfully of it To this I say when thou writes again I desire thee to shew us an example if thou canst where ever the Apostles and true Church mett together in a Steeple House or Idolls Temple and broke bread in such a form and manner among unconverted people as you do calling it the Lords Supper or a Sacrament but the Lords Supper which is so in truth we do freely own and whereas thou compares us with the Papists in saying we speak scornfully of that which you call the Lords Supper in this I say thy comparing of us with them is altogether unequal for we do not speak scornfully of it but where we see either the Papists or you in an error we do rather pitty you than scorn you and desires that you may be recovered out of all error and be saved in the day of the Lord yet we do despise and reject the vain traditions of men which is practised for the worship of God by you Eleventhly thou sayest that wee affirm that Protestants Ministers are no Ministers of Christ that we use the vilest Language against you that we can invent deny your call and say you came from Rome c. Answ If thou meanest by Protestant Ministers of such of you as seeks for your gain from your quarters and Preaches for hire and makes a bargain for so much a year these practices being the same as the false Prophets and Papists are in doth in some measure demonstrate that your begining was from Rome for no example can you shew for those practices aforementioned among all the Holy Prophets or Ministers of Christ that have been since the begining And whereas thou sayest that we use the vilest language that we can invent against you I Answer this is utterly false for no vile language do we use or invent against you but the language of truth telling you plainly without flattering of the evil of your wayes that you may repent and in thus doing we have the holy Prophets of old for our example Twelfly that we have the same spirit of Infallability that the Apostles had To this I say further both we and all Gods children who are of the little flock have the same Infallible Spirit according to its measure and manifestation which is given to every child of God to profit withall 1 Cor. 12. 7. and both thou and all that say they have it not but counts it Popery for any to confess they have it art so far from being a Minister of Christ that both thou and they that have it not are not yet of his flock for the Apostle saith plainly if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. 9. and yet he was no Papist nor with them to be parallel'd no more are we that confesse we have the Spirit of Christ I having rightly stated and vindicated our doctrines against thy slanders and proved them by the holy Scriptures to be the wholesome and sound doctrines of the Gospel I shall go on to lay open and reply against thy slanders and falsities concerning us in which thou hast compared us with the Popish Monks but it had been more wisdome and more like a Minister of Christ to enquired truly into our practices before thou had given judgement upon us or have compared us to the Popish Monks in whose discipiline thou sayest we seem to be admirably
darknesse under that denomination and by that name the light of the world as by any other name under which the Prophets and Apostels preached him in ages past yea or nay IV. Query And whether it was and is popery to affirm that ever the Saints was or can be perfected while they are upon the Earth yea or nay V. Query And whether it is Popery to affirm that Christ Jesus who is made of God Righteousnesse to the Saints is within them the hope of Glory yea or nay VI. Query And if Christ Jesus Gods Righteousnesse be in Saints the hope of Glory then is it Popery to affirm that the righteousnesse through which Saints is justified is revealed within them yea or nay VII Query Whether it is Popery to affirm that some that had known the way of Righteousness and tasted of the good Word of God did fall away yea or nay VIII Query And whether it is Popery to say That none is shut out and reprobated to damnation and misery before they were born IX Query And whether it is Popery to affirm That the holy Scriptures are not the Rule of unbelievers seeing thou seemed to blame some for saying It was not X. Query And whether it is Popery to affirm That God hath not commanded the Gentiles to observe the first day of the week for a Sabbath of rest as he once commanded the Jews to observe the seventh day for a Sabbath day of rest yea or nay XI Query And whether it is Popery To deny that God commanded the Baptism of Infants Or that ever any of his Apostles practised it Or that the Scriptures of truth testifies of it yea or nay XII Query And whether it is Popery to affirm that the Scriptures of truth speaks not of a Sacrament which you and the Papists so much plead for yea or nay XIII Query And whether it is Popery for to affirm that they are no Ministers of Christ which seeks their gain from their parishes and quarters Preaches for hire Divines for mony and makes a bargain for so much by the year though amongst you such may be called Protestant Ministers XIV Query And whether all are Papists that confesse that they have and are led and taught by the Infallible Spirit of Christ yea or nay XV. Query And whether all are Papists that go in plain and moddest apparel without ribbons and lace and such like costly aray which serves onely to please the vain mind and to satisfy the lust which leads the creature from God and is of the world seeing for going in mean apparel thou accused us to lay much stress upon it and compared us to the Monks XVI Qu. And whether they are all Papists that met together in the Name of the Lord and in silence waits in his counsel till his mind and Word be revealed whereby they may edifie one another seeing for meeting sometimes in silence thou hast accused us to lay our Religion upon it and compared us to the Monks XVII Qu. And whether all that have and do use fasting and prayer be Papists yea or nay Seeing thou hast compared us to the Monks for fasting and also hast falsly said we use it as a special means of spiritual knowledge XVIII Qu. And whether all that have gone up and down naked have been and are Papists yea or nay Seeing some among us have been commanded to do so for which thou compares us to the Papists XIX Qu. And whether all that have ceased to wear Ribbons and Lace upon their apparel which is not needful and do not respect persons which saith Thee and Thou to rich and poor are Papists Answer in plainness yea or nay Seeing thou hast falsly accused us for so doing to place our Religion in circumstances and compared us to the Papists XX. Qu. And whether it is not confusion to say we lay much stress upon mean and plain apparel and yet a little after to say we wear rich cloaths Answer in plainness yea or nay XXI Qu. Whether all are Papists that have gone through several Countryes preaching the glad tidings of Salvation and yet have not fainted yea or nay seeing for being unwearied thou compares us to the Monks XXII Qu. And whether the things before queried doth rightly denominate a Papist and is the ground of his being so called Answer in plainness yea or nay A Post-script To William Brownsword and his Parishioners in Kendall AS concerning thy book sent abroad by thee in opposition to the Lords Truth and his People we have seen read and considered and do find it light and empty and a dry confused piece even as a little old scrap of Babylons treasure worth nothing at all except to shew the Authors weakness and ignorance and to give occasion against himself that he may be beat with his own weapon and certain it is that his work his Quaker-Jesuite I mean will not effect the end and purpose intended by him but the Lord shall turn the end backwards upon him and by that through which he hath thought to dishonor the truth and to make it odious among people even thereby shall the truth gain an advantage and appear in more beauty and be more desirable unto many so that thy evil intent shall redound back upon thee and doubtless some of thine own Flock when they have compared thine with its Answer they shall see the weakness and wickedness of the one and the truth plainly proved in the other and the disadvantage will be thine for alas thou art a weak man and many of thy Brethren in iniquity to whom thou canst not be compared for matter of wit and subtilty but art short of them even as an Infant is of a man and they have appeared in much more fair means and politique way than thou hast done and yet their work brought forth in the height of great wit and knowledge have been rejected by us and through the Wisdome of God confounded and their bravest work taken as our spoil of Babylons treasure and then how shouldst thou and thy weak silly piece be otherwise than trampled under our feet and what art thou feeble child of Babylon that thou shouldst thus adventure to come forth into publike view wrapped in an old thred-bare garment Quaker-Jesuite Popery in Quakerisme c. and under this hast thou covered a malicious heart which the Lord will judge and bring thee to feel the weight of thine own iniquities in his dreadful day Alas friend we are far otherwise known through this Nation and about Kendal especially we are known to be none such as thou hast falsly reputed us not Papists but on the contrary we are known to be such who have many of us zealously professed the Lord and earnestly sought after him even from the daies of our childhood and if any have whereof to glory in matter of outward profession we might have something to say as being such who desired after God in our souls in much sincerity of heart and
substance of which as the Subscribers say is an earnest and Cordial invitation and free Call to one which they name Mr. William Brownsword to exercise his Ministry at Kendall And now in the behalf of the Parishoners amongst whom this Paper goes abroad to obtain the Subscription of their hands This following Paper am I moved to send to the said William Brownsword and to others of the Inhabitants of Kendall that are of his party for them to consider of it and to compare it with the former Paper and I shall wait expecting his and their Answer I am a lover of your Souls and a friend to Righteousnesse and dayly travelleth in the work of the Gospel to the intent that Sinners may be converted to God and the Saints strengthned in the Faith which gives them victory over the world and I wait for Sions Redemption and for the overthrow of great Babylon that hath ruled over the Kings of the Earth and whereas it is manifest to me that there is a great dissatisfaction in the spirits of people in this Town and Country hereabouts concerning the Ministry and the great cry is who is a true Minister of Christ and who is is not some crying up one man and some another and it appears to me that there is a great strife in the mindes of people about Ministers and Ministry and about the Worship of God and Religion some saying This is the way others saying That is the way and some crying This is Truth and others crying That is Heresie Now to the intent that all people may be satisfied and that the way of Truth may be clearly known from all the false wayes of Error and that the true Ministers and Ministry ma be perfectly known and distinguished from all false Ministries and that the Truth may be exalted over all and all Deceipt confounded Upon these Considerations with that dear and tender love which is in my heart unto the soules of all people but more particularly to the people of this my native Countrey therefore upon these accounts I am moved of the Lord to send these unto thee that thou wouldst meet me in some publick place in the Town or at the Steeple-house where the people of the Town and Countrey may conveniently come together to hear our discourse of these things which is doubtful to them that they may be satisfied as aforesaid and these things I do propose which I do Judge are things which are most needful that the people should be informed in and no Question but the unfolding of these Particulars underwritten by the Spirit of the Lord in sober Arguments may tend to satisfie many FIrst Whether thou canst prove thy Call to the Minisâ—ry to be the same and by the same means as the Ministers of Christ was in the dayes of the Apostles in the true Christian Churches Secondly Whether the maintenance of thy Ministry and practise in thy Ministry and the fruits and effects of thy Ministry be the very same as was the maintenance and practice and fruits and effects of the Ministers of Christ and of the Apostles in the time of the true Churches before the Apostacy And if these things thou canst prove then he that denies thee and thy Ministry shall be accounted a transgressor and thou shalt be free Thirdly What are the marks and evident tokens of the false Ministers and whether thou canst clear thy self according to the Scriptures from all the signes and tokens of a false Minister and deceiver and wilt thou be tryed according to the Scriptures Fourthly Whether any man without the gift of the Holy Ghost can be a Minister of Christ and of the Gospel and whether through thy Ministry sons and daughters do receive the pourings forth of the Spirit upon them as in the dayes of the true Churches of old and whether the annointing that teacheth all things dwelleth in every member of that Church whereof thou art a Minister Fifthly What the true state of the true Church is at present and hath been for many ages and whether the Church of England as it stood in the time of Prelacy or as it now stands in Presbytery be the true Church of Christ the Lambs wife or who are the true Church and what name of people doth the true Church of Christ go under at this day Sixthly Whether the time hath been or now is or is yet to come that the true woman fled into the Wilderness and what is the Wilderness into which she was to fly and what is the state of the true Church at this time and if she hath been fled into the Wilderness how much of the time is expired that she was there to remain and what was these flocks with which the Dragon did persue her and how was the Dragon in Heaven and how and when was he cast out into the earth And these things with some others which I have to propound being fully opened in the way of a fair and sober dispute may try thy Ministry and satisfie many that are doubting and truth be made manifest and deceit confounded And these things I am willing to travel through in discourse with thee the said William Brownsword or any other that shall accept of the Propositions with the consent of the Mayor and Aldermen of the Town who may preserve the place and people in peace and soberness also provided that each of us on both parts may have full deliberation to speak forth our mindes pertinently to the matter and that each may have silence from the other whilst the other is a speaking and that all fair and sober dealing be amongst us and the fear of God but if these things proposed for subjects to dispute be not agreed to to fall upon then any other particulars which is necessary for edification which may be named by the Mayor or any other sober man in Kendal provided I may propound one thing for another And send thy Answer to this whether thou agree to it or not if thou or any other dost consent hereunto let the time be appointed to be in a convenient time after the date hereof and I shall expect an Answer to this either in agreement to dispute these Particulars or to give me an Answer to the Queries in writeing and I shall wait for an Answer hereof The 12th day of the 12th month 1659. E. BVRROVGH THE END
worshipped him after the strictest manner then held forth and this from our Infancy and upon what ground thou should charge us with being Jesuites and Papists I know not except it be to prove and shew thy self both ignorant slanderous and ridiculous amongst thy own hearers who doubtless some of them may say we know they are not such as thou hast said and the Witness in their consciences may prove thee a lyar and out-date thy book as an old Almanack â—it for the fire and thou hast wholly missed thy mark if thou thoughtest to lay a stumbling-block before thy Flock concerning us by this means of accusing of us falsly this shall do thee no good but turn to an offence against thy own self and as thou thought to do to others so shall it be done to thee and thou and thy work shall be rejected the one as ignorant and vain the other as ignorance and vanity for we are known to thy hearers to be neither Jesuits nor Papists but they can tell that thou art a false accuser in this And for thee to accuse us where we have been so well known renders thy selfe both ignorant and hatefull And it doth many wayes appear That wee are not Papists partly as I have said we were not such in the dayes of our Infancy neither educated nor practised therein but were zealous against Popery even from our childhood as the People of Kendal very well knows who can witness for us and against thee that we were neither such nor yet lovers of them but were altogether zealous against them from our childhood as I have said And it is evident we have been no such since we were reproached by the name of Quakers for we have given divers testimonies by writing in divers particular books which I might mention against the Church of Rome as knowing Her not to be the true Church of Christ but a false Church made up of Apostates originally and being Idolators in their Worship Church Ministry and whole Religion this testimony we have borne at sundry times and upon divers occasions sometimes we have given our testimony by writing against them plain affirmations and sometimes in answer to their writings against us and divers of us have been moved to go into their Dominions and declare the Word of the Lord against their Idolatryes And also divers of our friends forbearing their witness against the Church of Rome have suffered great and cruel things some until death and some at this day are in their Inquisitions and Goals and under suffering by them even for this cause for we have a large testimony and witness to give against the Church of Rome And by what we have testified in word and writing and by what we have suffered from them for so doing it well appears that we are not Jesuites nor Papists and with what face thou could accuse us it makes us to wonder at thy impudency seeing thou hast so little ground for it but hast upon thy malice thus falsly accused us without any just cause at all but this thy work which thou hast done shall return into thy own bosome with the reward of Judgement except thou repent and sin no more Yes but sayest thou you are Papists for why Such and such doctrines and practises you hold forth and the like is held forth by the Papists and this proves that you are so Answ Alas friend thou hast mightily discovered thy ignorance and folly in thus proceeding and in thus judging for doubtless the Papists may hold the profession of some truths in doctrines and practises unto this day even as thy own Brethren did confess at a certain Meeting of Dispute they affirmed to me that there were many saving truths held by the Church of Rome and seeing that they hold that Christ Jesus is the Saviour of the World and that by him people comes to eternal life and that he was born and died and rose again and seeing they hold that Saints must deny the world and forsake sin and the evil of the world These doctrines and practises with many others they do hold in words and appearance which are saving doctrines and practises in themselves though not to them but because they hold these things must the People of God either deny these doctrines and practises or else be accounted Jesuites and Papists for holding of them And would not this be unrighteous Judgement according to which thou hast judged us But I must tell thee we do hold the truth in righteousness both in doctrine and practises even upon this account because the Spirit of the Lord hath and doth lead us into all truth both in doctrine and practises And though the Papists may hold the profession of the same truth in words and outward appearance yet this is no ground for us to deny the truth as it is in Jesus nor yet a sufficient ground for thee to accuse us to be Papists but because thou art both ignorant and wicked therefore thou hast thus proceeded and thy work is a very scorn to many that are not Quakers and they see thy errour and ignorance in thy proceedings And wouldst thou thus be dealt withall And you Priests of England shall we judge you according to thine own rule might not I lay you to the line of Judgement and may not I instnace many particular things both in doctrines and practises which are held forth by the Ministers and Church of England and the Jesuites and Papists they hold the very same and shall we therefore conclude lawfully that all the Ministers of England and their People are Papists Oh man behold thy folly and what a snare thou hast laid for thy self and how thou art fallen into the pit which thou hast digged for others And further consider some of those doctrines and practises which thou hast charged upon us are proveable and exemplary in the Scriptures even by the Apostles who held forth and practised the same things and because we hold and practise the same therefore we are accounted Papists from this rule because the Papists profess the same like as if it were errour to say Christ is the Son of God because the Devil said so and like as if it were an errour to believe there is a God because the Devils believe so and by thy false proposed rule thou might have proved the one as soon as the other and thou might have said the Quakers are Devils why because the Devils confest Christ and they believe there is a God and therefore they are devils and would this be good Logick And such is thy Logick thou illiterate man Why this is thy work the Papists they hold such and such things and the Quakers they hold the same and therefore the Quakers are Papists Behold the substance of thy work thou vain man thou and thy work are both ridiculous to sober-minded people Now indeed if thou couldst have instanced such doctrines and practises held forth by us which the Papists do
hold forth which is neither provable nor exemplary in the Scriptures then thy colour had been more fair and thy pretence more spacious But because thou hast truly instanced nothing against us neither in doctrine nor practise but what we can prove sufficiently by the Scriptures therefore thy work is invalid even to many that are not of us For say they if this be Popery to follow the example of the Apostles in doctrine and practises its better to be a Papist then a Protestant for why the Protestants holds forth many doctrines and practises which are not proveable by the Scriptures and I might instance in many things that this is true even that you Ministers of England doth hold forth in doctrine and practise many things which is not proveable by the Scriptures but in some things even contrary to the Scriptures And what if I should compare thee and thy Brethren in some of your doctrines and practises which you hold and the Papists hold the same which is not according nor proveable by the Scriptures will not the conclusion fall upon thee and you that you are Popish Jesuites and like unto them as instance a few things amongst many you are made Ministers by Natural Learning and Languages through the attainment of such Arts and Sciences at Schools and Colledges which the Apostles were not and not by the immediate gift of the Spirit of God as the Apostles were and in this very way and manner are the Ministers of the Church of Rome made and sent forth And moreover by the Authority of the Church of Rome and by the Papists were your Colledges builded and ordained for the very use and end which you make of them and those Revenues as Tythes and other things which you yet uphold even your orders habits and formalities at Schools were given and ordained even in the daies of Popery and by the Whore of Romes Authority and you are in the very practise of that which they practised in this particular and you hold up and maintain that which the Papists instituted and first ordained and therefore are not you Papists and upholders of Popery let the witness in every mans conscience judge for you are doing and upholding the very same things which the Papists do which the Apostles never did and by thine own rule you are therefore Papists Again you are maintained in your Ministry by Tythes Gleab-lands Easter reckonings yearly stipends and so much by the year and settled in a Parochial way and thus were never the Apostles nor found in such practises but the Jesuites and Papists they are in the practise of such things that first instituted and ordained them in this Nation and herein you follow their example and not the example of the Scriptures and therefore we may conclude that you are Papists and follows their spirit and you practise what they practised even without any example at all in the Scriptures Again you sprinkle Infants and sayes it is the Baptisme into the Visible Church and Original Sin is thereby washed away and it is a Seal and a Sign of Regeneration and of the Covenant and this practise and doctrine the Papists hold forth and were indeed the first Founders and Ordainers of this practise and doctrine and it hath never been proved yet to us from the Scriptures but you hold it forth and the Papists they hold forth the same and therefore it may be concluded that you are Papists and yet upholds Popery by these and many other things that I might mention which you do and the Papists do the same and without any proof or example in the Scriptures or any of the Apostles doth fully demonstrate that you are more guilty of Popery then we are and Popery remains yet amongst you and these practises are but a few of many I might mention and this is but a hint at things which more largely might be spoken to and it is occasioned upon thee by thine own proceedings And I must tell thee that you are a company of shameless men to cry out against the Church of Rome for is not She your Mother and did not your Religion your Church and Ministry and Worship for the most part of it spring out of her bowels Yea it may easily be proved that the general part of your Worship doth consist of such practises brought forth in such a manner as was first instituted by the Whore of Rome both the practises themselves and the very manner of their performances and this may easily be proved and therefore you are shameless men to cry out of your Mother who hath made such fair provision for you She hath instituted and taught you a way for making of Ministers and She hath instituted and taught you a way of maintenance by Tythes and so much a year and she hath provided you your very houses for worshipping in for your Churches were her Mass-houses not many years ago And thus She the Whore of Rome your Mother hath made a large provision for you She hath taught you a way of Baptisme as I have mentioned and she hath taught you also the way of persecuting people for good conscience sake it was She that kill'd and destroyed persons for good conscience sake and it was She that forced and imposed Faith and practises upon peoples consciences contrary to the Spirit of God which you Ministers yet practises in part Many things I might instance to illustrate you to be like unto the Papists and even such as have sprung out of the Church of Rome But the Nation is begun already to see your shame and folly and if I were silent the Lord will not forget to repay his enemies with vengeance and the day of the Lord is at hand wherein his Judgements shall be known in the earth And thus I have measured thee according to thy own rule and I do leave it to the Witness of God in thy own Conscience and to all thy Parishioners to whom indeed I do wish well and that they might come to the knowledge of the things that belongs unto eternall life that they might be saved And ye people of Kendall and there abouts Oh that you would consider Oh that you would come to be taught of the Lord and every one of you to receive the Spirit of God which is the free gift of God that it might lead you into all truth according to the promise of the Lord for this is his promise That all his Children shall be taught of him his Law shall be written in their hearts and his Spirit put in their inward parts and they shall all be taught of the Lord and his Spirit shall lead them in all the wayes of righteousnesse Oh! how long will it be ere you come out of Idolatry and out of Antichristian wayes which long you have walked in and not only you but all Christian Nations for great hath been that darkness that hath been upon the world since the Apostles daies for Christ in his
daies he said False Prophets should come and should arise and deceive many and the Apostle John he said in his time that there was then already many false Prophets gone out into the world and the world went after them and the false Prophets which Christ prophesied of should come in the last times the Apostles saw were already come and coming in their daies and it was then the last time 1 Joh. 4. and such were they as you may read that were covetous and taught for filthy lucre and through covetousness made merchandize of people and such were they that preached for hire such as these even Wolves in Sheeps cloathing Christ said should come and the Apostles saw were coming in even in their daies and abundance of such as these have over-spread the Christian Nations for many ages so it is not as though the false Prophets were but coming now for that Scripture signifies and plainly saith that the false Prophets and Antichrist did come in even in the Apostles daies and most of the Apostles themselves were Martyred and the Churches of Asia were running into Idolatry and back-sliding from the truth even before the Apostles decease and John in the Revelations he saw what was to come to pass that Power should be given to the Beast and to the Dragon the Devil over all Nations Kindreds and Tongues and that the Martyrs blood should be shed and the Witness slain and the Woman the true Church should fly into the Wilderness and that the Whore the false Church should cause all Nations even the Kings of the earth should drink the Whores Cup and Antichriâ—t should rule and Myâ—…ery Babylon as a Quean should sit upon Peoples Multitudes and Nations and the Saints Blood should be drunk by the false Church the Whore These things John saw was to come to pass in his time as you may read in the Revelations and since Johns daies within these sixteen hundred years we know they have been brought to pass and fulfilled so the present time is not now as though deceivers were but newly comed in for the Nations of the earth have long been deceived by Antichrist in sheeps cloathing and the Lord is now again gathering People from them so be not deceived in your hearts neither be ye ignorant concerning the times and seasons for its the time of the Womans returning out of the wilderness and she shall be adorned with the same gifts and parts that she had in the Apostles dayes and all shall walk in the light of the Lamb and the marriage of the Lamb shall come and the Devil shall be chained to deceive the Nations no more these things will the Lord bring to pass and we are hapned to be even in the beginning of this time of the Churches returning and the fulfilling Gods promises for the light of the Lord hath appeared and the everlasting Gospel must be preached again through the world and this is Gods promises as you may read in the Revelations Therefore be not ignorant but now consider and let the fear of God be in your hearts for the day of vengeance will suddenly come upon the ungodly and them that are not prepared but wants the Oyl in their own Lamps they shall be shut out and left in utter darkness therefore consider now you have time the day of the Lord is at hand And yet though great darkness hath been over the Nations yet the Lord had his people that is a few in every Nation some in every age that were sincere in their hearts did fear the Lord in Spirit and did desire after him and that were in a measure humble before him some such have been among Papists and Protestants in all ages who have according to their present time been zealous in their way towards God and such have been dear to the Lord at all times who sought after him and suffered for him for their present testimony against sin and iniquity as it was manifest to them and such sincerity of heart in any we never have judged Though we say as for the matter of Government Discipline or Ordinances and as for Ministry the Call to it and maintenance of it all this both among Papists and Protestants of all sorts for the generality of it hath been wholly Antichristian Their Church Government Ordinances Worship their Ministry its Call its Maintenance hath been Antichristian and not according to the example of the Apostles And this we judge even by the Spirit of the Lord Though the sincerity in no man nor amongst any sort of people do we judge yet the constitution of Churches and the Worship and Ordinances and Ministry as it hath stood for many ages both among Papists and Protestants we do judge and deny by the Spirit of the Lord. Much more might be said as in these things but if any of you Parishioners of Kendall desire any further knowledge of these things or to be acquainted with our Principles we have given forth divers Books though they have been rejected hitherto yet the time is at hand when those truthes which we have declared both by word and writing shall be pretious throughout the world And we do not impose our Religion upon people by force of external laws as Papists and Protestants have done by Antichrian power But we do leave what we declare by word or writing to the witnesse of God even in all mens consciences thereby to be approved and though we have been sufferers and yet may for good conscience sake yet we are not ashamed of the truths which the Lord hath given us the knowledge of But in all boldnesse and in the fear of God we confidently give forth our witnesse by the Spirit of the Lord. And as for this our answer it is sufficient to you and your Minister and no more needs be said till we hear a reply and further then it is possible the testimony of truth may be given and I would desire that you and he would sincerely compare this and his together and then judge of the one and of the other even by the witnesse of God in your own consciences Here follows certain proposalls which was sent to William Brownsword about a year ago which are worthy here of Inserting that he may yet answer to these things for he would neither meet me to dispute these things nor give me any answer by writing And indeed it had been more equitable for him first to have answered these things than to have gone and sent forth such a foolish book against us and all these things being compared together I doubt not but some of you may be truly Informed and your understandings opened which is my earnest desire that so it may be unto you and that ye may come to a good understanding and perfectly disern betwen truth and error and true Ministers of Christ and deceivers London the 12th Month 59. FOrasmuch as a Paper I have seen which is given abroad in the Country the