himself did interpret this Scripture to the Eunuch or did it belong to a mortal man I think you will not be so grosly ignorant to say that Christ himself went into the Eunuchs Charret and interpreted those Scriptures to him Surely if the interpretation of Scripture had belonged onely unto Christ and not unto man as Fox doth assert then Christ must have come from heaven and have went into the Charret in Philips stead because Philip was a man and interpretation of Scripture doth not belong to man as Fox the Quaker saith May not any man that hath but the light of sense and reason in his understanding see the gross darkness of these Quakers which pretends to be in the clearest light of all the seven Churches but to my knowledge the darkest of all in point of doctrine And as for that saying of Scripture We shall be all taught of God it is not meant that God will teach every particular man and woman himself do you Fox believe so why then do you prattle to the people when you meet as if you would interpret the meaning of Scripture and teach the people the knowledge of Christ for you are but a man why do not you let Christ teach the people himself seeing you will have all taught of God and allow no man to interpret Scripture nor teach the people For if you say Christ doth interpret Scripture and not Muggleton because Muggleton is a man and the interpretation of Scripture you say belongs to Christ and not to Muggleton for Muggleton is but a man so Quakers are all taught of God and not by man I marvel why there is so many Men-teachers amongst the Quakers seeing teaching knowledge of heavenly things and the interpretation of Scripture belongeth to God and Christ and not to man If I were of your faith I would give over teaching and talking of the Scriptures and leave it to God and Christ to whom it doth and it would be well for you Speakers of the Quakers if you had done so before you took upon you to preach Christ within you you have undertook to teach that which you say God will do and to interpret Scripture which you say doth belong unto Christ But I see all those people that will be taught of God and have the Scriptures interpreted unto them by Christ himself and will not receive the interpretation from man I say those people are more ignorant and dark in their mindes than those that are taught by man And I am sure the Quakers people would have known more truth if they had been taught by man that hath a Commission from God as Reeve and Muggleton hath than they do by all that God ever taught them in their lives And the Interpretation of Scripture we have given if understood would have informed their Judgements more than all the Interpretation of Scripture that Christ ever did interpret unto the Quakers people since the name of Quakers was put upon them yet we are but mortal men and must die But to clear the scruple that may arise in mens mindes because I speak thus I shall shew in a few words how men may be said to be taught of God and how the Interpretation of Scripture may be said to belong unto Christ First when God chuseth any one man or more to be his chosen Prophet Messenger or Minister God doth furnish such with wisdom and understanding and revelation to declare the minde of God to the people what God would have the people do and look how many people or who ever doth believe this Messenger sent of God they may be said to be taught of God and are taught of God So likewise he that hath the gift of Interpretation of Scripture as Prophets Apostles and we the Witnesses of the Spirit hath our Interpretation of Scripture may be said to belong unto Christ and that it is the true Interpretation of Christ himself because we had our Commission from him to teach the people and to interpret Scripture to as many as believe us to their great peace and satisfaction of their souls And in this sense people may truely say they are all taught of God and that Christ hath given the true interpretation of Scripture by his servants the Prophets Apostles and Witnesses of the Spirit to our everlasting peace and comfort yet all this is declared by men yea by mortal men and not by Christ himself as the Quakers do vainly imagine 6. Also Fox saith Christ opens and no man shuts and saith Doth not John say No man was found worthy to open the Book but the Lion of the Tribe of Judah And saith Was not Christ annointed to preach CHAP. XXXVI ANSWER THis beareth the same sence as the other whatsoever the Prophets Apostles and Witnesses of the Spirit doth it may be said Christ doth it as the Prophets they preached of Balm in Gilead and of Eye-salve to anoynt the peoples eyes that they might see what did belong to their peace and where they might have salve to heal the wound in conscience which sin had made in their souls this is called the preaching of Christ by his Prophets 2. The Apostles had power given them by Christ to open the eyes of the blinde and to give light unto them that were in darkness and in the shadow of death and brought those that believed their doctrine into the light of life eternal Also they had the Keys of Heaven and of Hell to bind sin upon the consciences of unbelievers never to be forgiven and to loose the sins of those that did truely believe their doctrine of Christ and thus they did open the Book of conscience in the believer and no man could shut up that conscience which the Apostles doctrine opened neither could any man open that conscience the Apostles shut up in unbelief This also is called the preaching of Christ and opening and shutting the Book of Conscience by Christ yet this was done by men and not by Christ himself But in regard they did preach the Gospel by vertue of Authority from Christ and they were anointed by him to preach the everlasting Gospel and had power given them to open the Book of Conscience in some whereby they did believe in Christ and shut the conscience of others up in unbelief and thus that saying of the Scripture is fulfilled that Christ was anoynted to preach the Gospel of glad tidings of salvation for what his Messengers doth it is as if he did it himself Again we the Witnesses of the Spirit are anoynted and chosen of Christ to preach the everlasting Gospel and Christ hath given us power to set life and death before men and we have power to binde and loose and to open and shut the Book of Conscience and no man can shut that conscience we have opened neither can any man open that conscience we have shut up in darkness as to any spiritual knowledge or true peace this many can witness on both sides if
when you appeared to resist the Holy Ghost in us the Witnesses of the Spirit and look what Judgement and Sentence we the Witnesses of the Spirit have given you here in this world the same Judgement and Sentence shall be upon you in the world to come even to eternity And when you Fox appeared before us to resist the Holy Ghost in us then did you appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ and look what Judgement I have given you and others it may be said to be the Judgement and Sentence of Christ and that you appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ As it is in all Courts of natural Justice when men are condemned by the Judge for the breach of the Law doth not such an one appear before the Judgment-seat of the King What are all Courts of Justice but the Judgment-seat of the King and whosoever is justified or condemned by the Judges of these Courts they may be said to be justified or acquitted or judged or condemned before the Judgement-seat of the King In like manner it is with the Judgement-seat of Christ Christ is the chief Judge and King of Heaven and Earth yet he hath given power to his Prophets Apostles and Witnesses of the Spirit to be Embassadors and Judges in his stead as it is with Earthly Kings so that who ever appears before the true Embassadors of Christ they do appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ and look what Judgement the Embassadors who are Judges do give upon a man if justified then Christ justifies if condemned then condemned and there is no appealing to any other So that you Fox you have appeared before the Judgement-seat of Christ already and have received your Judgement and Sentence already but the execution of it is not yet come and when you appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ as you mean and I shall be there also and look what Sentence I have passed upon you and others here the same shall I pass upon you When Christ which is my Life doth appear then shall I appear with him in glory and shall sit upon a Throne of glory and shall judge you wicked despisers of a personal God with the same Sentence of eternal Damnation as I did when I was here in mortality and then shall you Fox know to your endless misery that God gave power to a mortal man like your self to give Judgement and Sentence of eternal Damnation upon you though you despise and scorn that a mortal man should give Sentence upon you Speakers of the Quakers and others but you shall finde the Sentence of a mortal man as really true upon you as if the Immortal God himself had passed it upon you But the Reader may finde this more largely opened in The Quakers Neck broken But to make it appear more plain to the Reader that the Judgment-seat of Christ is in this world as well as hereafter and that all Prophets Apostles and true Messengers and Ministers of Christ if they be chosen by him they are Judges and those that do appear before them or any of them they may be said to appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ and look what Judgement Christs Judges which he hath chosen and given them a Commission doth give Sentence either of Justification or Condemnation they received this Sentence before the Judgement-seat of Christ because these Judges are chosen by him as it is with other Judges in the temporal as aforesaid This I shall make more appear by Scripture as Mat. 19.29 where Christ saith to his twelve Apostles You saith he shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel Now let the Reader minde These twelve Apostles had the Keyes of Heaven and Hell given them here and they had power to remit sins and to retain mens sins that is they had power to forgive sins and power to retain sins that is they had power to justifie that man or woman that believed their doctrine and they had power to condemn those that despised and did not believe their doctrine now these people so justified and condemned by these Apostles and true Preachers they did appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ for they were appointed Judges in his stead and that the Reader may understand how these Apostles should judge the twelve Tribes of Israel I declare unto you thus That these Twelve had their Commission from Christ to preach the Gospel of Christ unto the twelve Tribes of Israel though many Gentiles believed also yet Paul was chiefly sent unto the Gentiles and chosen of Christ to preach him unto the Gentiles but the other twelve Apostles their Message was chiefly to preach Christ unto the twelve Tribes of Israel which were the Jewes in their time and as many of those Jewes as did believe in these twelve Apostles Doctrine concerning Christs Death Resurrection and Ascension and other things belonging thereunto which they preached I say the Apostles had power to give Sentence of Blessedness upon those which did truly believe their Doctrine and that their sins were forgiven them and so they came to be justified in their own consciences justified before God and so had peace with God So on the contrary those that did not believe the Apostles Message but rather despised it spoke evil of it and persecuted it calling it Blasphemy Heresie Deceit and Lies which many of those Jews did the Apostles had power to pronounce and condemn those unbelieving Jewes who despised and spake evil of the Doctrine of Christ Also they had power to retain their sins so that God should never forgive them so that they should never be forgiven in the conscience nor forgiven of God So that these twelve Apostles doth judge the twelve Tribes of Israel here in this world some they have judged eternally happy because they believed their report others they judged eternally damned for their unbelief and despisings as aforesaid so that the Apostles did judge the Twelve Tribes of Israel in their time as aforesaid and this Judgment of theirs is the Judgement-seat of Christ and these twelve Tribes were before the Judgement-seat of Christ so long as the Apostles Commission lasted which was a matter of three hundred and fifty years after Christs death So that these twelve Apostles may be said to judge the twelve Tribes of Israel here in this life by their Doctrine of Christ Also it may be said that the twelve Tribes of Israel did appear before the Judgement-seat of Christ for many of them were justified by faith in Christ and many were condemned by unbelief in Christ so that every one had the Sentence in themselves by the Apostles judging whether happy or unhappy and for this faithful service the twelve Apostles have done in this life in judging according to their Commission they shall sit upon twelve Thrones of Glory in the Resurrection and shall give the same Judgement upon the twelve Tribes there as they did here that is they will justifie the same Sentence of
of hell and thus men and women have known good and evil by eating of the forbidden fruit of lust This many Ranters were guilty of to my knowledge neither is your Quakers people free for I know of those that have fallen to the Quakers thinking to finde ease there but they will finde the Quakers Principle but a broken Reed These things concerning the Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge of good and evil are opened more at large in The Interpretation of the Eleventh of the Revelation so I shall conclude this point 2. I am to make good by Scripture that the Soul of man is mortal This is one of the easiest points that is to prove by Scripture and experience These are the words that George Fox doth ground the Immortality of the Soul upon as followeth Saith he For God breathed into man the breath of life through which he became a living Soul And then George Fox asketh Is this breath of life by which man became a living Soul mortal And saith Is this thy knowledge as if it were impossible for me to answer or to make good by Scripture CHAP. VI. ANSWER THis point hath been proved by Scripture in all our other Writings as aforesaid and that Book of the Mortality of the Soul the chief subject it treats upon is to prove the Soul mortal but all these things will do Fox no good nor convince him of his ignorance in this point Fox had hard luck that he could see none of these Writings for nothing might have better informed him in these things but the Book of The Quakers Neck broken onely that makes Fox so ignorant of all things for that Book doth but name the Heads of these things but in the other Writings aforesaid they are more largely expounded But to give a little further answer to this point here First I shall prove that breath of Life God breathed into Adam to be mortal and doth die Let the Reader minde I do acknowledge that Breath of Life God breathed into Adam which made him become a living Soul it was immortal when it came from God but it was breathed into an earthen vessel Adam being of the earth he was earthly and so capable to be overcome by temptation from a heavenly body viz. the Serpent Angel now Christ being the Lord from heaven therefore he was not capable to be overcome by the temptations of earthly bodies viz. the Serpent Angel his seed in mortality Minde also this Breath of Life which God breathed into Adam wherein he became a living Soul it was immortal so long as he stood in obedience to God and no death could have touched him but this I must tell the Reader Adam could have had no other heaven than this world he being made of this earth he should never have gone higher to the place where God is the holy Angels and all spiritual Bodies are there Adam should not have come But this I say Adam should have been freed from all sickness diseases and death and should have lived a Paradisical life of peace upon this earth for ever if he had kept that state he was created in I confess this was a state that I was always desirous to get into and I did endeavor much after it but could not attain unto it but when the Revelation of Faith did arise in me the Spirit of Faith which I call the Spirit of Christ or God shewed me what the state of Adam was in the state of innocency and the Paradisical heaven here upon this earth but when the Spirit shewed me the Form of God Angels and other Creatures in a Celestial state in the Celestial Heavens in all glory I thought then that this earthly Paradise though it had been for ever very inferior and below that which I am sure I shall possess But to the matter in hand I shall make it appear that Adams Soul did die though it was the breath of God made it live yet by disobeying the command of God this Life must die as in Gen. 2. and verse 17. For in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Is not this plain that Adams Soul did die notwithstanding the breath of Life God breathed into him this became mortal and did die If you Fox shall say the soul departed from the body and the body died this is the opinion of most people but it is an ignorant dark opinion contrary to Sence Reason or Faith for if the Soul slip out of the body or depart from it that cannot be said to die but to part one from another for a season besides the body is a dead lump fit for no use without a soul Also the Scripture saith The soul that sins shall die The Scriptures doth not say the soul shall slip out of the body that sins but shall die it is that which sins that must die And did you Fox ever know a body commit sin without a soul if you did not methinks you might be convinced of your ignorance and teach the people no more that lie Where do you read in Scripture that ever any bodies were condemned to die We read in Scripture in many places of souls that shall die and souls that shall be cut off from the land of the living but never of bodies Again it is said that Christ poured out his soul unto death Will you Fox be so wicked to say that Christ did not die He poured out his soul unto death Death took Christs soul into it self that is death swallowed up his soul It is not said he gave his body for a Ransom for sin but he gave his soul a Ransom for sin How should any man be saved from eternal death if Christs soul did not die But I know the Quakers look for no benefit from the blood of Christ all their happiness it must come from the Law written in their hearts that they call the light of Christ in them for they know no other Christ neither within them nor without them For this I say they that cannot believe that their own souls shall die cannot believe that the soul of Christ did die and so they can receive no benefit by the death of Christ The Reader may see the innocence in the Quakers Writings Fox saith He doth believe in Christ that suffered rose again and ascended and yet Christs soul did not die according to the Quakers faith for if they do acknowledge that Christs soul did die they must needs acknowledge their own souls must the also And if Fox had believed the one he would have believed the other and never have put me to this trouble to answer that difficult point as Fox thinks to prove from Scripture that the soul of man is mortal if there were no Scripture at all experience would prove that every day we see it with our eyes Also I would ask Fox or any other where the soul of Lazarus was those four days his body was in the grave I believe Fox
will say it was in heaven To this I say that Lazarus his soul was in the grave where his body was his soul was dead else Christ did not raise him from the dead if his soul were not dead Minde if his soul departed out of his body as most people imagine and went to Heaven or hell then I say Christ would have called to Heaven for his soul to come down and go into the body again if it should be so then Christ did not raise the dead but brought two friends together that were separated one from the other This is the Quakers Faith and many others besides but the Faith of Gods Elect doth stedfastly believe that Lazarus his soul was dead and there in the grave and that by the power of Christs words and groans they entred in to that dead soul in the grave and made it quick and live again Here you see Fox that the soul of Adam the first man did die And also you may see that the soul of Christ did die and that Lazarus his soul was dead and all mens souls else since that are dead because they were mortal This the Scriptures prove as much or more than any one thing whatsoever and this is my knowledge of Scripture And are you George Fox convinced yet that your soul must die For die you must even two deaths a death mortal and a death eternal for you that count it a Lie to say the soul is mortal and must die you shall taste of two deaths but I shall taste but of one this I know to be true and you shall finde my words to be true also 5. Muggleton Thou sayest thou accusest no man of sin yet saith Fox in a few lines after thou accusest the Quakers of sin and blasphemy CHAP. VII ANSWER YOu told a Lie to say I accuse the Quakers of sin and blasphemy a few lines after for I do accuse the Quakers of sin and blasphemy against the Holy Ghost a few lines before I said I accuse no man of sin but because you began to write against me backwards you began at the last side of my Book and so answered this backward I shall bear with that Lie and look upon it as no hainous crime in you but if you had found such a mistake in me you would have triumphed as if it had been the greatest sin in me to tell such a Lie you would have thought it worse than the sin against the Holy Ghost which you Quakers do commit But who ever reads that Book may see that I have said nothing but truth in what I have written of the Quakers 6. Page 5. Fox saith The Scriptures speak of the wicked one and wicked men but where saith he doth the Scriptures speak of a right devil CHAP. VIII ANSWER DOth the Scriptures speak of a wrong Devil there must needs be either a right devil or a wrong devil else the Scriptures would never have spoken so much of a devil if there had been no devil at all For you Fox neither declares what the right devil is nor what the wrong devil is so that no man can tell where nor what the devil is It seems Fox the Quaker thinks it a hard thing to prove by the Scriptures a right devil Do you not read in Scripture that Cain is called a devil who was a murderer and a liar from the beginning and the devil was those Pharisees that disputed with Christ the devil was their father Christ said And was not Cain their father a right devil Is there any sin committed but it is the devil commits it As John saith He that committeth sin is of the devil and if he that commits sin be of the devil then his father that begat him must needs be a right devil Was not Judas that betrayed his Lord was not he a right devil Sure if he had not been a right devil he would never have done that wickedness And you George Fox had not you been a right devil you would never have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit that sent me as you have but you being ignorant who was your father even Cain you know not what your self is and that you are the son of a right devil and so in process of time you your self are become a right devil and you shall be recorded so by the Commission of the Spirit of Truth to the worlds end 7. Page 7. Fox saith The Quakers do not deny Christs flesh and bones who remain in the Heavens until the Restitution of all things CHAP. IX ANSWER HEre people may see the confusion of the Quakers Principles who say Christ is in them and yet Fox saith the Quakers own the flesh of Christ that suffered Here Fox saith The Quakers doth not deny Christs flesh and bones who remain in the Heavens until the restitution of all things But this the Reader may mind that the Quakers do not believe that Christs flesh and bone is now in the Heavens though Fox doth not deny it because the Scriptures are so full to prove the same For if the Quakers should really believe it their Principle of Christ within them would quickly fail and vanish for I never knew none that would avouch that Christs flesh and bone was in them neither wil any of the Quakers avouch that they do believe Christ to be a person now in Heaven above the stars in that same flesh and bone he suffered death in if they should do so how then would all the Quakers do to get Christ within them there could but one Quaker get Christ in him at a time and when Christ comes out of one he must go into another But the Quakers Christ is nothing else but an Allegory and so Fox shews in his following words For saith he we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone so that flesh and bone of Christ that was reserved in the Heavens which Fox doth not deny in the words before but in the latter words the Quakers flesh and bones are become Christs flesh and bone so that Christ hath no flesh and bone of his own but what flesh and bone Christ hath of the Quakers But I shall speak of this more in another page but the Reader may a little see Fox his Allegorical Juggle 8. Page 6. Fox calls me a lying spirit because I cursed some Quakers for the sin against the Holy Ghost and saith Christ said Bless and curse not who is the Chief Judge CHAP. X. ANSWER I Do acknowledge that Christ is Chief Judge both of quick and dead but Christ hath chosen me to be chief Judge in his stead here upon earth in spiritual matters and I had my Authority from Christ the onely God without me and not from Christ within me and by this Authority from Christ without me who is now in Heaven above the stars in that same flesh and bone he suffered death in onely that flesh and bone is spiritualized and glorified have I power over you Quakers
and that light of Christ within you also and look what Judgement I have given upon you Quakers and others it will surely come to pass upon you neither can you nor your Christ within you deliver you from it And as for that saying of Christ who said to his disciples Bless and curse not this will not deliver you Quakers at all from what I have said But for the Readers satisfaction I shall open those words of Christ more plain hereafter 9. Page 7. Fox is very angry with me because I say that Cain was not begotten of Adam but was begotten by the Reprobate Angel but I have sufficiently opened and proved this thing by the Scripture before so I shall say no more of it here 10. Page 10. Fox after he hath railed at me because I say the Quakers Christ hath never a body and Fox knowing it to be true thought he should bring himself into a premunire if he should deny Christs body without him the Scriptures being so clear for it Fox doth confess Christ hath a body for saith he that which descended ascended And saith he the Quakers are of his body and as the Scriptures saith A body hast thou prepared CHAP. XI ANSWER HEre Fox shews himself a meer Juggler for he confesses Christ hath a body but never confesses that this body of Christ is at a distance from the Quakers neither doth Fox acknowledge that Christs body is in a distinct place by himself for saith he that which descended ascended And saith he the Quakers are of his body as the Scriptures saith A body hast thou prepared me Minde Fox doth not say that which descended was a body nor that which ascended neither for Fox his meaning is mystical and so he thinkes the Quakers are flesh of Christs flesh and bone of Christs bone of Christs mystical body as they conceive so Fox owns Christ to have a mystical body and so the Quakers comes as they say to be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh and so that body which was prepared for Christ the Quakers believe their flesh and bones is that body which the Spirit of Christ doth dwell in and that is that body the Scriptures saith is prepared So that the Quakers do deny that Christ hath a body of flesh and bone distinct of his own at a distance from them for if they should acknowledge as I said in The Quakers Neck broken that Christ hath the same flesh and bone that suffered still distinct of himself though glorified flesh and bone yet it is a distinct thing of it self even the person of a man and cannot nor is not within any man whatsoever I say if the Quakers should own this indeed their Principle of Christ within them would vanish like smoke For this flesh and bone of Christ his own person was that body prepared for the God-head life to dwell in as the Prophet speaks and that which the Apostle saith the fulness of the God-head dwelt bodily in Christ And this flesh and bone of Christ was that body prepared for the God-head to dwell in Now will any man be so sensless to think this body of Christ to be within a man for he that can get Christs body of flesh and bone into him he will get the fulness of the God-head also into him so that he that can do this will be a God and not a man so that I have told no lie but truth when I said the Quakers Christ hath never a body for which Fox is very angry with me and calls me Liar Yet let the Reader but minde Fox his words when he doth seem to own a body of Christ his words are so dubious and so dark that none but the Spirit of Truth could finde out the cheat of these Quakers what could any man that hath not the true knowledge of the true God and the right Devil and the knowledge of the Scriptures say to these things this Allegorical Cheat and Deceit it being so coucht under the words of the Scriptures For this is to be minded by the Reader that the Quakers never gives no Interpretation of Scriptures neither in writings nor speakings This Fox hath spoken of several places of Scripture to prove me a Liar but hath given the Interpretation of none Onely he hath named the words and rayled against me and so he hath left the Scriptures and the Apostles words and me together to dispute out the Quakers Principle of Christ within them And because Fox hath not opened those Scriptures he quotes to prove Christ within and that the Quakers are of Christs body I shall unfold those places of Scriptures which the Quakers ground upon Col. 1.27 It is thus written To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of glory This is one of the Quakers chief Scriptures to prove Christ within them So Rom. 8. 10. If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin So 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith approve your selves how that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates So Galatians 2. 20. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me These are the chiefest places of Scripture the Quakers have to prove that Christ is in them Let the Reader minde the Interpretation as followeth and you may see that the Quakers are mistaken both in the thing it self and in the person and persons to whom these words were spoken First the person that spake these words it was Paul who had a Commission to preach Christ unto the Gentiles and this Commission to preach Christ was from Christ without him as I shewed before and the persons he directs these speeches or words unto they were to such men and women that did seem to receive Pauls doctrine and doubtless many of them did truely believe that Christ which suffered rise again and was ascended up to Heaven according to the preaching of Paul and the rest of the Apostles was the Christ the Savior of the world and that this Christ was without them in his person though by faith Christ may be said to dwell or be in a man Also Paul and these Believers he preached unto did believe the blood of Christ which was poured out unto death that the believing of this would purge their consciences from dead works to serve the living God for Paul expresseth as much in the same verse For saith he I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me So that it may be clear to those that have any true faith in them that Paul and the rest of the Believers had Christ in them no otherwise than by faith in the Death Resurrection and Ascension of that Christ without them
they might attain those Witchcraft-fits but could not attain them do what they could They got the Quakers language of Thee and Thou but could not attain the Fits neither would some of those Quakers own one of these persons because she had not such Fits as they had so she was forc'd to leave them And the cause why these persons aforesaid could have no such Fits it was because they had talked with me before they fell to the Quakers Principles so that no Witchcraft-Fit could be produced in them though their endeavors were great Also I have drove the Witchcraft-power out of Quakers that have been strongly possest so that they have never had Fit more And as for you Fox have you ever had any Witchcraft-fit since you were damned did you ever fall into a swoon and lye as one dumb and hath the spirit of Reason the devil which you call the Light of Christ in you I ask hath he revealed any mysteries of the Scriptures in the time of your Fit since you were damned fourteen years ago Is your revelation of Reason to be seen in writing yea or nay Again hath Samuel Hooton William Smith Edward Bourn Richard Farnsworth and many others that were damned of late years have they had any Witchcraft-fits since or any new revelation if they have let them be brought forth to the light Do you George Fox know any Quaker that I have passed the Sentence upon that can produce a Witchcraft-fit afterwards If no Fit can be produced as formerly then I say no true revelation nor experience can arise in the Quakeâ—s hearts Nay this Sentence it puts a stop to the revelation of Reason also else why should Quakers fall so as you do from your first Principle for you are not like the people you were sixteen years ago there were few Quakers then but they had Witchcraft-fits but now of late I do not hear of any Quaker that hath any Fits no not so much as to buzz or hum before the Fit comes But if you Fox doth know any of you Quakers that have any of those Witchcraft-fits as formerly bring them to me or let me hear of it and I shall cast out that devil which caused those Fits so that they shall never have more but shall be sensible and in their right mind So Fox you shall finde my words to be truth and no lie that the Quakers after the Sentence is past upon them shall never grow to have more experience in Visions and Revelations but shall wither Do not you Fox finde this to be true if you do not others will witness unto it to be truth But you say The truth spreads I know the truth spreads but not the Quakers Witchcraft-fits which produced Visions Apparitions and Revelations which the Quakers thought had been produced by the Spirit of Christ but they were produced by the spirit of Reason the Devil in themselves and these Fits Visions Apparitions and Revelations in the Quakers are greatly withered away of late by that Sentence I have passed upon the Speakers of the Quakers and others of that opinion so that those Fits of theirs makes most people ashamed to own them which formerly people thought them the most knowingst that was possest with a Witchcraft-fit so that it is plain and clear and many that were lovers of the Quakers way of Worship that can and will witness that their experience in Visions and Revelation are withered and come to nothing But Fox thinks because a many ignorant people comes to hear the Quakers speak their ninny-nonies over and over again therefore the Truth as he calls it spreads but when it was at the best it was but a lie that spreads indeed a lie will spread very fast but truth spreads very slowly for truth was ten years in the world and there was not much above forty persons that owned it but the Quakers at that time had many thousands that were Quakers as was exprest by those five damned Quakers in Eastcheap mentioned in that Book called The Quakers Neck broken 14. Page 14. Muggleton saith He could never finde any Quaker that would own God to be a person in form of a man which shews the Quakers darkness Here saith Fox Muggleton hath shewed his ignorance of the Scriptures for saith he the Scriptures saith That God is a Spirit And Christ saith that a Spirit hath not flesh and bone as I have And saith Fox God fills heaven and earth and herein saith he thou hast shewed thy ignorance and darkness CHAP. XVII ANSWER TO this I shall make it appear to the Reader that my words are truth and that Fox hath shewed his ignorance and darkness both of Gods filling Heaven and earth and that Fox nor the Quakers doth not believe that Christ hath flesh and bone of his own distinct of himself and that this flesh and bone of Christ is now in heaven above the stars Let the Reader minde the words of Christ His disciples supposed they had seen a Spirit these disciples were ignorant at that time as most people thinking that Spirits might walk without bodies or that Spirits might assume bodies and appear to men this ignorant opinion was in the disciples of Christ before they were endued with power from on high and this is the general opinion of all men but those that have a Commission from God for if God had never chosen Prophets and Apostles and Witnesses to enlighten the understanding of people all people in the world would have believed so therefore it was that Prophets caused Kings to put to death all Witches and Wizards that dealt with familiar spirits as Samuel did and King Saul out of Israel but all the Nations of the earth besides did practice Witchcraft and dealing with familiar spirits and did believe that spirits might and did walk without bodies and could assume what shapes they please The same opinion is now all the world over and in the Quakers also and the disciples of Christ at that time had a smatch of the Heathen opinion in them which made them through their ignorance to suppose they had seen a Spirit without a body to walk before them but Christ willing to convince them of that vain and lying opinion saith to his disciples Feel me and handle me for a Spirit hath not flesh and bone as I have as if he should say No Spirit can appear without a body for a Spirit without a body is a meer shadow presented to your fantasie through your ignorance as if Christ should say do not believe that Spirits can walk without bodies there is no such thing it is but a meer shadow you suppose to be a Spirit but come to me and feel me and handle me for a shadow as you take or think to be a Spirit hath not flesh and bone nor is of no substance as I am This was after Christ was risen from the dead and before the Apostles had received power from on high so that the Reader
suffered in the flesh but he did not die as he was God CHAP. XXIV ANSWER HEre Fox hath discovered his Allegorical Cheat as I have made appear before For saith he in the fourteenth particular of this Book the Quakers owns the Son of God who was crucified and laid in the grave and rose again and sits at the right hand of God yet Fox saith the Godhead life did not die Here Fox hath manifested his great ignorance of life that died also he hath cut himself off from having any part or portion in the death of Christ for God and Christ is all one undividual or undivided Essence Person and Substance so that when Christ died God died and when Christs blood or soul was poured out unto death the soul of God was poured out unto death also Christ being God and Man For no man can truly say Christ was God and Man except he were God as well as Man for if there be another God besides Christ or above Christ then Christ is not God as well as man as people do vainly imagine Now we read that Christ poured out his soul unto death and will any dare to say that the soul of Christ was not the soul of God it is high blasphemy to affirm the contrary besides it cuts a man off from all benefit of the death of Christ for no blood but the blood of a God can speak peace to the soul of man therefore it is the blood of Christ speaketh better things than the blood of Abel because Abel was but a faithful man But Christ was God as well as man yet this Godhead life did die and quickened again by its own power which Abels life could not do being but a man But what should I talk to Quakers of these things for they do not believe that any souls die no not their own they all slip away and leave the body to suffer so Fox saith Christ suffered in the flesh but his soul did not die but slipt out of his body for he doth not own that Christs soul died neither as he was God nor as he was man But this is opened more large concerning the Godhead life dying in The Interpretation of the whole Book of the Revelation But what think you Fox did Cain kill the soul or life of Abel or no or did he onely drive his soul or spirit out of his body Surely if Cain had not killed Abels soul his blood would never haye cryed for vengeance in Gods ears and in his own conscience as it did if his life had not been killed What do you think Fox that Judas did by his soul when he hang'd himself did he onely hang the body that his soul might slip away and leave his body to suffer What do you think the sufferings that all Quakers of late and others have undergone in imprisonment and banishment some have died by reason of those sufferings but you Quakers do believe it was nothing but their bodies that suffered their souls suffered nothing they slipt out of their bodies and went some where you know not where So your persecutors did you no great hurt onely turned your souls out of your bodies before the time as a Landlord doth a bad Tenant turns him out of his house for not paying his Rent he never kills him So the Quakers souls are never killed they are only separated from the body so that there is no great harm done by the persecutors they do but onely separate soul and body one from the other they do not kill life in the Quakers for life cannot die the body indeed may suffer but life cannot die This is Fox the Quakers faith and all Quakers else that I have talked with and were not the Quakers blinded and hardned they would be ashamed to own such a Principle for all true Believers are ashamed of the Quakers faith in this point nay men that are meer moral men that have no light but the dictates of nature do know by experience that the spirit and soul of man doth die for nothing can be capable of pain but life nor nothing can be capable to die but life yet these blinde Quakers cannot believe that life can die as aforesaid 19. Page 21. Muggleton saith God the King of Heaven is not in this world at all Fox calls this Lies also For saith he thou dost confess that Christ is God and John saith he was in the world but the world knew him not Also Fox saith the true Prophet saith he fills heaven and earth but saith Fox the false prophet saith God the King of Heaven is not in this world at all CHAP. XXV ANSWER THat saying of mine is truth That God the King of Heaven is not in this world at all not in his Person and Essence or Substance as is clearly opened in The Neck of the Quakers broken which whosoever doth read that Book may see every one of those sayings of mine more clearly opened than in this Treatise yet George Fox calls them all lies and darkness and such like though what I have written in that Book is as true as any Writings of the Prophets or Apostles and are of as great Authority and will prove as true in the end as theirs But to give the Reader a little light to see the gross darkness of this Fox and his subtilty Fox brings the words of John and saith Christ was in the world but the world knew him not Minde Did I ever deny in all my Writings that Christ never was in the world I always in all my Writings justified more than any man living that Christ the onely God was in this world in the state of mortality which the Apostles did witness unto therefore it is that John saith Christ was in the world but the world knew him not which doth imply that Christ was not in the world in his person at that time when John writ those words if he had John would have said Christ is now in the world but the world knows him not So that it is clear to those that know the Scriptures that Christ the onely God was not in this world at all in the Apostles time he was in the world before he suffered death and the world knew him not but after he was ascended he hath not been in this world never since and this John and the rest of the Apostles knew very well and they preached this Christ that was in the world but the world knew him not therefore they persecuted him and slew him and would slay him again if he were in this world now so John knew well enough therefore he testified that Christ was in the world in his own person but the wicked world put him to death because they knew him not but he is not in the world now for he is ascended for John knew if Christ had been in the world in his person at that time they would have done unto him as they did before and because Christ was not
in the world in his person in the Apostles time therefore the world persecuted them and put them to death for witnessing that Christ was in the world and they with wicked hands had slain the Lord of Life even Christ Jesus the onely God the King of Heaven So that John and I am both of one minde and of one faith that though Christ the only God and King of Heaven was in this world before he suffered death this John the Apostle and I both do believe and know but since Christ rose from the dead and ascended up to heaven John and I do believe and know that Christ the only God and King of heaven is not in this world at all in his person and essence yet Fox calls this Lies But the Reader may see if he hath any light who it is that lies Fox or I. Also he saith The true Prophet saith God the King of Heaven fills heaven and earth but saith he the false prophet saith God the King of Heaven is not in this world at all It is a small thing to be called a false prophet by the Seed of the Serpent especially by a damned devil for I know Fox would have said so by those prophets he calls true had he lived in that time and this John and Christ he so much talks of would have been counted all false a false Christ a false Witness what will any Quaker believe that to be a Christ a Savior that comes in likeness of man nay is a man sin excepted No no we will have a Christ that is a Spirit that may creep into our spirits when he will and whip out again when we commit sin and displease his Spirit such a Christ we own that hath never a body of his own but is all Spirit that fills every Quakers body with his Spirit and heaven and earth also What will you perswade us to believe that Christ is a man Christ is God and admits of no form so thou John art a false witness to perswade us to believe in a man to be Christ or God the Savior of the world this I know would Fox and the rest of the Quakers have said by those he calls now true prophets they being dead and by Christ and the Apostles as he doth by me For when they were alive on earth as I am now they were counted by the seed of the Serpent such as Fox is Blasphemers Deceivers Liers and such like but now who so zealous for the dead letter of the Prophets and Apostles as the seed of the Serpent are but when they were alive they were hated and persecuted for speaking that which the seed of the Serpent doth now honor so is it with me now I am alive I am hated and persecuted by the seed of the Serpent as well by Quakers as others for my doctrine and commission now while I am alive but when I am dead many of the seed of the Serpent in the next generation shall have respect unto my Writings and shall say had we lived in those days that Fox and other Quakers lived in we would never have blasphemed and spoken evil of so pure a truth as Fox the Quaker hath done to incur eternal damnation upon our own heads as Fox the Quaker their father hath done these things will come to pass as it hath done in the other two Commissions namely the Law the Gospel Page 22. Muggleton saith the Quakers hearken to the light within but they despise the body and person of Christ without them and so they are Antichrist 20. To this Fox saith Here are more Lies of the false prophet for saith he Christ that died at Jerusalem his person we own without us who is manifest within us the light of Christ Jesus by which we have seen of his glory and speak in his person And Fox saith Solomons Books in the Bible are good Scripture though Muggleton saith they be not Scripture he being not in the spirit of Solomon that gave them forth CHAP. XXVI ANSWER HEre Fox hath shewed his Allegorical Juggle who dares not deny the person of Christ without them not in plain terms because the Scriptures are so full to prove Christ a person and it is the Faith of all Christendom as we call it but any man that hath any true light in him may see that Fox is a meer Juggler to deceive the simple and ignorant whose doctrine makes the people more dark in their mindes than they were by nature For saith Fox we Quakers own the person of Christ without us who is manifest within us There is such a great stir with Gods Messengers to part Christs person or body from the Quakers and their bodies from him that Christs body might stand single of it self and the Quakers bodies might stand single of themselves at a distance from Christs body but the Quakers will either get into Christs body or else Christ must get into the Quakers bodies so that no man can tell how to part them one from another but I know death will part them And Christ will say to Fox and other Quakers Depart from me you workers of iniquity you pretended that you were my Saints and that I was in you and you in me but I know you not neither did I send you to preach for I never was in you by my Spirit to assist you in your preaching you should have let preaching and praying in my name alone for you have done more hurt than good in that your doctrine hath blinded the eyes of many people and have led them as sheep to the slaughter and hath caused many to suffer extreamly in this life even to the loss of their natural life besides the punishment hereafter For you should have hearkened to my chosen Witnesses and Prophets who can declare the true Christ God and man in one single person in the form of a man with the right devil his form and nature but your non-knowledge of the right devil is the cause of your gross darkness in the knowledge of the true Christ What are you Quakers the better for your Christ within you he yields you no true peace and what are you the better for being in Christ for the true Christ denies you and will not be in you by his Spirit neither will he suffer you to be in him because you and a great part of you Quakers are of the reprobate Seed which have no part nor portion in the true Christ for you are and the Quakers people but the devil transformed into the likeness of an Angel of light because you are something more precise in your life as to outward appearance but your preciseness is very much broken and withered of late years your darkness and ignorance is discovered by the light of this Commission of the Spirit for you are not like the people you were formerly neither doth your Witchcraft-fits catch any now as it did heretofore Your Witchcraft-fits can hardly be produced now of
Scripture nor man Here the Reader may plainly see that the Quakers Christ within them is no other but the Law written in their hearts as the Heathen had as aforesaid their thoughts accusing and excusing this is that Christ within them they so much talk of and this is that power and spirit and divine light of Christ the Quakers could have spoken in had they never seen letter of Scripture nor man this is the same the Heathen had in them and this I say had the Quakers never seen letter of Scripture nor man that professed the letter of the Scripture I say the Quakers would have talked nor spoke no more of a Christ within them then cursed Cain and his posterity did or the old world that was drowned or Sodom These wicked people never saw no letter of Scripture nor man that had faith not as they knew yet they had the same Christ within them as the Quakers have by the Law written in their hearts and might have spoken in the power and spirit of the divine light of Christ as the Quakers do had they seen the letter of the Scripture and men that believes them as the Quakers do So that it may be cleer to those that have the true light of Faith and of the interpretation of the letter of the Scripture that the Quakers principle of the light of Christ within them is no other but the light of the Law written in their hearts as the Heathen had before any Scriptures were written and by this Law are they judged in themselves and this is their Christ within them and this is that power and spirit and divine light of Christ they could have spoken in had they never seen letter of Scripture nor man that professeth Scripture and that they do speak now they have seen letter of Scripture and men that profess it and believe it I say is the very same for the Quakers have no more faith in the true Christ then if they had never seen letter of Scripture nor any man that believes them what they have is meer traditional even the faith of devils for the Law written in their hearts is the onely and alone Christ the Quakers have to save them and this Christ is indeed within them and will never go out of them but torment them to eternity 4. Fox gives glory to his God and Christ within him who hath as he saith set him and other Quakers above that curse and sentence I have passed upon them CHAP. XXXII ANSWER YOur glory to your God and Christ within you will fail you in the day of trouble neither will nor can deliver you from that curse and sentence I have passed upon you and others of your brethren neither will you ever be set above it but shall be kept under it to eternity flatter your self as much as you can you shall not be delivered neither by your Christ within you nor by the true Christ without you this I know 5. Fox blames me for saying God hath made me Judge of the Quakers spiritual estate and yet saith he thou ownest thy self but a mortal man For saith Fox the spiritual man judgeth all things CHAP. XXXIII ANSWER Did you Fox ever see any man condemned to die either natural death or eternal death by a spiritual man without a body are not all men condemned both natural and spiritual by mortal men like themselves Was not Moses a mortal man did not he condemn and judge many to die he said but the word and it was done and did not Eliah call for fire from Heaven and destroy two Captains and their fifties with many other strange things he did whereby many were judged by him and killed yet he was but a mortal man and subject to infirmity as mortal men are as the Scripture saith Again was not Peter a mortal men and was put to death himself yet he judged Ananias and Saphirah his wife to death yet a mortal man so is it with every true Prophet and Messenger of Christ he hath power to set life and death before men and power to judge and condemne those that rebel against his commission and to justifie those that yield obedience unto it yet all Gods Messengers they were mortal men now these mortal men had great power being commissionated of God and they all acted according to the tenor of their commission and some of them destroyed life presently And I am sure if you Fox had lived in Moses time you would have been consumed by him in the gainsaying of Corah for you would have rebelled against Moses Aaron as you do now against John Reeve and me but because my Commission is not to consume you immediately by a natural destruction you proudly vaunt your self against the Commission of the Spirit thinking you and your Christ within you shall be able to encounter with me and my Christ without me but I must judge according to my Commission of the Spirit and not as Moses and the Apostles did to destroy the natural life immediately but our commission is with relation to the spiritual estate of men and women after death and accordingly we judge yet but mortal men and must die our selves this power hath God given unto me and by vertue of this am I made Judge of the Quakers spiritual and eternal estate what will become of many of you after death And as for that saying The spiritual man judgeth all things this is to be minded that every true Messenger and Minister of Christ may be called a spiritual man and he is so because he teacheth such doctrine that doth comfort the spirits of some and torment the spirits of others in that it divides between the joynts and the marrow Also those that truly believe may be called spiritual men and can judge the spirits of unbelievers because they know by faith in the doctrine of the true God that others that have not the same faith cannot have that peace as they have for they know by experience in themselves when they were unbelievers they were without God in the world and so were not able to judge who were happy and who were not but being justified by faith in the true God they have peace with God and so can discern and judge the spirits of others by what they were themselves who were some time in darkness but now in the light of heaven and who ever hath this true faith in the doctrine of the true God may be said to be a spiritual man and able to judge all things that is naught in himself and all the unbelief and despisings of others And so he judgeth all things by his faith in the true God and in the Messenger God hath sent yet Minister and People are but mortal men and must die yet called by the Seed of Faith the spiritual man that judgeth all things and is judged of no man Therefore you Fox shall never have any spiritual man to judge you to eternal damnation but