walk not after the flesh but after and according to the spirit And whereas we were under â—in God made him who knew no sin in himself to be sin for us by impuâ—ation that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him in like manner And whereas we by reason of that sin were under the curse he was made a curse for us that he might redeeme us from that curse that so we might inherit the blessing therefore the Lord having laid hold on our surety who is mighty to save and to deliver being man that he might suffer in the same nature and in the behalfe of those that had sinned And God that he might make full satisfaction to God that was offended The Lord I say having thus laid hold upon our able suretie laid and charged upon him all our iniquities bruising and almost breaking his gracious heart with the hellish terrours of divine revenge and justice where he made his righteous soul an offering for sin So sharp and hot were the flames thereof that it made the maker of the whole creation grone and cry out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me A speech more dreadful fuller of astonishment then if the whole frame of heaven and earth all men angels had been tumbling headlong into everlasting torments for in this God had not forsaken himselfe but his creature onely but in that wrath was kindled beyond the finite apprehension of the creature here God as it were forsook and left himself Christ being God one God with the father blessed and beloved for ever And yet my God my God why hast thou forsaken me And here behold and see and in seeing weep was there ever sorrow like unto this sorrow which Christ suffered in the day of his fathers wrath and fury And again behold and see and in seeing rejoyce that Christ suffered these sorrows as our surety Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray and he hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all And thus was God in and with Christ in his everlasting decree Covenant and consent roconciling the world unto himself by that one sacrifice and offering whereby through the eternal spirit he offered up his life and shed his blood upon the Crosse a sacrifice for sin to reconcile us unto God For without shedding of blood there is no forgivenesse of sin to be expected Obedience to the Law because short imperfect cannot effect it make man right and perfect But now by this one offering up of the body of christ once for all he hath perfected for ever those that are sanctified separated and set apart for God So that Messiah the Prince of our peace and the Authour of our eternal salvation being thus cut off by death hath confirmed the Covenant made between him and his Father having finished the satisfaction for transgression and made an end of the reign of sin by making reconciliation for iniquity and bringing in an everlasting righteousnesse To the end that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life So that now there is no condemnation to them that are by believing in Christ Jesus for the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath freed them from the Law of sin and death for this was the Covenant between Christ and the father that when he should have made his soul an offering for sin the pleasure of the Lord by him thereby fulfilled should take so good effect and so prosper under his hand that he should prolong his dayes and see a seed a holy seed he should see and enjoy that which his soul travelled for and should be satisfied for all his sufferings The reward whereof was this sc that by the knowledge of and faith in him who in that work was his Fathers righteous Servant he should justifie acquit many even as many as believe in him from all their sins by bearing the guilt and punishment of their iniquities in his body on the tree of the Crosse whereof assurance is given in that he raised him from the dead for it was impossible that he should be holden or detained by the grave who finished the work that his Father had given him to do viz. by suffering the heel of his humanity to be bruised by Sathan that to break the head and chief of all his designs which was to keep man captive for ever in his Kingdom of darknesse So that by suffering death Christ hath destroyed him that had the power of death that is the Devil And thereby delivered them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to Sathans tyranny and bondage And now though the Devil accuse lay sin to the charge of Gods Elect yet God himself doth and must justifie them And whosoever condemns 't is not much to be valued for it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again for he died for our sins and rose again for our justification having thus wrought the work of everlasting righteousnesse whereof the world may be clearly convinc'd to full satisfaction in that he is ascended unto his Father we see him no more for certainly had he not satisfied and made full payment and reconciliation he must have come again and died again yea again he must have been often offered up as the sacrifices under the Law were But his blood being the blood of God was of more worth value efficacy then the blood of all the sacrifices in the world And now having broken the prison dores of death and led Sathan who held us in captivity captive and openly triumphed over him on the Crosse he is now set down at the right hand of God in glory there to rule untill he hath subdued all his enemies not only to himself as then he had done but also to all his people there compleating his Priestly office by appearing in the presence of God and making intercession for them And by his Spirit as their king ruling in and over them untill the time of restitution and setting all things right when he shall gloriously come in great majesty to judge all men and to render to every one according to their deservings In the mean while a poor believer though in and of himself worthy of nothing but wrath and death hell may through that interest he hath in Christ by believing come boldly to God and plead that righteousness which is every way adequat and proportionate to divine justice And God in justice with all humble yet faithfull
not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdome of God Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolators nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor Theeves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdome of God and of Christ For there shall in no wise inherit there any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie Therefore Christ who hath purchas'd his Church doth also purifie it and cleanse it that he might present it unto himself a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy without blemish For they are redeemed from their vaine Conversation which they learned from their Fathers and do not after they have once learned Christ and have heard him and are taught by him in truth and as the truth is in him they do not walk as other people walking in the vanities of their darkned minds being through the ignorance that is in them strangers from the life of God But being renewed in the spirits of their mind and the Image of God being restored in them by the power of their new creation in and by Christ Jesus they put off as to their former conversation and manner of life the old man which is corrupt by deceitfull lusts formerly mentioned But they now also put off all this lying and defrauding and stealing and bitternesse and wrath anger clamor evill-speaking foolish talking and unfitting jesting And putting on the new man they now use such language that do edifie and built up others in holinesse and such as ministers grace to the hearers Their conversation being now without Covetousnesse and such as becomes the Gospel And according to their hopes and expectation as knowing that though God of free grace chose them from the beginning to salvation yet the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ must be by and through the sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth and saithfull obedience And now acknowledging no other Soveraigne but Christ and acted by a spirit of love as sons they live to him who died for them being contented to be or to be accounted any thing so Christ may be glorified in them and by them whether by life or by death And having no confidence in the fesh or fleshy priviledges they worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus Counting all things losse and dung in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus their Lord that they might obtaine him and be sound in him not having their own righteousness which is of the law or by the law of working but that righteousnesse which is by believing in Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith And although they know that whiles they are in the flesh they shall not be in all things perfect yet forgetting that which is behind that to which they have already attained as not answerable to their longings they presse forwards more and more toward perfection grieving under their imperfections and longing to be disburthened until they reach the mark they ayme at the price of their high calling whereunto God hath called them in by Christ Jesus desiring in the meane time so to know him by an operative and effectuall knowledge and the power of his resurrection and to have communion and fellowship with him in his sufferings that being conformed to him in his death they might by all or any attaine their part and portion in the blessed resurrection And to this duty of holy walking a believer holds himself bound by his very profession for having by baptisme put on Christ and Christian profession he thereby engages himself as the Jew by circumcision to keepe the whole law so he by baptisme to believe observe and keepe the whole Gospel That very ordinance in its intent purport and signification directing him and pointing out unto him his duty as one specially interested in the ends and benefits of Christs death thereby sealed and signified So that he doth and must conlude that where sin had abounded and reigned in him before even unto death that there now grace and favour through Christs righteousnes doth reign much more to eternall life yet he dares not he may not still continue in his sin that grace might stil abound Nay he concludes as it is indeed it is impossible For how shall they that are dead to sin and so have no more to do with it live any longer therein for they know if they know any thing that as many as are baptized into Jesus Christ thereby baptized into his death buriall and resurrection are baptized and thereby engaged not only to the name profession and calling of Christ and Christianity and to own him in these particular actings But also if they expect to finde reall benefit by the worth and merit of them that they finde the reall and efficacious fruit of all these powerfully by the spirit working in them So that he concludes the death of Christ to be the death of sin And the resurrection of Christ the resurrection of the life of his grace holines Reckoning himself now no longer debtor to live unto the flesh and its corruption but debtor to live unto the spirit and its holy motions And having alwaies an eye to the great love of Christ who by his death and blood shedding hath thus redeemed him He cannot but often thinke upon him and thankefully remember him in and by that ordinance which he appointed in an especiall manner a little before his death for that very purpose wherein he publikely owns him and makes profession to the world of his faith and hope and rejoycing in him And thus Reader thou hast a little of much more that might be written of this great mysterie of godlinesse in which thou hast a rude delineation of Gods method in restoring fallen man into his favour through the whole progresse whereof as is easily perceiveable there runs a continued line and cord of free grace and mercy thus contrived and ordered by him for a threefold reason The first reason respects God himself who hath ordered it in this manner is that he alone might have all the praise the glory If salvation had been attainable by the law of working man might have had somewhat whereof to have boasted and gloried in himself For although that working had come infinitely short in proportion to the reward proposed And although that reward therefore was but upon a free promise And so only to be claimed Not through the worthinesse of the work or worker And although that work had been performed but by strength received from him by whom the reward was promised yet if man had performed the condition on his part required the Lord would
iniquity and in the dark power and man of sin what hast thou to do to talk of obedience who art reconciled to thy lust and sin reigns in thee and thou art blind in the broad way that leads unto death as thy fruits makes it manifest who lives in strife and envy 6 Quer. Whether did not the man Christ suffer as a publike person in the Elects stead or in their behalf and for that end that none who believed in him might dye eternally Answ There thou blind guide makes many replyes but still one and the same thing but thou makes it manifest that thou dost not know the man Christ at all nor his sufferings for death reigns in thee yet that hath passed over all men that asks this Querie for a publike person Christ is not to thee but a mystery which thou knows nothing of and for the redeeming of the Elect from under such mouths as thine did and doth Christ suffer and those that are brought to believe denies such dumb Idol shepherds as thee who as yet doth not believe and therefore shall dye eternally 7 Quer. Whether the sufferings of Christ now in his Saints be all the satisfaction that is made to or which the Justice of God looks for for sins past present and to come Answ There thou blasphemer asks thou knows not what is not Christ the same now as ever and is not the sufferings of Christ satisfactory where ever What wilt thou have to satisfie if the sufferings of Christ do not satisfie let all people take notice what a blasphemer thou art or what they can learn of such a one as thee who knows neither the Justice of God nor the sufferings of Christ in his Saints 8. Quer. Whether was not that body of Jesus which consisted of flesh blood and bone and which was offered upon the Cross at Jerusalem the one and onely Sacrifice for sin God accepted and to which alone exclusively the Saints before under the Law and the Saints since under the Gospel did and do look to be justified by without any other works Answ Here again thou art replying thy former sottish Queries which rises out of thy dark mind concerning the body of Jesus as the Devil did about the body of Moses let thy mouth be stopt here for the body of Jesus thou knows not nor what it consists on and the offering of it up thou knows nothing of but what thou knows hears by the outward Letter that it was offered up at Jerusalem and the Sacrifice for sin thou knowst not and thou art none of the Saints neither under the Law nor under the Gospel but art without in the world in the broad way blind leading the blind into the ditch and for thee the body of Christ is no satisfaction and thou Reprobate what hast thou to do to talk of believing for that is the condition of the Saints they do believe and are justified and their works thou knows not thou disobedient one upon whom God will render vengeance in flaming fire 9 Quer. Whether there be not another righteousness by which the Saints are justified in the sight of God than that which Christ works in them and by them Ans There thou accursed art made manifest who preaches another Gospel and would have another righteousness then that of Christ here thou beast to whom the plagues of God is due and upon whom his wrath must be accomplished here thou hast made thy self manifest thou who would have another righteousness then the righteousness of Christ which he works in the Saints and by them and so thou would be justified and live in thy sin but thou art shut out from God for ever and we witness justification by Faith and the just shall live by his Faith 10 Quer. Whether doth sanctification or justification in order antecede holiness of life or Justification by Faith go before or whether doth not God love man ere man loved God Answ Here thou dark blind hypocrite hath shut thy self out from the knowledge of God in any measure oh that ever people should be so blind as to look for to learn any thing at such a one as thee but sin and filthiness and what hast thou been teaching them all this while that neither knows Sanctification nor Justification yet but art yet querying whether goes before let all people judge if thou be not a teacher of lasciviousness sin and uncleanness and how darest thou mention a holy life or Justification by Faith which knows neither Justification nor Sanctification And thee man which art Cain God doth not love nor accept thee nor thy Sacrifice and for Justification by Faith thou knowst nothing of it which we own and witness and thou who art in envy doth not love God 11 Quaer Whether the justice of God be not fully satisfied for all the sins of the Elect ere Christ appear to their souls or holiness appear in their lives Answ Here thou full of all subtilty art comprehended and with the light of Christ thou art seen and with the life judged and condemned who would lay sin to the charge of the Elect when the Scripture saith Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justisieth who shall condemn The soul that sinneth shall dye Thou sorcerer doth the Elect of God sin shall the Elect dye to that in thy Conscience I speak 12 Quaer Whether the holy lives or holy works of the Saints be not excluded from the act of Justification from the guilt of sin Answ Thou dead beast hath made it manifest that thou art a stranger from the life of God and is excluded from the holy life of the Saints and their works who art querying whether this be not excluded from Justification Oh that ever thou should open thy mouth to take upon thee to speak of the Scripture doth not the Apostle say 1 Pet. 1. 18. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was ordained before the foundation of the world was but was manifest in these last times for you who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead Now let all people read this chapter and try thee who knows nothing of Jesus Christ but as thou hast heard of him crucified at Jerusalem and so thou art unredeemed from thy vain conversation and so art not justified before God nor never shall be but those that can witness Redemption by the blood of Christ as all the Saints of God do are justified and by the same that they are justified thou art condemned in the Lake for ever 13 Quer. Whether is that righteousness which is wrought by the Saints every way answerable to the justice of God Answ There again thy blindness is made manifest is there any righteousness but that of Jesus Christ
make us all able wise vigilant faithfull and succesfull So prayes he who is The furtherer of thy faith and the helper of thy joy RA FARMER And now Reader having laid before thee this great mysterie of Godlinesse from the un-erring truth of the eternall word revealed in the scriptures I shall discover unto thee a great mysterie of ungodlinesse a mysteric of iniquity and of abhomination even that abhomination which maketh desolate destroyeth all Christian Religion from the writings and speakings in a generation of men called Quakers And here in â—he first place I shall communicate unto thee that which I confesse was the first ground of the discovere of this my sterie unto me and that you shall finde in a beok intitl'ed A Confession of Faith of the several Congregations or Churches of Christ in London which are commonly though unjustly as they say called Anabaptists Vnto which is added Hearts-bleedings for Professors abominations Or a faithfull generall Epistle from the same Churches Presented to all who have known the way of truth forewarning them to flee security and carelesse walking under the profession of the same discovering some of Satans wiles whereby also wanton persons and their ungodly wayes are disclaimed The fifth impression Which Book is signed in the name and by the appointment of the aforesaid severall Churches meeting in London By William Kiffen John Spilsberry and twelve more of them And these men I look upon as competent for this discovery for several reasons first in respect of their residence and habitations sc London a place where if any where all Religions Opinions Professions are to be found secondly the parties themselves sc the Anabaptists a sort of men in many things many of them neer of kin I charge no man in particular but generally they have bin a sort of people much given to Enthusiasmes and immediate Calls Revelations and apt to entertain fantastick dreams and fancies And concerning them I fully concurre with that precious Servant of Christ now in heaven Mr. Cuthbert Sidenham in an Epistle of his before his excellent Book concerning Infant-Baptism and singing of Psalms where speaking of the Opinion of Anabaptists denying Infants Baptism An opinion saith he which hath been alwayes ominous and of a powerfull strange influence accompanied with the most dangerous retinue of errors since the first Embryo of it was brought forth whether by a judgement of God or from its naturall or secret connexion with other principles of darknesse I will not determin Only God hath shewed some black Characters on it in every Nation where it hath prevailed though we cannot but say many Saints are innocently under the power of it Thus farre he Now these men therefore both in respect of the conveniency of the place but especially in the likelyhood of acquaintance and familiarity with this kind of people who mostly have been Members of their Congregations and have departed from them which may be one of the black works before spoken of these Anabaptists may have probablie plowed with their heyfer and so may best unfold their riddle and discover their ungodly Mysterie within their generall Epistle before mentioned after some little Preface they do in these words To all the Churches os God sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints with all that in every place professe the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord both theirs and ours Beloved Brethren HAving these many years through the grace and free-mercy of our God been kept in the profession of the Name of Christ contained in the holy Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles and findding the exceeding benefit and comfort of walking with God in some measure suitable to what he hath made known unto us and well knowing that we are called to live in the last ages of the world wherein iniquity abounds and the love of many waxeth cold as likewise considering those peculiar times spoken of in 2 Tim. 3. 1. c. are come upon us wherein men who sometimes have made a large profession of God and godliness are turned aside to commit all manner of uncleanness with greedines having turned the grace of our Lord Jesus into lasciviousness calling darkness light and light darkness by meanes of whom the way of truth is evill spoken of and many poor souls through temptations ready to quit their professions and to be taken with their snares We thought it our duty to declare our utter dislike abhorring and detestation of all such evill persons and wayes who shall under pretence whatsoever plead for or practise any way of ungodlinesse And having been through the goodness of our God inabled to discern the secret and subtill designs and snares of Satan which he hath laid to entrap poor souls in by carrying them from step to step untill they have bin wholly captivated in his snares and fitted by him to do him service We could doe no lesse then according to that measure of light we have received from the Lord to discover his wiles and stratagems and to caution all that professe the feare of the Lord to watch over their own hearts and ways and to take heed lest they fall into the same condemnation For this we have found that that way which God in his infinite wisedome taketh to bring souls unto himself by viz. the presenting unto men his great love in giving Jesus Christ to suffer death and his great salvation to all that believe in his name Satan that old serpent through his instruments under the specious pretences of beating men off from all false rests endeavours with all his strength to oppose and make void perswading the sonnes and daughters of men that what is declared concerning the death of Christ at Jerusalem and his bearing our iniquities in his own body upon the Crosse is but a meer History and shadow the Scriptures are but a letter and the Ordinances of God but fleshly forms thereby labouring to beget in the peoples mindes a contempt and sleight esteem of Christ his Word and Ordinances and that he might cheat them to purpose tells them of a God within and a Christ within and a Word within and that God and Christ and they are one without any true distinct knowledge of the true meaning of that which is expressed whereby poor souls with great and swelling words of vanity triumph in a great mysterie of meer nothing but emptiness and confusion speaking things whereof they know not and many poor souls knowing such expressions to be Scripture phrases do greedily embrace them without a true distinct and clear understanding the sense of what is spoken having the persons of those who speak such language in great admiration as the chief tender charitable knowing high and spiritual Christians Whereas indeed although the words spoken by them are many of them true in themselves without which Satan could not so effectually deceive as that God and Christ and the Spirit dwell in us and that God and Christ and the Saints are
whether the Word was made flesh any more or oftner then once which Querie comes from thy dark polluted minde who is out of the Light and a stranger to the Life and without God in the world amongst the false Prophets Antichrist and deceivers which are in the world and in the Light of Christ which condemns the world yea are all seen known and made manifest and are turned away from by these who dwell in the Light which Light condemns thee and all thy generation eternally and the Word made flesh we witnesse which dwells amongst us and we behold his glory as the glory of the only begotten of the Father according to the Scripture whereby we witnesse thee and all thy generation to be in the sorcery and in the witchcraft deceiving and betraying the simple the Light of Christ in thy conscience will tell thee so for that thou must be obedient to and witnesse before thou witnesse the Word to be made flesh once for thou art darknesse it self and the light in thy conscience if thou would let it rise will be thy condemnation and when thou can witnesse the Word to be made flesh once then thou wilt know whether the Son of God was made of a Woman any more or oftner then once But thou art the Dragon that would devour the Man-child which the Woman hath brought forth who shall rule all Nations with a rod of iron and her child is caught up to God and to his Throne thou the Dragon and thy Angels is cast out into the Earth and therefore dost thou persecute the Woman which hath brought forth the Manchild bat thou art overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony and for thy other nineteen Queries thou hast conjured them up in thy black art out of the bottomelesse pit which is to be turned into perdition if thou had an ear thou might hear or an eye thou might read but thou art blind II. Quaer Whether did the Man Christ Jesus the Sonne of God slain in respect of Gods decree and efficacy of his death from the foundation of the world really and indeed suffer death or dissolution of soul and body as upon the Crosse at Jerusalem more or oftner then once Answ Here in this Querie thou Diviner is found adding to the Scripture thy divinations of thy own brain whereupon the plagues of God is to be aded unto thee and poured upon thee For as thou says the man Christ Jesus the Lamb of God slain in respect of Gods Decree and efficacy of his death from the foundation of the world Oh thou liar let all people see where there is such a Scripture that speaks as thou speaks here but in the sight of Christ thou art seen and in the life comprehended and art for condemnation The man Christ Jesus we own and witnesse and the Lambs book of life which was slain from the foundation of the world we witnesse the Lamb of God which takes away the sinnes of the world we witnesse according to the Scripture praises praises eternal praises be to the Lord God for ever and thee to be the beast that makes war with the Lamb we witnesse and thou Antichrist which looks at Christs death at Jerusalem alone and cannot confesse him no otherwise but without thee here thou art but equall with the Pope of Rome for he confesses Christ died at Jerusalem as well as thou So let all thy Congregation see what they hold up that follows thee III. Quaer Whether did the man Christ ever really and indeed suffer in his own person for that end and after that manner which hee did once upon the Crosse at Jerusalem before the time or since the time Answ Here thou full of all subtilty hath made manifest thy poison and enmity but with the Light of Christ thou art seen and known and with it condemned for ever Christ Jesus in his own person doth and ever did suffer by thee and such as thou art and by thy generation he did suffer at Jerusalem and doth suffer where he is made manifest by you after the same manner and thou blind Pharisee and blasphemer would thou have Christ to have more ends in suffering then one IV. Quer. Whether was not that death the man Christ suffered once and but once upon the Crosse at Jerusalem so satisfactory for all the sins of the Elect as that the justice of God did not doth not since require any suffering or working upon that account either from sinner or from Saint Answ Here thou Jesuite art pleading again for a Christ far off thee according as thy Father doth at Rome That Christ that died at Jerusalem did not satisfie for thee who art an enemy to him and doth not abide in his doctrine but acts contrary to his commands and art under the wo which he cried against them that were in the same steps where thou art and from that wo thou shalt never fly The death of the man Christ Jesus which suffered at Jerusalem we own and witnesse the same Christ that suffered at Jerusalem we witnesse made manifest and the one God and the one Mediator we witnesse and know betwixt God and man the Man Christ Jesus according to the Scripture And here thou liar art made manifest to all thy Congregation to be a liar who said amongst them that we denied that Christ that died at Jerusalem so let them all be witnesses of thy lies and let thy mouth be stopt thou liar who art of the lake and whereas thou queries whether the justice of God be not satisfied for the sins of the Elect here let shame strike thee in the face that ever thou should take upon thee to speak to any people and knows not the Scripture where dost thou read in all the Scripture that God doth require satisfaction for the sins of the Elect or laid any thing to their charge let all people try thee here by the Scripture and see whether thou be not a blinde ignorant sot who doth not know what the Justice of God requires neither from sinner nor from Saint Isa 42. 1. 65. 9 22. Luke 18. 7. Rom. 8 33. 5 Quaer Whether you be reconciled to God by any other obedience then that particular obedience which Christ performed in his own person and is mentioned in the Scripture or by any other suffering or death then that which Christ once suffered upon the Cross at Jerusalem Answ Silence flesh would thou who art an enemy to God and a child of disobedience in whom the Prince of the air rules know how we are reconciled to God and by what obedience first own the light in thy Conscience which condemns thee and be obedient to that and then thou shalt know by what obedience it is that reconciles to God for yet thou knows not obedience nor the death which Christ suffered upon the Cross thou dost not know but art an enemy to the Cross of Christ and in the mystery of
as it is made manifest in me and to declare what Faith we own and practise and what we do deny to that end that the simple may be informed and the way of truth cleered from such deceivers who are perverters of the Scriptures who would constrain people to follow their imaginations instead of truth as these men have done whose names are subscribed And now a few words in answer to that you call your first Principle First Principle That the Scripture is the rule of knowing God and living unto him which whoso doth not believe but betakes himself to any other way of discovering God instead thereof cannot be saved Answ The Scriptures are not the Saints rule of knowing God and living unto him but that which was before the Scriptures were written by which all the holy men of God knew him and here ye have made your selves manifest that ye have not the rule which Moses had which is the spirit of light by which he made himself known unto the sons of men and ye that teach people to walk in another rule are those that put light for darkness and darkness for light shewing forth the spirit of error and here ye pervert the Scripture and Moses words which prophesied of Christ Moses bad not the people walk by the Scripture neither did he tell them that living therein was the rule of knowing God but he directed them to the Life without which all their profession was abominable but ye are not come to walk in the Letter whose lips and practice doth not concord with it who are found acting those things which it declares against Matth. 23. who are called of men Master stand praying in the Synagogues which our Lord Jesus Christ cryed wo against and here your Faith and your Principle is descryed who are not so much as found acting in that which you call your rule Now lest you should boast in your glory and the simple be stumbled by your subtilty I am moved of the Lord to open and discover unto all that your Faith is no more then all the ungodly in this Nation doth profess and also that the Rule whereby the Saints are guided is that which was before the Scripture was First it is professed generally in this Nation that believing in the Scriptures is the rule of knowing God this have you preached for Doctrine among the people and yet the way of God is hidden from their eys who are found acting in the abominations of the Heathen as doth plainly appear by the sins of this people nay what sin is there that is not committed amongst this people which have professed the Scripture to be their rule and you that pretend to be their teachers are the greatest examples of their wicked practices Crying peace peace unto them when there is no peace one building a wall and another dawbing it with untempered morter but ye shall proceed no further but your folly shall be made manifest to all men Our rule is that whiâ—h Moses walked in and Abraham and David and all the Prophets which is Christ Jesus the light of the world which whosoever believeth not in him hath not God Moses walked in him Abraham believed in him and David delighted in his Law which is perfect and here we deny you who deny that rule in which the holy men of God walked in Second Principle That there is a God who is the Creator and Judge and Governor of the world and is to be known by Faith Answ The Saints God ye are ignorant of who put light for darkness and darkness for light and before him ye cannot stand in judgement who are found working wickedness making people believe that believing in a thing without them will bring them to the knowledge of God which none can know or understand but through death and if ever ye come to know this God whom the Saints worship in Spirit and Truth ye must witness a day of vengeance to pass through therefore stop your mouths ye proud and lustful ones the day of recompence is come in which ye shall receive double for all your wickedness The Lord is our Iudge our Law-giver and our King and this we witness though we had never seen the Scripture And here we deny you and your principles which is no more than that which the world professeth Therefore be ye ashamed ye wicked and ungodly ones who live in the beastly nature who knows no more of God than what ye have without in the Scriptures which they spoke forth that witnessed him before the Scriptures were written him we own and witness to be our King by him we are redeemed out of your generation glory to his name for ever who hath made himself manifest in us and hath brought us to that which was before the Scripture was Third Principle That this God who is Creator is eternally distinct from all other Creatures in his being and blessedness Ans God ye know not neither can ye see him but are found persecutors of him who would divide him from what he is by heathenish inventions which ariseth out of the corrupt sensual part which never shall inherit the Kingdom The being of God is not distinct from them that are begotten by him For as the Father and the Son are one without distinction so are they that are begotten by him and here you perverters of the truth are shut forth from God with all your distinctions and imaginations which ariseth out of the dark mind by which ye have all this while deceived the people Woe unto you ye enemies of God your foundation your compass and your end is made manifest unto the children of light who would divide God from his children whom he hath begotten unto himself through the word of faith in which we live and abide for ever And here I challenge you before the Lord to produce one Scripture which speaks of God being distinct from them that are begotten by him and if you cannot prove your words by plain Scripture let shame cover your faces and stop your mouthes for ever And for your fourth thing That God is three persons or substances this is also another of your lies never such a word is declared of in Scripture and thus have you made your folly manifest to all men and have cleared your selves from the Scriptures God is a mystery in whom the foundation of all things stands and he is but one in all though ten thousand times ten thousand Woe unto ye you perverters of the truth who blinds the eyes of the simple making them believe your imaginations and conceivings in stead of truth and this you run to the powers of the earth to propagate Ye men of sin did ever the Prophets declare of such Gospel as this or did ever the Apostles preach any such doctrine as this which ye would compel people to believe and would have the powers of the earth to propagate Here I challenge you again to prove your example