doth this power which God hath given me any ways dishonor or disthrone Christ of his Office of being the Judge of the Quick and the Dead for God doth do much like unto an Earthly King for though a King be the chief Judge of those Kingdoms which he is King of yet he doth Commissionate some particular man to be chief Judge to be in his stead though the King doth Commissionate many more Judges yet there is but one particular in every Kingdom which is called Lord Chief Justice of England Scotland or Ireland these being three distinct Kingdoms they have three distinct particular persons which are called Chief Judges and they are so by Commission from the King besides all other Judges yet you see that the King though he be Chief Judge of all his Kingdoms yet he seldom or never acts in Judgement himself but doth leave it to those which he hath Commissionated for that purpose So is it with the God of Heaven though Christ which is God and Man be King of heaven and chief Judge both in Heaven and in Earth in spiritual and eternal matters yet he by Commission doth chose some particular person to be chief judge in spiritual things as Moses was chosen chief Judge and Samuel and Elijah and Elisha and divers other Prophets which did govern Israel that were chief Judges in the worship of God at that time as there must also be one particular man that must be High-priest so likewise Peter was the chief Apostle and so chief Judge so that some particular man must be chief in all places of trust whether it be under a earthly King or under the King of Heaven yet no dishonor nor dis-throning either of them both so the God and King of heaven having chosen John Reeve and my self he hath Commissionated me to be his Messenger Minister or Ambassador in his stead to set life and death before men even as Moses did to the people of Israel and as men and women do receive it they shall have life eternal abiding in them and some can witness it at this day and as men and women doth despise the Doctrine of Truth declared by us the Witnesses of the Spirit they have the sentence and seal of eternal death abiding in them and many can witness that in themselves but that they will not yet some few to my knowledge hath been forc'd to do it thorough the terror of soul but however it is not the fewness of them that do receive it nor the multitude of them that despise it doth make me question e're the more the truth of my Commission and though Christ be the King of heaven and the Judge of the quick and the dead at the last day and so he is the chief Judge in that he can raise men and women again and give the possession both of eternal happiness and eternal misery according to that sentence which the Prophets and Apostles and we the Witnesses of the Spirit did pass upon them in this life so that we see that God hath made chief Jugdes in spiritual matters we do no ways dis-throne Christ of his Office no more then the chief Judge of England doth dis-throne the King in that his Commission from the King will bear him out he judging according to the tenor of his Commission so is it with me God having made me chief judge of mens spiritual and eternal estate what will become of them after death and I going and judging according to the tennor of my Commission I do no ways dishonor my King but honor him in that I am faithful to that trust which God hath intrusted me with and I am very well satisfied in the performance of it yet this I would have the reader to know though I do own my self the chief judge in spiritual matters yet this I say that every true believer of this Commission is a judge as well as I my self and may upon occasions when they meet with despising spirits curse them to eternity if their saith be strong enough to bear them up so that they do not doubt For if any shall pass the sentence upon another and doubt the influence of that sentence will return back again to themselves this I have seen in some believers of this Commission of the Spirit some again of the believers have been so strong in their faith that the sentence which they have passed upon despising spirits it hath had as great effect upon them it was passed upon as mine hath and rather greater so that every believer of this Commission whose faith is strong is a judge as well as I though not chief judge but if peoples faith be weak and not strong enough to bear them out in it I do not tie them to any such thing but I could wish they were all so strong that the devils might be met with every where where the knowledge of this Commission of the Spirit is known and believed And as the King of earth hath many Judges in his Kingdom yet but one chief Judge in l ke manner is it with God the King of Heaven he hath many Judges of despising spirits in spiritual and eternal things yet but one chief judge and as the Apostles were chief Judges in their time yet the believers of them were saints and so judges therefore it is said that the saints should judge the earth nay saith Paul know you not that we shall judge Angels What is that That is you that are believers of our Gospel you shall be made by the power of faith to judge wise and prudent Angel-like men in the wisdom of reason which came from the fallen angels seed and nature indued with piercing rational God-like wisdom therefore called Angels these are those Angels which the Saints in Pauls time should judge so is it now with me I being chief judge in these last days I have judged many wise Luciferian Angel-like spirits within this twelve years and so hath some of the believers in this time judged many of these Angels they may be called Angels because they are of the serpent Angels seed and hath the highest wisdom of Reason in them which their fallen estate will afford but the weak and simple seed of faith must be their judges so that it may be clear to the reader that understands that all true believers of this Commission of the Spirit are judges of men and womens spiritual and eternal estate what shal become of them after death yet none to be chief judge but my self 2. The second thing is to shew that I do go by as certain a rule as the Judges of the Land do when as they give judgement according to Law To this I say that the Judges of the Land they have a Commission first from the King to be Judges 2. They have the Book of the Law to be their guides 3. They must be men supposed to know the Law 4. According to the known Law the Judge giveth sentence and
And though you think you shall have never a body you are deceived you shall have a spiritual dark body which shall be capable to bear those eternal torments and you shall remember you were told so by a Prophet Written by Lodowick Muggleton one of the two Last Witnesses and Prophets unto the High and Mighty God the Man Christ Jesus in Glory November 3. 1662. POST-SCRIPT I Have published your Lettter to as many of the Believers of this Commission of the Spirit as I have had opportunity to meet with them so I do expect that you should read mine unto as many of the Quakers as you shall have the like opportunity For Samuel Hooton and W. S. Let this be sent to Thomas Highfield at Notingham to be delivered to the abovesaid A LETTER of Richard Farnsworth to Lodowick Muggleton False Judgement reversed and against testified by Rich Farnsworth in Answer to Lodowick Muggleton Lodowick Muggleton THou who pretends to have received a Commission by voice of words to the hearing of the ear from a God w thout thee to curse Angels or men to eternity And sayest thou art the Witness of the Spirit and the last Witness that ever shall speak by Commission from God whilest the world endureth And sayest God hath ordained thee the Chief Judge in the world at this day to give sentence upon men and women spiritual and eternal and what shall become of them after death And in obedience to thy pre ended Commission sayest thou hast already cursed and damned many hundreds of souls and bodies from the presence of God elect men and Angels to eternity and that thou rejoycest in the Condemnation of them and art wondrous well satisfied in giving Judgement upon them By which it appears thou wouldst be both Judge Accuser and Witness thy self to condemn without any right order and contrary to truth at thy will and pleasure which is Antichristian and very erroneous But Error in Judgement ought to be undone and holden for nothing as thine is who notwithstanding thy pretended Commission art discovered to be a false prophet and in delusion as is apparent and manifest in several particulars in a Reply of Mine to that of Thine bearing date August the 10. 1662. written by thee in Answer to Edward Bournes to Dorothy Carter But since I have seen four sheets of paper written by thee dated November the 3. 1662. and directed to Thomas Highfield in Notingham for Samuel Hooton and W. S. which coming to my hands in Notingham the 22th day of the ninth month 1662. being then prisoner there I carefully perused over which I found to be of like nature the other was of In both which or all of those Writings of thine I have found therein contained implyed asserted and affirmed by thee as is apparent unto me and evident against thee these necessary Deductions hereafter following which may be a sufficient discovery of thee and testimony or warning against thee 1. That under pretence of a Commission of the Spirit thou hast abused belyed and wronged the Spirit by presuming in the â—ame and authority of the Spirit to set up thy self as Judge Accuser and Witness to condemn at thy will and pleasure all such as are beloved blessed and justified of God and his Holy Spirit who cannot receive thy errors for truth but deny them and testifie against thee for appearing in the same under pretence of a Commission in thy imagination pride and presumption because thou sayest thou art both Judge and Witness And the Accuser thou art and false Witness also who sayest That never a one that thou hast cursed shall escape that curse which thou hast denounced upon them And that if an Angel from heaven should come and say thou hast spoken false or lyed in the doctrine which thou hast declared thou hast power to curse Angels or men to eternity And further sayest that no God will deliver from thy Sentence All which sayings of thine are false and erroneous and therefore undone and holden by me for nothing but as thy errors false judgement delusion pride and presumption 2. That under pretence of a Commission from God thou hast presumed in thy imagination and pride of thy heart to exalt thy self above God and Christ and to take all pardoning power from them because thou accounts if thy Sentence and Judgement be once pronounced and past though never so erroneous and false that they might not be able to reverse and undo the same Thou presumes to take all pardoning power from God and Christ in that case because thou sayest no infinite Spirit of Christ nor any god can or shall be able to deliver from thy Sentence and Curse which is thy error and lying divination or false doctrine pride and presumption as is apparent 3. That under pretence of a Commission from the Spirit thou presumes in thy imagination to be singular in doctrine knowledge judgement and power above all men either Prophets or Apostles since the beginning of the world or that ever shall be hereafter whilst the world doth endure 4. That under pretence of a Commission of the Spirit thou presumes to exclude all true Witnesses of the Spirit and also all true Ministers Messengers and Ambassadors of Christ from the work of the Ministery both now in this Age and whilest the world doth endure to the end and intent thou mayest set up thy self alone in their places and stead because thou presumptuously sayest That God hath made thee the Judge of the Scriptures and hath given thee understanding of his minde in the Scriptures above all men in the world or above all men since the world began That no man doth know the Scriptures but thy self That no man can truely interpret Scriptures but thy self That God hath given the Scriptures into thy hand as he gave the Priests Office into the hands of Aaron That no man ought to officiate the Office of a Minister Messenger or Ambassador of Christ but those that are appointed by John Reeves and thy self That thou knows more then Moses the Prophets or Apostles did That thy Doctrine and the Commission of it is as true and of a higher nature than the Prophets and Apostles was in their time That thy Commission and the doctrine of it is of a higher nature than that of the Prophet Elijahs was when he commanded four hundred priests of Baal to be slain by the power of his word That thou art the last Witness that ever shall speak by Commission from God And that God will never chuse any more after thee whilest the world endureth All which are thy errors and lies which are by me denyed and against testified 5. That under pretence of thy Commission thou hast brought forth a Doctrine contrary to truth and that the same Doctrine ought not to be entertained or received by Dorothy Carter nor none upon the earth because thou sayest thou art the last Witness and Prophet that ever shall speak by Commission from God and
there is no eternal life to be had but in the faith of thy Doctrine because thou sayest there is no eternal life to be had but in the faith of the Doctrine of a Prophet who hath a Commission from God And there neither is nor shall be any such Prophet thou sayest but thy self whilest the world endureth And also sayest That neither Dorothy Carter nor no man upon the earth can or ought to judge of thy Doctrine because thou sayest that neither she nor no man upon the earth can or ought to judge of the Doctrine of a Prophet who hath a Commission from God And sayest there neither is nor shall be any such Prophet but thy self as aforesaid And to exclude Dorothy Carter and all men upon earth from judgement in point of Doctrine is to exclude them from reception thereof and so from the reward if any be due which is contrary to the Doctrine of Truth which saith Prove all things hold fast that which is good 1 Thes 5.21 And try the Spirits whether they be of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world 1 John 4.1 And how can doctrines be proved and spirits be tryed if none he capable to judge thereof who are to receive By this it is apparent that thou art unwilling to have thy doctrine proved and spirit tryed lest upon tryal and proof thou be found out to be a false prophet which thou art as is apparent enough 6. That there is no eternal life to be had but in the faith of thy Doctrine and that none upon the earth can or ought to receive the same because thou hast excluded them all off from judgement in order to reception thereof by which its apparent that under pretence of thy Commission thou labors to exclude Dorothy Carter and all men upon earth from salvation which makes it evident against thee that thou art a messenger of Antichrist and not of Christ 7. That thou presumes under pretence of thy Commission of the Spirit to rob Christ of his Office which his Father hath committed unto him as Chief Judge ordained of God because thou sayest thou art chief Judge in the world ordained of God to give Judgement upon men and women spiritual and eternal and what shall become of them after death which is but thy presumption pride and false doctrine Rev. 1.5 For Christ Jesus who is the faithful Witness and Prince of the Kings of the earth he hath all Judgement committed unto him because it is written concerning him That the Father hath committed all Judgement unto him John 5.22 And hath given him Authority to execute Judgement because he is the Son as it is written John 5.27 But it is no where written in the Scriptures of Truth concerning thee Lodowick that all Judgement either is or shall be by the Father committed unto thee to pronounce the Sentence of eternal death and damnation upon the souls and bodies of men to eternity as thou hast done Whereby it appears thou wouldest exclude Christ from his Office in point of Judgement which the Father hath committed unto him and are thereby discovered to be a false witness and messenger of Satan Lodowick thou art not the chief Judge in the world at this day ordained of God as aforesaid Thy Message and Testimony is false and not true because the â—rue Witnesses of the Spirit and Ambassadors of Christ who were Anointed and Sealed of God have declared and said That God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness not by thee but by Jesus Christ whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead as may be read Acts 17.30 31. And because God hath ordained Christ Jesus to be Judge of all men and hath given them assurance of the same in that he hath raised him from the dead thou Lodowick art not that Judge ordained of God because thou art not Christ Jesus which was raised from the dead neither hath God given that assurance to all men of thee that he gave of Christ by raising him from the dead as aforesaid Here I charge thee to be a false judge and a false prophet that ran but never was sent of the Lord. Thy judgement and doctrine is very erroneous and false as is plainly manifest against thee and is therefore reversed They who were the true and faithful Witnesses and Ambassadors of Christ who were anointed and sealed of God and had a Commission of God they did not presume to take the Office of Christ as Judge ordained of God from Christ and assume it to themselves as thou most unjustly hast done whereby thou hast appeared to be a false prophet and messenger of Antichrist For they who were anointed and sealed of God who were the true Witnesses of the Spirit and had a Commission from Christ to whom all the Prophets gave witness they witness against thee by testifying on the behalf of Christ that he commanded them to preach unto the people and to testifie that it is he who was ordained of God to be Judge of the quick and the dead Acts 10.42 First by their Commission they were to preach to the people And secondly by the same Commission they were to testifie to them that Christ was ordained of God to be the Judge both of quick and dead Therefore thou art not Judge because thou art not Christ as aforesaid And whereas thou accusedst the Quakers to be of the nature and seed of the Serpent and gave judgement against them accordingly thou hast cleared them from the same by thy self-confutation and self-contradiction wherein thou sayest That the Quakers do preach from the Scriptures and light within and that devils are cast out and much good is done by them First the Quakees so called do preach from the Scriptures and light within Secondly because they so preach they are sent of God for how shall they preach except they be sent Thirdly That by vertue of their preaching and the power which they have received of God devils are cast out and much good is done by them and such are not of the nature and seed of the Serpent Thou hast cleared them from the same by thy self-confutation and then to what purpose is all thy false Judgement and what ever thou hast laid against them in thy presumption pride and imagination It is but error in judgement and is therefore undone as I said and holden for nothing Written by Richard Farnsworth Quaker and sent to Dorothy Carter to be directed to Lodowick Muggleton Lodowick Muggleton's ANSWER to Richard Farnsworths Letter Richard Farnsworth I Received a Paper from you entituled False Judgement reversed and against testified in Answer to Lodowick Muggleton In answer to this Paper of yours I shall first commend you in these two things first in that you have set your name to it for I have a Letter from a Quaker in Lancashire which hath
despising spirits And though there be a general Day of Judgement that is a general day of Execution when men shall receive the possession of eternal happiness or eternal misery and this may be called the day of Judgement which Christ shall judge the world with when as it shall be said Come you blessed and Go you cursed but the Judgement and Sentence they have in this life by those Prophets Ministers and Messengers of Christ which he hath made Judges for that purpose it is just like a Goal-delivery The Judges many times condemns men to die yet the Execution is not immediately done but at the day appointed it is so it is with all true Prophets who are made Judges of the spiritual and eternal estate of mankinde they have their Judgement in this life and in the day of death it is put in execution by Death for there shall be no more pleading with God but this will be all that God will say in the Resurrection Come you blessed and Go you cursed neither shall you Quakers and others have any other Sentence but what I have passed upon you and when death seizeth upon you then shall you enter into the possession of it by passing through this first death and so enter into the second death where you shall remain for ever and ever In the last place you say that I accuse the Quakers to be of the nature and seed of the Serpent also I do say that the Quakers do preach from the Scriptures and light within and that devils is cast out and much good is done by them And from these words of mine you say that I confute and contradict my self for this Quaker would fain prove that because they preach from the Scriptures and light within therefore they are sent of God for how shall they preach saith he except they be sent and by vertue of their preaching and the power they have received of God devils are cast out and much good is is done by them and such saith he are not of the nature and seed of the Serpent Answer As for you Quakers being the nature and seed of the Serpent that is certainly so and can be no other ways because you are the very influence of John Robins spiritual witch-craft power upon you and the very spirit of Antichrist doth run thorough the bodies of the Quakers for they do all of them deny a personal God without them they do all of them deny also the resurrection of a body so that they are the greatest fighters against God of any for they having got Christ all within them they are such a proud conceited stiff-necked people that no body can deal with them but this Commission of the Spirit and this I will say to you that there is never a Quaker that is a speaker neither man nor woman that liveth and dyeth in that principle that can possibly be saved no more then Cain and Judas is saved think of your selves what you will and do not you Quakers think because you by the letter of the Scriptures and by the light within you do cast out devils and much good is done thereby that you are ever the less the Serpents seed neither doth that prove that you are sent of God but rather the contrary for the Priests of the nation and all other Sects of Religion doth the same things for the Papist Ministry by report hath done more wonderous things in that kinde then any Quaker ever did by the laying on of the hands of the Elders and anointing of them with Oyl and praying over them and such like they have cured as they say diseases and cast out devils and other wonderous things and which I never heard that any Quaker ever did the greatest things that ever I have heard the Quakers do is to finde fault with a piece of Ribbon or Gold-button or a Bandstring and such like and to possess themselves with a melancholly spirit of Witch-craft and so fall into Witch-craft fits to lie humming and groaning which doth fright the beholders so in stead of those merry devils which they had upon the Ranting-score where all was good lying with their neighbors wife deslowering virgins couzening and cheating and destroying every one in their outward estate which did entertain them and now that devil is cast out now they are grown in as much extream on the other side for now they are grown so precise and exact for apparel and for words no word must be plac'd out of joint so that no man can almost tell how to deal with them and this melancholy devil hath cast out the ranting devil which makes them so proud and stiff-necked thinking themselves that they are better then other people when as they are worse for they are possest with the spirit of Witch-craft which makes them a two-fold more the children of the devil then they were before which none can discover but this Commission of the Spirit neither did I ever hear by any which hath heard the Quakers speak that they did ever preach any sound doctrine but onely exhort people to hearken to the light within them which is a very low and easie thing for every ordinary understanding to comprehend and that is the cause there is such a multitude of men and women fall into it which if they were sent of God there would but few understand their doctrine nor bear their words for no Quaker need suffer any thing for his doctrine for that is but like other mens nay there is not so much in their doctrine as there is in the Priests of the nations doctrine therefore the Quakers are not sent of God no more then the Priests of the nation or any other Sect is for the Priests of the nation they preach from the light of the Scriptures and from the power of the civil Magistrate and the Quakers they preach from the letter of the Scriptures and from the light of Christ within and though devils be cast out by you both and much good be done by you both yet neither of you are sent of God because neither of you nor no other is sent by voice of God without you so that I have not cleared the Quakers from being the Serpents seed neither have I confuted my self neither will my Judgement prove false concerning you Quakers but you will finde it to as much purpose as if God had said it himself notwithstanding you call it false Judgement Pride and Presumption and error in Judgement and therefore undone and holden for nothing by you Quakers and so forth Now I have given answer to as many passages in your paper as is necessary I have been something larger then I did intend but because others may be benefited by it it may be worth the labor for had it been no more for others benefit then for yours I would onely have sent the sentence unto you and no more but I having read and viewed your paper over with serious deliberation I
saith that I do condemn and give judgement at my will and pleasure contrary to truth And he further saith that I do not go in so doing by so certain a rule as the Judges of the Land do Secondly He saith that I go not by so certain a rule when I pass the Sentence of death and damnation upon the souls and bodies of men as the Judges of the Land doth for which purpose he doth quote Judge Cook upon the confirmation of the Charters of the Liberties of England who sayeth this cause is worthy to be written in Letters of gold now what that clause is would be too tedious to write but the sum of all is that the Judges of the Land have certain outward known Laws as a rule of direction to guide and lead them to judgement when they give it according to Law but saith he thou Lodowick hast no certain outward known Laws either of God or the land as rule of direction and so forth Likewise he quoted many places of Scriptures and some out of the civil Law some out of Edw. third and Cooks Inst and with the Proverbs of Solomon he hath paid me with Solomons words and so bids me take notice of that which I do take great notice for I see by that that the Proverbs of Solomon is as good Scripture to the Quakers as any and how well the Quakers knows the Scriptures I am never a whit deceived in them people for they seem to have the greatest light but are the darkest people of all in the knowledge of the Scriptures and in the interpretation of Scriptures according to the common sense the Priests of the Nation doth go far beyond them for the Quakers are so choaked up with hearkening to the light of Christ within them that they despise the body or person of Christ without them but I have discovered their Antâ—christ spirit more large in other Letters unto them so that I shall say the less here L. M. Reply The great thing to be known is how I will do to prove my selfe to be the chief Judge in spiritual matters and that I do go by as certain a rule as the Judges of the Land do when as they give Judgement according to Law seeing he hath brought so many places of Scripture and the Proverbs of Solomon and Acts of Edw. 3. and Judge Cooks Judgement of the Law all to prove me a false Judge and that I do not go in my sentence by any known Law either of God nor the Land so that if this be answered most part of his Pamphlet will be answered For it doth consist most part of it upon this thing therefore I shall give answer to it that others may be the better informed in themselves thâ—ugh I am satisfied in it as to my self yet this I do ingeniously confess that I never did pretend the knowledge of the Civil Laws of the Land neither do I. Now all the knowledge that I profess to know of them is to yeild obedience unto them in doing of them or else to suffer the penalty or punishment of them this is the greatest knowledge I have of them for if my innocency nor mony will not deliver me I must and will suffer under it but since God hath chosen John Reeve and my self to be his last Witnesses of the Spirit I know the better true power of a Judge For as Moses and Aaron were the two first chosen Witnesses of God so likewise John Reeve and my self are the two last that God will ever chuse by voice of words to the hearing of the ear and as Aaron was given to be Moses mouth so Lodowick Muggelton was given to be John Reeve mouth these things cannot be known but by faith neither can any man tell that God chose Moses and Aaron but by faith But if it be objected that Moses did miracles To that I answer that there is as much need of faith to believe that as the other for what cannot be seen must be believed So believing that God spake to John Reeve and that God gave unto John Reeve a Commission by voice from Heaven by verbal words to the hearing of the ear three mornings together and that I was given to be his mouth and by his voice did I receive my Commission whereby I am impowered to be a Messenger and Ambassador for the great God the Man Christ Jesus which is both God and Man who hath chosen me to be at this day chief Judge and hath given me a Commiâ—sion so to be as Paul said in his time meaning himself and the rest of his Apostles We saith he are Ambassadors in Christs stead beseeching you to be reconciled and the like So say I that I am an Ambassador in Christs stead to bless them that are reconcil'd unto the true faith in Christ and to curse and damn those that despiseth and speaketh evil of them whom God hath sent So that God hath made me chief Judge now to give sentence upon men and womens spiritual and eternal estate so that I shall unfold as short as I can how I may be said to be the chief Judge and that I do go by as certain a rule as the Judges of the Land do when they give Judgement according to Law These two things I shall unfold a little more clear then in those Letters aforesaid First that I am chief Judge in spiritual matters I prove thus Because I do believe and certainly know by the revelation of Faith that God did speak to John Reeve three mornings together distinct words and sentences to the hearing of the ear in the year 1651. February the third fourth and fift and gave him a Commission as he did Moses And Aaron was given to be Moses his mouth so was Lodowick Muggelton given to be John Reeve mouth so that John Reeve being the chief while he was living but since the burthen or Commission of the Lord hath been laid upon me and as Elisha had a double portion of Eliahs Spirit so have I had a double portion of Revelation of the Spirit in opening the Scriptures since John Reeve departed this life Also God said that he had chosen John Reeve his last Messenger and that he had given him Lodowick Muggelton to be his mouth and the next words following that he had put the two edged-sword of his Spirit into his mouth to pronounce Blessing and Cursing to eternity with many other words which are in publike therefore I shall say no more of them here so that John Reeve being dead I must needs be chief Judge in these dayes neither will God Commissionate any more after me to the worlds end because he did say that he had chosen us his last Now I being his last chosen Messenger I must needs be chief Judge of spiritual matters concerning men and womens eternal estate and what will become of them after death if these things cannot be believed by you Quakers and others I cannot help that neither
judgement either to acquit or condemn by the Law So is it with me First God hath given me a Commission to be chief judge 2. He hath given me the Book of the Law 3. He hath given me to know the Law 4. According to the known law I do give sentence and judgement of blessing or cursing to eternity 1. That I have a Commission from God to be chief judge that I have proved before if it cannot be believed I cannot help that 2. That God hath given the Book of the Law which is the Scriptures into my hand is as certainly true also for the Scriptures are given into my hands as the Priests office was given unto the hands of Aaron yet every man that read the Scriptures doth think to finde eternal life in them as Christ said to the Jews and as you Quakers and others doth now a days but thinking will not serve turn for all most all the world hath no other assurance of eternal life but thinking but it is knowledge and faith in the true God that gives certain assurance of eternal life which I know no Quaker hath or can have in that estate and principle which they hold for they deny that flesh and bone of Christ which suffered death to be now living above the Stars in that Heaven but I have opened that more large in those Letters to the Quakers 3. God hath given me to know the Law that is to know the Book of the Scriptures and that he hath given me more knowledge in the Scriptures than all the men in the world at this day this I know to be truth and some others can witness it neither can any man interpret the Scriptures truly but my self and those that have it from me because no man doth know the true foundations which the Book of the Scriptures doth stand upon namely the true God and the right Devil 4. And according to the known Law of the Scriptures I do give Sentence and judgement of blessing and cursing to eternity Thus far I do proceed like unto the Judges of the Land but now as for Juries and witnesses and accusers the Judges of the Civil Law and I shall differ something but not much because Juries and Judges are so bound together by the Civil Laws of the Land that one in many cases can do nothing without the other so that many times there is a great deal of hurt done as well as good because the power lyeth in them both for many times when Judges would do right according to Law yet the Iury doth prevent him and so tyeth his hands likewise sometimes the Iury is willing to shew mercy and do right and the Judge will not having some prejudice against that party and doth over-power the Jury with his authority and knowledge in the Law so that Judgement is turned backward sometimes because the Law lyeth between two the Judge and the Jury which if it did lye always in one then there would be always either true Justice done or injustice alwayes done these things some can experience which have been accustomed to the Law 2. The Judges of the Civil Law can do nothing except there be Witnesses or Accusers face to face the cause of that is because the Laws of the Land are grounded upon Reason and the Judges of the Land are the interpreters of the Law of reason so that Reasons kingdom being in this visible world it must proceed in the way of reason by the Law of reason which is the Law of the Land for the Law of the Land can lay hold of nothing but what is a visible breach of the Law therefore the Judge must have a visible Witness or Accuser face to face else be can give no Judgement upon the matter yet there is some cases in Law that men are sued at the Law and condemned by the Law at a distance the party sued not being face to face nor knowes of it until that he be condemned this some can experience yet this I say the Judes of the Land doth go the best way in having Iuries and Witnesses that reason could find out and for my part I do approve of their way very well but whom God doth make judges they must go a neerer way to work for you may read that those judges which God did ordain in spiritual matters they did not call for Juries and Witnesses as the Judges of the Land do what Jury did Moses call for to plague the people of Israel for their Idolatry And what Jury did Elijah call for when he called for fire from Heaven to destroy those two Captains and their fifties What Jury did Elisha call for when he cursed those forty two children and caused them to be slain by two She-bears What Jury did Peter call for when he strake Annanias and Saphirah his wife dead with a word speaking with many more things which the Prophets and Apostles which were Judges of spiritual matters have done without any Juries or witnesses and yet they have gone by as certain a rule as the Iudges of the Land do when they give judgement according to Law so that I do know how to proceed in Iudgement according to the tenor of my Commission as the Prophets and Apostles did in theirs and as the Iudges of the Land do in their Commission of the Laws of the Land But to give little further satisfaction to the Reader I shall shew why I do condemn men and women at a distance and yet something agreeable to the way of the Law of the Land First those that are condemned by me at a distance there is some of this Faith that hath heard them speak wicked speeches against me and the doctrine declared by this Commission of the Spirit and have given me intelligence of it and so upon their witnessing the same I have sent the sentence unto them so that if the witness that informed me did not witness truth then that sentence which I have passed upon them shall be of no value which is better judgement in some kinde then the Judges of the Land doth give for if Witnesses be false and swear falsly the Judges of the Land do many times condemn the innocent meerly thorow false Witness therefore in that regard my judgement and sentence is more certain then the Judges of the Civil Law is in regard I never condemn the innocent thorow false witness for I seldom or never do send the sentence to any though their wicked speeches be witnessed unto me by one that is not in this faith though they may speak truth in that thing as well as others that are of the same faith with me 2. I never do pass sentence on any at a distance except I have some Writing from their own hands as I have had from you Quakers and your Hand-writing is as good a Jury and witness to me as the Iudges of the Land can have for what jury or witness can be required more then a mans own
hundred yeares yet the Apostles which were the Commissioners did not live themselves above forty years after their Lord Christ was put to death must that Commission therefore be made void because the Commissioners were all dead surely no. And this I further do affirm that never since that three hundred years there hath not a man been commissionated from God to be a Messenger Minister or Ambassador of Christ to preach the everlasting Gospel of life and salvation until that God spake to John Reeve in the year 1651. for all men that have exercised the Office of a Minister Messenger or Ambassador of Christ since that three hundred years to the year 1651. have run before they were sent for God sent none of them by voice of words but they have preached only from the letter of the Scriptures or else from the light within as the Quakers do but have had no Commission from Christ without them though much good hath bin done by their preaching and a great deal of 〈◊〉 but let that pass because I have spoken of that more at large in the Interpretation of Rev. Chap. 11. So I say though John Reeve be dead and I were dead also yet will not this Commission of the Spirit be made void for this I say as long as there is faith and believers of this Commission it will not be void and lose its vertue which I know will be to the end of the world though perhaps I my self may be either put to to death or die naturally within few years yet the faith in this doctrine which we the Witnesses of the Spirit have declared concerning the true God his form nature before he became flesh and what he is now and the form and nature of the right Devil before he became flesh and what he is now with the place and nature of hell and of heaven the person and nature of Angels and the mortality of the soul These six points of doctrine with many more heavenly Secrets which hath been declared by Us I say that there will be faith in some men and women to believe and understand these things which we have written even to the worlds end so that my Commission will not be void reversed and undone though I were dead Also I being the last true Prophet and Witness that ever shall come which is more than any Apostle or Prophet could say therefore who ever shall truly believe these things may be the more comforted and revived that redemption is so near at hand when as all tears shall be wiped away from your eyes and not onely so but you shall enter into the joy of our good God and Savior in whom ye have believed even the Man Christ Jesus who is both God and Man clothed with flesh and bone who poured out his sould unto death whose blood was no less then the blood of God and this is that blood that who ever can believe it it will sprinkle their souls here and make them pure and clean so that nothing shall offend or cause any fear of eternal death but this natural death shall be but as a door of intrance into those eternal joys where we shall see our God face to face and if you Richard Farnsworth had but read that book of mine of the Interpretation of Revel chap. 10 you would never have repeated so much of it in your Pamphlet as you have to prove me a false Witness for there is every particular verse in that chapter opened and expounded besides many other places in the Revelation opened more then all the learned men in the world hath or could do but it is a vain thing to talk of any heavenly secrets to Quakers for they will not bestow a penny in any writings but their own let them cost ever so much pains the writing and charge the printing but if they can see them for nothing perhaps they will view it a little slâ—ghtly over but as to buy I hardly know any Quaker that doth surely they are afraid they should lose their believers if they should see my works now I am very free that any believer of this Commission should see their writings not fearing they will draw them away God hath sent a Commission into the world to knock them down into that bottomless-pit where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for evermore and do you rage and rail and slight and do what you can you shall not be delivered from that sentence and curse which I have pronounced upon you neither is the Doctrine of this Commission any deceit neither is it pride and presumption in me in what I have said concerning you but as true judgement as ever was past upon any man by any Prophet or Apostle or by any true Judge of the Land without envy or malice but in true discerning and knowledge of the spiritual Law of the Scriptures have I given Judgement upon you and others whereunto I shall set my hand and seal and if the Law can do it seal it with my Blood Lodowick Muggleton
The Neck of the QUAKERS BROKEN OR Cut in sunder by the two-edged Sword of the Spirit which is put into my Mouth First In a Letter to Edward Bourne a Quaker Secondly In Answer to a Letter to Samuel Hooton and W. S. Thirdly In a Letter to Richard Farnsworth Quaker Fourthly In an Answer to a printed Pamphlet of the said Richard Farnsworth Entituled Truth Ascended Or The Anointed and Sealed of the Lord defended c. Written by Lodowick Muggleton one of the two Iust Prophets and Witnesses unto the High and Mighty God the Man Christ Jesus in Glory AMSTERDAM Printed in the Year of our Lord God 1663. And are to be had in Great Trinity-Lane over against the Lyon and the Lamb. Lodowick Muggleton 's LETTER TO Edward Bourne I Saw a Letter of yours which you sent to Dorothy Carter wherein I perceive she did lend you a Book of ours of the Two Witnesses of the Spirit which you have perused not for your good but for your eternal hurt for you have discovered in that Paper what seed and nature you are of which is the reprobate Angels seed and nature which is called in Scripture A Serpent or Devil of whose seed or childe you are one which you have plainly expressed in your Letter by speaking evil of the things you do not know in which Book or Books you were not worthy to look into But many more besides you of the Serpents brood have stumbled at this stone even the Commission of the Spirit to their eternal condemnation which we the Witnesses of the Spirit have denounced upon them which no infinite Spirit or Light of Christ within them shall take it off from them nor deliver them in the day of trouble I shall shew in some particular places in your Letter wherein you have sinned against the Holy Ghost a sin that will never be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come And so I shall proceed to the sentence of eternal death upon you First you say that you perused the Book till you was weary with looking into it for it was one of the dirtyest and confusedst piece of work that ever you saw Also you do advise Dorothy Carter to consider of it and let the witness of her own conscience answer whether it was given forth from the Spirit of Truth or from the spirit of error and deceit or not This I would have you to know though it be too late for your good that it is neither the light in her nor in you nor no man under heaven at this day that can or ought to judge of the Doctrine or Declaration of a Prophet that hath a Commission from God but ought rather to submit and yield obedience to their Doctrine for there is no eternal life to be had but in the faith of it For whosoever receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets reward which reward is no less then the assurance of eternal life So on the contrary he that despiseth a prophet Doctrine despiseth him that sent him and shall receive from that Prophet the seal in his conscience of his eternal damnation The first thing that you take offence at is that we say that the reprobate Angel had the womb of a woman to clothe himself with flesh also to bring forth Gods design From which you do ask whether that which is the Devils work can be Gods glorious design seeing God hath manifested his Son to destroy the works of the Devil To which I answer That the reprobate Angel clothing himself with flesh in the womb of a woman it was Gods design that the reprobate Angel should do so for this very purpose that there might be a generation of men and women of his seed brought forth here in this earth in the state of mortality being horn under the Law it being written in their seed and nature and by the not fulfilling of that law which is written in the serpents seed it is made capable to suffer the pains of eternal death which is the second death and this was Gods design that he might destroy the seed of the serpent with a second death And as for Gods destroying the works of the Devil he doth destroy them two ways that is he that is God did lay down his spiritual and heavenly glory in the womb of Mary the Virgin and so clothing himself with flesh and bone so that he might be capable to suffer the pains of death therefore it is said in Scripture that this Jesus which is called the Son of God but in other places of Scripture he is called the Very God as the Epistle of John where he saith This is the very God and Eternal Life And Isaiah where he saith To us a Childe is born to us a Son is given attributing to that Childe Jesus the Title of Everlasting Father Mighty God and Prince of Peace There might be more places of Scriptures named to prove this thing as that saying that the fulness of the God-head dwelt bodily in him and that saying in the Revelation I am Alpha and Omega the first and the last he that was dead but am alive and behold I live for evermore And as the Angel by taking flesh upon him by entring into the womb of Eve brought sin and death into the world unto the seed of Adam so God by clothing himself with flesh in the womb of a Virgin that he might be put to death in that flesh and by his spirit quickning again in that flesh he will destroy him that had the power of death which is the devil and the devils works He destroyed the works of the devil in the seed of Adam by their having faith in the death of God which faith purifies the heart and is justified in the sight of God and in their own conscience and so the works of the devil are destroyed in the seed of Faith which is the seed of Adam by believing in the blood of God they having their hearts sprinkled by faith in his dâ—â—â—… and this did God procure to his own seed by clothing himself with flesh So on the contrary he by his design of clothing himself with flesh hath procured the eternal destruction to that reprobate Angel and his seed and you being one of the devils sons I know by your words for by your words you shall be condemned for you have plainly shewed unto me by your Letter what seed you are of and who your father is even the same as was Cains father you and he have all one father for you were begotten of that wicked one even that reprobate Angel which God designed him and his seed unto that endless misery as is spoken of in that Book which you call a Confusion and a Lie And not onely so but you have called many heavenly Mysteries the Bottomless pit of Confusion as that God created the person of the serpent more glorious than the rest of the holy Angels Also you
for it of God and there is never a one that I have cursed that shall escape that curse which I have denounced upon them neither will any God deliver them from it for I do curse none but the seed of the Serpent who had his curse denounced upon him and his seed at the beginning by God himself Now in this last age God hath given me power and discerning to determine and give judgement upon men and women according as I do discern by their words and I thereby also know what nature and seed they are of and accordingly I give judgement upon them for I do go by as certain a rule as the Judges of the Land do when they give true Judgement according to the Law For God hath ordained me the chief Judge in the world at this day to give sentence upon men and womens spiritual and eternal estate what will become of them after death Full of this cursing I confess my mouth is and I do rejoyce in it too I know that God is well pleased in the damnation of those that I have cursed and I am wonderous well satisfied in giving judgement upon them according to the tenor of my Commission and this is that which you call swelling words You would have called the Prophet Eliahs words swelling words if you had been of those four hundred priests of Baal which he commanded to be slain by the power of his word which power of the Commission of the Spirit is of a more high nature then that of Eliah's was for his was but the sentence of death natural but this is the sentence of death eternal but because it is not immediately executed as his was you think that there is nothing in it but it will be found suddenly enough both to you and to many that are entred into the second death already for there is no time to the dead but after death to judgement which judgement they have in themselves which is the remembrance of that sentence that we who are Witnesses of the Spirit did pass upon them in this life for they shall never see any other God or Judge but that sentence that we have passed upon them You are much mistaken if you think to deal with a Prophet that hath a Commission from God as you deal with the Priests of the nation Because you Quakers have baffled the Priests of the nation by that light within you because you are faln to a more precise exactness of life then they though your doctrine is worse then theirs you must not think to do so by a Commissionated Prophet This Commission of the Spirit shall break the Neck of the Quakers as it hath done divers others for this take you notice that after the Sentence is passed upon the Speakers of the Quakers they shall never grow more to any great experience neither shall they have those Visions Apparitions and Revelations from that light within them as they had before but shall rather wither This experience hath been known by Quakers and others as John Robins John Taney John Harwood Fox the elder Fox the younger Edward Burrowes Francis Mowgil with many others with hundreds of all Sects besides which shall not escape what hath been decla ed by us the Witnesses of the Spirit As for that saying which you quote out of Christs words to his disciples before they had their Commission where he said unto them Bless and curse not that concerns not me nor any other man in the world at this day Peter and the rest of the Apostles had power both to bless and curse after they had received their Commission which was after Christs Ascension as you may read in the second of the Acts then was that saying of Christ fulfilled which he had said unto Peter I have given thee the Keys of Heaven and of Hell that what thou bindest upon earth shall be bound in heaven and what thou loosest on earth shall be loosed in heaven Or thus What sins thou remittest shall be remitted and whose sins thou retains shall be retained That is thou shalt have power to give Sentence of Blessedness to those that believe thee and Sentence of Cursedness to those that despise thy Declaration This was the remitting of sins and the retaining of them so that Peter and the rest of the Apostles were not tyed after they had received their Commission to those words of Christ which he spake unto them when they were private Believers Neither am I tyed to those words of Christ which he spake unto his disciples at that time for he hath given me power and authority to be Judge of the Scriptures he hath given me understanding of his minde in the Scriptures above all men in the world at this day nay if I should say than all the men since the beginning of the world I should not lye for I being the chosen Witness of the Spirit and the last man that shall ever speak to this bloody unbelieving world by Commission from God for he will never chuse any more after me so long as the World endureth Neither doth any man know the Scriptures neither can any man interpret the Scriptures truly but my self for God hath given the Scriptures into my hands even as he gave the Priests Office into the hands of Aaron none ought to officiate the Office of the Priesthood but Aaron and those that were appointed by Moses and him So it is now none ought to officiate the Office of a Minister Messenger or Ambassador of Christ but those that are approved of by John Reeve and my self For by reading the letter of the Scriptures or the light within a man is not sufficient to make a man a Minister Messenger or Ambassador of Christ therefore those words which Christ said to his disciples bless and curse not is nothing to me for he hath given me power since that to the contrary He hath put the Two-edged Sword of his Spirit into my mouth that whosoever I pronounce cursed through my mouth is cursed to eternity And my power is as great and rather greater than the Apostles was that you speak of which is called a cursed childe The Apostles curse was but a weak curse to that power which God hath given to me For the Apostle saith if an Angel from heaven should preach any other Doctrine than what he and the rest of the Apostles had taught let him be accursed I do not onely say let him be accursed but if an Angel from heaven should come and say I have spoken false or lyed in the Doctrine that we have declared and in those things which I have said concerning the Quakers I have power not onely to say let him be cursed but to curse Angel or man to eternity As for your judgement from the letter of the Scriptures or from the light within you it is not worth a straw but the curse that I pronounce upon men and women it is not from the light of the Scriptures
nor from the light within me but from the power and authourity of a Commission received from a God without me which spake by voice of words to the hearing of the ear and this is that curse that shall remain and be remembred by all those Quakers and others that are under it both in this life and to eternity 3. Thirdly I did say truely in that I said you deny both the Father and the Son to be a Person in the form of a man and that you deny the same flesh and bone of Jesus which suffered death was laid in the grave which rose again which was seen afterwards by his Apostles and others which ascended up into heaven in that same flesh and bone that he suffered death in In your Answer to this above-mentioned you charge me to mention the man and the place of his abode that denied this and is a Quaker There are some other words in this Letter of yours that is to be minded and it is this where you say Christ Jesus is the express image and substance of the Fathers person and you own the Holy Ghost and you own the Father and know them And as touching Christs flesh you are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh and you have the minde of Christ and so you call me a Lyer and say let my mouth be stopt Answ This same is riddle me riddle me what 's this What a fiâ—e distinction have you given of the Trinity and whaâ— solid Arguments do you think that you have given to prove me a liar in what I have said First according to your charge I shall tell you both the place and some of the persons which did deny this The place where this was denied was in Eastcheap at a Butchers house the persons who did deny those things aforesaid one was the Butcher himself I think his name was Richard Whitpan or such a like name the Quakers Downfal doth name it right another of them was Fox the younger which is now both dead and damned to eternity another of them was John Harwood as for the other two I do n t remember their names but one of them was a great lubberdly fellow perhaps you may know him better than I these five did all of them deny that flesh and bone or body of Christ wherein he suffered death which same body is now living which they did deny for which the just Sentence of Condemnation is passed upon them as is publick in the Quakers Downfal Nay it was not onely these five Quakers that did deny these things aforesaid but all the Quakers that ever I talked with both men and women have done the same And I know that if I should but discourse with you I should finde you to do the like for it doth not stand with a right Quakers principle to believe that the same flesh and bone of Christ which suffered death was laid in the grave rose again and is now living in heaven in that same body neither can that body be in heaven without the soul or spirit for where his body is there is his spirit also for they both lived together they both suffered death together they both rose again together and are both in heaven together if so how is it possible that the Quakers should get Christ within them For if Christ be a distinct person of himself of substance flesh and bone though a spiritual body now in heaven how comes Christ to get his spiritual body into every Quakers body and every mans body else For the Scripture saith that the heavens shall contain him until the restitution of all things meaning that body of flesh and bone so that the person of Christ or his Essence cannot be in this world at all much less in the Quakers bodies nay he is not in mine though he hath chosen me to be his Messenger to declare what he is in his form and nature as hath been abundantly declared in our Writings Therefore do not you say that it is a slander and a lye for me to say that you are the very absolute spirit of Antichrist that doth deny both the Father and the Son for though you talk of a Christ and of his being the express Image of his Fathers person and of a Holy Ghost because you read of such things in Scripture which were other mens words so you reading of them have jumbled the Father Son and Holy Ghost together and so in stead of one person you have gotten three persons and yet never a person For I am sure when I talkt with John Perrot about God he could finde never a person but an infinite Spirit without a body or person at all All the Quakers that ever I have had to do withal which have been a great many I could never finde any Quaker to own God to be a person in the form of a man but an infinite Spirit that fills heaven and earth and all places and all things and so doth the Pope and all other Opinions that are which doth shew the darkness of the Quakers and the Pope and all others For if God be a person in the form of a man as I am sure he is for I do acknowledge no other God but the Man Christ Jesus who is a distinct body of flesh and bone of his own how then can he fill heaven and earth with his presence and get into the Quakers bodies and all other peoples bodies too and yet he is in heaven above the stars which heaven must retain him until the last day From this body of Christ which is the onely God have I power over all other gods or infinite spirits whatsoever I could shew in what sense it may be said that God fills heaven and earth but it would be too large to unfold besides it is declared already in our Writings There is one blasphemous saying of yours through your ignorance of the Scriptures in this Letter of yours You say that you do own Christ according to the flesh he was of Abraham Which is blasphemy to say it being quite contrary to the Scriptures for those Jews that persecuted Christ were according to the flesh the children of Abraham therefore it was they said We have Abraham for our father and never were in bondage to any for indeed all those that are the children of Abraham according to the flesh are the children of the devil or of the serpent but all those that are the children of Isaac or the children of the Promise which is the seed of Faith which are the children of Abraham according to the Spirit and so according to the faith of Abraham of which Christ came and so the Seed of Faith may say truly they are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh because the seed or spirit of Faith which Abraham the father of the faithful had in him liveth in our flesh and bone and we may be said indeed to be bone of his bone and flesh of his
Fathers person which if it were but opened it would utterly destroy their own principles of the light of Christ within them which they are very angry with me for saying that the light within them will vanish like smoke which they will finde to be true but I shall go to the next 6. You say I write that a great part of you are of those wicked Ranters that have been given over to blood-shed with a sword of steel or else to all manner of lusts of the flesh and now I say you think by a precise and exactness of life to recover your peace with God and yet deny the very person of God without you Your Answer to this Sentence of mine is something large but most of it rayling and rehearsing the same words as were spoken before for you make a great deal of do about knowing the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost and keep a stir about Christs being the express image of the Fathers person and yet all this while you cannot finde out any person of God at all onely you have gotten Pauls words and run away with them as a dog doth with a bone for the letter of the Scriptures is cast down as a bone by the Prophets Apostles and Christ himself for how would Quakers have done to have found out these words That Christ is the express image of the Fathers person if Paul had not said so I marvel how they would have known that Christ enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world if they had not found such words in Scripture But those men that spake the Scriptures know what the light of Christ was these can onely speak of it but know nothing truely what the light of Christ is nor from whence it doth arise There is one expression in this part of your Letter which would make one laugh which is this Doth the devil rage in me because some who have been Ranters and used outward weapons formerly now they are turned from these things and turned unto God and Christ the express image of the Fathers person As for those Ranters that are turned to God and Christ in the Quakers way they had better have kept themselves where they were for before they were in the wilderness but are now turned back into Egypt and so are further off from entring into the land of Canaan that is a place of rest for their souls than they were before So that the state of the Quakers is more uncapable to be saved than the Ranters for if they turn a right Quaker after they have been at the Rant there is no possibility for them to be saved for they are two-fold more the children of the Devil than they were before For if such a Quaker should give his goods to the poor and his body to be burnt for that light within him it will avail him nothing for there are but these three states in man Egypt the Wilderness and the land of Canaan But by faith in a Commission and they that truly believe in a Commission are the Saints that Christ dwells in and not the Quakers for they are for the most part of them as I said before the children of Cain who was of that wicked one which always was in bondage and there shall remain to eternity So much in answer to your railing Letter Now I have given you answer to your cursed blasphemy and railing speeches against those Truths which I have said concerning you Quakers it remains that I should give answer to your Queries which are many There are Queries enough if answered to make a Volumn bigger than the Bible for there hath been greater Volumns than the Bible made of one of those Texts of Scripture which you have propounded by wise men in reason But this seemeth to be a marvellous thing that you Quakers that are guided by the light of Christ within you and knows the minde of Christ and the Apostles doctrine and knoweth the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost and Christ the express image of the Fathers person in that you should be ignorant of the knowledge of these things which you propound unto me to answer else I must stop my mouth for ever Ce tainly if you had known them your selves you would not have propounded them to me to answer neither is it the propeity of him that hath true knowledge in him to put questions to another which he cannot answer himself It is a thing I never did to any since I came to know the truth I never did propound any question to any man that I could not answer my self though I have been asked many questions by several sorts of people yet never any went empty away without an answer some satisfied and some unsatisfied because they could not question any further nay there hath not been that question that could arise out of the heart of man let it be what it would concerning spiritual things with relation to God Devil Heaven Hell or any other spiritual thing but I have given answer to it Nay some have gone so far as to ask who made God and I have given answer to that also N thing hath been too hard for me in spiritual things if it hath been propounded in English words When I say spiritual things I speak with relation to the knowledge of the true God his form and nature before he became flesh and what he is now in himself And what the right devil was before he became flesh and what he is now in himself and how Heaven and Hell doth depend upon these two with the knowledge of the persons and nature of the Angels and the mortality of the soul On these six Principles depend all spiritual and heavenly knowledge with many other heavenly secrets which floweth as a river of living water from those six heads which no Quaker doth or can know in that state of being a Quaker nor any other Opinion or Religion whatsoever but those that do believe in this Commission of the Spirit And as for those eighteen Queries that you have propounded those that are of the most highest concernment they are answered and opened at large in our Writings already And some of your Queries are of such a long nature that they are not worth the labor to answer neither would there be any great edification to any that should know them yet I shall give a word or two to the first part of your third Querie For what end did Christ come Answ Christ came into the world for this very end for to destroy him that had the power of death which is the Devil which Devil is the seed or spirit of Reason in man of which spirit of Reason which is the Devil most part of the Quakers are of his seed and Christ came into the world for to destroy that is to destroy the seed of the Serpent with an eternal death and to raise the seed of Adam up to a more happier estate than that
was wherein he was created This could not be accomplished but by Gods coming down f om Heaven into the womb of a Virgin and so became a childe in pure mortality and when he grew up to be a man according to the Scriptures he was capable to suffer the pains of death and so pass through death and quickening into life again in the same body he got power over death in that death was not able to keep him under and so got power over him that had the power of death in his hands which is the devil This devil so much spoken of in Scripture is no other but the spirit of Reason which was first in Cain he killing righteous Abel had pâ—wer to kill that is power to put to death and so dâ—â—th entred into the world for death never was in the world before the Serpent beguiled Eve then entred death into the world and Cain being the first-born of the devil â—he had the power of death in his hands and it doth remain in his hands to this day But happy are the seed of Adam that hath so much faith as to believe that it was the very God-head life that suffered death and so overcame death by his quickening into life again and so hath gained to himself a greater power and glory than he had before death entred iâ—to the world for by his rising again he hath got power to raise the seed of Adam to a more happy and glorious estate than that was wherein he was created He hath gotten power also to destroy him that had the power of death in his hands that is to keep the seed of Reason in a more low and sad estate then that was wherein he was created even under the second or eternal death which could not have been but by the death and rise again of God himself and for this very end did Christ come into the world It would have been well for you and many thousands more if Christ had never come into the world at all for your Condemnation is procured by it I could open what is meant by the light of Christ and how it may be said that Christ enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world but it would be too large besides it is fully opened in that Book of ours called A Divine Looking-Glass And as for Adam and Eves estate before the fall and after their fall that is plainly declared in The Interpretation of the 11. of the Revelation The Tree of Life and the Knowledge of good and evil and of the Serpent and of the woman that fled into the wilderness and what the time and times and half a time is and of the Beast with many other things opened and Scriptures expounded of a far more high concernment than those things you propounded I say these things are largely opened in The Interpretation of the said 11 Chapter of the Revelation and in The Divine Looking-Glass wherein are written the deepest mysteries that ever was penn'd if understood by the Reader Also there is the Mortality of the Soul that doth shew what is Scripture and what is not and how the Soul of man is not immortal but must and doth dye Also there is that called Look about you for the Devil that you fear is within you And a Dialogue between Faith and Reason and the Quakers Downfal There is hardly any thing that is necessary to be known concerning the spiritual estate of mankinde but it is to be found in some of these Writings Therefore if any of you Quakers have a minde to be any further informed of your Queries they must look into those Writings afore-mentioned for there is very few of your Queries that are not answered in one kinde or another But I know you Quakers do not regard looking into any other writings but your own therefore I shall not perswade you unto it but let you remain in your own conceited light of Christ within you But you will finde it to be the greatest darkness of all the seven Churches because it is the very spirit of Antichrist or the Devil transformed into an Angel of light that is it carryeth the purest shew of holiness of life and suffereth more than any other doth for his Religion and yet the most cursedst of all in point of doctrine for they are the greatest fighters against Gods being a person by that light within them of any Neither will there ever come any more spirits of Antichrist so Angel-like as the Quakers do for they have received the spirits of Antichrist new in this last Age as I said before and it will continue to the end of the world Samuel Hooton and W. S. you might have set your name as well as two Letters but it matters not now I have given Answer to your railing Letter you sent to me for speaking the truth For there is not one jot or tittle of my words in those six Principles or Sentences of mine concerning the Quakers that shall fail and not come to pass but are as true as any thing that ever was spoken by Prophet or Apostle Therefore I shall speak a few words unto you two in particular because you two have committed that unpardonable sin that never will be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come for you have done despite unto the Spirit of Truth in speaking evil of things you do not know for you have called the Doctrine and Declaration of the Spirit Blasphemy Deceit and Lies with many other railing speeches with high impudency from a light within you and from the dead letter without you and hath presumptuously lifted up your selves with that light within you to speak evil of the Commission of the Spirit which we received from the true personal God without us even the Man Christ Jesus in Glory Therefore in obedience to my Commission I do pronounce Samuel Hooton and W. S. for this their Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that sent me cursed and damned soules and bodies from the presence of God elect men and Angels to eternity Your Light within you nor God without you shall deliver you from this Sentence which I have declared upon you because you shall know that there is a true Prophet now in the last Age as well as there hath been in former times And this Sentence shall be the mark of your Reprobation in your foreheads to eternity even as your great Grandfather had in his forehead and all the Seed of Faith that shall read this Epistle and see you shall see the mark of Reprobation in your foreheads neither shall you scrape it out but it will be seen by the Elect as long as you live And when you dye you shall pass through this first death into the second death and in the Resurrection you shall never see the face of God nor man nor Angels nor your own faces to eternity but you shall be in utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth for evermore
and many hundreds of their believers besides are those tares which this Commission of the Spirit hath cut down by the edge of this Sword which shall be as bundles of tares fit for nothing else but for that eternal fire because they have dispised that their fellow creature should have power to bless and curse though God will have men and women justified and condemned no other way but by man like themselves for it was always Gods practice to give authority to men that are mortal to Judge and Condemn according to the tenor of their Commission whether it be for a temporal death or an eternal death and this power hath God given unto me and in this regard I am the onely and alone Judge what shall become of men and women after death neither shall those that are damned by me see any other God or Judge but me or that sentence which I have passed upon them but the blessed shall see that God face to face which hath set me as an Ambassador in his room and this power I know God will never take from me whatsoever you Quakers deny or testifie against 5 There is little in this particular also but my words repeated onely this there is something concerning Dorothy Carter whereas I neither say that Dorothy Carter nor no man upon the Earth can or ought to judge of the doctrine of a Prophet that hath a Commission from God there being none in the world at this day but my self Answer Who do you blind Quakers think should be the Judge of a Prophet that hath a Commission from God is not a true Prophet the Law giver and ought not every one to submit unto his Laws hath not a Prophet a prerogative power as a King hath doth not a true Prophet stand in the King of Heavens room as an Ambassador doth in the place of an earthly King and shall those that are to be subject to the Laws of the King go to try whether the Kings Laws be good or just nay those that are the Kings Friends ought not to try whether the Kings Laws or Declarations be just because his friends hapiness lieth in yeilding obedience unto it and if his Friends ought not to try the King much less his enemies so I say though Dorothy Carter be a Friend to the Prophet of the Lord that it lieth not in her power neither is it for her to try the Doctrine of a Prophet but to submit unto the Doctrine and power of a Prophet for therein lieth her and all others safety And whereas you say that I have excluded Dorothy Carter and all other men upon Earth from salvation I do here testifie that she is one of the blessed of the Lord with many others in the world at this day though I will not allow Dorothy Carter nor no other to have power to try a true Prophets Doctrine though they be believers of it that doth not exclude them from salvation but gives them the more assurance of it in that they suffer themselves to be try'd by a Prophet and his Doctrine therefore I do exclude Dâ—rothy Carter and all men upon Earth in point of tryal or Judgment of the Doctrine of a Prophet that hath a Commission from God as I have and if those of the same Truth with a Prophet may not try a Prophet how will you do that are enemies to try his Doctrine for it is not your quoting of the letters of the Scriptures as you have done in two places nor the light of Christ within you that can try me for I being one of the last Witnesses and Prophets by Commission from God I am made Judge of the Scriptures and Judge of the light of Christ within you and how will you do or by what will you try my doctrine and me seeing I am made Judge of the Scriptures and of your light of Christ and your light of nature and all that is within you and without you both it is all to be condemned by me by which way then can you come to try me and to make me appear to be a false prophet as you say is apparent enough The sixth and seventh things that you upbraid me with that I say there is no eternal life to be had but in the faith of this Doctrine And that I do presume under pretence of my Commission of the Spirit to rob Christ of his Office which the Father hath committed unto him as chief Judge ordained of God with many other sayings of mâ—ne which hath been exprest in a Letter of mine unto Samuel Hooton and W. S. Answer That there is no eternal life to be had now in these days but by faith in the Doctrine of this Commission of the Spirit that is truth and many there is that can witness the same I mean in those that have heard the sound of it and it will be found to be so by you Quakers and many hundreds of other Sects besides And as for my saying that God hath made me the chief Judge in the world at this day that is true also notwithstanding Christs having all Judgement put into his hands by the Father for that is nothing to you what is spoken of in Scripture that will do you no good for this Christ which the Scriptureâ— speaks of is God the Father and this God hath chosen and ordained me to be the chief Judge in spiritual and eternal things Also he hath made me Judge of the Scriptures as I said before neither have I taken the Office from Christ but he hath given it unto me and hath invested it upon me neither will he take it away from me and that you and such as you are shall finde to your eternal sorrow make as light of it as you will you shall not be delivered The latter part of your Letter hath little in it but repeating of Scripture-Texts and some passages or words of mine which you do invade against me there is one thing would make one smile and that is this because it is not written in the Scriptures of truth that I Lodowick Muggleton art ordained of God to be the chief Judge in the world in these last days will it follow therefore that I am not the chief Judge because my name is not recorded in Scriptures If you had lived in the days when Christ was upon earth you would hardly have found his name recorded in the Law and the Prophets nay it is the more probable that I am ordained the chief Judge because my name is not recorded in Scripture for if there had been such a name written in Scriptures that should be the last Prophet in the world many men would have named their sons Lodowick Muggleton and that is the cause there is so many Johns and Thomasses and Jeremiahs with many other Scripture Prophets and Apostles names but there is never a Lodowick Muggleton in all the Scriptures and yet God hath ordained him to be the Judge of Quakers and all other
hath given me but confirm and strengthen it the more in that I know that they had the like power in their time according to the nature of their Commission as I have And now I certainly know that they were true and what their their power was in that I know my self to be true and what my power is now so that I cannot be deceived as you Quakers are with other mens Commissions that are dead you not knowing the extent of their Commissions nor when they began nor when they did end and your ignorance of those things makes you fight with the dead letter against a living Spirit just as if a man should fight with the sheath against him that hath a two-edged Sword in his hand so do you Quakers with me And as for my fleeing from Chesterfield to Backwel for fear of a few stripes or a whipping when the same was but threatened against me this is utterly false for I did not know that any such thing was threatned against me neither was I ever at Backwel in my life to my knowledge neither did it lye in the power of the Magistrates in that Countrey to do any such thing in case they had catcht me at that time I say it was more than their Law would bear them out to do but however if I had fled for fear of the Devils malice I did no more then other Prophets and Apostles which were Ambassadors of Christ before me they did the same as Eliah fled from Jezabel and Paul fled for fear of persecution and Christ gave advice to his disciples that when they were persecuted in one City to flee into another so that would have been no new thing neither should I have been e're the more a false Witness or Ambassador of Christ if I had fled for fear of a whipping And whereas you say that I was threatned for my false Judgement and Doctrine as you call it saying it was reviling cursing and damning As for cursing and damning I do own that I did pass the Sentence of eternal damnation upon some Quakers and others that was but according to the tenor of my Commission from Christ and I am very well satisfied in so doing but as for my reviling of any man or woman I never did it was alwayes contrary to my natural temper before I knew what a Commission was to revile any man or woman much less now that I think the Priest of Chesterfield will witness that when I was catcht and brought before the Mayor thereof and examined by the Priest I gave him nor no other man there no reviling speeches but as I am a Prophet and a Witness of the Spirit discerning that the Priest was of the seed of the serpent and of a persecuting spirit which would have took away my life if it had layen in his power or in the power of the Laws of England he would have done it though I never had any prejudice nor no speech with the man in my life before yet his envy and malice was so great to me for which I did pass the Sentence of eternal damnation upon him but no ways reviling but did give him civil respect as a Priest of the Nation which I think he will witness notwithstanding his malice and envy was great to me which did him no wrong nor no man else in that town yet he caused me to be sent unto Derby Goal where I did remain until the Assizes so that the malice of men hath been exercised upon me as much as lieth in their power to do and it is onely upon this account they cannot endure that God should give power to a man like themselves to bless and curse to eternity Neither do I curse any until he judge me first much less revile any you may as well say that a Judge when he passeth Sentence upon a malefactor to be hanged for the breach of such a law that is capable of death you may as well say that this Judge doth revile curse and condemn the man that hath broke the law when as the Judge can do no otherwise but according to the tennor of his Commission which he is authorized by Commission from the King so that every Judge is made a savour of life and death for the one he condemns to die according to the law and the other he doth acquit and set free and is this any less then a temporal blessing and cursing and no reviling at all Even so it is with me I being one of Gods chosen Witnesses and Ambassadors by vertue of his Commisson given unto John Reeve and my self I am made Judge of men and womens spiritual and eternal estate what shall become of them after death yet this I would have the reader to understand that though a Judge of the Land be Judge of many Countries and Shires yet his power is seen most in those that he doth acquit or condemn so is it with me my power is most seen in those that receive and believe me and so are blessed to eternity and in those that despise and persecute me in that they are cursed and damned to eternity for I never bless none but those that truly believe it neither do I curse any but those that despise or persecute me upon that account but all that doth neither receive it nor despise it I let them alone and meddle not with them but leave them to stand or fall as the two seeds within them shall uphold them or let them fall And as for your saying that I have reviled cursed and damned the beloved people of God meaning you Quakers So that I say I never did curse any of them till such time as they did Judge or despise my Commission first for I never do judge first so that I am certain that most part of the Quakers are the seed of the serpent and not the beloved of God so that those Quakers which I have cursed shall not escape they being the seed of the serpent and have despised to be taught any other way but by the light within them But I have opened that more clear in those Letters to Samuel Hooton and W. S. and to Richard Farnsworth himself therefore I shall say no more in that point I shall pass by those ten particulars repeated by R. F. to prove me not a chosen Witness of the Spirit and shall come to that which is of more concernment for the reader to know that is that God hath chosen me now in these last days to be an Ambassador and Witness of the Spirit and so chief Judge in the world concerning the spiritual and eternal estate of men and women after death and that I do go by as certain a rule as the Judges of the Land do when they give Judgement according to Law as may be seen aforesaid in the Letters to the Quakers Here R.F. would seem to prove me a liar First because saith he thou art both judge accuser and witness thy self and
hand Writing Others again have blasphemed against the holy Spirit that sent me in my hearing so that there doth need no jury nor witnesses nor accusers but their own words for by them shall they be condemned or justified for you see that men are put to death for speaking treason against the King as well as for acting Treason so is it with God for words of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is a sin that God will never foâ—give neither in this world nor in the world to come yet we read in Scripture that all manner of other sins shall be forgiven unto men but not that sin and this I say there is more Quakers guilty of that sin then any other Sect whatsoever and for that very sin have I passed the sentence of eternal death upon so many of them for God hath gâ—ven me a discerning to know when a man doth commit that sin I being one of the Witnesses of the Spirit and so judge of them that I know doth commit it I do give judgement and sentence of eternal damnation upon them so that I am neither accuser nor witness in those that are condemned at a distance but their own writings or their own words shall be a witness and an accuser against them for I do accuse no man of sin but gives judgement upon them for their sin and if you call the sentence that I pass upon them to be an accusation and a witness against them then indeed in that sense I am both judge accuser and witness my self but these things afore-mentioned being considered will prove that I do go by as certain a rule when I pass sentence of eternal damnation upon the bodies and souls of men and women as the Iudges of the Land do when they give judgement according to Law and as the Charters and Liberties of England are worthy to be written in letters of gold as Judge Cock doth say because of the excellency and justness of them I say so too for I always loved legal justice among men so I say likewise that those Letters which I have sent to you Quakers are worthy to be written in Letters of gold also that they might indure in the memory of men and women to the worlds end for I am certain they will indure in your memory to eternity Yet in all this I do neither own my self a King nor God not Christ nor the Holy Ghost nor any of those titles do I take upon me but this I do own my self to be one of the two last Prophets and Witnesses of the Spirit or Messenger Minister or Ambassador of Christ this I do own my self to be and by the authority of the Commission I received from Christ I am made chief Judge in spiritual matters in all those that doth either receive my Doctrin or despise it But as for others that doth neither receive it nor despise it nor hear of it I Judge them not but leave them as God shall find them at the last day And whereas R. F. doth say that God hath reserved a pardoning power in the Eternal God-head and a punishing power to correct and punish me and such as I am also he saith wouldst thou make the Eternal Power and God-head inferior to the Kings of the Earth Doth not saith he the Kings of the Earth reserve a pardoning and punishing power in themselves besides what they give to their Judges by their Commission So in his conclusion of that matter he doth affirm that there is a punishing power reserved in the Eternal God-head and doth therewith remain to punish the rebellious and obstinate and presumptuous such saith he as I am or as may be read Heb. 10.26 with many more places of Scriptures which would be tedious to cite L. M. Reply That there is reserved a pardoning power and a punishing power in the Eternal God-head that I do own and believe but the pardoning power in the God-head doth not extend to those that are condemned by those which God hath made Iudges why because those Iudges that God doth make in spiritual and Eternal things they go by a certain rule those Iudges doth either discern men and women to be the absolute seed of the Serpent or else that they have sinned against the holy Ghost these two things are infallible rules for Gods Iudges to go by for will any one think that when Peter retained any mans sins that God would forgive that marâ—h's sins afterwards surely no so say I you Quakers and others that are condemned by us the Witnesses of the Spirit you will not be pardoned of God because most of you have sinned against the holy Ghost especially you that have written to me in calling the Doctrin and Declaration of us the Witnesses of the Spirit whom God hath chosen anointed and sealed to reveal the whole councel of God in that he became flesh which is the greatest misterie in that we the Witnesses of the Spirit are so far honoured of God as to be the finishers of it as John Revelation the 10 doth speak of I say you Quakers have despised it more then all other men by calling this Doctrin blasphemy error lies and deceit with many other wicked speeches which could not have been spoken but by the seed of the Serpent therefore I am no ways deceived in saying that those people called Quakers that the most part of them are of the seed of the Serpent and not the beloved of God as you say so that they and others that I have passed the sentence upon will not escapet though their be a pardoning power in the God-head yet none of those which I have pronounced sentence upon shall partake of it for those reasons aforesaid For though there be a power in the God-head to do what he will yet when he hath given his word he will not go back from it because he cannot ly So that it is not your repeating what power the Prophets and Apostles of old had nor the multitude of Scriptures which you have rehearsed that will stand you in any steed nor deliver you from that sentence which I have passed upon you yet in all this I do not make the Eternal God-head inferiour to the Kings of the earth I do also acknowledge that the Kings of the earth reserve a pardoning power in themselves besides what they give to their Iudges But this I must say to you that it is very seldom known that an earthly King hath any pardoning power in himself for such traitors that act treason against the Kings person this I suppose all mens experience will witness so that there is some crimes that earthly Kings have no pardoning power for in themselves so is it with you Quakers you have committed such a sin even against the Holy Ghost so that there is no pardon in God himself not for you no more then there is for Cain that slew Abel nor Judas that betrayed Christ if these be saved then you shall and remember
you were told so by the last true Prophet But if earthly Kings do pardon any traitor it is because some other persons in great power doth petition or intercede to the King for him and so perhaps the King for some ends best known to himself may save his life but keep him in prison all days of his life so that this can not properly be called a pardoning power except he freely forgive him and raise him up to the same honor which he had before but you Quakers have no such friend to intercede for you to the King of Heaven now you are condemned by his Messenger for Christ will not intercede for you for you have denyed him before men in that you deny that flesh and bone which he suffered death in and rose again in the same flesh and bone and ascended up into heaven and doth now remain there in that same body onely it is spiritualized and glorified body yet a body this I say you Quakers doth deny whatsoever you may prattle and talk of a Christ yet you own no Christ but what is within you this I know to be true else I should not be so j alous against those people more then others but for this very thing that Christ will never intercede for pardon for you Quakers that are condemned by me yet this I shall say if it will please you that if I be a false prophet and witness as you say I am then I say that curse which I have passed upon you and many others I say let it be all upon me and you shall all go free but if I be true as I know I am there is no possibility for you nor others to escape I can say no more in this thing but shall leave it to Christ the Judge of the quick and the dead to give me my reward according as I have been faithful in the Commission which he hath put upon me Againe it is not with earthly kings as it is with the King of Heaven for many times earthly kings have their pardoning power and their Condemning power which they have in themselves taken away from them and so doth stand in need of pardon themselves and so all those Iudges which had their Commissions from the king is worth nothing because another power hath overcome him and hath took it by the power of the sword so that earthly kings doth sometimes stand in need of pardon and mercy themselves for an earthly power doth stand no longer then till a stronger then he doth overcome him as may be read concerning the Kings of Israel and others which fought against them as Saul against King Agag and Jehu against the house of Ahab and divers others which might be named and so in Gâ—rmany and many places of Christendom and here in England hath not the pardoning and condemnidg power been rent out of the Kings hands and so all those Iudges which had their Commissions from him are put out of their places of power and so their Commission is made void and of none effect This experience in these our days hath shewed the truth of it but that Commission which is given of God the King of Heaven cannot be made void neither can that man which God hath made Iudge of spiritual and eternal matters I say that mans Commission cannot be taken away by any but by God himself and seeing that no power can conquer or overcome God the King of Heaven to dis-throne him because he is from everlasting to everlaing and look what those Iudges that God hath chosen anointed and sealed for that purpose their Sentence is for everlasting and to eternity as God himself is For as an earthly Kings power doth last no longer than his life and not always so long so God being for ever to eternity so will those his commissionated Iudges their Sentence be everlasting and eternal a so so that those Iudge which God hath commissionated even we the Witnesses of the Spirit do go by a more certain rule than the Iudges of the land do when they give Iudgement according to Law neither can that sentence which I have passed upon you Quakers and others be revoked not as the Iudges of the Lands sentence may through many tricks and quibbles in the Law but no trick nor quibble in the repeating of Scripture-texts as you have done shall deliver you because I know the Law of the Scriptures as well as the Iudges of the Land do the Civil Law and though they may through Iuries and false witnesses give wrong sentence sometimes it is not so with me for I do walk by a more infallible rule than they do when I pass sentence upon men and women for it is not Iuries nor false witnesses that can turn or make me give judgement contrary to truth because I received my power and authority from the God of Truth and let men rage revile persecute and do what they can they will not be delivered from that Judgement that I have passed upon them and if their persecution should extend unto death it will but make the fire of hell to burn the more hotter in their souls to eternity In the latter part of your Pamphlet you spake something concerning the two Witnesses for say you if John Reeve and thy self were Joint-Commissioners and had your pretended Commission not severally asunder but joint together hath not say you the death of John Reeve made void thy pretended Commission to all intents constructions and purposes whatsoever Or if John Reeve and thy self did pretend to be the two Witnesses spoken of Rev. 11.3 and to have power given to them Hath not saith he the death of John Reeve made it evident against you to be none of them and so he goeth on repeating most part of the 11 chapter of the Revelation as if it were to be fulfilled legally as it is set down in the Letter L. M. Reply That the death of John Reeve doth not make void my Commission no more then the death of Aaron did make void Moses Commission of the Law neither was the Commission of the Law made void when Moses himself was dead or taken out of this world but stood in full force and vertue after that that many hundred years and was never made void until John the Baptist and Christ did enter into the Ministery of the Gospel for John the Baptist was the last Prophet of the Law and in his death the Commission of the Law of Moses was made void and of none effect to those that did believe in Iesus Christ which brought in a better Covenant or a better Commission than that of the Law so likewise the worship of the Gospel of Jesus which was set up by his Apostles which was according to the faith which they had in Jesus Christ his being the onely begotten Son of God and Saviour of them that believed but this Commission of the Apostles did stand in full force and vertue but a matter of three