lives unto the death And sometimes they have been more visible and sometimes lesse yet two or three that know the name of Christ and live in the power of Christ Christ is in the midst of them and they may be truly said to be a Church of Christ and these God hath promised to be with who believeth in Christ the power of God to the end of the world and against these the gates of hell shall never prevail And whereas thou saist He gave some Apostles and some Evangelists Pastors and Teachers for the worke of the Ministry for the perfecting of the Saints This is granted and it did and doth effect the same end for which he gave it But when ordained he the Popes the Cardinals the Fryars the Monks the Jesuites the Nunâ— for the work of the Ministry or whether have any of all these effected the same things which the Apostles did by their gifts But rather on the contrary They have perverted the straight way of the Lord and have made the word of God of none effect by their traditions and hath introduced and brought in those things to be observed amongst people which God hath neither commanded nor commended but on the contrary forbidden and condemned 3 Prin. That all those people or Congregations or meetings or Churches which have not been constantly visible from Christs time till now are not nor cannot be the Church of Christ and then thou makes this conclusion that the Roman Church can shew its constant and successive visibility from Christs time till now therefore the Roman Church must needs be the Church of Christ Answ. By thy own words thou hast proved your Church to be no Church of Christ neither your officers and Ministers to be Ministers of Christ for Matthew Mark Luke and John Peter Paul and the rest of the Apostles makes no mention of any such officers as Poâ—es Cardinals Fryars Monks nor Jesuites neither of any such doctrine did they allow of as you preach to wit the doctâ—ine of Devils in forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats wch God hath created and also teacâ—ing to make Images and set up Images and Idols and also teaching to burn and kill and destroy them whom you call Hereticks which Christ nor none of the Apostles ever did So that it is manifest from the Scripture of truth that your visible Church was not always since Christs day for Peter Paul and many of the Apostles lived after Christs day and they make no mention of any such ministry doctrine or practice as is found amongst you onely foretels of you and prophesies of you that Antichrist should come Deceivers should come and false prophets should come and Peter whose successors you say you are he foretold of you and hath left his testimony against you against them who preach for filthy lucre those things the Apostles taught not Amongst many things this is one in teaching and making people believe a purgatory after they be dead and this was invented by you to get filthy lucre and to get dishonest gain Another thing to give pardons that you may get money and filthy lucre so that it is manifest you are none of Peters successors but are apostatized from the faith from the doctrine from the practice of Christ of the Churches of Christ in the dayes of the Apostles and were not visible then nor counted the Church of Christ by any in many years aâ—ter the decease of the Apostles But the false Prophets that Christ spake should come which John and Paul and Peter saw creeping in then who erred from the faith and apostatized from the truth who subverted whole housholds from the faith there 's your originall they that did subvert and they that were subverted and held part of the form of godlinesse denyed the power there is the beginning of your visible Church Antichrists false Prophets Seducers and seduced you are their successors and from thence your visibility came to be seen in the world So in that which I have said doth clearly evidence that you have not constantly visibly had the name of a Church since Christs time although you call your selves the ancient Church And I say unto thee in thine owne words Except thou be bewitched and possessed with a spirit of blindnesse here is enough to convince thee and all thy visible members that your Roman Church is not so ancient as Christ nor the Apostles But you are quite another thing which hath sprung up since and are apostatized from the Doctrine and from the Faith which the Churches which were before you were in as the Church at Jerusalem at Antioch and the rest of the Churches which had received the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ without respect of persons from which faith you are now reprobated 4 Principle Thou saist that Luther Calvin Memno Beza and others were first popish Priests and those that followed them was first of the Church of Rome and these thou saist fell from the Faith and were accounted by you Hereticks and sayes they ought to produce more evidence for their faith which they professed being separated from you then you need to do from whom they separated Answ. They are Hereticks who denies the true foundation and who erre from the true faith which the Saints possessed and and lived in But your visible Church have left the true foundation and have erred from the faith which Christ and the Apostles declared and lived in therefore you are the Hereticks Therefore Luther Calvin Memno and Beza and the rest seeing your Doctrine Principles and Faith to be contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and the Primitive Churches God opening their eyes and let them see that you had innovated and brought in another Doctrine and other practices then had been taught or practised amongst the Apostles therefore they denyed yoâ— in many things although they were not clearly come off your principles nor did not see clearly thorow your deceit yet so far as they saw by the light of the Lord they bore testimony against you and gave a clearer demonstration that you were out of the faith then you ever did or can do that you were in the Faith But that is made manifest in this the day of the Lords power which sees over you and beyond you and comprehends your ground and all the body of your Religion which stands in imitations imaginations inventions and traditions And further thou saith that you can bring more Scripture for your Catholique doctrin then they that are separated from you and thou brings two Scriptures to prove some of your doctrine and sayest that the Church of Rome teaches that Christs body is reall in the Sacrament for which thou brings the 11 Cor. 23 24. verses which proves nothing to the purpose for the body of Christ is incorruptible and saw no corruption But bread corruptâ— and will corrupt notwithstandâ—ng all your consecration but as concerning this I shall refer the
Spirit of God And are the wolves in sheeps clothing worrying the Lambs that comes to witness Christ in them the substance and hath proved and examined themselves and found him and so there people sticking in that they call the sign and keeping people from the substance receiving Christ Jesus in them for these things was to be done in remembrance of Christ until he came now if bread and wine be the body of Christ and his bloud then he is come how do you that in remembrance of him untill he come was they to eate his body and drink his bloud till he come did he go away in the Spirit and leave his body behind answer this whether or no his body did not rise and whether his body be elementary there was a Protestant against you that said the body of Christ was corruptible and you said the bread and wine is the body and bloud of Christ and that will corrupt and so we see you all in the error Pr. He saith the bare form of bread and wine doth change And though the light lead up to Christ they see nothing but that which doth change namely bread and wine Answ. Hear thou hast confounded thy self and all the Papists the whole body of them and confounded your own wisdom and knowledge and your own faith in things you do professe foâ— the body of Christ and his bloud doth not change and yet you say that bread and wine after consecration is the very body and bloud of Christ and hear you say doth change which is not comparable to the body and bloud of Christ that corrupts not nor changes not in this you have confounded your selves and blinded your souls in looking at things which are seen which the Divel and wicked ones out of the light do run into which you poor Creatures are captivated under his power things that are not seen are invisible but things that are seen as bread and wine are visible Pr. Our faith and doctrine is that Jesus Christ hath but one body and that the same body which is in that Sacrament shall come at last to judge us all Answ. The body of Christ which you call the bread after consecration which thou hast confessed is a changeable thing the â—orm of bread that which is changeable is not a judge Christ and his body is not changeable so therefore to judge and shall remain his body when bread and wine ceases So in this thou hast overthrown your own doctrine and faith and foundation and proved your selves to be stones of Babylon who with them builds up and throwes down again Pr. Whereas thou Queriest whether God is able to make one body to be in two or two thousand places at once Answ. The body of Christ is his flesh which he gives for the life of the world which they that eat it and feed upon it are of his flesh and lives for ever and are in more places then one comes to be of his flesh and of his bone and at this the Jewes stumbled that followed him for temporal bread and if temporal bread had been the body of Christ why would he bid them labour not for the meat that perisheth and that he said well in saying this is may body this is my bloud and except ye eat my flesh and drink my bâ—â—ud ye have no life in you but he did not tell the people after they had consecrated bread and wine that it was his body and bloud and he would drink with them in the Kingdom and did Christ eate his own body and drink his own bloud answer these Queries we see that the body of Christ is hid from you all Papists and Protestants and his flesh and his bloud and his wordâ— are spirit and life and that remains and bread and wine it is the elements did it come down from above from heaven after you have consecrated it is it not the wine that came of the grapes and the bread which was baked Christs body which is the bread is above the Manna which is given from heaven much more far above the bread of man Christ the true bread far above Angles-food is the body of Christ which who eates it lives for ever they that eated the Manna the Angels-food perished in the wildernesse many of them and far above mans bread that 's temporal and drink which they may eate and drink and hunger and thurst again and perish and which will perish Which they that decernes the Lords body decernes him that gives every creature its being the word of God by which all things was made and none of the figures nor shadowes nor types are the body of Christ but that which ends them all to you that is the word of the Lord which body was before they were which body is the Church the Piller and ground of truth and bread is not the Church after consecration for the Apostles never told us of that doctrine no vvhere in the Scriptures but you that of the body of Christ be ignorant the Top-stone is laid on your heads and the body of Christ makes us free from the Lavv Pr. We do not teach that bread after the consecration is the flesh of Christ but we say that after Christ had uttered these words this is my body or after the Priests according to Christs command do this in remembrance of me do utter the same words which we call consecration then the substance of bread vanisheth and is no more there but the body of Christ commeth in its place Answ. This again is confusion and you are confused and confounded in your own principles if the bread and wine which you say is not the flesh of Christ after consecration how is his body there and how can you say it is his body And thus you confound your selves Pr. Thou saist thou dost not find any expresse command of the Apostle in Scripture for observing of dayes nor meats nor none of these things as meats or crosses but what the Church shall command and saith but the Church hath commanded us to observe dayes and meats and that a crosse should be made in remembrance of Christs passion and the Images of Christ and his Saints may be set up and honored and that we should invoke the Saints c. and whatsoever the Church commandeth us And this is the sure and unmoveable ground upon which our Catholique faith even to the very least circumstance and ceremony is built c. And the contrary ground is the ground of all Hereticks Answ. We do believe you that all these observing of meats dayes and crosses is set up by your Churches command and all your Tythes Priests Pulpits and Temples amongst you and the Protestants which hath been set up by your Church command which is offended if they be not observed which is set up since the dayes of the Apostles which is Apostatized from the Apostles and the true Church in the Apostacy and are fallen into schisms and
heresies and lying signes which is your crosse who are gone from the power of God which is the cross of Christ who are them which the Spirit spoke of expresly before the Apostles decease that should depart from the faith forbidding eating of meats and marriage which is the Divels doctrin who has given heed to seducing spirits now you may see it is your Mother which you call the Church which is the Mother of Harlots which your Mother harlotted from the true Church the Apostles doctrin for the true Church of the Apostles did never command that men should abstayn from meats or set up a crosse of wood or stone or worship Images or Saints or names or bow down to them but worship God and worship not the Angels Now these things hath been sett up since the dayes of the Apostles in the Apostacy from the true Church which has made war against the Saints and over-come them but now is the Saints and the Lamb come to have victory and now the Lamb and Saints will have victory who is come to reign and the holy Prophets and the Saints shall rejoyce over you sing and rejoyce ye heavens and rejoyce ye Saints and holy Prophets over her That 's your Church which is inwardly ravened from the spirit of God and has reigned over the Kings of the earth and all other that hath had the name of Christianity out of the life of Christ found in your skirts the Lamb will tread you together in the press without the City of the living God the Church which is the Pillar and ground of truth against which the gates of hell cannot prevail though they may fall all on heaps one among another about their worships And we say that your Mother the Church so called hath commanded and laid the foundation of tythes amongst the Protestants and all their observing of Saints dayes holy dayes and you have been them that has taught them to give the names yea to their Schooles Colleges Steeple-houses which were your mass-houses which the Protestants has made their Churches of them you were the first root and layer of the ground and Author of them you and they are all judged with the Spirit which is not Apostacy which was before Apostacy was Pr. I say again that Christ is not without a body and the same body which is in the Sacrament is that which was born of the Virgin Mary which dyed for us and now sitteth at the right hand of God and none other Answ. Heaven is above and earth is beneath there is an earthly body and there is a heavenly body a naturall and a spirituall and if that which was born of the Virgin Mary be your bread after consecration which body saw no corruption though put in the grave Now see if your bread which you call the body of Christ will not corrupt after it lye a while though you have consecrated it then how can you say that is the body of Christ at the right hand of God and outward bread which will corrupt which the body of Christ saw none which was born of the Virgin the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world yet he did not corrupt nor saw no corruption Pr. And to say is Christ to be looked for in the Saints is so profound that he cannot reach the depth of the meaning the Roman Catholiques use no such manner of speech Answ. I do believe you Since the dayes of the Apostles amongst you that are got up in your likenesses and Images that sayes its so profound you cannot reach the meaning of it to ask you whether Christ be in the Saints and amongst the Roman Catholiques you have no such manner of speech I do believe you And so you put him in the Sacrament without you and call the bread and wine his body and blood so this is to prove your selves to be reprobates so are judged by the Apostles doctrine and the Scripture Know you not in your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Priest The more honour we give to Saints the more honour we give to Christ Indeed to give godly honour to Saints is to commit idolatry Answ. If that you do not give godly honour to the Saints it is ungodly and here in this you have again confounded your selves and that honour which belongs to the Saints is of God and godly and not idolatry but that honour which you give which is not godly is given to such which are not Saints which is idolatry and so that honour which you should give to God you give to Images in kneeling to them and so in that you are as the heathen and are found idolaters which never did any of the Apostles kneel before an Image but you that inwardly ravened from the Spirit of God and so lost the image of God and fallen down to Images Pr. A Crosse a Crucifix or an Image of Christ or any Saint whether they be made of silver stone or wood are according to our doctrine but dead creatures neverthelesse are profitable and honourable memorials of them and do much help our devotion and demonstrate our love and affection to them and they are not Idols but they represent unto us Christ and his Saints Answ. So then they being but dead things and you bowing to dead things is to Idols for bowing to a dead stock or a stone is a bowing to Idols as saith the Prophet and dead images Now you having them as you say to represent unto you Christ and to put you in minde of him and the Saints shews that you have not Christs spirit in you nor him in you nor his mind in you so are reprobates and are none of his for those that have Christ in them and his minde in them need no such representations as to put them in minde of Christ or to fall down before Crosses Crucifixes Images dead things to stir up the love towards Châ—ist which the blood of Christ purgeth the conscience from dead workes and not to bow down to dead Images but thiâ— shews the love of God is not in you Dead things do not stirre up the love of God in people but the faith which works by love this stirs up the love towards Christ who is the Author of it and the Saints to make Images of the Saints and observing of dayes shews that you are not come to just mens spirits which who are need no other thing to put them in mind nor observe dayes for they see over dayes and so in these principles I see ye are reprobates concerning the faith which works by love for the love of God is not in you you are not come to the jâ—st mens spirits so not to the Church of the living God the mind of Christ you have not his spirit ye have not and Christ is not in you and so in the reprobation in the apostacy and are fain to have dead Images and pictures and crosses dead
and examine themselves if Christ were not in them Know ye not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates And all these things are got up since the days of the Apostles Representations Images Crosses and Reliques amongst you that are apostatized frâ—m them that bid the Saints keep from Idols that had a sight of your coming up before their decease which you Papists and Professors hath since reigned and drunk the blood of the Saints and the Saints blood drunk and hath been Satans synagogue and out from the Saints This should be that the word of God might be fulfilled and are fulfilling But now the Lamb and the Saints the Top-stone is over your heads and Christ is come to reign Glory to the highest for ever who kils with the sword which are the words of his mouth conquering and to conquer And the seed is risen and rising in males and females the sons and daughters of men From them that be of the seed which the Beast makes war against The Answer to R.W. his Paper wherein he vindicates the doctrine and practise of the Romane Church so called to be the Church of Christ In the dark night of ignorance when men hath been as in a deep sleep their eyes closed in security a spirit of slumber hath seased upon many Nations the God of this World having blinded their eyes then the ravinous beasts have come out of their dens and hath ranged abroad in the earth seeking to destroy and to devour the sheep of the Lords pasture and to kill them that the shepherd hath fed and to lead them astray as into a great Wildernesse from the fold that they might worry them and destroy them and make a prey upon them and that which Christ prophesied of which Math. hath recorded Chapter the 7. vers. 15. and in the 24. of Math. 9.10 and the 11. the false Prophets the Wolves which should come and devour and to the intent that they may not be so easily descovered by the Sheep they shall come in the sheeps clothing but inwardly are ravining Wolves and these John and Peter and Paul saw come in their dayes and fortold that they should more increase after and should not spare to make havock of the Church of Christ this was long before the general apostacy and they fortold that there should be a departure from the faith and likewise that many should make ship wrack of faith and a good conscience and the spirit spoke expresly that in the latter time some should depart from the Faith and should give head to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils that should speak lyes in hypocricy forbidding to mary and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. and this doctrine of Devills is found in the Church of Rome with many more which hereafter may be mentioned which clearly demonstrates that the Wolves the false Prophets the deceivers the Anti-christs the Seducers them that taught the doctrines oâ— Devils them that were seduced believed this doctrine which was apostatized from the doctrine of Christ and the Apostles here is your beginning here is the corner-stone of your foundation the dead-stones of which your visible Church was made up of which is none of Gods Temple but the synagogue of Satan and a residence for the Devill from whence all these Devillish doctrines have proceeded that hath corrupted all nations hath unsetteled them that they are become like a sea casting out all this mire and dirt swelling raging tossing unstable the Nations are waters tongues languages kindred out of these waters rose the beast with his heads and hornes that hath prevailed and hath over-come the Saints and hath shed their blood and filled them and hath made war against the Lamb and yet doth his followers so that none hath escaped the rage of the beast who had not his mark and upon these waters kinreds tongues Nations and Peoples the whore sits which is none of the Lambs wife and she hath made all drunk with the wine of her fornication so that all Nations have been intoxicated and inflamed and have reeled and staggered and fallen from the faith vvhich stands in the power of God and so being erred from the faith that works by love you have set up another fained faith which works by wrath and envie murther and cruelty witness your bloodly masâ—acring torturing racking tearing rending burning destroying killing and murdering many thousands since the dayes of the Apostles so that your faith is manifest to be reprobate by the fruits you have brought forth before mentioned I challenge all the body of your visible Church so called to prove that ever Christ or his Apostles or the Churches which beleeved and received the everlasting Gospel and were in the faith that wrought by love where they taught or practised any such things as burning kiliing destroying racking them that were Hereticks or there was heresy at Jerusalem among the Jewish Church some that held that their was neither Angel nor Spirit nor resurrection which was heresy and yet their is no mention of burning or killing of such and their was heresy in the primitive times before ever your ruinous heap of visible dead stones were brought together of which now so great a Babell is builded or before you had the name of a Church and yet no mention is made of their burning or racking or killing of them for the faith which wrought by love endured all things in which the Apostle was in the charity that suffered long and endured all things but your fruits have made your reprobate faith manifest unto many blessed be the Lord But now the night is far spent and the day is at hand and is dawned upon many and the Anti-christs is seen and the Deceivers and false Prophets and the Wolves that hath the sheeps clothing the Saints words and now the table of Devills is seen and the doctrine of Devills and they will not be partaked of nor harkened unto as they have been in yeares past for now the heritage of God that hath laid wast is coming to be tilled and the threshing-instrument that hath teeth is put into the hands of the Lambs followers and now wo to the hills they shall be threshed to dust and shall be levelled and wo to the beast his hornes shall be broken which hath risen out of the Sea the Sea shâ—ll be dried up out of which he had his rise and the mother of Harlots shall become desolate and her Flesh burnt with fire and wo to her merchants that have traded by Sea for it will be dried the lamentation is heard which shall speedly come when they shall cry alas alas and wo to the Kings of the earth that have drunk of the whores cup and wo to them that have admired the beast and have said who is able to make war with the beast he is come who is able to make war in righteousness
Reader to that which is written in answer to the former papâ—r Again Thou saith that the Apostles and their successors had power to remit sins according to John 20.23 The Apostles who believed in the Son of God unto whom all power is committed and had received power from God could do nothing against the power which was their life and what they said and did from that power stâ—ndeth for the same power that Christ received of the Father the same he gave unto them and the same that they did remit was remitted But what is this to the Pope who is out of the power of God who follows his Successors the Antichrists Deceivers Apostates and vagabond Jewes and Exorsists who would have cast out Devils in the name that Paul preached but could not When did Christ or any of his Apostles say to the Pope or any of the Cardinals Fryars Monks Jesuites whose sins ever you remit are remitted Or when did he give the Pope or any of his Cardinals Fryars Jesuites Monks power to sell Pardons for money Is not this a doctrine of the Devill which Peter whose successors you say you are who declared against you and such as you who said concerning you that you taught those things for filthy lucre which you ought not to teach And further thou saiest thou confâ—sses that there are other points of Popish Doctrine which you teach that there is not such evident Scripture for as for those before mentioned if thou hadst said there had bin none at all thou had spoke truth this is the Popish doctrine which thou sayest you have not clear Scriptures for for Purgatory praying to Saints and baptizing of Infants c. I say there is no Scripture at all except it be your own devised Fables For the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sinne them that do believe and there is no need of any other thing to cleanse and so your Purgatory is a feigned fiction and a lying invented thing invented by the Pope to get money by And as for praying to the Saints there is no Scripture for but against it For it is written thâ—u shalt worship the Lord thy God and him ONLY shalt thou serve and cal upon me in the day of trouble It doth not say call upon the Saints And farthermore Christ said Whatsoever â—e aske in my name it shall be given you And farthermore Christ said to his Disciples Whatsoever you aske my father in my name it shall be granted unto you He exhorteth them not as the Pope doth to ask in the name of St. Mary and St. Peter and St. Dominick And as for baptizing of Infants that is an invention of your own framed and formed since the dayes of the Apostles For the Apostles were commanded to teach and preach before they baptized any but you baptize those that are untâ—ught and unlearned and these they call members of youâ— visible Church and so all this fâ—igned doctrine before mentioned is denyed and and condemned by the spirit oâ— the Lord which you are erred from 5 Prin. That the Scripture doth no where clearly teach that we must do nothing nor believe noâ—hing whiâ—h is not written in the Scripture so thou saith even by our own rule the whole foundation of all our nâ—w faith falls to pieces For if I am bound to believe nothing but what stands in Scripture then thou sayest thou art not bound to believe this maxime of Heretickes because it stands not in Scripture Answ. Paul was no Heretick and he said If I or an Angell from heaven preach any other Gospel let him be accurst And Moses he was no Hâ—retick and he said to the Church of the Jewes concerning the book of the Law given unto them Thou shall not adde thereto nor take therefrom And John he was no Hâ—retick and he said If any man shall add unto these things written in the book God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in the book And yet all these were Hâ—reticks in thy account their faith stood in the power of God and this the Scripture bears witness of and those things were written in the Scripture that they might be believed and from the spirit of truth they were written And so if thou professe thou have the spirit of truth thou art bound not to believe any thing contrary to the Scripture and here your foundation and doctrine is dashed to pieces by the spirit of God who spoke for the Scripture And farther thou goes on in thy blindness and ignorance and sayes thou art not bound to believe that the Bible is the word of God because it stands not in Scripture is not the Scripture that which is written in the Bible And dost thou not call the Scriptures the Word of God and yet foolishly saith the Bible stands not in the Scripture Thou goes on and says it is most clear that we are bound to believe and receive some things that are not written in the Scripture they who know the bond of the spirit are not bound by iâ— to beliâ—ve any thing which is contrary to the spirit which speak forth the Scripture Further thou brings 2 Thes. 2. and 15. 21 John 25. to prove that we are bound to believe something that is not â—ritten in the Scripture because the Apostle exhorts the Thessâ—lonians to stand fast and to hold the traditions which they had been taught whether by word or writing Now if thou can produce thou may the words that he taught to the Thessalonians which was spoken by the same spirit which he wrote the Epistleâ— by and that which he spake doubtlesse is not contrary to that which he wrote and so this proves nothing that every one is to believe your vain traditions which you have invented in your carnal minds being erred from the faith and having lost the spirit And although John say that there were many other things that Christ did which are not written Yet what doth this prove that your innovated stories and devised fables ought to be believed And I say unto thee and unto all you it is meer madnesse to aver or to believe that which is contrary to that which is written And then thou says if any man ask thee what those things be which Christ and the Apostles taught and have not written thou gives an answer thy selfe that they taught to baptize Infants and that we must sanctifie the Sundays and other holy days and to fast in Lent and acknowledge Sr. Peters successors for the governours of Christ-Church and to say Masse and with all other points of Catholique doctrine all which pack of lyes and foolish fopperies and invented imaginations which is all contrary to that which Christ spake and the Apostles wrote of him For these are all invented stuffe some from the Heathens you have by traditions and the rest has been invented both the words and the things themselves since the Apostles dayes wherein there hath been a great Apostacy and
be poured upon him and his seat So the Author of all these sects and names hath been from you that first ravened from the spirit of God all Sects upon the earth would kill one another about their worship which shews the spirit of the Devil and not the spirit of the Apostles So when the Beast had overcome the Saints and killed them and got power over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations And the woman fled into the wildernesse and the man-childe caught up to God And the Dragon made war with the â—emnant of her seed that kept the commands of God and here by this you may see where the Church hath been And the great Whore which went forth from the Apostles and ravened from the spirit of God yet hath had the sheeps cloathing which all Nations hath drank her cup She hath corrupted the earth and made the Inhabitants of the earth drunk and the Kings of the earth hath committed fornication with her and all nations have drunk her cup of fornication She sits upon the waters and the waters are peoples not a people and the waters are nations where the Whore sits and multitudes and tongues Now mark if Nations be waters and Peoples be waters and Multitude waters and Tongues waters And the earth is corrupted and the Inhabitants of the earth drunke and all nations have drunk the cup of fornication and the Kings of the earth hath committed fornication with her Now where is the Church and the Rock all this time when nations peoples multitudes and tongues are waters and the Inhabitants of the earth drunk and the earth corrupted and all nations have drunk the whores cup And the whore cannot be said to be the heathen for the Whore goes from something and there is the ancient visible Church And the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and all nations have drank the cup of fornication and fornication is before you be married And these are them that have drank the blood of the Prophets Saints and Martyrs that have kept the testimony of Jesus But now again the Lamb is brought forth to rule the Nations with a rod of Iron though the Beast and false Prophet and Kings of the earth and the old Dragon make war against the Lamb and the Saints yet the Lamb and the Saints shall get the victory and the everlasting Gospel shall be preached to all nations kindreds tongues and people and life and immortality shall come to light through the Gospel which your old great Grand-father went from in the dayes of the Apostles and so to that that they went from is people now come and coming and the Lambs wife is making her selfe ready and the Saints do sing the Lord God omnipotent reigns and you are all too immoderate spirits you and all other Sects then to be like the Apostles and Christ or to be like the Church of Christ your fallibility and your Idols Inquisitions and Cruelties makes it appear Two Queries being propounded to thee In thy answer to the first Query thou saist That all Churches or meetings of all sorts of men which have not the spirit of God they may erre In thy answer to the second Query thou saist That the Church of Christ or the meetings of those Christians that follow the rule and law of Christ and are always guided by them cannot erre in any truth Reply Your Church the Church of Rome have erred from the spirit of truth and the truth in which there is no errour As instance you have set up Idols and the spirit of truth in the true Church said Keep your selves from Idols as in Johns Epistle And you have made Ministers by men and by the will of man and so gone into your own wills which the Scripture came not by nor which Christs Ministers were not made by and you and all Apostates since are of men and made by men and so you are erred â—rom the spirit of truth that leads into all truth You are erred from the Crosse of Christ the power of God and have set up outward Crosses and falls down to that instead of falling down to the power of God You have erred from the true Image of God the Saints were in and have set up outward Images of wood and stone You have erred from the Saints life and spirit and from the spirits of just men and so from the true Church and so set up the Reliques as pieces of Cloath and old bones So you know after the flesh which the Apostles did not And you are erred from the Rock and falln into the waters as in Revelations And your Idols Pictures and Images have corrupted the earth so you are erred from the true Church and the true Spirit which cryed against Idols in all ages as Moses said in his command to the people and the Apostles Your Church is commanded to make Images and Idols and the Church in Moses time and the Apostles Churches were commanded to keep from them So no true Church you are but apostates but fallible and erred in matter of faith and doctrine and praised be the Lord who hath brought you to the Light And multitudes of instances may be shewed who compares the Church with what the Churches of Christians were in the dayes of the Apostles And thou saist the difficulty is where the Church of Christ is to be found for Papists Lutherans Calvinists Anabaptists Arminians and all schismatical meetings they do claim the title of Christs Church to themselves c. Answ. All these the Roman Church being the mother of the Apostates and all these before-mentioned are started from her her sturdy sons and severall names still in the forme for the light within they are all against and Christ within to reigne and teach and the Law within in the heart and in the mind whereby all comes to know the Lord and the word in the heart and in the mouth to obey and do and the spirit of truth to lead into all truth whereby the Saints have unity one with another and with the Scriptures and with God This the Papâ—sts are run from into Images and Idols and this the Baptists Lutherans and all other Sects are run from into other Images within but with the spirit of truth which leads the Saints into all truth are these comprehended and out of all these sects and sorts are people coming I 'le break your names and marr your Images with the spirit of truth fence your selves never so wisely And so none of these nor you neither are of the true Church but the beast and his names but some of these you calâ— Sâ—cts are neerer the true Church then you for the world who lives in Images and Idols wonder after you who lives in Images and Idols who are apostatized from them keep your selves from Idols As for the Quakers who are risen in the Ancient of dayes in the end of the night of apostacy among whom that's appeared that cannot be shaken
are you not in the fornication and set up places for fornication among you and no fornicator or idolater must enter into the kingdome of God For are you not worshipping of Images and do you not trust in them and doth not the Lord say Cursed be all them that trust in graven Images Now the Apostle faith The mystery of iniquity doth already worke and there should be a falling away before the man of sin should be revealed who exalts himselfe above all that is called God or is worshipped and sits in the Temple of God and shews himselfe that he is God The Apostle bid remember that he told these things and that he might be revealed in due time and now he is revealed is not the man of sin a devourer and was the Apostles so and are not you devourers who worships the names of Saints and Images and Reliques and so contrary to John who was not to worship the Angell but God How are you fallen from the truth and from the state of John how are you revealed 2 Thes. 2. And this man of sin whose coming is after the workings of Satan destroying with his power Now have not you a great power and lying signes and wonders have you not your lying signes and great wonders among you and the deceiveableness of unrighteousness who have not believed the truth but are given up to believe the lying signs and wonders so God hath sent strong delusions among you And was it not the Apostles charge to Timothy that he should teach no other Doctrine neither give heed to fables Now are not you run into the fables run into Images and reliques and purgatory and idols beads and jewels and so puts them in your Inquisitions that denies your fables and witnesseth the contrary that which is the sound doctrine so are you not contrary to the sound Church here and given up to them that believe fables 1 Tim. 1. are not your Ministers made of men and by men so gone forth from the power the Apostles was in which was not of man nor by man so no true Ministers And did not the Apostle say in his charge Tim. 3. to prove Ministers and Bishops they might not be brawlers they must not be given to filthy lucre they must not be given to wine they must not be covetous they must not be strikers Are not you strikers killing and slaying in Cains way them that be contrary minded to you so not of the true faith not of the true Church not of the true stockâ— nor of the true Ministry This I have proved by the Apostles separated from them out of their way are not you covetous would you not sell pardons for money are you not ashamed of your christianity to the very heathen about you hath not God here brought the very man of sin to light and revealed him Now the Apostle said The spirit spoke expresly at the latter times some should depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils speaking lyes in hypocrisie having their consciences seared with a hot iron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats Are you not departed from the faith that purifies and the word that sanctifies and so the Church made up of such as the spirit spoke should come that forbids to marry commands to abstain from meats and so your Church made up with the seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils Doth not the fruits declare this to all the Nations about you so are not you gone from the example of the Apostles who bids follow us as you have us for an example both Church and Ministers You have forsaken the example of the Apostle both your Church Ministers The Apostle commanded Timothy to keep his commandement without spot unrebukeable untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ And do not your fruits make you manifest that you are fallen into all these things that the Apostle saw should come and the Spirit said should come And moreover the Apostle said If you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world as living in the world why are you subject to ordinances And if you be risen with Christ seek those things which are above Set your affections on things that be above and not on things that be on the earth as your Images Reliques Idols Pictures Beads Jewels earthly Crosses Crucifixes are not all these things below and doth not these make up your Church and is not this the voluntary humility that beguiles people Such doth not hold the head which are in the outward shews which are not to be tasted and handled which things perish with the using after the commandements and doctrines oâ— men which shews you are not risen with Christ not seeking the things that are above but your affections are on things on the earth Col. 2. Again the Apostle saith In the last dayes perillous times should come that men should be lovers of themselves blasphemers covetous proud boasters heady traitors high minded despisers of them that are good of this sort are them that creep into houses leading silly women captive laden with divers sins and lusts always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth like Jannes and Jambres which with-stood the faith to keep people in Aegypt keeping people in bondage and spiritual Aegypt having the form but denying the power And hath not the Church been made up of such since the days of the Apostles and evill men seducers should wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived And the time will come saith the Apostles that they would not endure sound doctrine they heap to themselves teachers that would not endure the truth running into fables Now these things being come up before the Apostles decease of which your Church is is made up of which are turned from the truth that have itching ears and seducers are reprobate concerning the faith that keep to the fables And this to the view of all people may be seen hath made up your Church for these things hath come up since the days of the Apostles which were coming up before their decease and the Apostle speaks to Titus of the unruly talkers whose mouths must be stopped who taught for filthy lucre which were evill beasts slow bellies which followed fables made by the will of men and of these your Church is made up of which to every good work are reprobates being reprobate to the good and disobedient Tit. 1. And the grace of God which brings salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us to live righteously sobâ—rly and godly Are not you run into the worlds lusts and from the soberness and from the grace of God which brings salvation by which people are saved into the foolish questions and strivings about the law unprofitable and vain which are the hereticks which went forth from among the Apostles Tit. 3. and so from the grace by which men are justified Are not you gone into the
Woman fled into the Wilderness and the man-child caught up to God and the Dragon made war with the seed and the Beast hath power from the Dragon which kills the Saints now where is your Church where hath the true Church been now where is the faith and patience of the Saints He which kills with the sword must be killed with the sword him that hath an ear let him hear the Dragon the Beast out of the Sea out of the Earth these are Scriptures the Beast out of the Earth his miracles his Images now here is your Church apostatized from the Apostles from John from the Woman from the Saints from the man-child caught up to God so the Beast hath had his authority and power that killed the Saints from the Dragon and the man-child caught up to God the Woman fled into the Wilderness and hath had his power and authority over all tongues People and Nations who hath deceived the Nations because of your miracles and yet the tongues your Orthodox men wch you call the original which the Beast hath power over will tell the people that the false Prophets are come but now the 7. Mathew but now is the seven vials coming upon the Beast and his names and them that vvorship him for all these names in the vvhole Christendom is the Beasts names not the Saints but by reproach and now are the Reapers going forth vvith their sickle and are calling people from the vvorship of the Beast and his Image vvho had his seal to deceive them that dvvell upon the Earth the spirits of Devils vvorking miracles vvhich goes forth to the Kings of the Earth in the vvhole Earth to gather them to battel against the great day of the Lord God Almighty and blessed is he that keepeth his garment clean and the great Whore Mistery Babylon sits upon the Beast vvhose povver vvas from the Dragon vvhich all the World should vvorship but vvho hath their names vvritten in the Book of life and so she sits upon the beast in his several colours vvhich all Nations of the earth hath drunk of her cup committed fornication with her there the Woman is called the Church now here is your Church and she sits upon the waters and the waters are People Nations multitudes and tongues and she hath corrupted the Earth and made the inhabitants of the Earth drunk and the Kings of the Earth hath drunk of her cup and committed fornication with her but where hath been your Church all this time when the multitude are waters and Nations and tongues are waters and the Whore hath sat upon them all and the inhabitans of the Earth is drunk and she hath drunk the blood of the Martyrs and the blood of the Prophets and of the Saints now if Prophets blood be drunk and the Saints and Martyrs blood be drunk where is the true Church now and if the Prophets and Saints blood be drunk and the Woman fled into the Wilderness now where hath the true Church been Now again the Lamb and the Saints shall have victory the fall of Babylon shall be known the judgements of the great Whore is come and she shall be rewarded double as she hath rewarded The Beast the false Prophets the Kings of the earth shall make war with the Saints but again the Lamb and the Saints shall get victory who shall kill with the sword slay with the sword which is the words of his mouth the Beast shall be taken with him the false Prophet the old Dragon and be cast alive into the lake of fire Now here was the Lambs weapons and Saints killing and slaying with the sword which is the word of his mouth but their weapons is fire faggot inquisition torturing hanging drawing and quartering about your Religion about your worship that which your faith stands in which is proved to be Cains and not Abels the Keeper of Sheep for the Lamb and the Saints shall have the victory and the holy Prophets shall have power over you whom the beast hath had power over whom you have worshipped and the Whore hath set upon all tongues and kindreds and Nations and the everlasting Gospel shall be preached to them that dwell upon the earth to all tongues people and Nations that dwell upon the earth and so your Church hath been made up of false Prophets inwardly ravening Wolves and the grievous Wolves not sparing the flock and that come in after the Apostles departure that rose up among them that had the Sheeps clothing Math. 7. and 24. Acts 20. And your Church is made up of Hereticks which the Apostle speaks of that served not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies which caused devisions which had the good words and fair speeches which deceived the hearts of the simple Romans 16. And your Church is made up of false Apostles Satans Ministers Satans messengers transforming themselves as the true messengers Ministers and Apostles your Church is made up of such who forbids marriages and meats which the Apostle said should come and so in the Devils doctrines as 1 Timoth. 4. and 2 Corinth 11. and so are not built upon the true foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and Christ Jesus who being past feeling who are gone after the vanities of your own minds like Gentiles into Idols Ephes. 5.4 who are the injurious Persons as Paul was in his first estate before conversion when he persecuted who never after conversion did persecute for then he came into the life and substance of what he professed in words before and so your fruits do shew your Church to be made up of injurious Persons persecuting like Saul not converted and yet you he doting about Law and Gosple which you do not know what you affirm and speak of so your Church many of them through Philosophie and rudements below are held up by the Commandments and doctrines of men and feigned and voluntary humility which is your own and usurped authority Jezabel-like so hath forsaken the command of the Lord Jesus Christ and the true Church who said keep from Idols you have made Idols and Images that can neither hear nor see nor go so your Church is to be confounded which trusteth in Idols and Images so not in the true Church of God and your Church is made up of them that kill the Lord Jesus Christ and kill the Prophets and kills the Saints and so fills up the wrath to the utmost which is to come upon you and your Church is made up of such who for the love of money hath erred from the faith and are covetous and will sell Pardons for money your Church is made up of such who be given to blaspheme and so hath lost the godliness in which the Saints increase but you have cankered the People with your images and pictures idols of things below so out of the sober state in the malice hatefull out of the fruits of the true Church but made up of
and names 51. Where did the Apostles and Saints that were amongst them the true Church give any such Commands that there should be any dayes set apart for fish to be observed as you do answer me these things out of the Doctrines of Christ or the Apostles or Disciples of the Apostles and the true Church 52. Where was there any amongst the Apostles and Disciples which was the true Church amongst the true Christians that had the name of Pope before their decease or Fryeries or Abbies or Nunneries or Monkes or any such names amongst them answer me by the Scriptures out of the practice of the true Apostles and true Christians which the Apostles were amongst before their decease 53. Where did the Apostles and Disciples take a vow of any Christians or make them to give them a vow that they should never possesse any thing of their own or never marry but put them into houses where they should never come out again and is not that the Doctrine of Devils which was coming in before the Apostles decease forbidding the eating of meats and forbidding of marriage 1 Tim. 4. and from what ground and root has this had its rise 54. What were the false Prophets and Anti christ that Christ said should come in the 7. and 24. of Math. to his Disciples which the Disciples â—aw was come as in 1 Joh. 2. and 4. which went forth from them wch he saith in his revelations all that dwelt upon the earth went after and all Nations drunk the cup of the fornication and the Kings of the earth and all that dwelt upon the earth worshipped the Beast what Kings of the earth were thâ—y that drunk this cup of fornication and all Nations and what Nations were they that cup was this was not it them that ravined from the life which went forth from the Apostles which made war against the Saints and should overcome them for a season that kept the testimony of Jesus the spirit of Prophesy whose names were written in the Lambs book of life slain from the foundation of the world 55. Where did the Apostles and the Church that they were amongst before their decease set up Crosses and did they fill their windowes full of pictures and Images of males and females answer me this by Scripture out of the Apostles practice Now if you say that Joshua bowed before the Arke and Solomon made Images Joshua bowed to the Lord before the Arke and Christ is come the substance of all tipes and figures and shadowes and to him must every knee bow who is a greater then Solomon that built the Temple and Stephen that was stoned to death for witnesing the substance and denying the figure 56. And where did the Apostles and Disciples or the Ministers of Christ Jesus which was amongst the Apostles before their decease consecrate bread and wine or Christ give them any such Commâ—nd to consecrate it tell me out of the Commands of Christ or the Commands of the Apostles before their decease that they practised any such thing amongst the Saints And what Scripture have you or Command from Christ or the Apostles or the Church that was amongst them that speaks of seven Sacraments or any such names that they had amongst them or give forth any such thing to be practised after them let the practice of Christ and his Apostles and the Saints then speak for it or declare it or else you must acknowledge your selves to be besides them and acknowledge it to be but an invention and your own words 57. If your Church be the Pillar and ground of Truth the gates of Hell cannot pervail against it but if the gates of Hell have prevailed and you swallowed up in darkness and in inventions and are fain to hold up your selves with Prisons and Inqâ—isitions and Goales and outward Carnal weapons does not this shew that your weapons are carnal and not spiritual and that you are out of the power of Truth which the Apostles were in I am none of those that you cal your sects separated from you and drove you out of your houses and taken them and call them the Church nor any of them that holds up Tythes or Temple outward which has your Crosses on the end of them nor any of them that holds up Priests which have been made by Schooles and Colledges and has their Temples and Pulpits imitating Ezra or Solomon not Christ who came to put an end to them nor any of them that are taught to call the dayes by the Saints names nor any of them that are taught to call the Colledges by Jesus by Christ by Immanuel by Trinity none of them that ever was learned to call them by these names nor any of them taught by the Heathen to call moneths by the names of January February March April May c. and to name dayes and to call them by such a Saint or such a God or Sun or Moon or Starres But am a witnesse against all the Priests made by Schooles and Colledges by mans will and Tythes and Temples set up since the dayes of the Apostles in the Apostacy and a witnesse against all the Jews Temples Tythes Pulpits Priests and offerings one of them that are the Elect that witness the everlasting Priest-hood and everlasting covenant 58. Are not all these Pulpits Temples Tythes Priests Schooles Colledges made by the will of man and set up by the will of man in the apostacy since the dayes of the Apostles and are not you all in the Apostacy from Christ and the Apostles who said when they curse blesse ye and the Apostle sayes my brethren bless and curse not Now you that do curse by your Bell by your Book and by your Candle are not you apostatized from the Apostles Doctrine here who saith bless and curse not and ye curse Did not the Apostle Peter see the Cursers cursed speakers come up before his decease 59. Did the Apostles give the names as Whitsontyde or Easter or Christmas the names of holy dayes are not all these set up since the Apostles seeing the Apostle said he was afraid of them that observed dayes Did not the Jews dote upon the shadow more then the substance dote upon the day more then they did upon Christ But shew what your observing of Whitsontyde Easter or other holy dayes does signify forth and who was the first author of your Church or where the Apostles or the Church before their decease practised or commanded any such thing if not grant your selves Apostates 60. Where did the Apostles or Ministers of Christ or the beleivers before their decease build great Abbies Monasteries and set crosses on the ends of them Nunneries Cloysters build walkes in the ground shew it by Scripture by that prove your practice else acknowledge your selves to have set up these things who be in the apostacy 61 Where had the Apostles or the Saints Bells jangling to call them together like a company of Heathen or
like they that have a horn to call their hounds together or the Swine-heard for people to put forth Swine or hower-glasses to preach by the hower prove it by scripture else acknowledge your are in the Apostacy and have set up â—hese things by your own inventions and are them that limit the spirit 62. Where did ever the Apostles consecrate any thing or the scripture speak of Sacraments or where did the Apostles use that which you call holy Water to sprinkle people withal if you cannot shew it by scripture where the Apostles or Christ diâ— practise any such thing acknowledge your selves that you be in the Apostacy that have set up such things since the dayes of the Apostles and erred from the true Church in your inventions 63. Where did the Apostles when they went to preach or to pray put on white Hoods Copes Tippets white Surplisses and cornered Caps are not all these things got up since the dayes of the Apostles amongst such as are apostatâ—zâ—d from them 64. Who are the inwardly Raveners that Christ said should come which was the false Prophets which should have the Sheeps clothing but inwardly ravening Wolves an inwardly ravening Wolf worse then a dog which got the sheeps clothing is not this it that has made war against the Saints that kept the testimony of Jesus the Spirit of prophesy and has not the wolf been covered with the sheeps clothing long such as ravined from the spirit such as has inwardly ravened and would ravine and destroy all that be contrary minded 65. Have not men fallen into the flesh since the dayes of the Apostacy and ravined from the spirit that went forth from the Apostles are not they them that has set up all these outward things as Temples Tythes Priests crosses crucifixes Schooles Colledges to make them Ministers Images Idols Abbies Nunneries Candels Altars Holy waters Praying by Beads sprinkling children with the sign of the crosse and have not you gone back who are ravened from the spirit and so lost the substance and so imitating Aaron and his Sons and imitating Altars and outward things that stood in Moses which the Apostle sayes while Moses was read the veil was over their hearts 66. Was not the first Priest-hood a true tipe and the Temple a true tipe of the inward and the Sanctuary and Altar a tipe and the outward things in the Law shadowing forth the good things that were to come which were but to have their times and seasons and did not the Apostle witnesse the substance of all tipes figures and shadows and signs and similitudes and likenesses and witnessed that which gave him to see where there was no shadow nor changing Now are not all your tythes Temples Priests Altars Crosses Crucifixes Images Similitudes Beads Cloysters Abbies Nunneries set up by your own inventions which men and people has been compelled to worship are not all these lying signs and wonders and the worship of the beast that which they that inwardly ravened set up and is not this to give worship to them that inwardly ravined from the spirit of God who are the Wolves that â—an make a profession of Christs and the Apostles words the Beast and false Prophets which the world has wondred after and should deceive them with their lying signes and wonders Did not the Apostles give hints of such things before their decease did not John see such come as the whole world went after and all that dwelt upon the earth worshipped the Beast Now answer me these things and clear me them by Scripture where the Apostles did practise or act any such things before mentioned and if ye be not such that John and the Apostles speaks of and Christ that should be the inward ravening wolves and go forth from the Apostles which John saw all that dwelt upon the earth worshipped and went after and all that dwelt upon the earth drunk the cup of fornication and should deceive them that dwell upon the earth with their lying signes and wonders and miracles and if you be not them tell me who they are 67 What is the Beast and the number of his names and what are his names and what is his marke that they that would not receive should be persecuted And what is his image and what are his heads and what are his crowns and what is the mother of the harlots and what is the great whore which hath corrupted the earth and what is the cup of fornication that all Nations has drunk of and who are the Beast and false Prophets what are they that are come up since the dayes of the Apostles How to say you believe as the Church believes and you will not trouble your selves about the Scriptures because they are hard to â—e understood you are to see that you be of the Church that the Apostles were of which was the pillar and ground of truth which was without spot or wrinkle or blemish and so their belief stood in Christ and God And when any did wrong yea Peter Peter was withstood and not believed as he believed And as for saying the Scriptures are hard to be understood that is to shew you want the spiâ—it as was in them that gave them forth in which is the unity and the bond of peace And none comes to be a member of the Church in God the pillar and ground of truth without spot or wrinkle or blemish but who comes into the spirit that they were in that gave forth the Scriptures with which spirit every one in particular hath his particular satisfaction in the Scripture it opens it to them with which spirit he hath unity with God unity with the Scriptures of whom they learned that gave them forth and there is the bond of peace Now to tye up men to believe as others believe and to compell them by a law or a prison or an inquisition this was not in the true Church but this is a marke of the apostacy from it and is a marke that they that do so are the wresters of the Scriptures and err'd ravened from the spirit that they were in that gave them forth For it was not their worke to compell people by a Law by a prison by an Inquisition to obey their faith and to bring them into their worship and doctrine that was not the worke of them that had the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures but this shews and signifies and declares it selfe forth that you would have power over mens faith which saith the Apostles we have not but bade them look at Jesus the author of the faith And again to believe as others believe which do call themselves a Church Is not this different from the Apostles doctrine who saith he that believes hath the witnesse in himself and hast thou faith have it to thy self 68 Is your Church the body of Christ and is your bread the body of Christ after consecration and is that bread after you have consecrated it the Church
Is that the body of Christ the Church for the Apostle saith the body of Christ which is the Church 69 Is God worshipped in truth but in the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures and in that which the Devil is out of Now can any of you worship God in the truth unlesse you be in the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures then being in the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures how can you say that the Scripture is hard to be understood or any that be in the Church seeing the true Church is made up of living stones and the Scripture was given forth from the spirit 70 And whereas it is a generall word to say you believe as the Church believes and the Scriptures are hard to be understood Doth not this shew that you be all afraid of your standing and shew that your Church is in the state of apostacy from the Apostles and Disciples of the Lord Jesus that there is a cry amongst you the Scripture is hard to be understood And we must believe as the Church believes and the Church is the Pope and his Councel Now if he or his Councel dare not venture to try their standing to meet the spirit of God and to answer these Qâ—eries or all his train that be under him then shall we know and then shall it be seen who is the true Church and who are the apostates and set up a likenesse an Image And if you do shelter your selves in the darkness and not come forth to the light and dare not venture your Principles and is afraid of the heat and for fear that your heads should be cut or slashed and your principles dasht to pieces and see that your weapons will not carry you out and that your righteousnesse is but as rags and you have been but wolves covered with the sheeps cloathing and have been devourers of the Lambs and can do nothing without your swords and carnall weapons and your Inquisitions then may the whole world see you Therefore come out I challenge you all and give an answer either in print or in writing and bring your deeds to light that they may be manifested to the whole earth and declared on the house-top our weapons are not carnall with which we shall handle you neither need you fear your persons neither need you be afraid that we will wrestle with flesh and blood for that which was amongst the Apostles is come to that which hath been since the Apostles is seen The arm of flesh is not our weapons but the Lord of hosts Come thou Pope with all thy Jesuites and Cardinals and see if thou can stand this day before the truth for these queries be to the whole body and thee scattered up and down the face of the whole earth and the power of the Lord God of life of heaven and earth is gone over you and hath fathomed you 71 Was it the work of the Christians to be beating Dâ—ums up and down fighting destroying one another where has been loving enemies where has been overcoming evill with good and rendring to no man evill for evill 72 Doth not Christ say It hath been said of old time thou shalt perform thy oath unto the Lord But doth not he say swear not at all Now ye swearers have not you bâ—oken Christs command and have apostatized from his doctrine but if ye say the Prophets swore or Abraham swore or David swore or Solomon swore or Moses swore or the Priests swore Christ is the end of the Prophets and Priesthood a greater then Solomon then Joseph or Jacob Before Abraham was I am who saith swear not at all Now if you say did not the Apostles say an oath was an end of controversie and strife amongst men that men swore by the greater which the Apostle brings as an example shewing how God could not finde a greater and therefore swore by himselfe concerning his covenant that doth not change betwixt God and man in which covenant man comes to have peace with God Now if ye say did not the Angel swear in the Revelations I bring forth my first begotten into the world and let all the Angels worship him and this is the beloved Son heare ye him saith God And above all things my brethren saith the Apostle swear not at all neither by heaven nor by earth lest ye fall into condemnation So are not all you swearers fallen under condemnation and out of the Apostles doctrine and apostatized from it Nay is not the power which you call your supream under the condemnation and Magistrates that are swearers and giving oaths no Christian Magistrates but they and their power is all under condemnation all swearers upon the earth for saith the Apostle Above all things my brethren swear not at all left ye fall into condemnation So are not ye swearers who calls your selves a Church Pope Magistrates all upon the earth under condemnation and out of the doctrine of the Apostles false brethren and out of the power of Christ who has all power in heaven and eâ—rth given unto him who saith let your yea be yea and your nay nay in all your communications who is the end of oaths whose doctrine the Apostles preached and abode in Now are not all Churches Teachers powers Magistrates under condemnation that be the swearers and not the help-government to Christ out of the higher power all Magistrates from under the higher power that be swearers and out of Christs power and help Magistracy and government for him who has all power in heaven earth given unto him and out of the Apostles Doctrine and Christs Doctrine who saith Let all your communication be yea yea and nay nay for whatsoever is more is evill And so how can a company of swearers be a Church or the supream power which are the Beasts and false Prophets apostatized from the Apostles and Christs Doctrine and them that inwardly ravened from it and has had the shâ—eps cloathing that tear and rend all in pieces that will not come into the wolves way and bow down to that which he has set up and so therefore is the cry amongst you the Scripture is hard to be understood and you are tyed to believe as yoâ—â— Church believes so by that means you have held the out-side the sheeps cloathing and pretend to be saved by your works and meritâ— when the wolfe has been in your hearts tearing to pieces and rend and devour them that will not believe as you believe I cannot gainsay you in this as for your saying the Scriptures are hard to be understood when you are all ravened from the spirit that gave them forth 73 Where did ever any of the Saints change their names unlesse they had a command for it as ye do when ye are made Popes Did Peter change his name 74 Where was it amongst the Apostles that some might not marry and they might not at some times of the yeare marry but at those times they might
have a licence to marry for money as it hath been by them who be of you 75 Where did the Apostles bear about candles for the purification of Mary as you do where was this practice in the Church or how do you as the Church did or believe as the Church believes when you fordid to marry Did not the Church say it was the doctrine of Devils and how do you as the Church did when you forbid the eating of meats when the Church said it was the doctrine of Devils 76 Where did the Apostles consecrate swords and send them to one another to fight with their enemies how do you here believe as the Church believes who said we wrestle not against flesh and blood and their weapons were not carnall but spiritual 77 Where did the Apostles sell Pardons and Indulgences for money who said they were not redeemed with corruptible things and how do you believe as the Church believes when you are redeeming one another with corruptible things 78 How do you forgive one another freely as Christ hath forgiven when by your Pardons Indulgencies and Buls you get great sums of money of poor ignorant people are not you in this the covetous that makes merchandize of the people that Peter saw coming in who has the wages of unrighteousnesse whose reward must be according to your works for every man must receive a reward according to his deeds And the Apostles said they were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold And how are you apostatized from the Apostles doctrine that are selling pardons for silver and gold corruptible how do you here undervalue the blood of Christ which does cleanse from all sin and believe as the Church believes who said By no other name under heaven shall we be saved but by him And how is it that yee have set up another name to pardon the Pope and sell pardons Do not you in this shew and discover you to be in the apostacy from the Apostles and true Church and not to do as they did 79 Where did the Apostles set up Stews amongst them the Christians before their decease give your example but bade them flee fornication and said no unrighteousnesse must enter into the kingdome of God and he that defiled the Temple of God God would destroy And do not you in this set up that which is naught and tollerate that which is wicked 80 Where did ever the Apostles or the Saints say prayers by beads to the Saints or to Saint Mary as you do or compell any so to do or set forth such an order that should be after them Where was any such things practised among the Apostles before their decease that they must say so many prayers numbred by so many beads before they had a pardon 81 Where did the Apostles or Saints run up and down for Reliques or Bones of dead men as you do and why do you gather up the chips of Wood and Stone and dust that flyes from the door that you break open after you have chosen a Pope and keep them as precious Reliques where did ever any of the Saints do such things and has not all these things come up since the dayes of the Apostles amongst you who from them are apostatized The Protestant and Papist are fighting and striving about Works Now because the Apostle said They were justified by faith without the works of the Law And James saith that faith without works is dead And these are the Scriptures they fight about being both Protestant and Papist found out of the faith the Apostle spoke of and are found out of the works of the Law both so neither in the works of the faith nor in the works of the Law nor in seeing the intent of the Apostles Paul and James when they was speaking of justifying by faith without the works of the Law and Faith without the works was dead Now the Apostle when he speaks to the Romans of being justified by the faith without the works of the Law for the Faith in the heart takes away the nature that hath the shadowes and tipes and figures which causeth the obedience of the Law and which the fruits goes from that the Law takes hold upon and through this Faith and by it that 's removed whereby man hath access to God now the Law the works of the Law and the obedience to that made such a provision for a command being according to the Law for the tenth to be offered up for the widdows fatherlesse and Levite that there might not be a begger among them Now who comes into the faith of Christ Jesus in which the Law ends the nature is removed that pertaines to the shadows and figures which the fruits goes from which the occasion of the law comes upon them which the faith purifies and gives power and victory over the world which hath access to God which is justified in the sight of God and pleaseth him Now who are of this Faith are of Abraham over all the Idolatrous Nations Adulterers and Fornicators and all such Now this faith nourisheth and cherisheth and saves which works doth not but follows this and they are wrought in God and such cease from their own as God did from his so if a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of dayly food he feeds him and cloaths him so this Faith is in the Wisedome of God preserver of the Creation which is the Son of Gods Faith and the faith of the Elect but then the Devils faith that believes there is a God and trembles but are out of truth that cloathes not the naked brethren and doth not give them victory and sees them destitute of dayly food and doth not feed them but lets them cry up and down for bread cloaâ—hes about the streets this is like the Papist and Protestant and Sectaries faith and they are not the Preservers of the Creation but out of the living faith and in the dead and when they have done all this cloathed and fed and not a beggar among them it is not by their works that they are saved but by their faith which these works followes which works by love which is a preserver of the creation for it was a great work of the Apostle to bring them to the faith and to be justified by that alone without the deeds of the Law that the seed of God might come up in them the wisdome of the creation with it to be ordered and spread over it for who are of faith are of Abraham Christ according to the flesh was of Abraham so who are of Abraham are of the flesh of Christ Now when many had gotten the faith in a form being justified by it without the deeds of the Law so they which had gotten the form of the law without the life saw not Christ the substance and there rested but when these had gotten the form of being justified without the works and their brothers and their sisters were destitute of dayly food and was naked These were like unto your Christians and Papists that hath the name and talkes of a faith but it is dead therefore so many of their brethren and Sisters goes beging up and down the streets destitute of dayly food for mark they all say they are Christians and that they are baptized into the Church and into the faith and so then they are all Brethren and yet here is their Brethren up and down the streets destitute and naked and yet they will say depart in peace and be you warmed and filled and yet give them not these things which is good for them but may be make houses of correction to whip them and beat them is this like unto Christians that was amongst the Apostles or like unto the Law who had the Tythes for the service that there need not be a begger among them is not this the faith which James rebukes which is dead and all these are the Christians that hath a name but are dead from the life and doth not this dead faith carry you to beleeve that there is a God and a Christ and so the Devil doth that is the murderer and you will murder one another about Religion and faith Church and Profession and Idols and Ministery like the Heathen who will destroy one another about their Images often envied the Jews because they broke down their Images and that Faith which leads to murther the creatures about Religion Ministry and Church the same Faith will noâ— preserve the creation as to cloath the naked feed the hungry Now though the Apostle brought them out of the works of the Law being justified by them into the faith of Christ Jesus who brought them into the wisdome of the creation and the love of the creation the love of God which faith works by which faith God is the Author of it and this faith leads people to be preservers of the Creation feed the hungry and cloath the naked and these be the least things ye can do for these are but things that pertain to this life who are of faith as I said before are of Abraham Christ according to the flesh heirs of salvation of the world that hath no end He that believes hath entered into his rest and ceased from his owne works as God did from his and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life and so loves the brethren And he it is that abides in the house of God for ever the Son of God the Son of God abides in the house for ever Cains faith and Cains sacrifice is now made manifest out of the faith of Abraham and Abel and Gods elect and the Son of God THE END ERRORS PAge 5. l. 20. for mortall r. immortall p. 14. l. 10. for then that r. then you that p. 34. l. 20. for filled r. killed p. 38. l. 20. for did not r did p. 43. l. 19. for for r. forth p. 50. l. 20. for a God r. and God p. 57. l. 33. for learning r. worrying p. 62. l. 27 r. from that p. 65. l. 18. for them r. then p. 82. l. 34. for cut r. out p. 85 l. 28. for our r. your p. 87. l. 10. for that r. what p. 91. l. 21. for toe r. to be
THE PAPISTS STRENGTH Principles and Doctrines which they are sworn to Preach from the Councel of TRENT by the Popes Authority and after confirmed by the last General Assembly at ROVEN 1571. All which they have sworn to perform Answered and confuted Furthermore their Principles and Doctrines Answered and Confuted as they were laid down in two or three severall Papers by R. W. Papist lately sent from HOLLAND Also a challenge to the Pope and all his Adherents to choose out of all his Dominions some Cardinals Fryers or Jesuits to try their Bread and Wine after Consecration by watching on their side and on our side to prove that if afterward they have consecrated it whether the Bread and Wine doth not loose its taste and savour and so not the Body and Blood of CHRIST Also a paper to all them that fast and afflict themselves who are in the will-worship and voluntary humility Also some Quaeries to all the Papists upon Earth to be answered in writing and sent to them which all Sects upon the Earth call QUAKERS By GEORGE FOX LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth neer Aldersgate 1658. The Papists Principles as followeth whose name subscribed thereunto is R. W. Priest HE saith He cannot but admire to see what a power Satan hath over the sons of Adam and especially â—ver Schismaticks and Apostates from the union of the Roman Catholique Church Answ. Theâ— that be in the true Light Chrâ—â—â— Jesus that fathoms the world 〈◊〉 not admire to see the great power of Satan over the sons of Adam in the fall and over all the Schismaticks and Apostates for Schismaticks and Apostates and the sons of Adam in the transgression be all â—n the Devils power where he is in the transgression out of the truth in one power murderers for the Devil a murtheâ—er sons of Adam mâ—râ—herers in the fall out of the truth Schismaticks and Apostates out of the truth murtherers and will all murther and noâ—â—dmired at with the children of Light who has tryed their spirits So Devil sons of Adam in the fall and Papists and Protestants that will all murther for Religion and worship be all in the Devils power Murtherers out of the truth that Christ and the Apostles was in so the Roman Catholique Church which will murther is Satans synagogue for he is the murtherer and there he hath his seat And all the Protestants that be murtherers about Religion and worship are Satans synagogue are Apostates and Schismatâ—cks as well as you they were the first great synagogue of Satan and the first Apostates and Schismaticks from the life of the Apostles and Christ though since the dayes of the Apostles you have apostatized from the life others has professed against you and so are broken into heaps and names Satan has got up many synagogues in many parts of the world and gotten the sheeps cloathing and cryed up himself to be the name of Châ—â—stian which is meer Antichrist quite against him compelling all by sword or faggot or prison or stocks or whips or houses of Correction or Gaols or Inquisitions to worship him This is quite against Christ the Apostles spirit in the apostasie from them apostatized So you may strange to see the Devils power over the sons of Adam Apostates and Schismaticks and not see your selves swallowed up in the Devils power doing his work Thus judging others not seeing your selves for the Devill sons of Adam in the fall from the truth and you who are apostatized from Christ and the Apostles Doctrine and the Schismaticks that be from you in words and sects and names that be called Protestants that will murther for Religion and Worship they be all in the same power which the Devil is in for the Devil is out of the truth the sons of Adam out of the truth and the church of Rome out of the truth apostatized Protestants and all others that be out of the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures be out of the truth such are murthering one another about words and are Satans synagogues wreâ—â—ling against flesh and blood Striking at creatures in stead of striking at the power that captivates creatures to the intent that creatures might come into the liberty of the Sons of God which was the work of the Apostles and Christ Pr. No man can discern head or foot of the Quakers method or order yet there is some shew of reason in their Quaeries Answ. Thus he confounds himself Babylon And we do believe that neither the Papists Apostates Protestants nor sons of Adam nor Dâ—vill out of the truth can know either head or foot of the Quakers principles with all their thinkings for the Quakers is come into that which the Devil is out of sons of Adam is out of the Papists are out of and the Protestants that which overwhelmes them all Devill sons of Adam Papists Protestants out of the life of God with it are they all judged which Life the Quakers are in Pr. He saith not one Papist that he knows doth call himselfe a defender of the Faith yet he saith in a sense in writing against our principles he might call himself a Defender of the Catholique Church and Faith and yet notwithstanding he could not defend himselfe from the Devill Answ. In this thou hast shewed thy faith and the faith of the Catholique Church which will not defend you from the Dâ—vill so ye are the reprobates from the faith of the Elect that quenches the fiery darts of the Devill and gives victory over the world and the Devill and is their shield and with that faith is his Kingdom subdued And we do believe that the faith will not defend you from the Devill and if thou knowest never a Papist that is a Defender of the Catholique Faith what have you done with all the fires and faggots and inquisitions and killings and slayings and writing of your great Volumns against them that have protested against you all this time but now your faith fails and your wheel is gone off and the confusion of Babylon is confounded and the faith of Gods Elect contended for witnessed amongst them called Quakers whose weapons are not carnall but spirituall And your wicked Priests and such as be in the reprobate sence like Judas betraying the just have been the Preachers and Teachers which has gotten the form of godlinesse but are out of the power and the life and these are them that have risen against the Saints and overcome them which are now warring against the Lamb and the Saints but the Lamb and the Saints shall have the victory Pr. And whereas you say you give the title of holinesse to the Pope after the same manner as was given to the high Priest in the Old Testament and wicked Magistrates was called gods and the Priests wear their titles upon their breasts and Jacob called his wicked brother Esau Lord and there is Scriptures enough to give honourable titles to wicked men Answ. These are
sutable proofs for the Pope and sutable examples First the Priest-hood is ended they were never in that latitude neither are you to be measured with them neither do any true Christians As for Esau and wicked Magistrates the fruits of this amongst you has appeared and the wicked must bow before the just and Esau the elder must be a seruant to the younger and salvation is come out of Sion who judges the mount of Esau and is gathering the elect Jacob who rides over the high places of the earth which have set up your Images but you have shewed the fruits of Esau who are slaying and killing the just But who be in the power of Christ who hath all power in heaven and earth given unto him be out of Esau's and be o' th top on his mount and answers the Elect. Pr. He saith that Purgatory is a temporall punishment to faithfull persons after death who have not done due pennance for their sins in their life time so must do pennance after death Answ. The faithful persons that be in the true faith of Gods Elect which is the mistery held in a pure conscience which gives victory over the world purifies the heart by which men are justified and please God This gives them victory over death sin hell and all that which you do pennance for Now they that be reprobate concerning this faith are doing pennance all their lifetime and say they must have a Purgatory to do pennance when their life is ended and so all poor people you have a pittiful thing to passe through a fire before you be purified And as for Christs and the Apostles and Saints sufferings you are found in that nature that caused the just always to suffer and as for your Doctrine of Purgatory it is come up since the days of the Apostles amongst the Apostates the Devill has set it up who is out of the truth by his power since he set up his Synagogue but who be in the faith be over his Purgatory and synagogues and the Doctrine of it which is come up since the dayes of the Apostles for which there is no Scripture for the Saints which believed had passed from death to life and so from the Purgatory For purgatory is in the death he that passeth from it comes over Purgatory and death both to reigne with Christ here you shew your selves you are not believers Pr. The receiving of the Sacrament thou saist is not for the cleansing of you from sin but for the nourishment of your souls the body and blood of Christ being in it Answ. Why do you and the Protestants kill one another about such things seeing that you say the body and blood of Christ is in the Sacrament the bread and wine And the Protestants say in it is the spirit of Christ as you may look in a book called the Scotch Principles and in their Catechisms and is it not the same blood that cleanseth which nourishes How are you confused in this and put to your shifts I have heard talk of Papists and Jesuites were witty men but I see it is at an end and that which nourishes the immortall soule is not the mortal creatures ye are deceived in thinking so and the Protestants both that which nourishes the soul is Christ the power of God who is the Bishop of it the life the truth the power of God which is the immortall souls food and not the bread that will perish and things that will perish which those looked after that followed Christ for a time which was in the perishing minde which laboured after the perishing things and laboured not for the bread which comes downe from above which indures to eternall life which who eats of it hungers no more And so that is the Devils doctrine and the apostates which is got up since the days of the Apostles which tels people after they have consecrated the bread and wine it is the body and blood of Christ which Christ said bread would perish for his flesh saw no corruption Nor his body would not perish nor his blood that cleanseth from the dead works through which blood they overcome death and the word and power gives every creature its being without the consecration but that which nourishes the immortal soul is the mortal and man lives not by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and this is Christs doctrine and the others is the Devils and apostates out of the life and power of Christ that saith men must live by bread alone Pr. Christ useth the Priest in the hands of a workman to make the Sacrament which is the body and bloud of Christ he saith that the formes of bread and wine which will corrupt cannot take away sin And after consecration it is not bread and wine but the very body and bloud of Christ Answ. In this you have shewed your confusion and unestablished state was it the very body and bloud of Christ that made the Corinthians drunk and in this thou hast confounded thy self in saying that the formes of bread and wine which is the very body and bloud of Christ will corrupt after consecration then the Ministers work in this thou hast spoyled who are the consecraters for the body and bloud of Christ will not corrupt nor perish which bread and wine will but that which gives bread and wine their being will never corrupt for bread and wine is a thing that is seen and though the Apostle said what he had received of the Lord that did he deliver to the Corinthians how that the same night the Lord Jesus was betrayed he took the cup and the bread when he had given thanks saying as oft as they did eate that bread and drink that cup they shewed the Lords death till he came and the Apostles delivered this to the Corinthians then in the second Epistle he brings them off from the things that are seen to the things vvhich are not seene which were eternal for bread and wine were things seen and temporal and bids them prove and examin themselves whether or no Christ was come know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates and he is the living bread that came down from above who gives life unto the world and he that eates of this bread lives and abides for ever And as for thy word Sacrament we do not find that word expressed in Scripture nor where the Apostles spoke by Mary as you do who adore your own words that are Apostatized from the life them that witness Christ the substance in them they see the end of all things is come Christ Jesus him by whom all things was made who is the end of all things him is possest Such are not reprobates but reprobates and Judas may stick in the outward things as the Jewes did whose table was a trap and eyes blinded as you do who are inwardly ravened from the
the life of the world to come 6 Prin. I admit and embrace most firmely the traditions Apostolique and Ecclesiastick and all the other observations and ordinances of the same Church Answ. Your traditions your word Catholique your sprinkling Infants which you call your baptisme does not remit your sins for there is no Scripture for it so Church traditions sprinkling Infants all have got up since the dayes of the Apostles and so the unholy Catholique and Apostolique Church traditions is got up since the dayes of the Apostles and your fruits declare it in the Apostacy from the true Church of the Saints and Apostles and the resurrection Christ you be ignorant of and the power of the world to come that be gone out of the faith that the Apostles were in 7 Prin. I admit also the holy Scripture according to the sense that hath been given by the holy mother Church to the which it appertaineth to judge of the true sense and interpretations of the holy Scripture and shall never take in hand to interpret them then according to the common consent of the Fathers Answ. Your mother which you call the holy Church which gives the sense is the whore from the spirit of God which the Apostles was in and Christ and the Prophets for that is it that knows the Scripture and that was in the Saints that gave it forth and all must have it in them before they know the words again and come into unity with God again of whom they learned that gave it forth and unity with the Scripture and one with another and this both Papists and Protestants are out of the spirit and falling out about the sense of Scripture and your Father and Mother sons which ravened from the spirit of God and so thou and you all teachers from others inventions and your teaching is traditions for Doctrine which are the commands of men but now to the Lord be glory ye are all discovered by his life 8 Prin. More I professe that there is seven truly and properly said Sacraments of the new Law instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ and necessary for the salvation of humane people but not all to every one viz. Baptism Confirmation Eucharist penitence the extream unction the Order and Marriage and that they confirme the grace and that among them the baptisme the confirmation and the order cannot be rejected without sacriledge Answ. In this you have shewed your Apostacy again from the Apostles and Christs doctrine which sayes Go preach the Gospell to all nations baptizing them without any limit and Marriage they that forbid that is the doctrine of Devils which is honourable the Bed undefiled in all And the Apostles doth not call them Sacraments neither Baptisme nor Marriage nor the visiting of the sick nor the Lords Supper Your confirmation and order and your penitence whipping and beating your selves for your sins is your own invention a sacrament of your owne making which the Apostle does not call repentance a sacrament or confessing of sin or sorrowing for sin the nature within should be afflicted and circumcised in the spirit which puts off the body of sin and that brought down and not to strike the creature and beat the creature that is as you wrestle with flesh and blood the power of darknesse causes you to do that which guides you within that strikes at the creature which power of darknesse should be struck at that the creature might come into the liberty of the sons of God 9 Prin. I receive also and admit the Ceremonies of the Church Catholique receive and approve in the administration solemnly of all the abovesaid sacraments 10 Prin. I embrace and receive all and every of the things which hath been defined and declared by the sacred holy Councel of Trent touching the sin originall and the justification 11 Prin. I protest likewise that in the masse is offered to God true proper and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and for the dead and that in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist is truly really and substantially the body the blood with the soule and the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and that there is made a conversion of all the substance of the bread into the body and of all the substance of the wine into the blood and the which conversion the Church Catholique calls Transubstantiation 12 Prin. I confess also that under one of these one receiveth Jesus Christ all entire and one true sacrament Answ. In these four Principles which ye teach for Doctrine is but your owne traditions and commandements which are learned of one another of men at the Council of Tâ—ent and at your Fathers which is your sin in the apostacy from the Apostles who was not of man nor by man And as concerning Justification ye are ignorant of for where that is known the sin is done away which came by the first Adam And they that believe are passed from death to life And there are some children of believers which is holy yet all by nature children of wrath in the unbelief and your Church is held up by tradition and traditions and vows and oaths which is all in the Apostacy from the spirit where it seems the root of the word protesting is come from your selves who are Apostates and not ftom the Scriptures but you have thrust it in your offering and mass it is but a dead thing it is neither good for the dead nor the living the living do not accept of it but as Cains sacrifice for are not you murtherers and destroyers of one another about Religion sacrifice and traditions as Cain did whom God did not accept his sacrifice And as the Jewes did without the life which gave forth the Scriptures turn against the just and all the Apostates since the dayes of the Apostles which are inwardly ravened from the spirit of God who set up all your lying signes and wonders and traditions and deceive people with them that dwell upon the earth who be from the spirit of God inwardly ravened from it in which spirit God is worshipped which spirit brings to offer living sacrifice And the bread and wine after they have consecrated it which you say is the very body and blood of Christ and soule and it 's divine and that ye call Transubstantiation and he that receives either bread or wine receives Christ Now seeing that this Doctrine and Principle is laid down by you the Council of Trent and tollerated by the great Bishop of Rome the Pope and taught by the Jesuites I shall demand one thing of you out of every Nation and from every Dominion and Island belonging to the Bishop of Rome the Pope Let there come forth a Bishop and a Jesuite and consecrate bread and wine and after consecration and conversion which you call transubstantiation which you say then is the very body blood and soul of Christ which is divine Let that then be set by and kept and let us take of
Inquisitions and this hath been held up by the same nature and the same weapons by which the Heathens held up their Idol gods and the apostate Jews as the apostate Christians from the true faith and from the true Christians of the true Church whose weapons were not carnall but spirituall by whose faith they overcame the world the kingdomes and subdued mountains and quenched the fiery darts of Satan So your overcoming and all other Apostates hath been with outward weapons Gaols Inquisitions and death bound with oaths out of the Covenant of God whose Religion is built upon that who are all the Wolves ravening devourers and so doubts the ground of them in your selves you feel not yet your pasture and fields hath been so large for the Beast to raven up and down in but now the Lord God Almighty with his power will hedg you up and bring you into a narrower compasse And anathematized and hereticks are ye all from the Apostles as the Gentiles from the Jewes but Jewes and Gentiles all come to be one out of the life which gave forth the Scriptures So Christians that be apostatized and anathematized from the life that the Apostles were in be as the Jewes and Gentiles from the life of God and with the life all comprehended amongst the Jewes and Gentiles from the life of the Apostles and true Christians and with the life of God are all judged who be out of the life of the Saints So it is not the professors of the words of the Saints but they that be in the life that are justified they are they who have unity with God and one with another 19 Prin. And this faith Catholique out of which any cannot be saved the which presently I professe of my good minde and hold truly I say promise vow and swear for to retain and confesse God helping most constantly intirely and inviolately untill the last teach and preach as much as shall be possible for me through them that shall be subject to me or shall be in my charge so God me help and these holy Evangelists of God Answ. All swearers are out of the faith of Christ Jesus who said swear not at all and the faith the Ministers of Christ and the Apostles were in who said swear not at all and the Ministers of Christ was not made by oaths nor sworn to preach but you are apostatized from their faith and life that gives victory And the Evangelists all of them was against swearing there is not one example among them all not among the Apostles that they broke the doctrine of Christ in swearing and was made Ministers by oaths but by the will of God which you all are apostatized from them and are held under with the Life and from their faith reprobated and your faith and Catholique is out of that which saves and Church and so come under the condemnation which was the false brethren went out from the Apostles and since the world have gone after them which have had the Scripture and your own traditions and ceremonies the sheeps cloathing which have been fain to binde one another and tye one another by oaths to uphold what you professe which is all out of the Covenant of God and the saving faith you are ignorant of and from it apostatized wch gives victory over the world and your teaching and preaching hath been out of the true faith who multitudes hath gathered after you and so deceived the souls of people telling of a Purgatory and your souls be in it and this is all judged with the true Judge of the world the Bishop of the soul 20 Prin. Ye say that ye ought to honour the Reliques of Saints and that God hath not forbidden Images and that ye ought to honour Images of Saints because their bodies hath been the organs and temple of the holy spirit and that God doth by vertue of their holy Reliques many miracles and because that the honour redounds to themselves that they represent unto us and when one worships the Crosse the honour of the worship redounds to Jesus Christ But the Idols ye say are forbidded which doth represent the false gods which the heathen worship Answ. God hath forbidden to make Representations and Images of Saints and Reliques and the Images of Christ and the Crosse is set up by you who are apostatized from the spirit of God in which spirit God is to be worshpiped and not the Images of Christ nor the Saints nor Crosses for those be all out of the power of God and the crosse of Christ which is the power of God which all must bend to and the Crosses and Images of Male and Female whatsoever they that worship and honour them are as the heathen for Reliques Images and Crosses are set up since the days of the Apostles by you who are inwardly ravened from the spirit of God by the same nature which went astray from the life in the Jews and Gentiles which whâ—n they went astray from the spirit of God they set up Images which displeased God as you that wâ—nt forth from the spirit of God since the dayes of the Apostles inwardly ravened from that who say that after bread and wine is consecrated iâ—'s Christ so are the Antichrist that hath set up the false Christ who cries Loe here loe there and so put him in your chambers deserts and secrets and yet you say he was crucified and rose again and at the right hand oâ— God and say he was before all time and that by him all things was made And yet ye likewise say after ye have consecrated bread and wine which you call Transubstantiation it is Christ and thus you confound your selves And the lying signes and wonders which ye call miracles which ye say are wrought by the Reliques of the Saints is that which John speaks of in his Revelation The beast shall deceive because of his miracles And the Apostle speaks of concerning the man of sin which shall deceive with his lying signes and wonders and to the Reliques ye have given the honour and worship and not to God and so lives in the outward Now Jannes and Jambres could do miracles by the power of witchcraft by the same power the Beast and the false Prophets the mother of harlots Babylon and man of Sin acted to deceive the Nations since the dayes of the Apostles with all which is the mystery of Iniquity she hath sate as a Queen Lady of Kingdomes and hath seen no sorrow but now she will come to lâ—sse of children for the Lord God of heaven and earth will be honoured and worshipped who will not give his glory to any other and not to Images Reliques nor Crosses And the Apostles you are all got up since from them apostatized for when they was adoring of Paul or adoring of Apollo the Corinthians came under rebuke by the Apostles who said Who is Paul or who is Apollo It 's Christ that dyed and was crucified and bid them prove