such as have helped the mighty in force and falshood against the Lord who will bring to pass as he hath spoken Light and Salvation to the ends of the Earth and all that contend against it shall fall before it and thou as one strong to deceive and therefore wouldst colour thy work with that which testifies against thee Saying in thy title thou wilt attest according to Scripture and so beginst with a lye for thou detests both Scripture and the words of Christ therein for thou deniest his Doctrine and callest it a new opinion to preach the Light up for Christ though Christ saith I am the Light of the World how hath Satan deceived thee that thou shouldest think any should receive thy fallasies that callst the Doctrine which Christ the Apostles taught fallasies shalt thou or the Apostle John be believed he saith In the beginnining was the Word and the Word was God and by him ‖ But he in his Queries denies Christ to make all things so we marvel not that he should deny our Doctrine that denies Christ and his Apostles all things were made and in him was Life and the Life were the Light of men and this is the true Light that enlighteneth every man and thou lightly and slightly sayeth this of the first of John is their ground and so resists the Scripture and yet saith thou wilt attest according to Scripture and then speaks of the Humanity in conjunction with the Deity so far art thou from attesting according to Scripture that the words thou usest I never read in Scripture but know they with other words used by thee have not a ground from the Scriptures as thou confessest the Preachers of the Light have but from the Antichristian Spirit that having despised the Light and offered despight unto the Spirit of Grace cannot express their matters and inventions in the Language of the Spirit by which the Scriptures were given forth except they steal them where they are already written and so have joyned words in the dark where all images are framed and amongst these thou hast got som to strengthen thee against the Light and to lay falsehood on the obeyers thereof in saying they deny the bodily Humanity of our Lord who is thy lord indeed is to be denied but the Lord from Heaven by whom all things were made thou never heardst any to deny that have faith in the Light or any of those names which the Scripture gives as the man Christ Jesus as he that became flesh and lived amongst us and that was and is a great Mystery God manifested in flesh the Christ indeed appointed of God to be both Priest and King and for thy attesting according to Scripture is only a relating what thou hast read which Pope and Prelate as well as thee can talk of the Virgins conceiving bringing forth and of Christs Suffering Death Resurrection and Ascension none of those things there written didst thou ever hear denied by any of the Children of Light But the imaginations of others and thee thereon were and are to be testified against for it was vain imaginations that the Lord did and doth complain on and however thou camest to be in Prison and elsewhere with the people of the Lord yet it was then seen and in that which discerns that the chamber of imagery was never destroyed in thee nor the old bottle broken but the ground standing in thee that brings forth Briers and Thorns and is neer unto cursing and the fruits thereof thou hast brought forth in perverting some and laying stumblings in the way of the simple thou wert a climer at the first and got some words of the fame of Life but was and art in Death and to this day bringest forth therein and so being in blindness thy self thinkest others cannot see and so after thy relating part of what is written concerning Christ Jesus we see sayest thou what Testimony the Scriptures gives of the Lord 's Christ that he is not the Light in any mans Conscience nor the Principle of Light art thou not ashamed to call to see that which cannot be seen for doth the Scriptures any where say Christ is not the Light in the Conscience nor the Principle of Light so see thy work is to deceive and make people believe lies whose work art thou a doing that art drawing from believing in the Light to believe a lye doth not the Scriptures by the mouth of Christ say believe in the Light and do the Scriptures hold out any Faith or any to believe in but Christ and is not the cause and being of all things Christ and yet thou deniest him to be the principle of Light what would thy dark minde make the principle of Light that denies the Lord Christ that saith I am the Light of the World thou shewest thy ignorance of the mystery of Faith which in the pure Conscience is hid but whose Conscience is defiled and feared hath no feeling of Light nor Faith and so would blind the eyes of others to lead captive as the Divil doth all that disobey the Light for it is an everlasting Truth who resist the Light that gave forth the Scriptures doth pervert the Scriptures to their own destruction not knowing the Interpreter of a Thousand for in the motion of Light and Spirit were the Scriptures given forth and by the same only is the Holy men gave them forth as they were moved of the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. true understanding thereof and those that have and do bring forth without being learned of the Light have filled the World with Errors and Falshoods Babel indeed and thou a chief Builder therein ignorant of the Covenant of Light Christ the Covenant to Gods people and a Light unto the Gentiles to the ends of the Earth thus saith As the Prophet Isaiah and old Simeon declared the Scripture with much more in Testimony to and for the Truth he is the Light of the World and so all that have an eye to see may see that thou goest about to attest a Lye and the Scriptures testifie against thee and are contrary to thy Doctrine that denyest the Christ of God who art framing an Image but thy Snare is broken and all that love and obey the Light have and shall escape and thy own work shall turn upon thee for he that commanded Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined into our hearts to give us the knowledg of himself in the face of Jesus Christ but who resists the shining in their own hearts wax worse and worse until they come to war against that to which those sent of God turned men to from Darkness to Light from the Power of Satan unto the Power of God but who sent thee that turns from the Power of Light to believe thy dark Imaginations of a creaturely Soul and instead of bringing Scripture for thy Proof thou bringest a Proof from Beamond or thy own Imaginations that we should
assuredly that he is in us that saves from sin and his name is Jesus cannot but testifie against all Images and their makers for unto him alone is our eye that is from everlasting to everlasting that in the fulness of time took flesh upon him and dwelt amongst us and this is our Light our Life our Root Spirit and Power and shall wear out all created lights imagined internal roots and natures light with all R. C's and others imaginations who not being able to get from under the Righteous Judgments of God goes about to speak evil of the things he knoweth not and so the natural light and the spirit of a man the light of Conscience or what the carnal man can see and know being his own he brings forth and saith these are our opinions so in the Truth must all lyes and falshood be turned on the head of the lyar from whence they come and in Truth are we established more and more having no God but one and he everlasting and almighty who commanded Light tashine out of darkness and hath shined in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledg of the Glory of himself in the face of Jesus Christ and this is that I had of the Lord to give forth as a testimony against R. C. his paper entituled God's Truth attested according to Scripture about 8. months since and about that time was it written but having the knowledg that a brother whom in the Lord I honour for his faithful continued service in and for God's Truth 's sake was answering of it I laid these my papers aside not knowing a use for them not looking on them as I know for seven months time but about three weeks since or thereabouts looking among my writings I lighted on them and had something as I was reading them in my heart that it must be published But not at that instant giving up clearly to it the next night or the next after the Lord visited me with a sore and dangerous Distemper of body and I being an ancient woman that have and do wait for my change received it as a Messenger for my removal out of this Tabernacle of clay and not at all grievous unto me having by obedience to and by Faith in the Light obtained redemption out of that which must come to an end and an entrance into the Life and Kingdom that shall never have end so waiting quietly on my weak bed for the revelation of his will whom I serve in my spirit day and night what his will and pleasure was to do with me for I have learned that its better to live to God then to have a life in this World and whilst I thus waited my sleep being short I had in them several sights of somthing I was to suffer and do in this present World among which a sight of a late work of R. C. in which he would bespatter the servant or servants of the Lord and the morning after this Vision one came in and related to me that R. C. had sent his Queries out to G. F. and his ministers but G. F's life is where the evil one nor any of his ministers can come sent of God Blest and a Blessing to the Generation of the Righteous Then the Lord clear'd it to me that what I had writ or should farther be given in unto me as to or of R. C. to give forth and then an assurance I had of being healed of my weakness and declared it to one Friend that the Lord had somthing more for me to do ere I went hence if but this in bearing testimony against this Instrument of the evil one I shall lye down in peace for I speak the truth I lye not the Lord in a Vision by night afore ever I saw R. C. in the outward shewed me him and his dwelling and family in the night season and that he should be a Troubler of the House of God and cause his people to suffer and I have seen and traced him in his work and am well acquainted with his outside love feigning whereby he hath deceived some simple in his pretended singularity and elocution of his own doctrine way and though he long walked with us yet never came to the knowledg of the Truth and the old bottle being unbroken such as he had hath he brings forth of it and has by cunning led some silly ones captive by perverting the good way of God yea so prosperous has he been in his cursed practice among those that were willing again to imbrace this present world that he has perverted whole families that were called with the high and heavenly Call but never come to the election and so have been deceived and are found such as have taken the name of God in vain and are not nor shall not be held guiltless and though they have or may make merry over the slain perverters and perverted from the good way of the Lord yet their Condemnation slumbers not and the Lord hath and doth behold their wicked works that having betrayed the Truth in themselves would tempt others to believe a lye as if we were like unto themselvs looked for Salvation by another way then by Christ Jesus the Son of God so that none may believe a lye is this sent abroad that he and he only of whom the Scriptures declare is our Salvation and there is not another way to God and what is recorded of him and by him in the Scriptures of Truth from the first of Genesis to the last of the Revelation knowing that they were given forth as holy men were moved of the holy Ghost not of a private interpretation for the unlearned of this Spirit have and do interpret to their own destruction for none have seen God at any time but the only begotten and they to whom he reveals him and by spirit only was and is made manifest and that a measure of this is given to every one to profit withal the Scriptures bear witness and this and no other is their Principle that are called Quakers and by Faith we have profited dwelling in this Light and Spirit know the blood of Jesus which clenseth from all sin and gives us fellowship with the Father and Son in the measure of this Spirit that hath filled our hearts with love and good will unto all and so with the hazard of all this World hath through sufferings accusations and bad reports we pass sounding forth the good-will of God unto every one that he hath given a measure of his own Spirit to profit withal and they that will not hearken unto it will not believe though one from the dead should be sent unto them this is that which was given unto me to be sent forth as an answer and to come over the imagined doctrines of R. C. in his first paper that is called the Truth at tested according to Scripture but is found contrary to Scripture
have found our souls creaturely from the flames of the Righteous burnings of Gods Wrath in our souls for sin Oh thick Darkness is this thy Argument to prove the Soul creaturely that it can live with everlasting burnings the least child of Light could give thee a clearer knowledg of the Soul then thee or thy Teacher J. B. ever attained to but who hates the Light is and must be bound in Chains of Darkness for evermore and there I leave thee in that matter as concerning the Soul and return to thy opinion of the Light thou sayest in thy fourth page Christ is not the Principle of Light and in the sixth page thou sayest the Light in the Conscience which these new Preachers cry up for Christ is but the Principle of Christ which is his own Habitation This is such Logick as the Framers of Babel use to Build with vain Phylosophy indeed from which all that believe in the Light know redemption how different is thy Way and Doctrine from the Way of the Lord where the wafering man though a fool errs not wherein the simple may walk be safe but what profit is there of thy winding and turning Christ not the principle of Light yet Light the principle of Christ what serves thy opinion and Doctrine for but to lay stumblings in the way of the simple and instead of appearing wiser then others thou hast bewrayed thy ignorance in this thy work and former practises in perverting from the good Way of the Lord not knowing what thou sayest nor whereof thou affirmest hast thou not yet learned what the word Principle is is it not the beginning is not Christ the beginning of all things ‖ Thou in thy Queries sayest all was not made by Christ contrary to Light or to Scripture by him and for him was all made and yet wilt thou deny him to be the beginning or Principle of Light as in thy fourth page and in thy sixth page thou sayest Light is but the Principle of Christ so whilst in thy Dark minde thou wouldst debase the Light in the conscience see how thou hast lifted it up for instead of saying the Light comes from Christ thou holdest out the Light to be the beginning of Christ for doth not every rational Creature know the principle of any thing is before that which comes of it the Principle of Christ sayest thou which is his own Habitation so thou confessest the Light in the Conscience to be the dwelling place of God and yet would cry out against such as preach the Light in the conscience thou dost indeed darken knowledg by words without understanding for never any that despised the Light knew him that is the Light of the World or his Dwelling place thou hast devised against that which is too hard for thee may all the Enemies of the Light be covered with confusion as thou art then thou goest on in the same page 6. again to make a relation of his Death Resurection and Ascension and so saying no more nor so much in that matter then formerly I have taught a Child or Children of 7 years old to say and here sayest thou that Opinion is condemned by the Scriptures that denies the Ascension of the Lords Person who they be that deny the ascension of the Lords Christ I know not for all that have Faith in the Light bare testimony thereto but for the word person is it any where written in Scripture his Person Ascended how darest thou add to the words and thou farther sayest that our Foundation is built upon the ground of Nature if thou hadst said our Foundation is the ground or cause or being of all natural things thou hadst spoke true though thou knowest it not for by him that is our Foundation all things were made and without it was nothing made that was made John 1. 2. and this is the true Light that enlightens every man that comes into the World and the Children of Light never denied his Person that took upon him the Seed of Abraham became flesh and lived amongst us so instead of proving the Children of Light in error thou hast proved thy self an Accuser and the Scripture hath and doth testifie against thee for us that have not nor do not declare of any other Christ but he of whom the Scriptures declare to be the Light of the World and so thou goest on to repeat many good words in the relation of some thing written in the Scriptures and adds thy own words that the everlasting Gospel is his Death Burial and Resurrection as the Scriptures declare sayest thou and notes a Scripture to prove it that is not to be found in all the Bible 1 Cor. 25. 1. is this to attest by Scripture to direct to that which was never there but the Apostle Paul saith the Gospel is the Power of God unto Salvation and that the Word in the heart and in the mouth was the Gospel he preached and the everlasting Gospel proclaimed by an Angel through Heaven was fear God and give Glory to him for the hour of his Righteous Judgments is come these did not say Christ's Death and Burial were the Gospel but who are Witnesses of his Resurrection do know the Gospel but the Opposers of the Light in Conscience see it not But to take farther notice of thy unlearned words the rest of thy 7th page is filled with such words as thou hast either borrow'd or rather stolen because thou namest not the Author from Beamon or it may be some of John Jacksons for he once brought out such a work of Darkness as thine is and thou hast the same words so the answer given him may come over this part of thy work for Truth must forever be over the head of Falshood and thou that sayest thou wouldst attest thy truth according to Scripture thou drawest a conclusion from thy own and thy borrowed words without any Scripture and now sayest thou that it is manifest from hence that this Light that doth condemn the Heathen's is not the Lord Christ that doth justifie but shews neither good reason nor Scripture for it but makes mention of Paul to the Romans which words being taken as they were given forth by the Apostle proves thy affirmation false for the Apostles words are these speaking to the Romans or Heathens Rom. 1. 19. The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the Truth in unrighteousness because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them now without R. C. can make any so blind as himself will Pauls words here or any where prove that he which Condemns is not Christ that Justifies and farther would not these words prove against thee that brings the proof that the Truth is held in unrighteousness by the Heathens for is not Christ the Truth but who knows not Christ to be the Light knows him not to be the Truth
answering gave them a question which they durst not answer neither would he give an answer to them neither should I nor any of the Lord's people that have learned why we came into the World and cannot spend our time here unprofitably but must answer the will of him that sent us that we may render our account with joy ever have put pen to paper to have answered R. C's first or last impertinent or false matters if not called of the Lord for his Truth sake and your sakes that may be hindred or hurt or kept out of the Way of Peace where we have found him whom our souls love and cannot but testifie of his good will unto all that his hands have made and that you may believe the Truth For no other Way Means nor Name did we ever find Salvation by or declare to be believed in for Redemption and everlasting Life then the Son of God and that was and is he of whom the Scriptures declare without any cover or deceit as our enemy intimates that he may deceive but in plainness before the great God that searches every heart and has and will Judge in Righteousness every false Speaker no other Christ have we faith in or testifie of then he that was conceived by the holy Ghost in the Virgins womb and brought forth in the fulness of time as it was prophesied of and was carryed into Egypt to be saved from Herod that pretended to worship but went to murder the Child Jesus This was he that made a good confession before Pilate and was slain by wicked hands but it was impossible that Death should keep him under so he rose and declared unto the woman that was a witness of his Resurrection that he ascended and gave her command to declare to others and so whatever the Scriptures that were given forth by the holy Spirit declare of Christ Jesus his body his Suffering and Rising and his Ascension we believe and he is ascended far above all Heavens that he may fill all things who was and is the everlasting God the mighty Counseller the Prince of Peace yet this I nor any ever knew savingly whatever we have heard or read of it but as it came to be revealed in us by his own Spirit which was the promise of the Father of the Son that were and are one forever and though R. C. blasphemously denies it he pours forth his Spirit on his Sons and on his Daughters and this is the Covenant that they should not depart from him but be taught of him and this was it the Apostles spake of That a measure was given to profit withal and more we know not of God nor Christ then of this we learn and as we receive thereof we give to others and all that believe therein find profiting thereby and are brought into the plain Way and feel their Redemption thereby and Jesus with them that saves from sin and so can no longer worship Idols and so all Image-makers come to be tormented from him that sits at Rome to the least of all the Harlots brood for of her they are and in her sorceries that imagine and sets up any thing to be looked to or trusted in for Life and Salvation but Jesus Christ which is only received and known by his own Spirit And this is the doctrine of the people called Quakers from first to this present day and forever at which all Image-makers rage and are tormented that their Diana's must come down and among which R. C. strugles that his may have a place to be for though he could never stoop to obedience of Truth yet he feels and knows it shakes his images as well as others and fearing the falling thereof makes lyes his refuge but the Truth has and shall come over all and my desire is even to the God of my hope that is Light and in him is no darkness at all that the honest in heart may receive this Testimony and it is true that what ever has been given forth by Prophets Christs mouth or the Apostles or any sent of God concerning or of the Son of God we believe but deny and witness against all the imaginations of the comprehending mind that measures heavenly things in the earthly carnal minde that never could discern the things of God so in this from first to last has the mystery of iniquity wrought and been brought forth talking of the flesh and blood of Jesus yet never come to eat thereof nor to know an effectual cleansing thereby but offering despite unto the Spirit of Grace which brings Salvation and whilst they are talking of the Blood that was shed at Jerusalem they trample the Blood of the new Covenant under foot from the Mother of Harlots to the least of her false begotten Children among which R. C. is to be testified against and the call of the Lord is to come out from all their Sorceries the images and likenesses of heavenly things to the Substance Power and Life that the Lord in this our day has visited us with the day-spring from on high the Hope of the Righteous in all Generations that many are come to partake of and receive Life the Life that shall never have an end this is by the Spirit of Life So blessed be all and every one that hath an ear to hear what the Spirit saith R. C. I Have lookt over thy many Queries and finding them unprofitable not tending to the edification of any but to stir up strise so I said in my heart If thou hadst believed the Scriptures or understood the words of Truth that hath often been sounded in thy ears thou hadst never asked such Questions some of which thou knowst we never denied and hadst thou ever come to the one thing in which there is no Error thou hadst not so run into the many things in which all err and though thy darkness be great as all must be that would have the knowledg of God and heavenly things by any other way then the Spirit of Christ yet I have cause to fear that in the Spirit that lusts to envy thou charges that upon us that thou doest not believe we are guilty of for thou hearing us so many years only to testifie of the one thing the Gift of God and the Spirit of Jesus that faithful and true Witness that was with God in the beginning and never hearing any that bear testimony to or for the Light speak of any other for Salvation but the only begotten of God couldst thou think we meant any other that thou shouldst devise so many errors and false Opinions to place on us and yet not be able to bring any of our words or writings that so many years together thou wert so conversant with to prove that we ever cryed up any such things as thou charges us with what will the end be of wilful sinning didst thou ever hear us set up or call to any witness but the Spirit of Christ and thou