Apostles and Prophets did proceed from the Light within for there is a Spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him an understanding how to speak and their very end was to turn them to the Light within and they testified God was a Spirit and dwelt in the Light and they that walked in the Light had fellowship with him and his Son Jesus Christ and in which both them and their worship was accepted with the Lord and all the rest worshipped they knew not what as Christ saith Iohn 8.4.24 and what if Christ had said as the Quakers say in thy own words turn to the Commandement within I say and the Spirit of Christ in Solomon saith the same Prov. 6. thy Commandement is Light and what if he had said this is the work of God that ye believe in him who is the Commandement and given for a Commander for a Covenant of Light wouldst thou not have scorned him as thy Brethren the Jews did and as thou dost the Quakers did not David say I believe in thy word and it hath quickned me and did he not say it is a Light to my feet and a lanthorn to my paths and that it kept him from sin and was the way for a young man to have his way cleansed if he took heed thereunto and doth not Paul say this word in which David believed and is the Author and begetter of the true faith in all that hearken to it which faith I know thou art a reprobate concerning though the Title of thy Book is Faith in the promises is the Saints best weapon yet thy self hast another weapon and as for thy hiding place slanders and lyes is thy refuge Rom. 10.8 is not this word nigh in the heart and did not Christ say to the unbelievers who rejected the word and Law which is Light While ye have the Light walk in the Light that you may be Children and hath not this enlightened every one that cometh into the world and doth not Christ say Iohn 8. He that follows me shall not abide in darknesse but shall receive the Light of Life but I say and the Lord hath said it the Life is the Light of man and shineth in the darknesse though such blind guides and sottish Children as thou art comprehend it not Iohn 1. vers 1. to the 10. Thou bidst thy Brethren take the shield of faith and so concludes thy Book The Lord hath said thy faith is false and let thy Brethren be warned least they believe as thou dost but as thou sayest in scorn I say in the integrity of my heart let the simple among thy Brethren or elsewhere turn to the Light within and word which is nigh them in their hearts and if thy own day of visitation be not over do thou hear and fear but consider for the time to come the Jews had thy word the Letter and the unbelievers and Apostates had thy rule guide and leader but were reprobates concerning this faith which was once given to the Saints and came by hearing of the eternal word in their hearts but how canst thou believe on him thou hast not heard but art vexing thy self because the Quakers cry turn to the word within Thou likest such a word and rule well and the Children of thy Father ever did which thou canst wrest and turn as thou dost the Letter to fight against the Life but that which is a more sure word and foundation a tryed stone and a perfect rule from generation to generation of them that seek the Lord this thou canst not endure but it is my Crown and the Ornament of the Righteousnesse in which I rejoyce and tread upon the Serpents head and should I never speak more this I say the eye is open that sees thee and comprehends thy muddy mind thou art weighed in an even ballance the Lord will bruise thee with the stone thou art lifting at and the sword and weapon which thou fightest with shall be a perpetual pain and terrour in thy own bowels And in the 59. page of thy Book thou goest on in a scoffng way to oppose the Light within which is to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and thou brings the Prophets words and John Baptists words and Christ and the Apostles words and Paul and Silas their words that speaks of Repentance and concerning the gifts of the holy Ghost and these thou brings to oppose the Light within Now to all sober people this needs no answer but that thou shouldst not exalt thy self among the ignorant these Queries are sent unto thee Can any repent or have their minds changed but they must have the Light within and be turned to it can any receive the gift of the Holy Ghost but they must be turned to the Light within Is not the gift received within And further thou goes on and sayest Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ And then thou scoffest and sayest The Quakers say turn to the Light within Now can any believe but such who are turned to the Light within which gives the Light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Christ Jesus as Cor. 24. And do not they that believe come to the Witness in themselves and are past from death to life And is not that Witness within What hast thou Preached all this while that sets such things upon Record that Generations to come may see thy Ignorance This shews that thou art not as the Churches was in the Primative times that canst not endure the annointing within nor light within the annointing within must needs be light and how many of the Baptists Teachers has brought people to the annointing within them that they need no man to teach them but as the same annointing teacheth them And how many have they brought to the Light within which shines in the heart to give the knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Christ Jesus And how many have the Baptist Teachers brought to the New Covenant the Law written in their hearts and put in their minds that they need not teach every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know him from the least to the greatest How have you Baptists Apostatized from this practice Doctrine who now appear as Antichrist in opposition to it which was in the Apostles dayes who now look upon Christ and see him as the Pharisees did who with the same eye that looks stedfastly upon him runs upon him and rages at him and these are them that stops the pure eye within that denies the Light as the Pharisees did so you are like to see with no other eyes then the Pharisees did who know him no further then the Pharisees did which flesh and blood does not reveal him to be the Son of God and Christ is the substance of all Figures yet to the world he is a sign see if thou canst read that figure and
his Scepter known and his dwelling place is become great in Israel eternal God King of Kings and Lord of Lords is his Name thoughout all Generations Kings shall hear of him and submit themselves Princes shall be turned aside by the brightnesse of his rising who is the Resurrection and the life who comprehends the Heavens and the Earth with a span and layes up the Sea as in store houses this is our God the living and true God which you Baptists are fighting against What was Pauls the Saints Weapons I querie of you Baptists and what was his Armour which he and the Saints put on was it not the Lord Jesus Christ the Light who is called a Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit Is it not the Word of God which is Light unto which word Paul did commit the Saints and told them it was able to keep them from falling Or do you imagine the Letter to be the Armour of Righteousnesse which I say doth but only declare of them Is your faith begotten by the Preaching of the dead letter which the Jews thought to have eternal Life in or by the Preaching of the Gospel which is the eternal Word of God which was Preached to Abraham and which was and is and is to come a Preacher of Righteousnesse in all Generations and which the Apostle saith Was Preached to every Creature under Heaven where the Scripture is not known nor heard of but this light which you Baptists trample on I say all have so heard so as to be convinced thereby though not saved because they have not obeyed but as the Apostle saith so say I by the same Spirit and Faith Faith comes by hearing and hearing by this Word of God the Jews had not this Word and Faith and therefore fought against the Life as ye do but the Light within they could not indure no more then you but hated it Therefore said Christ Ye shall die in your sins except ye believe that I am he the Light is the eye in which Abraham saw his day and by which I will guide my people saith the Lord What is that eye that must be made blind and that hand that must be cut off Is it not the eye that sees not the Son and therefore is not satisfied And was not this eye in Herod which is the eye of the Adulterour and hunteth for the pretious Life And was not this life in Esau who missed the Blessing and in Nimrod and in all the Children of confusion who are hunting mightily before the Lord without the Spirit who is the Lord and should lead you by the Fountains of living Water and feed you with the Living Bread of Heaven which Living Bread you are seeking among the Graves and Tombs dead forms carnal Ordinances which I say with J. Fuce makes nothing perfect but Christ the better Hope who doth thorowly walk and reform change and translate out of death into Life out of darknesse into Light out of Satans power and kingdom into Gods Power and Kingdom as the Saints were and is not this the same state that Adam was created in who was the Son of God before either Types Shadows Vails Coverings Death or Grave Hell or the Bottomless Pit were What is your Water Baptism Is it not a figure which gives not the answer of a good Conscience What is your Bread Wine and Ordinances which ye like the Jews so much cry up having lost the Spirit which the true Jew they that had the one Baptism into the one spirit and the new wine in the Fathers Kingdom and the living Bread which came down from Heaven had MATTHEW CAFFIN For the Truths sake and simâ—â—â—â— an open enemy to it and hatest the Light and canst not abide that it should be so much Preached I shal answer to those things charged against us in thy book so far as they are our words and not thy own with wicked inventions cast upon us by thy venemous tongue And as for our Principle it is the Way the Truth and the Life and it is clear and innocent in it self though its image and beauty hath been more mared by such as thou who like the Jews are crying up the Ordinances of the Lord which makes the comers thereunto no more perfect then theirs did then by any Professors besides in the Nation and it will clear it self should we be silent and spew such as thou art out of its mouth 1. The first thing thou chargest the Quakers with is That they say the eternal Spirit of Light and Power is the Saviour of the world Ans This is owned and not denyed but that I or any of the Quakers deny the man Christ Jesus is not our Principle but thy own lie cast upon us and my words do not agree with thine but with the Scripture and Christs words John 5. where he saith Ye have neither heard his voice nor seen his shape at any time Now if thou sayst this was not spoken of Christ but the Father I say it was spoken of both for they are one if thou couldst but believe the Scripture or own the Light John 14. I am in the Father and the Father in me the words that I speak I speak not of my self but the Father that dwelleth in me he doth the work blessed is the eye that sees him it is satisfied vers 8. Philip said unto him Lord shew us the Father and it sufficeth mark Philip a hearer with the outward ear but being dull of hearing and dim sighted at the present he was unsatisfied though he had seen and heard with the outward ear vers 9. Jesus said unto him have I been so long time with you and yet hast thou not known me Phillip he that hath seen me hath seen the Father also but thou sayest the eyes of all in the Synagogue saw him and were fastned on him and thou supposest the Quakers have no shew of Scripture to prove that they which crucified him had any other eyes here thy malice hath transported thee beyond thy own rule the Scripture saith expresly The Vail was over their Hearts and they had outward eyes and saw him and said he was the Carpenters Son but Christ said they were blind leaders of the blind mark the Light which he bids them believe in whilst they had it is the eye and that they had eyes and saw not ears and heard not and hearts but understood not Mark 8.18 Ezek. 12.2 Jer. 5.21 Therefore what eye did Paul open or what ear was he sent to unstop and what prisoner was that which he was sent to proclaim liberty unto and what was that house and prison he was to bring him out of what did he minister and what did he minister to was he not a Minister of Christ after his own eye was opened and Christ revealed which before was vailed in him did he not minister to the Spirit in prison Answer if thou canst and sow the seed of eternal
translated from death to life before ever the Scriptures were written which thou sayest is the rule to walk by though the Scriptures do not say any such thing but another that the Sons of God were both ruled and led by the Spirit of God and though we do say and testifie these things as the faithful and true sayings of God and as John did bear witnesse of him so do we that he is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world yet those things as thou hast wickedly and maliciously laid them down as our principles were never spoken nor owned by us neither do we slight the Scriptures at all but own them as they are and ought to be owned yet Christ the light the bright and the morning Star that is the same and changes not but spake in all the Prophets the eternal arm and power of the Father to Salvation we say is not changed but is able to save now without the Scriptures as before they were written so this is not to make void the Scriptures at all which do declare what was the Judge of the Spirits and Saints rule in all ages their guide and what was the wisdom and power of God to the salvation of their souls and as the Prophets and holy men found them to be in themselves and as this Spirit did inspire them and gave them utterance so they spake of him as his People do in the same spirit in this age now this is onely to set Christ the Eternal Son of God above all visible things and the chief corner stone in his place where it ought to be and therefore the builders of Babylon and children of confusion which are setting him at nought and cannot see the hidden treasure which is bread indeed nor look any further then the things that are earthly in whom the treasure and life is hid and are feeding upon the husks and shadows with the Swine are now condemning them that have been in those carnal Ordinances and washings but could never find the pearl in them where it was not to be found but now having found him that is living which is not among those dead things but onely to be found in Spirit we leave those things behind us and go on to perfection and look no longer at the things that are seen which are temporal but at those things that are not seen but in that Light which is eternal which whilst we look at and believe in we have strong consolation and confidence in him that is our hope and purifies our hearts as he doth arise he doth also condemn fin in the heart and destroy the Devils work where it hath been wrought which is yet standing in thy heart and in the hearts of all Lyars and false accusers who are speaking evil of those things they understand not but as a natural bruit beasts wherein they defile themselves as thou hast done it doth finish sin in us and makes an end of transgression and brings in and us into his everlasting righteousnesse which is by faith in his bloud but the blind will be blind still and cannot see any bloud but that which doth not wash the heart nor sprinkle the Conscience from dead works nor know any nor believe in any Resurrection but that which doth not give the answer of a good Conscience towards God I say if thou canst receive it and believe in him who is the Resurrection thou mayest but if otherwise thou shouldst dye in thy sins and pine away in thy transgressions and then Christ is not risen to thy advantage but condemnation if thou art yet in thy sins Therefore thou Hypocrite who art hipt from the Light and climbed above the door of the sheep who is the incorruptible and eternal Light and he onely it is that gives an entrance into the Kingdom that is incorruptible eternal and fadeth not away But many have been setting up another Saviour then he that saves his people from their sins and therefore have his Servants been imagining of a kingdom power and glory that is of this fading world and therefore instead of hearkning to the light and innocent Lamb which faith My Kingdom is not of this world if it were my Servants would fight therefore such who have rejected the word of the Lord which word is Light as thou dost and scornest the Quakers for walking in it they have betaken themselves to carnal weapons and gone from the Spiritual weapon which is the Light and have sought for a Kingdom that is of this world and so in their imaginations have set up both a visible Saviour and Kingdom Therefore try thy self whether thou art in that faith which the just lives by and purifie the heart that comes to see the pure God if not thou art but a reprobate concerning the faith that is a mystery held in a pure Conscience which was once delivered or given to the Saints neither shalt thou ever have the witnesse in thy self of thy rejoycing as many that have been in thy dark and blind condition never had until they were turned to the Light in their Consciences but now can through mercy and grace that is powred out upon his off-spring testifie to his glory and praise everlastingly be it given to him alone who doth the work in us and for us that in the same place where it hath been said unto us ye are not my people there are we called the Children of the living God at this may the Serpent catch that is cursed of the Lord but own it if thou canst it is thy condemnation in that state thou art in eternally thou shalt witnesse it true except thou repentest A little I shall reason with thee concerning thy principle what some of thy brethren which thou and they have affirmed in dispute First thou say est the eternal Spirit is not the Saviour of the world but the man Christ Jesus that dyed and was a body which the Apostles handled outwardly Answ Did not Christ say who is that Spiritual Rock who saved Abraham and the Fathers before that body was into thy hands Father I commend my Spirit and then did he not give up the Ghost and dyed and when the eternal Spirit did ascend to the Father was not the body dead without the Spirit and lay in the Sepulchre until the same Spirit and power of the Father raised it again is your confidence in the flesh or in the Spirit and power that quickned the dead do ye believe the Scriptures are true which say he ever liveth and is the same yesterday to day and for ever I in the Father and the Father in me or do ye believe there was no Saviour before he was born in Bethlehem who was it then in whom Abraham believed or who did the Prophet speak of when he saith unto us a child is born unto us a Son is given or what dost thou in thy dark mind imagine the Prophet meaneth when he saith his name shall