contrary to the Scripture which saith he is the light of the World and in the begining was the Word and the Word was with God and his name is called the Word of God and so people may see how thou would divide God and Christ with thy dark wisedome And thou saist 2ly How doth he enlighten every man that comes into the world and saist in another place the word God or God the word as Creator of all things doth enlighten every man that cometh into the World by setting up in every man a spirit and Law in his heart by which he lives which is called the Candle of the Lord Prov. 20. 27 of which Spirit and law I have spoken before Ans This light which thou callest the Law and Spirit of a Natural Man and a Created light this thou hast not proved before as thou saist but it s perverted before for by this thy proof John came to bear witness of a Natural light and of a Natural mans spirit which knows not the things of God and by that John bid people believe in this so this is thy dark wisdom and like unto thy Preaching and it is no wonder people forsakes thee and that thou shouldst be unestablished thou needst not be offended for babes seeing thee for thou caust not be hid for John came to bear witness of the true light Christ and not of a natural Created light as thou imagines but of him the Prophets testified of he that was preferred before John Joh. 1. 3. the light of the Gentiles and the Glory of his people Israel and thou may see in the 15. vers which proves and 16 17. that was the Christ John bore witness of him and cryed saying this was he of whom I speak He that cometh after me is preferred before me and called Christ the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the World and this Light by which all things was made and Created He came unto his own and they received him not some hated the Light and stopt their ears and shut their eyes and would not see lest they should be converted as thou dost But to as many as received him he gave power to become the Sons of God them that believed in his Name and his name is the Word of God Rev. 19. And John saw and bore Record that this Light was the Son of God Joh. 1. 12 15 34. So this is an unfaithful and untrue account of the Light which thou hast given of the true Light Christ that doth enlighten every man John 1. 9. And whereas thou say'st It may be further observed that Christ is not once named in all or any of the first nine Verses of the first of John but only the Word Answ See how ignorant this man is of the Scriptures for it saith the Word was with God Mark that and doth thou deny this to be Christ whose Name is called the Word of God Rev. 19. Heb. 1. how God hath spoken in these last dayes unto us by his Son by whom the World was made And so here again he would make a difference betwixt Christ and God and because the word Christ is not there see how he shuffles and how ignorant he is for Christ is called the Light Life Truth and Word c. and Christ is called the Lamb of God Joh. 1. and John doth expresly say That he is the Light of the World Joh. 8. and doth enlighten every man that comes into the World which true Light John bore witness of that all through him might believe And thou has denyed Christ to be the Word who is the Light of the World and doth enlighten every man that comes into the World There is three that bears Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost so thou hast denyed this Record in Heaven who saist the Word is not Christ who was with the Father spoken of in John the Word was with God and 1. John 552. VVe are in him that is true in his Son Jesus Christ this is the true God and Eternal Life And so thou goes about to make people believe Christ is not God and we know the VVord was made Flesh and dwells in Men which thou saist he Tabernacled amongst Men as though he did not now which we must tell thee he doth now by the light which shines in their hearts Cor. 2. 4. And whereas thou saist Christ the word being imbodied in Flesh he is thenceforth called Christ the Lord or the Lords Christ and no otherwise doth he bear that Name but as he is the word made Flesh to be seen and believed on it is not the word alone nor the flesh alone but the word and flesh in union that is called Christ and is a Light to lighten the Gentiles till then there was no such thing as a Christ or a Light to the Gentiles but only in a promise Ans Whereas thou saist there was no such thing as a Christ till he was imbodied in flesh nor light to the Gentiles but only in a promise Then what was that Light which let Nebuchadnezzar see the Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands and let Job see his Redeemer and doth not Stephen say that was Christ they thrust from them and turned back again in their hearts into Egipt Acts 7. And was not that Christ the Word which Moses spoke of to the Children of Israel that they should hear and need not say who shall ascend or who shall descend and did not the Apostle say that was Christ in Rom. 10. And this the Righteousness of Faith that Moses spoke of to the Children Deut. 30. 12. the VVord was in their hearts and mouthes and doth not David call him the Anointed as in Psal 2. 2. and is not the Anointed Christ And Daniel calls him Messiah which is Christ Dan. 9. and saw him before he came and is not the Word Christ which is according to the Law and Testimony Isa 8. And how was he a Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World and is it not said in Gen. 3. 15. the seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents heads and is not the Seed Christ Gal. 3. 16. and Christ said Before Abraham was I am and thus saith the Lord to his Anointed to Cyrus whose right hand I have upholden to subdue Nations before him And what thinks thou by this what is Anointed is Christ no where spoken of before he was imbodied in Flesh and we believe he was made flesh and know it and are of his flesh according to the Scripture and we do know the Union of Christ and the Word that was made flesh but thou believes not in this Christ the Word which was made flesh who is the Light of the Gentiles and the Glory of Israel and he could not be Christ without God who is manifest in the Flesh which is a mistery to thee and we know that Christ thorow the Gospel has brought life and immortality to
the Saints from them both thou hast committed Sacriledge indeed who has denyed the great work of Salvation and Redemption of Mankind which the Apostle admired at that God should send his only begotten Son into the World that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Everlasting Life But this Christ thou has gain-said and resisted and denyed and so is never like to have benefit by him but he will be thy condemnation for ever And here thou hast fulfilled old Simeons prophesie in the 2d of Luke Vnto whom it was revealed by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before be had seen the Lords Christ who took him in his Armes and blessed God and said Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people a Light to lighten the Gentiles and the Glory of thy people Israel and behold this Child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel for a signe which shall be spoken against And here thou art the man that has set thy self against him and is fallen and so has denyed Christs coming in the flesh and also has denyed God being in Christ reconciling the World unto himself which the Apostle said 1 Tim. 3. 16. Was a great mystery God manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit And so thou that denies the Light of Christ and his Spirit which opens and reveales the mystery thou art not like but to be ignorant who has denyed Christ in his God-head Ioh. 5. 7. for the Apostlesaith There are three that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one and this Record thou has denyed for first thou has denyed Christ to be the Word and secondly thou has denyed Christ to be one with the Father and so thou has denyed Christ to be God except thou will have two Gods for thou has created already two Lights and two Words thou will neither have Christ to be the Light of the World nor thou will not have him to be the Word which was in the beginning with the Father nor thou will not have him to be Gods Covenant of Light with Abraham and his Seed and also the promise of God unto Adam where the Lord said The Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents head And now let the Reader judge whether thou be not a perfect Antichrist who hath denyed Christ come in the flesh both in his Light wherewith he lightens all people that comes into the World Secondly he denies him to be the Word which was in the beginning by which all things was made and created which is the Word the Apostle directed people to in their hearts Rom. 10. 45. Thirdly He denies him to be come in the Covenant of God which is light by which he reconciles all things to himself both of things in Heaven and of things in Earth Ephes 1. 10. And fourthly thou has denyed him to be one with his Father and so I believe here the Reader will confess that J. W. is perfectly proved an Antichrist for the Apostle saith Joh. 4. 3. Every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is the spirit of Anti-christ whereof you have heard should come and now is in the World And again in the 2 Ep. of John and the 1. Many Deceivers are entred into the World who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh this is a deceiver and an Antichrist And so as for I. VV. he doth not only not confess Christ but hath denyed Christ to be come in the flesh as hath been manifestly proved and so is he of whom the Apostle saith VVhosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God but he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Son Here the Apostle joynes them together and puts them not asunder as I. VV. doth And therefore we are not to receive him into our Houses neither bid him God speed but deny him as he hath denyed Christ and has proved himself an Antichrist compleat And whereas thou speakes in thy Book That multitudes are ensnared for want of dividing or making distinctions between God and Christ and brings the 2 of Peter 2. 2. many shall follow their pernitious wayes Answ Let the Reader read the portion of Scripture in his own judgment and truth of his heart let him judge whether this Scripture be not a true Character of thee and thy Generation of Priests or whether he can judge the Quakers to be such a People as this Scripture holds forth and by this he may judge the falsity of thy judgment and thy envy and malice which breaks forth in lying The next words following are Many shall follow their pernitious wayes by reason of whom the way of truth is evil spoken of and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandize of you who is this the Quakers or it is I. W. and his company of Priests thou breakes off betime if thou had written any further in Peter it would have come upon thy own head But there is a verse before which saith That there would be false Prophets that would bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction Here thou art perfectly set forth for I believe never any denyed him more wickedly then thou hast done as is manifestly proved and so art that false Prophet there spoken on But again verse 15. They were such as followed the way of Balaam for the wages of unrighteousness Art not thou one of these Again there were such as walked after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness must not thou needs be he who denyes the Light that manifests sin and uncleanness thorough the obedience of which they may be preserved out of it but they were to receive the reward of unrighteousness and so wilt thou who art reserved unto the day of judgment to be punished And now thou being thus manifested and proved to be what is before mentioned that the words in my Letters will fall of necesity upon thee though thou have endeavoured to cover thy self by thy setting my words in thy own frame and thereby to make them seem as if they were railing Speeches and spoken without ground And 1. Where as thou saith that I writ in my Letter to manifest thy gain-saying Spirit Core like Let the Readers judge whether this be not manifestly proved upon thy head before in gain-saying the Truth Christ who is the Light that lightens every man c. 2ly Thou saist I said Thou art without God in the World my words are thus The Light in every one as it is obeyed makes the separation from the World which Light thou denyes and so art without God in the VVorld who is Light and in
William Houlding Blacksmith and Henry Wood a daily Labouring man who cannot read on a Book and Thomas Curwen Husbandman and William Wilson Taylor who in the strength of the Lord desire to give the said John VViggan a meeting before the Sheriffe as he hath challenged us and hath sent his Challenge into the Town and not to us with many villifying and slanderous words in the said Book which he hath sent amongst the people so let all the wise in heart judge of this man whether he hath carried himself like a Rational man yea or no. The Assertions are as followeth 1. For John VViggan to prove and make good out of the Scriptures of truth 1. that Christ doth not enlighten every man that comes into the World with a saving Light contrary to John 1. 9. 2. That the Light wherewith every man is enlightened that comes into the World is not a saving Light 3. To make good that which thou hast laid down that there is some men that comes into the World hath not the spirit contrary to Iohn 16. 8. Acts 2. 7. 4. That Christs blood was not shed for all men contrary to the 1 Epistle of Iohn 2. 2. 5. That Balaam had no more of the spirit of God then his Horse and which was held forth in the dispute against us contrary to Numbers 24. 17. 6. That Balaam did not see the Starr of Iacob contrary to Numbers 24. 17. 7. And that wicked men hath not the spirit of God nor the Holy Ghost contrary to Gal. 2. Neh. 9. 8. That the Light before faith is not pure contrary to Rom. 7. 12. 9. And that Christ the Light that lightens every one that comes into the World is an Idol contrary to Ioh. 1. 9. 22. 13 46. 10. That the Grace of God is an Idol contrary to Ephesians 2. 5 8. 11. And that there is no mercy with God contrary to Psalm 13. 6. 12. That Christ is not the Word contrary to Revel 19. 13. 13. That the Light is a false Christ contrary to Ioh 12. 33 46. 14. And that Light doth not shine in darkness contrary to Iohn 1. 5. 15. And that God who is the Word doth enlighten every man that comes into the World is not saving 16. And that the Light Christ that enlightens every man that comes into the World is a Natural Light 17. That some are in the flesh and hath not the Spirit This is he to make good and prove how they can quench it and grieve it that hath it not 18. That some that comes into the World have not a saving Light 19. Some there are that are in the flesh and never had the spirit contrary to Rom. 10. 20. That the time must come that men must break their Plow-shares into Swords and Speares which his brother Price justifies in a Book and John Wiggan was offended because we marked it out for error and these things we would have the said John Wiggan to stand to and make good before the Sheriffe as he challenged by plain Scriptures of truth in the New Testament For both the Scriptures and Common-Prayer testifies against thy Principles Some more of John Wiggan's Assertions which are not many of them in the former above written 1. THat the Light in every man that comes into the World is not the Door nor the Mediator Saviour nor Redeemer nor the Way Truth the Life the Lord that bought them nor the Corner-stone nor the infallible spirit 2. That it is not the true Jesus but an Idol the Light wherewith every man is enlightened or the Light that lighteth every man 3. To follow Christ the Light is to follow a pernitious way 4. That the Light was natural and spirit of a natural man and was that in Adam which let him see his sin 5. That Light which is darkness spoken of in Math. 6. 22 23. le ts man see his Creator 6. And this Light looketh upon every thing done or to be done of man and yet this Light maketh not any thing that is done to be good or evil and yet this Light sheweth the Creator and this Light in man will render God Righteous in his Proceedings against man 7. That Christ doth not give his spirit to every man that comes into the World 8. That they in Iude spoken of as Cain and Cora and Balaam had not the spirit 9. And this Light with which every man is enlightened is Natural and its gross to say that the Light which enlightens every man is Christ 10. That the Light in every man is but the spirit of a man the Law written in the heart 11. That who so worships that Light that enlightens every man that comes into the World as Redeemer worships an imaginary and fictious Christ and an Idol denying the person of the true Jesus 12. That whosoever saith that he that is the Light in every man is Christ is a deceiver and an Antichrist and Iohn Wiggan will prove them so 13. And it is the subtle deceiver and adversary Satan that saith the Light which doth enlighten every man that comes into the World is the Lamb and the Lord and the object of faith 14. And the Light that doth enlighten every man is the Word and before he said it was the Natural man's spirit and an Idol c. 15. That the Light the word God which enlightens every man is natural and man by it knows nothing of Christ though he confess by it he knows the Eternal power and God-head the fulness whereof dwells in Christ bodily 16. And the word God the true Light which doth enlighten every man that comes into the World he saith is darkness Mat. 6. 22 23. 17. And the word God doth enlighten every man that comes into the World by setting up a Light and spirit in man which is called the Candle of the Lord and writing a Law in his heart and the Light which doth enlighten every man is not the word which was in the beginning 18. And Christ came a Light into the World not to enlighten every man that comes into the world and this light is able to seek and feel after God his Creator and by it man may know his Creator and the Eternal power and Godhead it is a created Light a great Light it is but a Candle Light but it discovers man's transgressions and this Light springeth up with mans spirit and this Light is the Spirit of a Natural man which doth not know the things of God and this Light discovered Adam's sin and this Light is Natural and not Spiritual 19. But this Light knows nothing of the Gospel mystery hid in God nor Redemption by Christ nor of Gods good purpose and Grace nor of the Law of faith 20. This Candle-light to wit that Light wherewith every man that comes into the World is enlightened is not able to discern the mystery of God in Christ And so make good these things by Scripture or stop thy mouth for ever
for thou Challenged us first or give over Challenging for we would have discoursed with thee privately in a Christian way in thy Chamber but thou in great rage denyed it And another time Thomas Curwen came into thy Chamber in a Christian way and thou took hold of him and shook him by his Coat and like to have torne it off his back and laid violent hands on him and would have thrust him out of thy Chamber for it s very well that the discourse be before a Magistrate to keep thee civil for thy carriage in the last dispute was not so hansome So provided that thou keep thy people in order and thy self also that you may speak one by one and so speak as many as will on both sides that the spirit need not be limited in any for thou was the first man that broke the order in the last Dispute and spake when another man was speaking which was taken notice of by all the wise and sober And also provided that thou keep down that foolish spirit of Laughter and be more modest and civil then thou was in the last Dispute when we were discoursing of the things of God and answer these things by Scripture according to thy Challenge before the Sheriffe and in the strength of the Lord we will meet thee if liberty may be had and when thou hast made good these things by Scripture if thou have any thing to say to any else they will answer thee These Principles he hath laid down and spoken to friends and some were in Books which his brother Evan Price sent to us and Iohn Wiggan was offended because we did mark them for errors which you may see how contrary they be to the Scriptures of truth William Houlding Blacksmith Henry Wood who is a daily Labouring man who cannot read a word on a Book and Thomas Curwen Husbandman and VVilliam VVilson Taylor dointend to give Iohn VViggan a meeting before the Sheriffe according to his Challenge if the Lord will And these things and also worse things in the Book we desire to be brought forth to the light at the Dispute and there they may be proved for he did Challenge us first though our Lives be out of disputes yet we shall give him a meeting and for him to make these things good by plain Scripture And also besides all the scandals slanders and villifyings and lyings and unsavory sawcy language and scornful reproachful speeches in a jearing scoffing and villifying way against us and these be some of his notorious Principles which he could never make good by plain text of Scripture which he has long made a trade upon to get his living by and in a feigned carriage and humility to go up and down and insence and sow discord and to make the minds of the simple envious against such as honours God and loves virtue but his rage and violent hands hath been known upon Richard Huberthorn Iohn Abraham Thomas Curwen and others who may seem to be simple and in an outward appearance to be a humble man to those who swallow down all without any question proof or tryal but when he comes to be tryed his rage and passion and violent hands comes to be felt and seen by such as Reasons with him in a Christian way We desire thee I. VV. that thou would send for the Book which thou and thy brother Price was grieved because we marked them for errors which was so contrary to Scripture Here followes some Queries for J. W. to Answer 1. WHether I. VV. is a fit man to preach the Gospel of peace that layes violent hands on people 2. And whether or no that he can preach the Gospel of peace and be not in the peace himself to all men 3. And whether or no this was the spirit of Christ in I. VV. when Thomas Curwen went to reason with him of the things of God in a Christian way and like to have torn his Coat off his back that T. C. was faine to cry out what a Minister of Christ and fight And also Iohn Abraham when he went to him to be satisfied in the things of God he laid hands of him and thrust him away Whether or no these be the fruits of a Minister of Christ and whether or no these be not the fruits of a Natural man and whether or no this spirit can give satisfaction in the things of God but only with his Natural spirit make use of the Scriptures for his own end 4. And whether or no such a persecuting spirit both with tongue and hands be not alwaies blind 5. And whether or no the blind leads any whether but into the Ditch so whether or no he that leads into the ditch doth know the things of God that leads to Heaven 6. And whether or no this blind spirit may not give forth many Queries for others to answer and yet answer none proposed to him and lay down many Assertions and make none good by the Scriptures of truth as you may see Henry VVoods and Thomas Curwens Queries lyes unanswered yet and his own false Assertions not proved by the Scriptures without adding or diminishing 7. And so whether a striker a railer a fighter Christ sent such to preach the Gospel of peace and such as disdaines and scornes Tradesmen and calls them Mechanicke men as Iohn VViggan doth 8. And whether or no he doth not go in the high Priests rode scorning the Apostles as being Tradsmen Fishermen unlearned 9. And whether or no these simple Tradesmen did not bring more Glory to God then all the wise men such as Iohn VViggan in the Earth or Pilat with his Greek and Latin yea I say Abel Iacob and David Keepers of Sheep and Elisha called from the Plow and Amos a Herdsman and Peter and Iohn Fishermen and Paul a Tentmaker Nay did not the Iewes mockingly call Christ a Carpenters Son And what think you now of Iohn VViggan who has called and Challenged us Mechanick men twice to meet him before the Sheriffe that he would make good his erronious Assertions and when we laid down his Assertions and said we would meet him he now disdaines us as Mechanick men 10. Whether these hands that will thrust and pull and hale and like to pull peoples Cloaths off their backs be the holy hands that are lifted up in Prayer 1 Tim. 2. 8. or the fifts of wickedness spoken of in Isa 48. 4. Thomas Curwen William Houlding Henry Wood. William Wilson ERRATA Page the 3. line the 2. for some read so p. 6. l. 10. f. the r. thy p. 24. l. 22. f. thing r. things p. 25. l 22. f. not as r. as not l. 32. f leght r. light p. 43. l. 4. f. the spirit of a man r. the spirit of a natural man l 27. f. is r. not p. 52. l 3. f. springing r. spring p. 54. l 16. f. deserve r. discern p. 64. l 8. for knows the things of God r. knows not
as be without God in the World and strangers have not the spirit of God in themselves to grieve and vex thou saith for that which may be known of God was manifest in them and when they knew God they did not glorifie him as God but became vain in their imaginations and changed the truth of God into a lye such becomes strangers to the life of God Rom. 1. so these Scriptures overthrowes thy assertions and proves that wicked men grieves the spirit of God in themselves as well as in others And whereas thou saist Joh. 16. 7 8. if I depart I will send the Comforter c. thou saist by this promise Christ makes is to send the holy Ghost after his departure it is evident enough that this Scripture can be no proof of thy assertion to wit that every man that comes into the world hath not the holy Ghost for if every man had him when he came into the world what need was there he should be sent to them after Christs Ascension nay rather this shews they had him not before he was sent and so not till after Christs departure which destroyes thy opinion yet thou grants the holy Ghost is come after Christ ascended to the Apostles and to reprove the World so by this thou hast overthrown thy own opinion and assertion and we say that Christ doth enlighten every man that comes into the World and is a Saviour and the Light is saving and the holy Ghost is given to reprove the World and lead the Saints and it s proved before that the wicked resisted the holy Ghost before Christ came in the flesh and the holy Ghost was given to the Disciples after Christ was ascended and he should reprove the World but thou denies it and sayes they have it not and so demes plain Scripture and perverts our Words for our Words is That Christ doth enlighten every Man that comes into the World and sayes believe in the Light and the holy Ghost reproves the World for their unbelief in the Light which leads the Saints unto all Truth Secondly Thou sayes this promise is made particularly to the Disciples of Christ I will send him to you and not unto the World Answ Why dost thou wrong the Scriptures doth it not say when he comes He shall reprove the World of Sin Righteousness and Judgment of Sin because they believe not in him was he sent then only to the Disciples and not to the World read Iohn 26. 7 8 9 10. over again and see thy own ignorance and darkness and it s sufficiently proved that the wicked resisted the holy Ghost before Christ came as also they that killed the Prophets and also it s proved that Christ did send the Comforter to his Disciples after his Ascension which Spirit should reprove the World and though the Disciples were led into all truth by the Spirit by which they was to preach the Gospel to all Nations that the name of Christ might be spread over all this doth not disprove the spirit of reproving the World which thou in thy ignorance brings to prove that the World hath not the spirit to reprove them and in the 17. of John Christ saith that they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in them that the World may believe that thou hast sent me Now how can the Worldbelieve if they have not the Light and the Spirit in them to believe in seeing Believers hath the witness in themselves and as for Christs Miracles and signes which some believed and some gain-said for some said he did Miracles by the Prince of Devils such stop their eares and closed their eyes least they should be converted as Acts 27. And thou sayest the holy Ghost was poured upon none but who repented and believed this is thy saying who art ignorant of the Scriptures which saith God would pour out his Spirit upon all Flesh Acts 2. Joel 2 Joh. 16. and such as repented and believed received the holy Ghost and others resisted it and quenched it so that here is a difference betwixt the Believers and Unbelievers for the one receives it the other rejects it though it be powred out upon all as Christ saith The Word was sowne in the Field which is the World it was sowne upon all Grounds upon the Thorney the Bryrie the High-way and the stony Ground but who brought forth fruit but the good Ground Mat. 13. and this sufficiently proves that the spirit is powred upon all flesh and Heb. 6. which speaks of such as were once enlightened and had tasted of the Heavenly gift and was made partakers of the Holy Ghost and tasted of the good Word of God and if they shall fall away it were impossible to renew them again to repentance seeing they crucify the Lord of Glory the Son of God afresh and put him to open shame and now Priest Wiggan sayes these wicked men had not the spirit nor was not enlightened yet they crucifyed Christ afresh and put him to open shame and thus with his wisdome he abuses the Scriptures though he hath long made a Trade of them And whereas thou makes a preamble upon our words wherein we replyed to thy assertion to wit that no wicked man had the spirit of God but only the Saints and thou did affirm that Balaam had not the spirit of God and we proved that Balaam had the spirit of God and heard the word and voice of God as Numh. 24. and now thou hast overthrown thy own assertion and confesses that Balaam and Saul had the spirit of God which thou confesses was wicked men and thus thou hast split thy self upon the Rock and overthrown thy Foundation for before thou affirmed none had the spirit of God but believers and Balaam prophecyed of great things to the Jewes and God spoke to him and we know there is a difference betwixt those that grieves the spirit and those that walks in it and before thou was ignorant of these Scriptures as Balaam and Saul having the spirit of God and now thou confesses that wicked men may have it upon some occasions but sayes all wicked men hath it not read over again Joh. 16. Acts the 2d That the Holy Ghost should reprove the World and God would powre out his spirit upon all flesh which before thou would limit only to Believers with thy dark imaginations and how darest thou preach the Scriptures which are the things of God to wicked people who sayes they have not the spirit of God and here again thou overthrowes thy assertion and thou sayes it is the spirit of God in the Ministers of Christ that must convince the World and when as we bid thee who lookes upon thyself to be a Minister of Christ convince us of any evill we have done thou shufled it off and said God must convince us and so confuted thy Assertion and whereas thou wrests and perverts the Scriptures and sayes Balaam did not see the Starr
thee that thou hates the light and when thou said the Plagues of God was upon Thomas Curwen this is not rayling with thee and said the spirit of the Devil spoke in him when he spoke truth to thee and this was thy fury and madness who art not fit to talk of the Saints conditions and so it is manifest thou knows not what spirit thou art of who dost not know the light of Christ to be saving neither hast thou shewed forth the fruits of the spirit of Christ with its workings And whereas thou would know where any of the Ministers of Christ or Christ called any strange birth of the flesh c. it seems thou art ignorant of the Scriptures as well as others as long as thou hast been a Merchant for did not Christ tell the Pharisees they were of their Father the Devil Iohn 8. and the Apostle said to Elimas the Sorcerer thou full of all subtilty who perverts the right way of God as thou dost hindering people from believing in the light Ioh. 12. Acts 13. and so we speak truth to thee as thou art we do not falsly accuse thee and now see thee where thou art who long deceived us but praised be the Lord we are come to Christ the saving Light which thou denyes and its manifest what thou art and what thy suffering is in the darkness against the light and thou proves thy self a Thief and a Robber who enters not in by the door Christ the Light but climbes up another way and therefore the sheep knows thy voice to be the stranger Iohn 10. and we know what thy compassion is but thou wants power thou hast manifested in this Book and the Letters thou hast sent up and down to Manchester and Stopperd and thy deeds are manifest in the light which thou hates so much and the Lord is rebuking the evil spirit and judging it and thou wilt feel the weight of his hand for thy maliciousness to his people and it is thou that hath mislead and misguided the simple who brings forth arguments to no purpose to strike at the Corner-stone Christ the Light it being fallen upon thee therefore thy Arguments is manifest to be to no purpose and therefore thou art thus tormented and whereas thou savest our Corner-stone being struck at then the building must needs fall to the ground but I say our foundation is Christ the Light Ioh. 8. which we know that thou and all the Generation of Priests have struck at till you are all tumbled down your selves but Christ our Corner stone and Foundation and Light never fell but thine is fallen and therefore thou ragest And we do affirm in our words and printed Books that Christ who says he is the Light in Joh. 8 he is the Dore Joh. 10. he is the quickning Spirit and he is the Corner stone which God hath laid in Sion he is the Truth and he is the All and in all and above all according to Scripture and to be believed in And hath enlightned every man that comes into the world and he is the Redeemer and the word and this thou denyest Christ the Light the Quickning Spirit the Way the Truth the Corner stone the Word the Foundation the Redeemer and the All And here indeed thou hast denyed the Corner stone and Christ Jesus which the Prophets Christ and the Apostles testified of so thou hast manifested thy self against them So never take their words to make a Trade of any more And thou canst not call Christ the Light a Quickning Spirit the Way the Truth the Word the Foundation the Corner stone the Redeemer this thou canst not call the True Jesus thou sayst We do believe thee and that thou art an Enemy to him and them that walk in his light are manifest and therefore have I Richard Gubbam proved thee a false Prophet and Antichrist according to thy own-words and we are come to Repentance and the knowledg of the Truth and thy ways be detected whereby many simple hearts be turned from them and so now we are many of us undeceived from such deceivers as thee who calls Christ the Light the Word the Way the Truth deceiving but the Lord rebuke thee who strives to keep Ignorant simple people from the Light and in darkness thou wouldst aspire up as a Judge of all conditions and knows not thy own to be miserable blind and naked Rev. 1. yet thou tell'st the Reader what the Light is and what it can do and what it cannot do and of what use it is when thou in the darkness cannot comprehend it And whereas thou tellest us of the Light of the first Adam and the Spirit of man is the Candle of the Lord Proverbs 20. and Genesis 2. Adam was made a living soul 1. Cor. 15. and thou sayest this Candle of the Lord or Light in every man is inferior to other Lights and is lower than the Angels and is limited and bounded c. And now would not this Light have justified the Jews and Adam and the Candle of the Lord would not that have directed them in his way and did not David call the word of God A Lanthorn to his feet and a Light unto his path And is this thy Spirit which is under the Bonds and Limits for where the Spirit of God is joyned to there is liberty and we do not tell thee of the Light of Adam thou art gone from the matter but we speak of the Light of Christ Jesus the second Adam the Lord from Heaven For our dispute was not about the earthly Adam the Spirit of a man but our discourse was about Christ the Light of the world the Saviour and thou tel'st us of the Light of Adam this is thy dark Wisdom and like thy knowledge and experience of Christ And whereas thou say'st the Spirit of a man or Light in every man is understood to be the Reason or the understanding of a man whereby he is adopted to know his Creator viz. who made him according to David Psalms 59. 6. Answ Here thou hast confuted thy self for can man be adopted to know his Creator with his own Spirit and Reason and his own Light which thou call'st Natural For the Natural man knows not the things of God and the Spirit of man knows the things that be of a man even so the Spirit of God knows the things that be of God and if all Nations must know the Lord God that made them and serve him and they are his people and the sheep of his Pasture and they must worship and kneel before the Lord their maker and keep his Laws then they should have the Spirit of God for natural men cannot discern the things of God nor hear his voyee nor worship him as thou said'st before so these Scriptures over throws thy assertion Psal 95. 6. And whereas thou say'st of this Light we may understand Christ to speak Mat. 6. 23. Therefore if the Light in thee be Darkness how
against the Light of Christ as thou dost who art fallen in the dark that the very words in the Common-Prayer may judge thee who in thy pride looks to be far above that Before thou saist that the Light would lead people to see much of their Creator and of his Eternal Power and God-head and bring people to seek and feel after God And now thou saist it is an Idol and an Image of jealousie and worse then that of Jeroboams and the Papists and leads into pernitious wayes and into the City Tohu and into a Babel of confusion and errors How now John thou hast sure forgotten thy former words was there ever the like confusion heard it could not be believed that ever such wickedness had ever been in a man covered under a feigned Humility And whereas thou saist VVe Pray and Sing and teach all or many together with loud voices contrary to 1 Cor. 14. 33 40. Ans Thou makes no shame of lying and to publish them abroad to villifie the Truth for all people that knowes us knowes thou art a lyer for neither thou nor any hath heard us speak or pray all together in words with loud voices neither hath any of us in our Meetings been heard speak seldom but one by one but if others have praised the Lord when they heard others speak and sung praises to the Lord God which thing torments thee and if others have lifted up their voices to the Lord God when others have been praying together shewing the lively power of the Lord God amongst us which torments the deadness of thy Assembly and makes thee thus rage for in the 1 Cor. 14. they might speak two or three and the rest might judge and this is decent Order but it is disorder in thy dark Assembly thou would say 24. Elders that fell down together and praised the Lord was a confusion Rev. 4. and make a joyfull noyse as David saith often but these Corinthians were in a confusion about their Bread and Wine as thou and thy Priests are but thou art like to the Jewes at Pentecost that said the Apostles were drunk And Acts 24. in a Meeting when they lifted up their voices with one accord and said Thou art worthy Lord God of Heaven and Earth who hath made the Heavens and the Earth Sea and all things that is in them but this thou will sure say was confusion And whereas thou saist we call our selves a Meeting not a Church and the particular Members Friends not Brethren and Sisters Ans Here thou hath manifested thy self to beignorant of the Scriptures Isa 1. 13. which calls the Assemblies of the Church a Solemn Meeting and the Lord gives it the name of a Solemn Meeting the Church was met together and the Brethren met with the Apostles Acts and Amos 4. 12. prepare to meet thy God and they met with Jesus crying Hosanah with Palm-Trees and Branches in their hands Joh. 12. 13. and thou would say this was a confused Multitude And further thy ignorance is manifested in the Scriptures because we call one another Friends thou art troubled Acts 29. 3. Paul had liberty to go see his Friends And Christ saith ye are my Friends and I have called you Friends Joh. 3. Epist ver 14. our Friends salute and greet the Friends and so because we say Friends and Meeting this is to set forth a new Jesus thou maliciously saith but thou art a manifest lyar both by our words and Writings for we call our Meetings Churches and our Friends Brethren and Sisters and so here it will be seen that we do not characterize our selves by new Names which thou hast falsly and maliciously charged upon us But thou hast given thy self up to forge lies and work wickedness for no other Jesus but him who is the same to day yesterday and for ever do we own who is the Light of the World and enlightens every man that comes into the World which hath been proved before whom John was sent of God to bear witness of that all through him might believe and as many as receives him he gives power to become the Sons of God which thou blasphemously calls Christ the Light an Idol and Natural light And whereas thou saist VVe cannot find the Names or Offices of Pastor Elder Deacon Teacher which Christ set in his Church Ans Here the very common people will witness against thee that thou lyest for the work shewes it by the care and order that nothing is lacking for we have more in our Church then the Names of those Offices we have the fruits of them for nothing is wanting amongst us we have the Great Bishop are taught of God do know the Lord from the greatest to the least Heb. 8. But what is become of your Teachers and Pastors and Deacons who made such a noyse against us a few years ago who had the Name but out of the life and power And whereas thou saist VVe do not alledge Scripture for our Doctrine for proof but VVomen speak in our Meetings Here again thou adds lyes to lyes and delights in lyes Psal 62. 4. and art a deceitful witness speaking lyes Prov. 14. 25. and hast bent thy tongue like a Bow for lyes Jer. 6. and so speaking lyes in hypocrisie 1 Tim. 14. for we had never meeting nor discourse with people but we prov'd our Doctrine by Scripture and at the last dispute thou had Scripture brought to prove the truth against thee and out of Peter and Jade proved thee to be the man that denyed the Lord that bought thee And as for thy denying Womens speaking thon has herein manifested thy ignorance of the Scripture for Christ seat Mary Magdalen first to declare his Resurrection unto his Disciples Marke 16. and that the Daughter of Phanitel she declared of Christ to all that looked for Redemption in Jerusalem Luke 2. And. Phebe a Servant of the Church which in some Translations is a Pastor And Priscilla and Aquilla Instructor's and Philip had four Daughters Prophesied And women were Labourers with the Apostle in the Gospel Read Acts and Romans 16. Women prophesied 1 Cor. 11. And Acts 2. Joel 2. Sons and Daughters prophesie And thus John Wiggan can make no distinction between those women that are forbibden to speak and those who are incouraged and commended his envy hath so blinded him but limits the holy one that his folly might be manifest to all men for Christ in the male and female was not to be limited nor prophesye to be despised 1 Thes 5. but thou hast manifested thy self to be contrary to Christ and his Ministers and so proved thy self to be a false Minister and one of the false Teachers that puts no difference between the pretious and the vile and a walker in lyes Jer. 23. And so it is thou that teachest lyes in the name of the Lord And was Mary Magdalen a Jezabel and Priscilla Phebe Anna the rest of the Women the Apostle forbids
John who saw they was come said the Saints had the Anointing within them to teach them and they needed not any man to teach them but as the Anointing teacheth them and the Apostles brought them to the Light within them and the Law within them and Christ bid them not to follow the false Prophets but he would dwell in them and his spirit should lead them into all truth Joh. 14. and 2 Cor. 4. Heb. 8. 1. And whereas thou saist We have cryed against the Priests and Teachers as Hirelings and deceivers coveteus scandalous c. and their Hearers as ignorant superstitious formal and that every charge hath much of truth in it Ans Here thou art made to confess something to the Truth as the Devil did to the Son of God and hath judged thy self too for thou was one that we cryed against at Manchester and our testimony stands against thee as it did who professes what thou art not dost thou not remember Elizabeth Hulme John Abraham James Harrison and what a rage and madness thou was in when they came to thee to declare the things of God and how thou lift up thy Fist of wickedness against John Abraham and could not hold thy violent hands and the guilt in you all have answered our testimony and thou yet was never able to stand to truths face nor answer the truth if thou had thou would have answered the Queries e're now And we are not of them which cries loe here is Christ or loe there is Christ but as the Apostle saith Col. 1. 27 28. Christ in you the hope of Glory whom we preach warning every man and teaching every man that we might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus and Christ was not like to be found amongst you when you denyed the Light and they that were innocent that had received the Light quickly saw you and this Light hath and will stop all your mouthes that denies it and the Light is not a shew but the substance And thou would seem to hide thy self from the carnal proud professors as if thou wert not of them but they that knows thee knows what thou hast been and what thou art yet and all thy Congregations which thou hast gathered where hast thou left them now so that which thou who denies the Light hath been doing is but to beat the Air. And all that were sober and feared God seeing you persecuting us and reviling against the Light and against the Spirit and what unchristian actions they used against us was a cause through quiring into truth to cause them to forsake you who denyed the Light of Jesus who broke into confusion amongst your selves and biting at truth and biting at one another till you were consumed one of another And so the good meaning people that did not make Godliness a game as you did imbraced the Light of Jesus and came into the fellowship of the Light and the Gospel which is the power of God Rom. 1. And whereas thou saist The well meaning people easily fell into their Net to do homage to their new God in the mean while the ignorant rash Priests and people who dealt with them lost themselves and injured the truth and gave this people ground to glory over them Ans If the well meaning people fell to us then the ill meaning people staid with you and this manifests you are fallen from truth when the well meaning forsook you And whereas thou saist they did homage to their new God Nay it s that God and Christ which 〈◊〉 ever was and will be whom you for sook and denyed as thou denies still and mocked with your words like them that opposed the Apostles and called it a new Doctrine a setter forth of strange Gods Acts and so you did injure the truth as thou dost now and it is Christs Net which they were catched in which kept the good and threw out the bad according to thy own Words and as you have injured the truth so hath God brought his judgments upon you and thou hath given us as much cause to glory over thee as ever any did but our glorying was and is in the Lord God and his Son Jesus Christ who hath dearly bought us with his Blood and thou that denies the Light crucifies Christ afresh and puts him to open shame And whereas thou saist the right course to deal with us is to distinguish between good and evil Ans This thou hast not done as is manifest in thy Book but like one of the false Prophets who follows thy own spirit and sees nothing but puts darkness for light and light for darkness and thou hast manifested thy unrighteous dealing to us in all thy Book and thou dost not own the good nor imbrace it nor cherish it how canst thou when thou denies the Light of Christ for that which doth make manifest and reproves is light and all things is manifest by the Light and this Light thou hatest and chofest the darkness Ephesians 5. and loves it more then the Light John 3. And whereas thou saist Thou will joyne issue with us to bear witness against hireling Priests against Tythes against superstitious carnal Worship against swearing against corrupt worldly customes herein joyne with them are they at least in shew for the power of Godliness as well as the forme for worshipping in spirit and truth for justice for Righteousness sobriety mercy gravity and whatsoever is excellent in life and conversation so am I yea whatsoever they can make appear to be evil that I would east off with as much indignation as they and what further good they can shew that I have not learned that would I gladly imbrace Ans When did John Wiggan bear Testimony against Hireling Priests and Tyth-takers should not John Wiggan had Tythes at Manchester to make up his Wages and was not he a Priest at his Chappels where he put off his dark Ware denying the Light of Christ and now when John hath lost his Chappels he will cry against them and their formality now when he cannot get them Oh subtilty but would he cry against them if he had 100. or 200 l. a Year given him nay would he not bless them for it and how can thou worship God in spirit truth who denies Christ the Light spirit of God to be in every man Thou art a false Worshipper thy Worship is false the Lord moved us to cry against thee and that in thy high dayes and must thou talk of crying against corrupt Customs and be in them thy self for thy evil words hath corrupted thy manners and thou art not for the power of Godliness and thou art far from the modesty gravity or justice or righteousness thy language bewrayes thee as thy lyes and slanders with mocking scoffing reproachful words and thy sawey language to Friends and especially to Margaret Fells which shames both Learning and Breeding and that most excellent thing in life and conversation thou hast
denyed which is the Light of Christ Jesus and if thou would cast off thy evil cast off thy lying slanders reproaches mockings scoffings and if ever thou wilt learn or imbrace good thou must imbrace the Light of Christ Jesus which hitherto thou hast reproached and wilt thou learn of us which thou callest Antichrist thou manifests thy self this is but one of thy flattering scorns And whereas thou saist Through the Riches of Grace having cast out those Beams which dims the eyes of many I can better discern the meates that lyes deep in the bottom of their eye Answ Thou denying the Light of Christ Jesus and not owning the grace which brings salvation which hath appeared to all men as in Titus Thou art far off the Riches of the Grace who calls Christ the Light an Idol and instead of casting out Beams and Moats thou art fighting against Christ the Light Truth and Covenant and Salvation to the ends of the Earth And whereas thou saist Being of equal ground with them can tell them that all their sair pretences and high expressions are found to be a covering too short to hide their nakedness and deceit Ans It is Truth we hold forth and fair pretences is thy own condition in words but out of life and so thy nakedness is seen to all that fear God and thy deceitful covering which is now taken off and thou art manifest and thou art not upon equal ground with us who denies Christ to be the Light And whereas thou saist While they call others Deceivers they themselves are the more subtle Deceivers Ans In this thou hast declared thy own condition for we are saved by Christ and hold him forth and declare what we have heard and seen Iohn 1. 3. and declares aginst all such Deceivers as thou art who is an Enemy to Man's Salvation Christ Jesus the Light John 8. And whereas thou saist While they call others Babylons Merchants and charge them for selling Christs the Prophets and Apostles words they themselves do the some and that none sells more Babylonish then they nor at higher rates then they as might be instanced in several Persons that I forbear to mention Ans We are come cut of Babylon where thou art and all your confusions and have recived the Lord Jesus Christ whom we declare freely as we have received without money or price and we do abhor thy lyes and slanders as to declare Babylons Merchants and such as makes a Trade upon Christs the Prophets Apostles words then to do the same things our selves which no honest man can charge us justly with such things but such as thee who sells thy self to work wickedness and the Lord will rebuke thy spirit for charging that upon his innocent Lambs which they are not guilty of and we do charge thee to mention those particulars and their Names that hath sold such ware at so great a rate and what was the rate and who and what are their Names that bought it And whereas thou saist while thou endeavours to discover their deceits thou intends not to hurt any thing that 's good in them Ans It is the good in us that thou strikes at and in that thou hast discovered thy own deceit as may be seen all along in thy Book together with thy contradictions And thou saist Hosea 14. 9. who so is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them But John wiggan hath fully discovered his foolishness and that he walks not in the way of the Lord which is Light for Christ saith I am the Light I am the Way the Truth and the Life and this Light he hath denyed A POSTSCRIPT How hath thou lived in sloath and idleness that thou hast not convinced those that turned from thee which was thy Heareis all these many Years that thou begins but now alack for thee they are on a Foundation above thee and so thy Sandy Foundation and darkness and enmity and making gaine of the Apostles and Christs Words has been thy own condition and keeping People alwayes in Teaching that they may alwayes be Paying thee And now that thy Goin as gone thou grumbles and mutters against those that be innocent and judgeth them in the practice of thy self and so measureth them with by own Earthly Spirit and judgeth them with Earthly judgment which cometh not near them Something in ANSVVER To JOHN WIGANS APPENDIX Wherein he Compares the Evil Language of the Quakers with the False Prophets Answ TO tell a man he is a Lyar if he find him so is not a Mark of a false Prophet for Jeremiah did so Jer. 23. And the Apostle was no false Prophet when he told them they spake lyes in hypocrisie 1 Tim. 4. And Jeremiah was no false Prophet when he said They bent their tongues like a how to speak lyes Jer. 9. Nor David was no false Prophet when he said They turned aside after lyes Psal 40. And the Apostle was no false Prophet when he said Satan had filled their hearts Act. 5. as he hath done thine else would thou not have uttered so many lyes against us but we are not afraid of thy Reproaches Psal 51. 2. neither do we matter thy mocks for fools make a mock at sin Prov. 14. 16. And knowing that mockers was to come in the last times Jade 18. Though we have undergone the trial of cruel mockings but God will not be mocked with thy Religion and vain words Gal. 6. for what thou sowest thou must reap and our words that are spoken to you are truth who makes no distinction when the truth speaks to the wickedness and unrighteous state of man which the wicked may get the words as thou dost and throw upon the righteous And whereas thou compares us to the false Prophets and the unclean spirits in the Revelations which came cut of the mouth of the Dragon and were proud boasters false accusers and incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good Answ John this is thy own condition thou hast directly read it yet before thou said thou would learn of us and thou said they were the better meaning people that came to us thus thou foamest out thy own shame like unto the raging waves of the Sea And whereas thou saist We boast of persection and sinless life and are the servants of corruption Answ This is false the Lord rebuke thy spirit for our perfection is in Christ the crown of our rejoycing who thou saist is an Idol and Christ we serve and not corruption And see if any of our Friends have spoken such words to thee as thou hast spoken against the truth and thou denying the spirit and Light in men by which they should see their salvation thou can be no otherwise but as a wave of the Sea as a Well without water and a Cloud without rain as in Jude manifest to be in the
false Prophets steps 2 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. 10. 2 Pet. 2. Art thou not here in these steps Evil beasts slow bellies c. all that read the Scriptures may see thee And whereas thou saist Thou hast had Converse with several Christians in several Nations this thirty years Answ This thou may speak to thy shame who knows no more of God and Christ then now to call him an Idol and where did any of all these Christians teach thee that Christ was an Idol I do not believe that any sect in all Christendome would say so but thy self no not the Papists whom thou likens us to and saith we are as bad and so thou art like unto them in the Revelations Who blasphemeth God and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven And that which thou did affirm in thy assertion was contrary to God Christ Scripture and Truth and all people might see them if there were no answer to them if they could but read Scriptures And whereas thou saist It behoved some of them at least G. F. who was called as Margaret Fell affirmeth c. Answ Margaret Fell said G. F. was called from his lawful Calling as thou reports thou thy self didst report it That was the occasion of her words which if it was so if his Calling had been meaner it was better then Butchering people as thou hast done with the sword any of these trades had been better then thine for thou hast been both a Priest and a Butchering Major so thou might have two Trades and has lost them both which makes thee â—ail so Alss for answering thy book it did not so much concern G. F. but many particulars which were some of them 60 miles one off another and thy book which we had with much adoe from you which ye were afraid should have come to the light it was such a work of darknesse and it was but a few dayes time in our hands which they were not likely to answer it in so short a time besides called on often to be taken from us it was an uncertain thing for us to come to answer it or go about that work but at last we were fain to take it in pieces and get it Copyed over in pieces there was such haste with you and this shews you were afraid to have it answered whereof John Wigans Wife and some of his mis-led people made a boast as though we could not answer it before we could have it which he hath small reason for as they that reads it in mecknesse sees his folly 2 Tim. 2. And that which we writ was true to thy condition thou hast proved it And whereas thou art grieved because the Goalers and Prisoners should see thy fruits laid open because we sent Letters to them to give unto thee when thou thy self would not take them of us and we did not send for our Letters again as thou didst thy Book or some through thy means not being afraid who see them or read them And herein thou condemns thy self for thou directed thy book to the Goaler and sent it into the Towne before it came to us so in this thou hast judged thy self for thou didst not so much as direct that a Copy of it should be given to us and so thou renders thy self both obnoxious and odious in thy Book and practice And what thou hast been is known and there is things yet to be manifest which is a shame to mention and so thou hast thy self begotten in many men a true opinion that thou art a hainous offender in speaking such words and writing such things against Christ the Light And we know none that hath sent thee any Letters sealed but there hath been a name subscribed to them And as for scorning jearing and frothy expressions that 's thy own condition John and not ours and why didst thou not put those letters sent without names into thy book that the wise Reader might have seen them if there were such and have judged of them And as for me Thomas Curwen who sent several papers to thee being burthened with thy wickednesse who had published thy lies abroad in the Name of the Lord and wast ashamed and afraid that we should have them though thou promised often we should have them in words and now that we have it it must but be a fortnight being a short time for them who are above 60. miles from one another and thou hast done unjustly in that thou hast not put down my whole letters and the occasion of them for there is no wise man will judge but that there was some reason why I should send such words to thee And did not froth and rage and fury appear in thee when thou laid violent hands on me and pull'd my coat like to tare it off my back and canst thou lift such unholy hands and fists of wickednesse unto the Lord in prayer and will God accept thy sacrifice which is like Cains And when I did peruse thy book I found it did not prove thy assertion viz. That Christ the light is not saving It therefore is but as Chaff and dirt and thou perverts and wrests adds to many Scriptures seemingly to prove thy assertion good which thou couldst not for which I say the plagues of God shall be added unto thee according to the Scriptures Rev. 22. To which John Wigan in his wonted fury and rage said The plagues of God was upon me and we all spake from the spirit of the Devil yet this man before his companions would seem to be humble and a meek man through his feigned words would seem to Justifie himself And for thy sawcy language and ill-bred behaviour and unmannerlinesse if thou had put all my letter down the Reader might have seen why I charge those things upon thee And therefore I had good ground to speak these words through all thy words and carriages towards me and also thy abusive and slanderous and sawcy expressions to my Esteemed friend in the truth M. F. which if thou hadst had either civility or the reason of a man or any regard to virtue thou would have been ashamed to utter or have written such things as thou didst but thou hast abused her letters as thou hast done mine and taken that which thou thinks may be for thy advantage and wrests our words as thou hast done the Scriptures and left out that in our letters which was the cause we spoke those things unto thee and plainly shew the cause which if any desire to know the cause we have them to shew for if we should put them in our book they would make it too great a volume too great together with thy slanderous letters and that thou should vomit so many slanders in thy book which thou would not let us have but only a few dayes and then thou glories and boasts in which time thou knew we could not answer them the particulars concerned in it being so far distant one from
these things is a mystery to thee and thou knows nothing of them but what thou knowes naturally as a bruit Beast for thou cannot believe the Apostles Testimony that he gives in the 13. of the Acts when he is speaking of Saul vers 22. and when he had removed him to wit Saul he raised up David to be their King to whom he gave Testimony c. Of this Mans Seed hath God according to his promise raised vers 25 unto Israel a Saviour Jesus when John had preached before his coming and as John fulfilled his course he said whom think ye that I am c. Men and Brethren of the stock of Abraham and whosoever among you that feareth God to you is the word of this Salvation sent vers 26. So let the Reader read this portion of Scripture and see whether Christ Jesus be not Gods Covenant of Light and Promise unto Abraham and unto David and also whether this be not that which John bore Testimony of and so now thou art sufficiently proved thus far not only a breaker of Gods Covenant and Promise unto Abraham and his Seed for ever in whom the Apostle saith all the promises of God are yea and in him Amen 1 Cor. 20. The next is wherein thou has denyed Christ to be that word which John beares witness to which was in the begining with God saying the neglect of this distinction of the word Creator and the word made flesh is the ground of the great mistake of many thou saist who not considering what is testified of the Word as Creator do confound that Light which is set up by him in every man with that Light which he gives as he is the word made flesh and so calls that Light saving which is but natural springing up with him in his Creation yea hence they call that Light Christ which is but the Law written in the heart Answ I desire the Reader to read over the 1st of John and seriously consider what distinctions he findes made there from the word that was in the begining and the word that 's made flesh and the light that lightens every Man that 's come into the World and whether all these be not Christ which John beares witnesse of and whether John and the Spirit of God there have separated them as the blacknesse and darknesse in J. W. hath done and let the Reader judge whether this Man be not possest with an Inchanting Spirit of Sorcery and Witch-craft and even as it were given up to work wickednesse to his own destruction being filled with envy and malice against the Truth which has overthrown his rotten and sandy foundation and causes him so to rage that he even blasphemes against the God of Heaven that he even dares to separate the God-head and would not have Christ Jesus to be the true Light and Word of God which was in the begining in whom the fulnesse of the God-head dwells and that bodily Gal. 3. 9. And so as thou hast denyed Christ to be the Covenant of God thou has also denyed him to be the Word of God and also has denyed him to be the Light that lighteth every man that comes into the world and so has denyed his God-head as he is a Saviour by which all the Fathers were saved and dyed in the faith of him and the Patriarchs and the Prophets that had his word in their hearts and thou has denyed him to be the Light of Israel and thou has denyed him to be the first fruits of them that sleep and the first begotten from the dead and the first born of every Creature thou has denyed his very life and substance and the laying of his life down thou has denyed for thou said he denyed faith to some and one of thy Brethren said that his blood was not shed for all and thus you spake despight against the spirit of Grace and counts the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing and so Christ is of little value to you and you are not worthy of him but for the Seeds sake and that people may not be blinded with thy wickedness and blindness and darkness and that people may come to an understanding of the Truth I desire the Reader seriously to consider these following Proofes that is to say first of John That Word which was in the beginning with God by which all things was made and Created which was before man was made or Created and was glorified with the Father before the World began whether this be not the word Christ the Saviour of mankind according to the Apostles words in the 1. of Heb. 2. ver and so on hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the World c. And whether this Son of God by which all things was made and Created is not the Saviour and the Word in the beginning and the Redeemer of all Mankind and whether the Word which Moses spoke of to the Children of Israel Deut. 30. 14. when he said The Word is very nigh thee in thy heart mouth that thou may do it and said then he had set Life and Death before them which the Apostle in the 10. of Hebrews bears testimony to who saith Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believes And when he rehearses Moses Words he saith Who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the Deep that is to bring Christ up again from the Dead But what saith it the Word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart this is the word of Faith which we preach that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shall be saved Doth not the Apostle say that this Lord Jesus is the Word this is the Doctrine the Apostle preached the same Word in the heart as Moses did But I. W. denies this Doctrine and this Word and this Jesus that is very nigh in the heart that preaches Righteousness he preacheth him afar off it vexeth him to hear of him nigh in his heart for his heart is filled with hypocrisie and darkness and Gods Word and Witness lyes slain in him and so all his Preaching is of Christ without him crucified at Jerusalem but he knows him not nor where he is and so all his separation is but in the darkness talking of a Christ without him and denying Gods Covenant of Light within Isa 49. 8. and denying Christ the Word in the heart which was that which the Apostle preached and likewise the Apostle Peter Acts. 10. 36. The Word which God sent unto the Children of Israel preaching peace by Jesus Christ the Word I say you know which was published throughout all Judea after the preaching of the Baptisme of John and hew God anointed Jesus Christ c. vers 43.
to him all the Prophets gave witness and while Peter spoke these Words the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the Word And what Word was this they heard when the Holy Ghost fell on them was it not the word the Apostle preached Christ Oh thou enemy of God how should Christ be preached if that word which the Apostles preached was not Christ and were not they the Ministers of the Gospel and of the Spirit 2 Cor. 1. 18. But as God is true our word towards you was not yea and nay for the Son of God Jesus Christ who was preached amongst you by us even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus was not yea and nay but in him was yea Here the Apostle clearly manifests that the word which they Preached was the Son of God Christ Jesus and was not the word of Reconciliation which the Apostle preached was not this Christ doth he not say All things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given unto us the Ministry of Reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing their Trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of Reconciliation and we are Embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled unto God for he hath made him to be sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him This message is a torment to J. W. he is none of those Embassadours he carrieth no such message as this this is contrary to his Doctrine for he will not have God and Christ to be one nor he will not have the World reconciled for he saith The Light that lightens them is not saving and how can they be reconciled unto God if they be not saved from their sin he makes account that Christs Blood is not shed for all and the Apostle saith He is the Propitiation for the sins of the whole World But J. W. saith that this Word is not Christ and the Apostle did commend those that he preached to and committed them to the word of his Grace which is able to build them up and to give them an Inheritance among all them that are Sanctified But for the Readers satisfaction we shall prove something out of the Old Testament Did not Abraham see Christs day and was glad and believed and it was counted to him for Righteousness was not this by Christ the Word which was in the beginning with God who said before Abraham was I am did not Moses write of him as Christ saith and saith A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me him shall you hear in all things Did not Moses see this by the word that was in his heart which he preached to them and did not David Prophesie and saw Christ set up a King upon the Holy Hill of Zion and said he would declare the Decree of the Lord the Lord hath said unto me thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee aske of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thy inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for thy possession Psal 2. But J. W. would not have Christ to have none of these nor such large possessions he will not have him the Light nor Saviour of the World nor have the Heathen for his Inheritance and David saw Christ a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisadecke and did he not see this by the Word that was in his heart that was a Light unto his pathes and a Lanthorn unto his steps and he said he had hid his word in his heart Psal 119. And thy Word is sweeter then the honey or the honey-combe And Solomon saith Pro. 8. 27. The Lord possessed me in the begining I was set up from everlasting from the begining or e're the Earth was was not this the word that was in Solomon's heart from the begining and the word that Isaiah the Son of Amos saw concerning Juda and Jerusalem It shall come to passe in the last dayes that the Mountain of the Lord's House shall be established on the top of the Mountains Isay 2. from the 1. vers to the 5. where he saith Oh yee House of Jacob come yee and let us walke in the Light of the Lord was not this the Light of Christ by which he saw the Mountain of the Lords House that was to be in the last dayes and was not this the Word Christ that was in the Prophet who said that their root should be rottennesse and their blossomes should goe up as dust because they have cast away the Law of the Lord and despised the holy one of Israel which Law the Prophet saw goe out of Sion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem was not this Christ Jesus the light and word of God and the Lord sent a word unto Jacob and it lighteth upon Israel and is not this Christ Jesus Gods Covenant And the Prophet Isaiah when he spoke to the people he told them their eares should hear a word behind them when they turned to the right hand or to the left and their eyes should see their Teacher and he should never more be removed into a corner and who is this that is given for a Leader and a Guider and Teacher is not this Christ that the Prophet calls to when he saith Ho every one that thristeth come and buy c. where he saith Incline thine ear and thy Soul shall live and I will make an Everlasting Covenant with thee even the sure mercies of David Is not this in Christ and is not this Call to every one that will come and incline their ear to the Light of Christ in their hearts and consciences and hearken to the word in their hearts which is given for a leader and a teacher of all people But such Ministers of darkness as J. W. never directed to this teacher and so keeping them in darkness keeps them in sin in wickedness but the Lord is coming and is come already blessed be his name to redeem and has redeemed many thousands out of their mouthes and from under the tyranny of the oppressor which they have long kept poor people in and Ier. 15. 16. where Ieremy said Thy word is myjoy and the rejoycing of my heart Was not this word Light in his heart which is sown for the Righteous and joy for the upright in heart And again Ier. 20. 9. But his Word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay And again Ier. Is not my Word like a Fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaks the Rocks in pieces Chap. 23. 29. Did not all these Prophets and Holy men of God speak and prophesie with many more which the Scripture makes mention of from the Word of God in
their hearts that was in the beginning has thou not here denyed the Emanuel God with us that the Prophet Isay testified of and so has denyed Christ come in the Flesh whereby thou has clearly manifested thy self to be an Antichrist indeed for thou hast set thy self to oppose Christ for Christ Jesus himself when he preached to the multitude he said Mat. 13. 3. c. A Sower went out to sow and the Seed that he sow'd was the Word of God and the field that he sow'd in was the World and the ground that brought forth fruit to God was the honest and good heart And he saith again Ye are clean thorow the Word c. Ioh. 15. 3. And again Sanctifie them thorow thy truth thy word is truth Ioh. 17. 17. And again Heb. 3. Who being the brightness of his Glory and the express Image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his Power when he had by himself purged our sins sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high was not this Christ But thou wilt say it may be if he be of the Majesty on high he is not in the hearts of people then Thy blindness darkness and ignorance of God looks so But the Apostle Peter his Exhortation was That as new born babes they should desire the sincere milk of the Word that they might grow thereby And the Apostle James exhorted them To receive with meekness the ingrafted word which is able to save the Soules Chap. 1. 21. And again in Peter 1 epist 2. 6. Behold I lay in Zion a chief Corner-stone elect pretious and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded unto you therefore which believe he is pretious but unto them which be disobedient the Stone which the Builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence even to them that stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed 1 Pet. 2. 7 8. Now I. W. thou art this man for thou has stumbled at the word and art fallen and shall never rise again this stone shall grind thee to powder this is our Corner-stone which thou sayes thou will confound but the Apostle sayes he that believeth in him and we believe in him therefore shall never be confounded and so here thou will be found a lyer And thou saith in thy Book thou will remove our foundation which is the light in every man which is sufficiently proved that it is Christ Jesus the foundation of all the Prophets and Apostles and here thou strives with that which is too strong for thee the weighty stone must needs fall upon thee And in 2 Pet. 1. 19. where Peter exhorted them to take heed to the more sure word of prophesie and to the light that shined in a dark place and to the day-star that would arise in their hearts but thy dark preaching is contrary to that and 1 Joh. 1. 1. That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen without eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life c. Let the serious Reader but read this Chapter and see if by it he may not in his own understanding judge of the wickedness of this man and also in the 2. Chap. where the Apostie saies He writes no new Commandement unto you but an old Commandement which ye had from the beginning the old Commandement is the word which ye have heard from the beginning Again a new Commandement I write unto you which thing is true in him and in you because the darkness is past and the true light now shineth Here the Apostle manifesteth the word and the light to be one in that he writes unto them in the word and in the Light that now shines glory be to the Lord for evermore which the whole power of darkness hath long mustered up and stood against but he that is upon the white Horse who is called faithful and true in Righteousness he doth judge and make war his eyes are as a flame of fire and upon his head many Crownes he was cloathed in a vesture dipt in blood and his name is called the Word of God Rev. 20. 11 12 13. Now I have done with thee as concerning this head and thou will find that this word will judge thee in the last day who hath punctually denyed Christ Jesus to be the Word of God which is his name so he stands upon thee thy condemner for ever and so thereby thou art manifest to be the Antichrist So the next head that I am to manifest to the Reader is that thou makes a distinction of God and Christ and through thy denying of Christ to be the Light that comes into the World and thereby denies Christ to be come in the Flesh and thereby art the Antichrist for thou saith that Christ is not the word and Light which John bears witness of but saist it is the word Creator and so makes a difference betwixt the Father and the Son and so art just in the Arrians Principle in dividing the Father and the Son which brought in Heresies of old into the Churches and contrary unto the Angels testimony unto Joseph and Mary who said She should bring forth a Son and shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet saying Behold a Virgin shall be with Child and bring forth a Son they shall call his name Emanuel which being interpreted is God with us And so contrary to this thou would divide Christ and God So here thou hast denyed Christ of his propriety in the Father and hast blasphemed against the God-head contrary to Christ his own words who said I and my Father are one and so here thou has joyn'd with the Jewes in taking up stones to stone him with And also in the 8. of Iohn and the 16. ver And yet if I judge my judgment is true for I am not alone but I and my Father that sent me And again in the 14. of Iohn and the 10. ver Believes thou not that 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 doth the works believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me And in the 2. vers before Philip saith Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Iesus saith unto him hast thou not known me Philip he that hath seen me hath seen the Father And again Ioh. 17. 11. Keep them thorow thy own name that they may be one as we are And again verse 21. That they may be all one as thou O Father art in me and I in thee I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one And so thou that hast divided the Son from his Father and
VVorld Christ she set up an Idol and if she worshiped that Light as Christ she was an Idolater She answered thus I never heard such words but from an Infidel and an Idolater and a Blasphemer against God and Christ Thou art an Enemy of God thou art worse then the Jewes thou art a fit man to joyne with the Turk to set up Mahomet oh thou Infidel oh thou child of darkness My Answer to his was thus I did never hear such words but from an Infidel and a Blasphemer against God and Christ and I do not know that ever I heard any that ever owned the Scriptures to be true that ever denyed so much of the truth there written as thou hast done never take Christ Iesus into thy mouth who hath said Himself he is the Light Thou enemy of God thou art worse then the Jews that denies he is come thou art a fit man to joyne with the Turk to set up Mahomet dost thou think that Christ hath many such enemies as thou in England Oh thou Infidel who wilt thou have for thy Redeemer wilt thou not have him that is come a Light who hath said while you have the Light believe in the Light that you may become the Children of the Light Oh thou child of darkness what dost thou believe in where will thou appear when the Righteousness of God is revealed in flames of fire upon the head of the wicked then thou will know Revelation which thou dost not yet And again thou saith speaking of Christ She saith I am a witness for him against all such Antichrists and deceivers and blasphemes as thou art thou art a Minister of the night and of the darkness in the Apostacy thou art a night Bird the curse and the judgments that 's written therein speaking of the Scriptures Christ Jesus and the Apostles hath pronounced it upon thee thou art the man My Answer was and is thus where thou saith in thy Letter to me If ever I was of good savour I have lost it by the abuse of the 〈◊〉 Jesus and miserable wresting of the Scriptures My Ans was I am a Witness for him he hath raised me up from the death to the Eternal Life which is the Record and Image that I bear of him and for him against all such Antichrists and deceivers and blasphemers as thou art which John saw was entring into the World in his day and time which spirit of Antichrist hath lived in you and amongst you untill this day and hath descended upon you from Generation to Generation in this dark night of Apostary and thou that art a Minister of the night and of the darkness in the Apostacy thou art now tormented that the Light is come and the day hath sprung from on high upon thousands Glory be to the Lord for evermore so that many can say that the darkness is past and the true Light now shineth and this torments thee who is a night Bird. And whereas thou saist in thy Letter to me I wrest the Scriptures My Answer was and is my Paper where it stands will testifie against thee to be a lyer where the plain Scripture is set down without any wresting and the curse and judgment that is therein written Christ Jesus and the Apostle hath pronounced it upon thee and thou art the man which is guilty of the same which they are pronounced against and thou cannot hide thy self from them thou wilt be sure to find them true upon thee one day when thou cannot cover thy self as thou hast endeavoured to cover thy nonsence with my name And again thou saist because I asked this question thou asked me what Parish Priest in England had got more money with his Tongue then George Fox had done since he was Journey-man Shoomaker in Manchester and where thou saist my Answer was Thou art a wicked proud disdainful spirit a heathenish spirit which torments thee and many more such night Owles as thou art Let the Reader judge whether thou be not a wicked lyer in these words thou hast set down and whether my Answer in my Letter was as thou hast set them down for in thy Letter to me thy words stands thus I think thou would not take it wel that thy friend G. F. should be call'd a Priest and yet what Parish Priest in England has gotten more money with his Tongue then he Where thou said I would not take it well if my friend G. F. should be call'd a Priest My Answer was thus he was never of such a deceitful trade as to cheat people of their money or to make people believe that he would bring them to God and yet keep them in darkness and sin and preach down the Light of Jesus which they should believe in Joh. 12. as thou and such deceivers hath done for he was of an honest true Calling according to thy Report and he was called from it of the Lord into his work and service as the Apostle was and to lay open and manifest such deceivers as thou art c. And here I charge thee to be an open and manifest lyer to all that reads these foregoing words who hath set down in the first page of thy Appendix That M. F. affirmeth that G. F. was called from the Shoomakers trade Now let the Reader see whether ever I mention that G. F. was a Shoomaker for if I had I had spoken that I did not know and has thou that boldness and impudence as to say I affirm when I do but Answer to thy Words and according to thy Report he was of an honest Trade and that he was called of the Lord unto his work and service I am a witness and many thousands more Glory be to the Lord for evermore which is the cause of thine and many such night Birds of your torment and makes you fret your selves and curse your King and your God and looks into the Earth but beholds nothing but trouble and anguish Isa 8. 21 22. and this is your portion that is come upon you And whereas thou saist I said thou was an impudent a wicked ungodly lyer thou lyer a proud disdainful spirit a heathenish spirit which torments thee and many more such night Owles as thou art My Answer is this Thou said G. F. is not as he was when he first came to Lancaster My Answer was thou lyer make it to appear wherein did thou see him then what he is not now is this the Answering of the Letters that was sent to thee to turn into lying and slandering and villifying this is like thy frothy spirit indeed that instead of Answering my Papers thou tells of G. F. that he is not as he was before as above and why art thou so envious and malitious against G. F. whereas thou saist I call'd thee a Heathenish Spirit thou said in thy Letter thou hadst read of a Monk and tells a story about him my Answer was further such things is the fittest for thy
lead them this way Ans Those three or four sheets was most of them particular Letters sent to thee by many persons so as I said before thou shouldst have published the whole Letters not part of them and let them have spoken themselves to the Reader and thy errors are sufficiently manifest in thy Book and thou would have a sheet of Paper written to thy Book five sheets in a few dayes time which concerns several friends 60. miles distance one from another this was Wiggan's policy and his peoples to get the Book again and to boast that it could not be answered And thy next words concerning Antichrists fair speeches and allurements while there is hope to make merchandize of them is directly thy own condition for now thou being stirred up and opposed rages who did appear to ignorant people like a Lamb but thou was known to us before for now thou art loud and clamorous and falsly accusing when thou canst not get thy will about like to the Whore in Proverbs 7. and Josephs Mistress Genesis 39. and 2 Pet. 3. And whereas thou speaks of owning Preachers not sent but denyes the Lord that bought them and preaches not the same Jesus and Gospel as Paul did such thou saist thou ownes not but denies Ans Then thou denies thy self and thy own Assertion for the Apostle preached that Jesus which said he was the Light of the World Joh. 1. and Joh. 8. so thou art the man that Christ never sent Rom. 10. 15. and Jer. 23. 32. and thou art proved the Antichrist that denies the Lord that bought thee 2 Pet. 2. and Jude 4. and so art one of them that crept in unawares who preaches another Jesus another Gospel then Christ the Light And whereas thou saist we boast of gifts c. and that it s reported to thee that G. Fox had the gift of Tongues and by such like pretences we gain a multitude and it is a certain Character of Antichrists last coming that many shall follow their pernitious wayes Ans Our boast is not in gifts nor tongues as knowing they begin at Babel but our rejoycing is in the word Christ Jesus and in his Light Truth and Spirit and we would have all men and women come to the same in themselves which thou denies by which they might know the Lord by which a multitude is come to follow the Lord and to walk in his way the Light which thou enviously calls a pernitious way and a mark of Antichrists coming and thou Antichrist like would draw people from the Light and spirit of God within them to thy own way but God hath overthrown and is overthrowing thy pernitious wayes and many who have been followers of thee now comes to follow the Lord and that makes thee thus to rage Mathew 24. 5. 1 Pet. 2. 2. and our way is Christ and he is our guift of God And after this thou sends 12. Queries abroad and thou thy self couldst not answer my Queries nor Wood's is this the part of a man of Wisdom or Reason Nevertheless I shall not let thy Queries pass unanswered though these Queries are not to us chiefly Thy Queries are as followeth 1 Query Whether it can be found in all the Scriptures that any of the true Prophets or Christ or his Apostles ever used such language as is before mentioned in any person professing Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ or whether it be not clearly the spirit of an Antichristian spirit as hath been hinted Ans Thou that has denyed Christ Jesus to be the Light of the World and calls him an Idol and hath denyed Christ the Light to be saving contrary to the Scriptures Luke 2. 38. thou hast denyed Repentance and Faith in Christ for thou hast denyed that which thou should believe in and therefore thy words bears the mark of Antichrist 1 Joh. 2. 18 22. Joh. 4. 3. Joh. 2. 7. And what we speak of thee is true upon thee and the Apostle used such language to such like as Acts 13. 10. where the Apostle called Elimas an enemy of all Righteousness a child of the Devil which perverted the Deputy from the right way of God as thou dost people And read Timothy and Titus and there see what words the Apostle gives to evil beasts and slow bellies Titus 2. 1. 2. Query Whether there can be any other gain in the aforesaid censures then to cast an odioum upon and to cause a disesteem of the persons opposing them and whether this was not the practice of the false Prophets and false Apostles thereby to gain more credit to their own cause Ans This is thy own condition for what gain is it by all thy former slanderous words which thou cast both upon Christ and us that Christ should not be believed in and that we should be of disesteem among people that holds truth forth to all people that they might believe in him who enlightens them and this was the work of the false Prophets and false Apostles to disesteem of Christ and the Apostles that people should not believe in him nor receive their Doctrine as Mat. 28. 12 13. and 2 Cor. 10. and did they not say Christ deceived the people read Mathew and did they not say Jeremy deceived the people but the false Prophets and false Apostles could get the true Christs Prophets and Apostles words but was out of the life and not being in the spirit the true Apostles alwayes judged them as thou art now 1 Peter 2. and Jude 3. Query Whether it be not a manifest abuse of the Scriptures and a presumptuous introduction into the office of Christ positively to affirme that the sins of any man shall never be forgiven in this World nor in that which is to come meerly because he denyed the Light that is in every man that comes into the World to be saving in as much as the Scripture no where saith thus that the Light is saving Ans Thou doth not only deny Christ the Light to be saving but thou denyest the Holy Ghost to reprove the World c. And Christ saith all sin may be forgiven but that which is against the Holy Ghost and thou dost also blaspheme and sin against him not as he is a man but as he is the Light and spirit Mat. 12. 36. and whereas thou saith the Scripture no where saith that the Light is saving the Scripture saith Christ is the Light and he is the Salvation John 8. and the Lord shall be to thee an Everlasting Light and the Lord is the Saviour of his people And Joh. 12. I am come a Light into the World saith Christ and he is a Saviour And Psal 27. 1. and David saith the Lord is my Light and Salvation And here thou lyes against that which the Holy Ghost hath said in saying the Scripture saith no where the Light is saving and in Isai 49. 6. where the Lord speaking of Christ saith I will give thee for a