words are your contradictions and selfe confutations and if ignorance be the cause that thousands perish if your people perish are not you the cause of it that hath your people in such ignorance that though they can talk understandingly about the matters of the world yet they can scarce speake a word of sence about the matters of salvation as you say page 19. and upon the experience of their ignorance you have been bâ—ought to consider of your negligence and to know how you have wronged Christ and them in feare least God should require their blood at your hands though you would put off with flatteries and excuses be sure the Lord will call you to a swer before his judgment seate for it your triall is not yet past and your pardon you have not and where you say he hath wonderfully dispelled or expelled the mists of Popery I answer yea that he hath and therefore those that dwell in his light sees you in those mists undispelled that are such deceivers and wrongers of men and of Christ page 18.19 and you say many of Gods servants have laid down their lives in flames in witnesse against it I answer so they have but what is that to you that are in the miscarriages and wronging Christ and men growing worse and running as you say yet further from God c. who are casting or causing to be cast into Prison and persecuting the Lords faithfull witnesses that are sent to witnesse against your deceipts and gaainst all the Popish mists of darknesse in which mists and darknesse are such as are wrongers of God and men in the heresis and miscarriages as you are who being in that mist of darknesse and the miscarrying nature which hath taught you to lie against God and his work page 18. saying he writes his law in the hearts of his living witnesses imperfectly I say you are ignorant of the living witnesses being your selves dead branches and persecuters of his living witnesses as the filling of your Prisons cruell usage at worcester Evesham Banbury Oxford Northampton and other places may witnesse which persecution and cruelty proceeds from that Popish mist or the miscarring nature being works of darkness and are reproved by us Ephesians 5.11 and as you have showed your ignorance of the living witnesses in whose hearts the law of God is written so have you showed that you are ignorant of the writeing of the law in the heart and ignorant of the law written therein that accounteth the work of God an imperfect worke and accounteth God to be an imperfect writer of the law in the heart If he have written his law in the heart of his living witnesses imperfectly as you say who must perfect it would not you be the perfecters of it or make people beleive in you to do it who are the transgressers of it being in the miscarriages growing worse c. And as you say you are wrongers of men and of Christ so are you wrongers of God himselfe that calls his work an imperfect work and accounts God himselfe to be an imperfect worker and to do his work imperfectly when he is a perfect worker and his works are perfect and so doth he write his law perfectly in the hearts of his faithfull living witnesses as both they and the Scripture beare a true testimony though yours be false and not true therein And here I charge you 42 Priests Teachers Pastours Ministers Rectors in the presence of the Lord to be false witnesses and lyers against God and his work and his law which he writes perfectly in the hearts of his living witnesses as the Scripture witnesseth Jer. 31.33 Heb. 8.10.11 The Lord is a perfect worker and his law is perfect so doth he write it perfectly to do its work Give eare ô ye Heavens and I will speak saith the Lord God whose words witnesseth against you and all false witnesses that are knowne by your false testimony therefore saith he heare ô earth the words of my mouth Deut. 32.1.2 my doctrine shall drop as the raine my speech shall distill as the dew as the smal raine upon the tender hearbs and as the showers upon the grasse because I will publish the name of the Lord ascribe ye greatnesse unto our God He is the Rock his work is perfect Deut. 32.34 As for God his way and work is perfect the word of the Lord is tried he is a buckler to all those that trust in him for who is God save the Lord or who is the Rock save our God It is God that girdeth me with strength faith David and maketh my way perfect Psa 18.30 31 32. And this the living witnesses in whose hearts the law of God were perfectly written witnesseth against you 42 false witnesses that saith It is imperfect but your folly is made manifest as well as your false testimony in your Agreement But this is but like thy former writing Richard Baxter in that deceitfull booke of thine which James Nayler answered in print as I did in writing and sent to have come to thee before I knew of the printing of thine or James his answer to that called the Quakers Catechisme wherein thy deceipt was to some purpose made manifest in which thou poured forth the venome and filth out of thy old bottle And did'st thou not say that when such as you the Ministers were overtaken with a lazie fit they could preach without study as well as a woman fit for the gumble stoole and hath not the lazie fit overtaken thee and you 42 Ministers that you have declared your lazinesse or negligence and preached in your Agreement or therein declared your ignorance of God and the truth and of the law in the heart perfectly written in the heart by the true and perfect writer of the same in his faithfull witnesses who beares testimony against your deceipts and filthinesse which you daylie make manifest who as you say grow worse and are running yet further from God You say in your Agreement page 26. that repentance is a through turning from the flesh and the world to God c. then they that throughly turne from the flesh and the world to God they turne out of imperfection unto perfection and art not thou here in words become a Preacher of that which thou Richard Baxter in thy book called the Quakers Catechisme there called the doctrine of the Devil for thou called the doctrine of perfection in that booke the doctrine of the Devil and here in thy agreement thou Acknowledged covertly that which thou therein denied openly and saith in that called your Warrant that you are to present every man perfect c And if it was the Devils doctrine to preach perfection and the Papists dung to feed on as therein to wit the booke called the Quakers Catechisme thou said it was Then art not thou either denying in your agreement what in the other thou asserted and so art thy own confuter and selfe contradicter or else if
refined subtilty who pretends much in words but brings forth the same evil fruits from the same old birth and evil Spirit as they and such did that drew neer to God Isa 29.10.11 12 13 14 15 16. Isa 59.23 4. c. with their mouthes and lips when their hearts were farr from him and devising mischief and bringing forth cruelty and wickednesse like you and your hearers that are asleep or in the sleepy security and in Ignorance in sin unturned to God and you their teachers neglecters of the work of God and in the miscarriages wrongers of them and of Christ as you say and yet in your self commendation you are not ashamed to call your selves the Lords labourers when you are wrongers of him and the people and neglecters of his work also living in the miscarriages and where you tell of a land of light and a garden you are found to be out of both and in darknesse and the field of wickednesse in whose hearts the miscarriages and weeds grows and where you say The Lord hath not dealt so with every Nation I say Mark 7.21.22 22. Rom. 1.28 29 c. not so much yet as to discover to the inhabitants their teachers abominations and miscarriages and cause their own mouthes to utter and their pens to write the same against themselves and their fruits to confirme it as in this Nation you and yours doth and hath done which is but the fore-runners or first discovered and so much made manifest before other Nations who have not yet heard and seene what we have done Most of the world you say page the 17. do lie in the darknesse of Heathernisme Idolatry Infidelitie and Mahometanisme and too much of Christendome in the darknesse of Popery and Heresie True all the world lieth in wickednesse I say and so saith the Scriptures I Joh. 5.19 but we know that we are of God and you in that wickednesse and Popish darknesse that are in the miscarriages are of the world c. And what can Heathenisme Idolatry Infidelity Mahometanisme Popery and Heresie though by pretended Christians bring forth more against the honour of God c. then to live in the miscarriages keep alive in killing ignorance wronging both men and Christ and neglect the work of God according to his word c. growing worse and yet run further from God as you do and if Papists Idolaters Infidels Mahometans and Heretiques can bring forth nothing more against the honour of God and destruction of souls then to live in killing ignorance unkilled and in miscarriages unpardoned and in sin unturned to God in sleepie security wronging both God and men and neglecting the work of God according to his word growing worse and running yet further from God then you and your hearers are found in the same and so agreeing in that old nature from whence ariseth negligence miscarriages Idolatry Poperie Infidelity Heathenisme and Mahometanisme Heresie c. and being out of the new birth in the old guided by that nature and Spirit do you not with Heathens Popes Turks Heretiques and Infidels agree in the maine for they can but live in the miscarriages asleep in security works of darknesse in sin unturned to God in killing ignorance unkilled neglecting the work of God according to his word to wrong Christ men growing worse and running futther from God which you and your hearers are found in and doth the same as your fruits and book called Agreement doth against you stand witnesse c. and here by your fruits spirits and your words you are left amongst your own with infidels idolaters Popes Turks and Heretiques that are of the old birth and wicked seed out of the way of salvation neglecting Gods work and persecuting or doing the work of the Devill in a high measure amounted so high as to turne wrongers of Christ and of men and so are deceivers of souls and therefore instead of a pardon expect judgment greater condemnation like such Mark 12.38.39.40 Math. 23.31.32 33. c. Behold are you not left desolate being shut out of Christs Ministry and from amongst Christians and are in the nature of Popes Papists Idolaters Infidels Heretiques and the Mahometans c. that are upon the same evill root living on the evill tree and bringing forth the evill fruit though you differ in some words and Colourable Glosses Math. 7.15.16.17.18.16.20 Isa 29.14.15.16 you are of the cursed root and beares that fruit that is aâ—cursed and can deceive none but the deceived such as are of that evill seed bearing evill fruit who are strangers to the new birth and without the true knowledge of the living God and now your vizors or covers are too narrow and all your garnishing and Colourable Glosses will not maske nor hide you Act 20.28.33.34 ver Act 26 26. 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1.7 1 Pet. 5.1.2.3 2 Cor. 6.3.4 5.6 but leaves you naked and bare In that which you call your Warrant you say the Holy-Ghost made you overseers c. but you have proved your selves liers for the Holy-Ghost makes those overseers that do not neglect the work of God and such as are out of miscarriages that shun not to declare the Counsel of God freely and covets no mans Silver nor Gold who are not persecuters nor wrongers of God but such as are blamelesse as the stewards of God c. Tit. 1.7 But you that are wrongers of men and of Christ and neglecters of the work of God according to his word growing worse and running yet further from God 2 Cor. 41.2 2 Tim. 3.10 11.12.13.16.17 1 Thâ—s 4.7 you never were made overseers by the Holy-Ghost therefore you have lied of or against the Holy Ghost so are liers against God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for in page 3.4 you tell of your unfaithfulnesse or negligence and are bewaileing the same as you say and wanting a pardon and yet you confute your selves in uttering your lies for your own ends where you are seeking your praise in that called your Exhortation c. page 17.18.19 c. Saying it hath pleased the Lord of the Harvest to send forth laborers into this part of his Harvest though you confesse too weake and imperfect yet more numerous and faithfull and diligent then most of his Churches elsewhere proportionably can show That God hath sent forth labourers into his Harvest is true and they are strengthened by him to labour against your deceipt and they are both diligent and faithfull in his work who neither wrong Christ nor men but if you meane that you are those labourers or would have people to believe that you are your own words and fruits do witnesse against you that you ave not labourers in the Lords Harvest nor sent by him that are neglecters of his worke and in miscarriages not pardoned for the same and then not sent neither are you faithfull and diligent that are in the miscarriages and negligent your own
left without foundation and bottom c. Who were not one amongst themselves 24. H 8.12 and the 25.8.20 neither are you the same this generation that was the last before but alters and changes with times and men c. As your fore-fathers and Priests of England and their predecessors have done and is it not manifest that in the time of Henry the Eight the late King of England their predecessors denied the Pope for their head 2. and 3. of Ed. 6. Chp. 1. and owned Henry the Eight for their head c. viz. the Priests Arch-Bishops and Bishopps c. And in the time of Edward the sixth did not their predecessors viz. the Priests and your fore-fathers denie the Masse-Book and instead thereof received the Common prayer-book at this hand c And again in Queen Marry her time they denied the Common prayer-book and received the Masse book c. Sessio secunda Anno Mariae primo Chap. 2.3 And after that in the time of Queen Elizabeth they denied the masse-book and again received the common prayer-book c. 1 Eliz. Chap. 2. And in the time of the late Parliament was not the Common Prayer Book denied and the Directorie received by you rather then you would deny your worldly honours and possessions and what you now own is manifest to all the Children of light c. And how that you are setting up your fore-fathers works and though you be made sensible of your deceipts and the unprofitablenesse of your Ministry yet rather then you will deny your selves of what you have received by tradition from your forefathers and forsake your deceipts you rather would keep people still by force as it were under your dead dark cold barren Ministrie and destroyes their soules for your own ends who are wrongers both of them and of Christ and are made sensible of it as you say pag. 19. and feares least God require their blood at your hands c. And Richard Baxter and the other 40. and odd who calls your selves Ministers of Christ and are the untaught teachers out of the doctrine of Christ and are in the miscarriages growing worse as you say you have in the grounds and reasons in your Agreement and Catechisme acknowledged the same and so hath made your selves also manifest to be both the untaught teachers and the unprofitable servants and wants your pardon and then you must needs want your warrant from God for the same therefore as you are proved by Law and Gospel to be without warrant you are also proved by your own confession so to be in your Agreement for you say page 3 We the Ministers of Christ whose names are under written c. do humbly bewaile our too great neglect that we have not employed our care and time and labour on so great a work according to the strict and holy precepts and paterns in Gods word c. We earnestly begg of God to pardon this our great neglect c. Here you have proved your selves to be the untaught teachers that are neglecters of the work of God Act. 6.4 Act. 20.20 21 22 23.24.25.26 27. for such as are taught of God and abide in his doctrine are diligent in the work of the Lord and do not neglect it as you do who are the idle loyterers and now you idle loyterers and unprofitable servants are you made so farr sensible of your idlenesse and negligence in that work which as you say is according to the strict and holy precepts patterns in Gods word and yet you would shelter your selves under the name of Christ whilâ—st you are such and also wrongers of men and of Christ page 19. c. And calls your selves the Ministers of Christ whil'st you are acknowledging your idlenesse negligence miscarriages page 4. c and the wrong you do to men and to Christ and yet without a pardon for the same Be ashamed of your idlenesse and negligence in that which you have professed and for which you have taken peoples monys for your idlenesse and negligence miscarriages and wronging men and Christ which you your selves also confesse therefore be ashamed of your deceipt and of your miscarriages and the wrongs you have all this time done to men and to Christ and have taken their mony for the same Goe and restore four-fold and cease your deceivings be ashamed also of your lies never call your selves the Ministers of Christ whil'st you are the idle loyterers wrongers of men and Him and such as neglects his work as you do and have all this while done and that according to your own saying too If you have all this while beene in the miscarriages unpardoned as you say you must needs be the untaught teachers as you are and if you have all this time beene wrongers of men and of Christ as you say and unpardoned for the same you must needs be the enemies of God and good men and so no Ministers of Christ for he doth not teach his Ministers to live in miscarriages as you do nor to wrong him and men as you do who are not taught yet to deny and forsake the same therefore you are out of his doctrine who receive not his teachings and so are ye untaught teachers as well as the unprofitable servants and cursed deceivers for if you have all this while beene in the miscarriages doing wrong to God and Men and also idle and out of the work of God and now being sensible of it confessing the same and bewailing your idlenesse and negligence and wants yet your pardon for the same whose works have you done all this while Mica 3.5.11 Isa 56.10.11 Jer. 5.30 31. Isa 55.2 3. Ezek. 34. the Devils or your own and for what have people spent their meanes and money on you for your idlenesse and negligence keeping them in blindnesse and ignorance and for doing God and them wrong who have confessed the same and that you have beene idle and neglected to do the great work of God according to his word therefore in neglecting that and being idle therein and instead of doing the same Your third Answer agreeing with page 3.4.17 have beene wronging both Men and Christ himselfe you have cleared your selves from being his Ministers and proved your selves to be the cursed deceivers and are found and proved to be the unprofitable servants being idle and neglecters of the great work of God by you left undone and then you must needs have beene doing the works of your Father the Devill John 8.44 and your own who are wrongers of God and men and so hath deceived their soules and taken their meanes and mony for the same and for that which is not bread as the false Prophets and idle Shepherds aforetime did therefore you that are such your judgment and condemnation will be the greater Mark 12.38.39.40 Have you both wronged men and of them sought your own ends and gaines and luld them asleepe in security and taken their money
and meanes for sleeping therein and as you confesse have not awakened them out of the same nor yet turn'd them from darknesse to light that have them yet unturned from sin unto God as your Agreement doth witnesse therefore be not offended at others who are sent from the Lord to tell you the same and for that your work of deceiving and wronging Christ and them take you the shame and give over deceiving soules for your own ends and earthly gaines for you are those that labour in vaine being wrongers of God and Men and idle and negligent as you say in the great work of God according to his holy word and so you have proved your selves to be none of Christs Minister but enemies and cursed deceivers for it is written cursed be such as do the work of the Lord deceitfully or negligently and as you have done therefore that curse stands upon you and them that with you remaine under the same Jer. 48.10 Jer. 11.3 And now that you are discovered witnessed against and made manifest to be deceivers wrongers of God and wrongers of Men and to be idle negligent and the unprofitable servants you have also confessed since you say you were your selves awakened unto the same yet you make flatteries and excuses and false glosses to hide your deceipts under Promising amendment but doth not regard to forsake your false Ministry and worships and turne to the truth in the life of it being found out of the life in the lust and miscarriages wrongers of God and Men and hath your people asleepe in security c. But if any should have beene sent of the Lord into your market places or steeple-houses where you sell your ware and use your trade of deceipt to deceive soules and wrong Christ and them for your own ends and if they had but told you that which you have confess you would have beene all on an uproare and have had your disciples ready to fight for you with clubs and fists and after have sent the messenger of God to Prison for it as at Kidderminster and Worcester were made manifest when there was not so much spoken against you Titus 1.16 2 Tim. 3.8.9 and 12. as since in your Agreement you have confest but yet continue in and rather grow worse and worse as deceivers like you evil men and seducers in former ages did 2 Tim. 3.12 but your folly is made manifest as theirs was who professes God in words but in works deny him as such did that did so before you who were reprobate concerning the true Gospel purifying faith as you are and to every good work abominable and reprobate therefore behold your blindnesse and folly made manifest and for the time to come beare your reproofes and take shame to your selves if any be moved againe by the Lord to come into your steeple-houses and tell you that you have confessed the same and that your own mouths witnesse against you and your hearers as in your Agreement is also made manifest That you are wrongers of God and of your hearers page 19. and in the miscarriages liven formerly in page 4. unpardoned and that you are bewailing your negligence or idlenesse in the great work of God according to his word page 3. and saying you will amend and begg pardon for the same And if any be moved of the Lord to come amongst you seeing you still continue as you was and asks why you do not come out of your miscarriages and give over deceiving of souls and cease to wrong God and Men for your own ends and say unto you why do you not performe your promise but say and do not as hypocrits and the false Prophets do and aforetime did as the Scripture witnesseth or if there come any amongst you and aske you If you have yet got a pardon c. granted for your former negligence miscarriages and wrong done to Christ and to Men or to aske you seeing you go on in the same if you have any toleration or warrant from God so to do c. Will you not cause them that so do come to aske you or speak as the Lord shall more them to be haled out of your Steeple-houses and had to prison for the same as formerly some of you have done and If any be moved of the Lord to come to your Steeple-houses and ask If your hearers be awakned out of their sleepiness and to aske also If you be turned out of your Miscarriages from preaching for hire and being called of men masters and from wronging others and also from your Idle Lazy Negligence John 16 2 3. Act. 17.5.6 c. Act. 22.27 28 29 30. c. Will you not be offended at them for it as Richard Baxter was with me when I spake to him in the Steeple-house in Worcester who caused me to be haled out as Anti-Christian-Ministers afore time did and afterward the same day when he was spoken to in the Street would not stand but fled as the Hireling useth to do John the 10. And suffered the prison to be a place of security to keep truth shutt up into those bonds rather then to be at liberty to reprove his deceipts which is evident by his fruits which now also under a cover he hath confessed and is in that Agreement of his and 40. odd Priests Pastors Ministers Preachers Rectors and Curates and Teachers further made manifest And Cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord Negligently but Richard Baxter thou hast done it Negligently this many yeares and above 40. Priests with thee according to your Confession in your Agreement and therefore you are under that Curse And now O ye Priests this Commandment is for you If ye will not heare to give glory to my name saith the Lord of hosts I will even send a curse upon you and will curse your blessings yea I have cursed them already therefore will I make you contemptible and base before the people according as ye have not kept my wayes Mal. 2.1 2. and ver 9. Mal. 2.1 2 3 4.8 9. Behold saith the Lord I will corrupt your seed and spread dung upon your faces even the dung of your solemn feasts and one shall take you away with it Mal. 2.3 Your agreement in which you have confessed your wrong to Christ and to men and your former miscarriages then continued in and in which you have confessed your negligence c. It was dated the 4. of May 1655. And then you wanted your pardon both for your wrong done to God and men and your negligence in the work of God also as also for your former miscarriages c. as you have confessed and therefore are guilty and must come under condemnation for the same but To flatter and dissemble with the people you say you will resolve for the time to come to amend but doth not yet do it being still in the old nature and will-worships perfection miscarriages and doing wrong as you did
yet you say you and all the adjacent-churches will set apart a day publickly to fast and pray for a pardon c. I say the church in God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 1.1 Which is the pillar ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 doth deny you and all wrongers of God and men and persecuters of the Innocent and such as are called of men masters professing themselves Christs-Ministers and all such as deceive souls for dishonest gain and lives in perfection and such and the like miscarriages as you and your generation do and the prayers of the wicked are sin such as turneth their care from hearing the Law in the heart and of God Jer. 31.33 their prayer is an abomination to the Lord God Pro. 28. and 9. ver And such as you that neglect the work of God and lives in persecution the work of the Devill and in the miscarriages wronging God and men as you do they are those that turnes their care from hearing the law and their hearts from receiving the truth standing in opposition aganst it as you do and therefore their prayers are abomination to the Lord as yours and all that work such wickedness as you do is for thus faith the Lord unto such Isa 1.15 when ye spread forth your hands I will hâ—de mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not heare your hands are full of blood and hearts as well as houses are full of deceit and over passeth the deeds of the wicked Ier. 5.26 27. and such like and they that neglect the work of the Lord are cursed children having hearts exercised with covetuous practices 2 Pet. 2.3 13 14. And what Churches are you and you that are such who are in the cursed nature and wicked practices in sin and unturned to God Isa 59.2 What is your fasts worth that lives in strife and debate persecution and wickednesse behold in the day of your fasts do you not find pleasure And are you not bringing forth persecution as in this Nation is manifest as well as you exact all your labours Isa 58.3 behold do not ye fast as hypocrites and persecuters do that fast for strife and debate Matth. 23.4 5. c. who smite with the fists of wickednesse causing your voice to be heard on high afflicting the soul for a day and hanging down the head as a bullrush and instead of loosing the bands of witkedness you strengthen the hands of evil doers instead of undoing the heavy burthens you bind them Pharise-like upon mens shoulders and will not your selves touch them with one of your singers sueing some for Tythes and taking treble dammages c. And instead of letting the oppressed go free you and your generation cast the Innocent into prisons-holes and dungeons as your prisons in these parts against you may sufficiently witnesse and are not these the fruits of Jezabel and of the Hypocrites fast and not that which the Lord doth require Isa 58.3 5 6 7. Wherefore be ye witnesses against your selves that you walk in the false Prophets and Pharisees your fore-fathers steps as your fruits make you manifest and as you may read Math. 23.31 32 33 34. c and you have under a cover confessed the same who wants a pardon for your negligence in the work of God as you say for your former miscarriages which was before the 4. day of May as aforesaid and therefore you want a pardon for your perfecting and imprisoning of Tho. Goodaire once in Kiderminster twice in Worcester before that time and some others hath been imprisoned at Worcester and in Worcest Anne Himing Richard Keâ—bey for Tyths c. and many at Evesham since your hypocriticall false hearted and deceitfull confession promising amendement and rather growes worse and worse so manifesting your hypocrisie and filling up your measure of iniquity as your forefathers did leaving both your words and actions to be standing witnesses against you as they did that it may appeare for all your Evasions and Colourable glosses that you are their off-spring and beareth their marks by which you are known Maâ—th 7.20 Matth. 7.15 c. And seeing that your ministry takes little place in working any good effect in your hearers but leaves them ignorant in matters of salvation page 19. of your Agreement you are resolving in your wills and miscarrying wombe or nature and Spirit from whence your continued miscarriages proceeds to revive your fore-Fathers worke and set up a forme of words for them to get to say over to you as was used to be done to the Bishops at Trent or at Trull and you promise salvation upon the performance and threatens damnation upon the refusall Pope-like saying that that way of using Cathechising familiar and personall instruction and to have the people to get the Creed the Lords prayer and ten commandements or any other * And is not those which you call any other Orthodox Catechisme such as were set out by he old Bishops and their off-spring that were in the miscarriages as you also are c. And confesse page the 4. of your Agreement Orthodox Catechisme and your expositions to say over to you and so that will be a meanes you say to kill ignorance But the same meanes hath been used by the Bishops and Prelates and yet it hath not done that which you would have it to do and do you think that if it did not do it by your fore-Fathers applying that it receives any more vertue or power from you to do it by your revieing their work and useing the same meanes and with the same miscarrying nature and wrongfull Spirit which they did make use of it with all but your covers are too narrow and leaves you bare and ignorance remaines still amongst your hearers Math. 11.27.28.29 Act 4.11.12 Heb. 7.25 and the miscarriages amongst you their untaught teachers as it did with your fore-Fathers And you say the diligence of Papists and Sectaries will condemne you if you will not do halfe so much in a right way to save mens soules Math. 6.24 Math. 7.13.14 â—5 16.17.18 â—9 28 as they will do in a wrong way to pervert them would you not here have people to set you up as their saviour and so cause them to neglect coming from you to look unto Christ for teaching who is a true Saviour and teacher of his people and perfectly able to save all that come unto God by him without you but your designe is seeme and all your covers will not hide you who seeks to cast that off from you to the Papist and Sectaries which your selves are guilty of and found in for if the way of neglecting the work of God and living in miscarriages wronging Christ and Men growing worse and running yet further from God as you do and have done be not the wrong way and destructive to mens souls what is for there is but two waves the right and
was they not both wrongers of men and of Christ and cut off or turned out for their Miscarriages c And by the late Parliment they were dis-annulled and rendered uselesse and they are cryed down and their mouthes stopt viz. the Arch-Bishops and Bishops c. who cryed themselves up with as wide a mouth as you can do saying they was the Ministers of Christ and Jure divino c. and were ready to call all hereticks and the like that dissented from them and witnessed against their deceits and how did they punish afflict them for the same And have not you learned to walk in their steps And did not the Episcopals and Prelates those that were branches of the Bishops as you are â—o as you do and cryed up themselves by the name of the Ministers of Christ and counted others Hereticks and were ready to rank them with Papists as you do But was not the Prelates and Episcopals sound to be in the Miscarriages and wrongers of God and Men as you are and was not they cut off and turned out for their Miscarriages c And are not they silent and their mouths stopt and cryed down though they were forward to cry up themselves as you do and to call others Sectaries and Hereticks that are not so as you are but though you now open your mouthes wide to cry up your selves as your fore-fathers did being a bough or branch from them yet with the Light you are now seen and if they was cut off or turned out for their miscarriages and wrong done to Christ and to men do you deserve to stand who are found in and confessing the same But when you have filled up your measures and comes by all to be seen in the same must not you then descend and turn back from whence you came and be as you are men in miscarriages and neglecters of the great work of God wronging men and Christ as you say and your fruirs with your Agreement stands witnesse against you but in patience let all that see your deceits possese their soules and praise God for the riches of his love that hath led them out of your miscarriages and from under your mist or popish darknesse into the pure and glorious light and teaching of Christ wherein they are growing in grace Col. 2.3 4 5 6. Eph. 3.17.18 19 Col 2.7 8 9. Col 3.12 13 14 15. Ephe. 5.11 Rev. 3.9 being rooted and grounded in the true Gospel soul-saving purifying faith in which their soules are purifyed whose loves runs out unto the bretheren from a pure heart being of the new birth 1 Pet. 22.23 and denying your deceits and dead doctrin who witnesse against the works of darknesse and all that which proceeds from your Miscarrying nature and from the popish root and that spirit of deceit by which you wrong men and Christ and are neglecters of his work and without pardon for the same c. Rev. 14.9 10 11. Growing worse and runing yet further from God as you also say And you say page 19 It astonished you many times when you have occasion to talke with your hearers page 19. to perceive that they know very little of the doctrin which you say you have been preaching to them so many yeares there The people may take notice of the unprofitablenesse of your preaching and ministry and that they have spent their money upon you for that which is no bread and doth not after long time hearing and living under little or not at all profit them Luke 16 15. but how should it profit Them when it hath not taught You to come out of your miscarriages and that cursed nature from which your wrong to Christ and men doth proceed in which wrongfull and miscarrying nature your ministry stands and therefore is not like to profit the people But you speak in your own behalf as self justifyers Pharisies false Prophets and Hypocrits use to do and you say you know that they must understand it or perish yet though they have made use of you and spend their time and money upon you you have not nor doth not bring them to understand it and then with you their miscarrying and untaught teachers them to understand it and then with you their miscarrying and untaught teachers they accordingly as you say are like to perish yet you cry up your own way at a very high rate for your own ends and sets the price of a perishing condition without the understanding of your brain Imaginations which you call your preachings or your humane Inventions and poor people your hearers c. that after they have spent their labour and meanes or money upon you this many years yet want their understanding and benefit from you therefore it is high time for them to cease from you and hearken to the light of Christ in their conscience that calls to repentance that it they may obey and thereby come into the teaching of God Isa 54.13 Joh. 6.46 which causeth all to profit 1 Cor. 12.7 that obey the true light and follow the same Ioh. 8.11 Heb. 5.8 9. But people have many yeares heard you and are yet little or nothing at all as you say benefited by you for they remain yet in Ignorance c. you say and are like to do so for you I say Whose ministry stands in your wills and not in the will of God and can alter and change as times and mens wills alter and change but now that you see your ministry doth not kill Ignorance c. you are using the same meanes which your fore-fathers did to do it but left undone and is found with you in the Error Heresies and Miscarriages but you say that Catecthisme and personall Instruction is a great meanes to overcome that killing Ignorance c. page 9. If so how was it that the same meanes viz. personall Catechizing and familiar Instruction from the same spirit that led into miscarriages and to wrong men and Christ as you do did not kill that killing Ignorance in the time of the Pope Prelates Episcopalls and old out-cast or rooted out Bishops whose branches from that body are you and did not they set people on the same work and to use the same meanes as you do which did not kill it c. they set them to get the Creed as you call it and the same Creed as you do and the Lords prayer ten Commandements and those Catechismes which they as well as you call Orthodox Catechismes and their old Expositers as you do and yet the killing Ignorance is unkilled amongst you their off-spring that growes a little more into subtilty and gets words to talk of and sets people to get a few words by you summed together to talk of but are out of the life of them and are in pride coveteousnesse vain glory self conceitednesse Error and Heresies persecution and commiting abomination in as high a degree as your fore-fathers did though under a
these promises cleanse your selves from all filthinesse of flesh and of Spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of the Lord. And Christ prayed to his Father for those that were given to him that they might be made perfect in one Joh. 17.23 And all these had grace and Christian experience that both received the doctrin of perfection and walked in it and some preaching it and some pressing after it and some attaining it their words and fruits and the Spirit by which they were guided who had grace and Christian experience with such as received the doctrin of the Father and the Son having grace and abiding therein doth witnesse against thee Richard Baxter and thy false doctrin who garnisheth thy self with their words and calls them thy Warrant from God when thou and you 42. Priests are without their life and not in their practice but are in your miscarriages wronging others and growing worse c. Therefore are you without your warrant from God and are none of Christs ministers but enemies of the truth and are against the doctrin of the Lord Jesus but you are made manifest and your deceit and false doctrin is denyed by the Children of Light and in and with it you are reproved and against testified You say you receive the publike maintenance to this end that you may be enabled to lay out your endeavours for the good of the whole parishes from which you do receive it c. page 13. of your Agreement But have you not made it manifest to have received the publick maintenance of your parishes whom you receive it for your evil endeavours that are men of miscarriages unpardoned growing worse and runing further from God whose work is by you neglected according to your own sayings and your people understanding little you have said or many yeares preached to them who can scarse as you say speak a word of sence concerning the matters of their salvation and here you are witnesses against them for their Ignorance c. as well as you are witnesses against your selves for your miscarriages and wrong done to Christ them and is not your negligence one chief cause of their Ignorance and Ignorance the cause of destruction and for runner of eternall perdition who say you have wronged Christ and them page 19. Therefore may it not be concluded from your own confession that you are a chiefe cause of souls destruction and by your confusion have you not run into self-contradictions and makes it manifest that you take the publike maintenance of your parishes not for good endeavours but for your miscarriages and so for evil endeavors who hath not profited the people that are so Ignorant of the work of God and their soules good that they can scarce speak a word of sence in matters of salvation as you say and you are the wrongers of them and of God according to your own sayings and so deceives souls for your own ends but the Lord hath shaken his hand against your dishonest gain and such as through covetousnesse maketh merchandize of people Ezek. 22.12 23. your Judgment of a long time lingereth not and their damnation slumbereth not that with you are such as you may read 2 Pet. 2.3 13 14 15. But let me aske you From whence you and those that pretend themselves ministers of the Gospel who receives Tythes or Hundreds a yeare c. tooke their first example and by whom to receive Tythes by compulsion and that which they and you call their publick maintenance c. had you your example so to do from the practice of the Apostles of Christ Observe Though Priests was very scant after the rot or pestilence spoken of in the time of Edw. 3. yet then the parish Priests was not by any manner of colour to receive above 6. marks wages by the yeare without the Bishops dispesnation and suspension the pain of people of holy Church so called giving above 5. or 6. Marks wages a year to a Parish Priest they was to pay the doubble of that which they gave more to any parish priest then 5. or 6. Marks wages in the yeare and it was to be converted to the use of Almes at the arbitrement of the Diocesan c Anno. 36. Ed. 3. Chap. 8. or from the constitution and decretall epistle of the Pope c. For the ministers of Christ had no command to take Tythes nor hundreds a yeare for preaching the Gospel but freely they received and freely they gave according to Christs command And I read in the law of England that Tythes after the Apostles time were free for the people was not bound to pay them so farr as I see till the Councell of Lateran in Pope Innocents time and then by his constitution and decretall epistle c. the Tythes it seems became bound c. and were to be paid by the subjects of the Realm and so came Parochiall rights as they call them c. to the Priests or Patrons of the Churches so called Then it is cleare to me that you have your ground to take Tythes and maintenance of the World for preaching c. not from the Apostles practice and order but from the Popes c. And that mist of Popish darknesse is not so farr dispelled or expelled from you as to cause you to forsake the Popes Constitutions or your Tythes and maisteries and follow the example of the Apostles and Ministers of Christ and to leave your Miscarriages great parsonages and give over wronging God and men for your own ends and to deny your selves and your preaching for filthy lucre and cease bearing rule by your meanes And if any of you receive the word and command from God become servant to all and minister freely as the ministers of the Gospel who dwelt dwell in the Light do afore-time did but before you do so you must turn from the broad way where the Lust Pride Pompe Covetousnesse earthly-mindednesse and vain glory of the world hath so much liberty in you and cease persecution take up the crosse to your wills Learn to know the bridle for your tongues And let the Issue of lyes and slanders be stopped c. that the stone may be set upon the neck and head of deceit Cook in his second part Institutes saith Before the Councell of Hateran Tythes were free or then any man might have given his Tythes to what spirituall person he would and it was provided at the Councell of Laterean c. that Tythes c. should be given to the Rector or Parson of the parish c. under pretence that he that gave spiritual food should reap temporal so farr as I gather see Cookes second part Institute about fol. 641. Here the Popes and their Priests Rectors c. it seemes like you they could call themselves spirituall men and Ministers Rectors c. as you do and they claimed or took Tythes and publick maintenance under pretence of Ministring spirituall things as
and gain-sayes the Counsel of God in refusing to deny their miscarriages but only tell of them and the wrong they do to Christ and men refusing to deny the same and to amend and make restitution to whom they have wronged and cease wronging any and refusing to forsake the evil and cease persecution to turn unto God they refuse to deny their wills that they might obey the will of God and therefore such are resisters of the will of God as your untaught teachers are and the Jews in nature like them was whom Christ would often have gathered and they would not Matth. 23.27 therefore saith he ye that depart not from Iniquity Pride Coveteousnesse Vain-talking foolish Jesting will-Worships the love and honour of the world persecution and miscarriages ye will not come to me that ye might have life Joh. 5.40.44 and saith he Why call ye me Lord and do not the things that I say Luke 6.46 And whereas you say Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts or trespasses as we forgive our debtors or them that trespasse against us c. I say that they that Christ teacheth to pray and them that he taught that prayer and did him obey exhorted others to do so but when your wills are crost are you not ready to destroy and devour such as crosses your wills and yet you pray sort your forgivnesse upon that account and so if you do not forgive others you pray for no forgivnesse according to that account and if you would have God to forgive you as you forgive others see that you do forgive them that trespasse against you or else if you seek revenge persecute c. and do not forgive them if they do trespasse against you do you not pray that God may take vengeance of you and not forgive you when you trespasse against him because you do not forgive them that trespasse against you and prayes for your forgivnesse of God as you forgive men and so when you do not forgive them you pray that God may not forgive you but do to you as you would do to them that offend and trespasse against you and you that do not cease your persecution and also forgive them that trespasse against you you do not act according to the will of God nor regard your own words and vowes made to God in Prayer and if instead of forgiving those that trespasse against you you rather seeke their destruction and ruine do you not pray that God may destroy and ruine you and to do by you as you think to do to them and is not all this according to your Prayer Consider well of it and If you do not forgive them that trespasse against you doth it not appeare that you are not of Gods elect that you have not yet learned the doctrine of the Apostles and of Christ for saith Christ to such as he taught if you forgive men their trespasses your Heavenly Father will forgive you your trespasses Math. 6.15 And if you would follow that you might cease persecution quarrelling and jangling and put on as the elect did do bowels of mercy humblenesse of minde long suffering forbeareance forgiving one another and if any have a quarell against any even as Christ forgiveth learne of him and do ye so for the elect and such as are taught of him and abideth in his doctrine doth so Col. 3.12 13 and exhorts others to do the same but it appeares that you or such as do not so viz. forgive them that trespasse against you in obedience to the will of God and doctrine of Christ and his Apostles you show thereby that you resist the will of God and are not of the elect but out of both the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles and doth it not plainly appeare that you and persecuters that wrongs God and Christ and are not yet forgiven and therefore you do not forgive nor regard what you pray for as to performe your vowes c. Therefore doth your hypocrisie more appeare and so you make use of the Scriptures only to talke of and garnish your selves withall as the Scribes and Pharises did that you may oppose the truth and paint your selves with the words as they did but comes not to the life of truth to walk in but are shut out as they was and now it is manifest for the light is risen and sprung up in the hearts of many praised be the Lord and your deceits and deeds of darknesse must be found out and laid open the Lord hath his fanners and he will fift the Nations and the day declareth every mans work of what sort it is and now the Lord looks for fruits for that tree is cursed that makes a great show in leaves and brings forth no fruit unto Christ as the figg-tree was read and understand if you can I desire of the Lord for you that you may and to your soul's profit but let the Serpent be famished dust is his meate but the Father Almighty feedeth his Children and their soules doth taste of his Manna and knowes the daily bread and the sacrifice which is offered up and is the living sanctified soul's nourishment and daily food for which he is not only prayed unto but also praised for glory and honour be to him for evermore And when you say Lead us not into Temptation but deliver us from evill for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory for ever Amen Concerning Temptation c. I say God doth not lead into Temptation neither doth he tempt any with evill Jam. 1.13 but he suffereth Temptations to come that he may try his Joh. 1.12 and blessed is he that endureth Temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him but you are hardly sensible of a Temptation who are asleepe in security and ignorance that can scarce speak a word of sense in matters of salvation as your teachers say and in carnality deepe in the iniquity or in sin unturned to God c. but such as are convinced with the light of Christ in their consciences and are awakened out of security having their minds turned with the light from darknesse and sin towards God to wait upon him who are taught by Christ the true Teacher of his they are by him supported and taught from a true sense how to pray and they know that he whose the Kingdoms true power and glory is Math. 11.27 28. who giveth them rest doth teach them to watch and to pray that they by his power may be kept for entering into Temptation as they take his Counsel and abide therein Heb. 2.18 who himselfe was Tempted Luke 22.28 but did overcome and did not enter into the same Math. 4. who is the way to lead out such as him follow Joh. 14.6 Joh. 8.12 and obey Heb. 5.8.9 and it is no sin to be Tempted but to enter into the Temptation which
c And yet after you have taken upon you such names to compasse your ends would you not throw off your names when your ends are accomplished and if you be called by them art you not ready to be offended till you have need of them for your selfe ends and will you not then take them upon you againe rather then take up the daily Crosse therein to follow Christ and both deny your Tithes preaching for hundreds a yeare c and also deny for to be any more selfended and as you are and have been and yet for your own ends and earthly gaines though you be offended at the name of Preists c you will rather stick to your names then forsake your selfends and earthly gaines Tithes Easter-reconings c. and seeks to take upon you a cover from the Levitical Preist-hood to hide you under saying The Preists lips should preserve knowledge and they should seek the law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts Mala. 2.7 8 9. But I say that such as are in miscarriages wronging Christ and men growing worse and yet run further from God they are not those whose lips preserves knowledge neither are they those that the people should seeke the law at nor they are not the messengers of him and growing worse in miscarriages and yet are as you say running further from him and they that run from God run not for God and such as are in the miscarriages and neither amend nor yet come out of them and so are unfit to be the Lords messengers but you are in miscarriages growing worse you say and so you make it manifest that you do not amend nor come out of them that râ—ns on in them and growing worse therefore are you unfit to be the Lords Messengers and such as are in miscarriages growing worle and run further from God they run from grace goodnesse and from the law and preservation of true wisdom and knowledge and such are not to be enquired at neither doth their lips preserve knowledge nor keepe the law of the Lord who is to be enquired at and obeyed but they living as you do in miscarriages growing worse and yet running further from God such are out of the way as you are and also corrupters of the covenant as well as transgressors of the law of God and therefore their lips doth not preserve true knowledge neither keepe they the law therefore unfit to teach others in it no more then you are that cast it behind your backs to run into miscarriages and grow worse and still run further from God such was those that the Lord sent his Prophets to cry out against And in the leviticall Preisthood God did ordaine Preists under the law by which they were then made and were set apart for the service of God under that dispensation and the Lord had a covenant of life and peace with them the law of truth was in his viz Priests Levi's mouth whilst he walked herein iniquity was not sound in his lips but he walked with the Lord in peace and equity and did turne many away from iniquity and then the Preists lips that with God did walke and abide in that covenant or life and peace in whose mouth the law of truth was did preserve knowledge and the people sought the law not the Gospel at his mouth under that legall dispensation abiding in Covenant according to ordination c. he was the messenger of the Lord of hosts Mal. 2.5.6.7 but you are not such Preists and yet pretends to preach the Gospel not the law but lives in your miscarriages and Legal transgressions growing worse and running yet further from God you do not go on in iniquity onely but leads others therein and teacheth them to plead for sin tearme of life then you do not turne others from iniquity but runs further into it that runs into your miscarriages and growes worse neither do you walke with God that runs as you say further from him therefore you are not his messengers neither are you those Preists whose lips preserves the true knowledge and at whose mouth the people sought the law in that Legall dispensation and administration for they walked with God in a Covenant of life and peace and the law of truth was in their mouths so was the feare of God in their hearts and turned many from their iniquities but such as transgressed the Covenant and went from the life thereof and from the law and the truth they went into miscarriages and grew worse and run further from God preached for hire bare rule by their meanes caused many to stumble and corrupted the covenant as you do and such the Lord was against and he is against you Jer 5.25.27 28 29 30 31. and their lips did not preserve true knowledge though they was Preists and Preached for hire Mica 3.11 and bare rule by their meanes and lived in miscarriages Jer. 5. as you do neither doth your lips preserve true knowledge though you be Preists and preach for hire and beare â—ule by your meanes and lives in miscarriages as you say and as they did that corrupted the covenant and so you may see where you are you would beare the name of Priests for your own ends and yet both be offended at them which call you so and tell you of your miscarriages which you now confesse but instead of forsaking run further in them in running from God therefore your mouthes instead of preserving true knowledge utters your confusion and your peoples ignorance and sleepie security that are as you say so carnall and ignorant that they can scarce speake a word of sense in matters of salvation and so it is manifest by their and your fruits cruelty end persecution that you are ignorant of the Gospel and knoweth not the way to salvation ANd unto you 42. Preists who are found in this state of separation from God and in those workes upon which his curse remaines from the Lord I-say unto you and to all your generation who are found in the same state and working the same workes with you Returne and repent and seeing you have confessed the same viz. your miscarriages and wrong done to God to Christ and to men it is your duty to amend and come out of the same make it manifest by your returne not in flatteries and faigned hypocrisie but by ceasing persecution and cruelty give over preaching for hire and beareing rule by your meanes forsake your covetousnesse Pride Pompe and vaine glory and cease seeking your own ends and make not a prey upon the innocent and harmelesse but give over your wronging Christ and men and learne to feare him do not go about to make pleas for sin and covers for your miscarriages but deale honestly and come out of them for it is hard for the Camel the rich mans figure to enter the eye of a needle except he be broken and bruised c so is it as hard
for the rich man to enter the Kingdome except he be stripped of his riches Pride Pompe and Vaine-glory and be thereunto fitted to enter by being made poore in Spirit and so it is said Blessed are the poore in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God therefore before you enter the Kingdom you must be stript of selfe righteousnesse and come out of your miscarriages Math. 5.3 Math. 5.20 cease wronging Christ and men and be borne againe before you can enter the same Joh. 3.3.5 Joh. 3.9.10 therefore do not seeke to cover your selves and hide your miscarriages now that you have confessed them but come forth and forsake them for he that hides his sin shall not prosper and it is not sufficient for you to confesse your miscarriages and run on in them but after confession to forsake for he that confesseth and forsaketh shall find mery but so shall it not be with them that only confesse and grow worse who do not forsake them but run further on in them therefore consider and let truth and equity enter and do not account and reckon your selves to be dead unto sin and alive unto God whil'st you are naturally dead in sin and alive in persecution lust and miscarriages therein growing worse who are running yet fâ—rther from God least you make a wrong account and reckon amisse and though the man be blessed to whom the Lord doth not impute sin what is that to you to whom sin is imputed who are bewailing your negligence miscarriages and peoples ignorance who are growing worse and râ—nning further from God except you forsake your miscarriages and obey that which convinceth you of them that you may be led out of sin and turned to God and do not account the righteousnesse of Christ to be yours whilst you are holding the truth in unrighteousnesse which the wrath from God is revealed against for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what communion hath light with darknesse therefore turne to the light which shews you your darknesse sin and miscarriages and come out of fellowship with sin and unrighteousnesse as well as forsake your miscarriages and waite upon the light to know the righteousnesse revealed from faith to faith Rom. 1.18 2 Cor. 6.14 2 Coâ— 4 5 6 Rom. 16.17 Coll. 3. Rom. 5. â—7 Isa 55.6 7. for you must put off the old man with his deeds and come out of unrighteousnesse and put on the new man which after God is Created if you intend to be made partakers of his holinesse and the righteousnesse which is the gift of God therefore let the wâ—cked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous man his thoughts and turne to the Lord and he will have mercy on them but if you run on in your miscarriages and grow worse you run on in unrighteousnesse and forsake the mercy who instead of turning to God runs further from him therefore do not seeke to hide your sins any longer but come out of them and forsake them and thinke not to hide your selves and to make a cover for your miscarriages that you may grow worse and continue therein with saying Peter denied his Master and after found mercy but remember that when the Cock crew to put Peter in remembrace of what he had done he wept bitterly and made his returne manifest by coming out of his sin who did not afterward run on in the same nor any more deny Christ as he had done therefore if you take Peter for your example minde to follow his practice now that you are made sensible of your miscarriages weepe bitterly as Peter did humble your selves under the mighty hand of God be seperate from your sins and touch not the uncleane thing make your returne manifest as Peter did and cease doing wrong any more to Christ and men and instead of running from God turne to him that you may stand in awe and not sin and this is love to your soules if you can receive it The Vizard and Cover plucked off from the Wolves back under which he deceived and spoiled the sheep so that his envy and fury appeares or The tree is clearely knowne by the fruit which it beares c. You guilded Tombes and whited walls who have heaped up all the imaginations of all the generations of disobedience that have gone before who exceed in Arts and Notions and changeable religions who in your Townes have set up your severall likenesses so that of Images you have choice which you contend about and fight for and some of them you have set very high above the Gods of your Fathers their Surplesses Tippits and Alters Math. 7.15 16 17 18 19 20. c. But when will you behold what you haue brought forth more then another forme and likenesse in the same power is this all that you have been doing all this while to throw downe one Image and set up divers in the stead but no more life if theirs had lesse shew and as much life shall not they be your Judges when will you begin to judge the tree by its fruit Jer. 23.10 11.12 Isa 3.15 Jer. 5.1 2. Jer. 5.25 27 28 29 30 31. and manifest your God in power and not in words only when shall it appeare that your God is not an Image that he hath power in you over your wills and perverse wayes your lusts and pleasures and cursed covetous practices that the land may no longer mourne because of oathes not the poore groane because of oppression that the works of God may praise him through you in the streets and that it may he once said againe intruth The Lord liveth even the Lord our righteousness Immanuell who worketh all our works in us and for us and not your practices to testifie against you to your faces And you Teachers of all sorts who are trying one another in your selfish natures when will you try your own hearts Isa 56 9 10 11. and Judge and suffer the light of Christ to lay open your abominations to your faces that you may see and forsake that for which you have been so often reproved Mica 3.11 Jer. 29. Ezek. 34. Math. 23. and for which you are so much offended to heare of you that pretend to be in place to reprove others do you not reprove your own selves who are in the steps of the false Prophets Scribes and pharises Is it no sin to be called of men Masters nor to seeke for your gaine from your quarter to beare rule by your meanes to preach for hire and p ophesie for money will you live in these things which did ever burthen the Spirit of God And is this all your confession amendment to call them railers who tell you of it Are these wayes lesse horrible since the Scriptures did witness against them then they were in your fore-fathers which had none or is it more raling now then it was before the Scriptures were written can you stop the cry of God
the Creature and these were never ordained by the world but by their own Master Christ Jesus by whom the world was made who agrees with his servants about what he sees meete but never made use of the hireling who takes his wages from the world for it is not like that the world who loves their evill deeds should uphold that Ministry which brings them to light so with the light you are seene and what you have been doing these many yeares and what you are now doing and your works and your fruits are come to light you Parish masters who have given your servants which attend you your liveries who serve and worship and bow to you and they are Joh. 8.3.4 2 Pet. 3.3 Act. 17.5.6 worne in your streets and by them it is knowne whose servants they are they are your servants who are now found scoffing and scorning and dirting the simple innocent harmelesse Lambes of Christ punnishing beating and haling in your synagogues and haling before rulers and swearing against and false accusing to add to the afflictions of the afflicted strengthen their bonds whereby the Scriptures is fulfilled upon you and them the sweareing lying filthy communications drunkennesse that is seen in your streets Rom. 1.28 29. c. the stage playes and foolish sports invented for no other end but to fulfil the lust draw the minds of people from their God which you have invented fine names for calling them pastimes and recreations which the Saints never did nor lived in the vanity pride and oppression that abounds in your Townes couzening fighting and suing and all abominations is found in your servants and you are their Masters which they who have no master but Christ abhors to live in so your livery is worne and your marke is received and known you are in the light and read your names and the number of them your servants and service with the worke they are found in which you must own though you rage when you are told of it yet all these belong to some of you Reve. 13.18 Reve. 12.7 Reve. 12.7.8 9 12 13. and by this thus gotten are you maintained and you own them and their Prophets their service and worship and the servants of Christ they are seene who cannot worship any but him and so they suffer with him all those things to be done unto them as was done unto him and in the light they are known and the enmity is begun and is great between the seed of the woman and the seed of the Dragon and there is no more hiding place for the Serpent nor in Heaven have they any place so to the earth they are cast and there they are rageing disquieting the inhabitants thereof and stirring up the powers thereof against the lambe to battel and many are gathered and gathering and the numberlesse number is making up to goe out against a scorned and contemptible weake and foolish people with envy and in great rage with all manner of lying divinations that they may beset them round and smite them on every side and the masters and their servants are all at worke some they are laying snares and setting gins for the innocent who is set by the Lord to reprove sin openly in the gate and they are ready to sweare against them that they are peace-breakers and turbulent pestilent fellows when they have almost murdered them in the streets all blood and bruised dirted and stoned yet they to prison must for offenders for the words they have spoken and if any be moved to goe to the Idols Temple amongst them you call the Churches to speak a word or if they speak not a word Act. 17.5 6 7 8. Act. 21.28.30.31 ver Act 24.5.6 Joh. 15.18 19 20. Joh. 16.1 2 3. if they be but known to be of that seed which will not bow in the house of rimmon there they are haled and beat and teared and pulled by the haire and beat with their Bibles and struck downe so that your Churches are more cruâ—ll then your markets as they are further from God so they are further from mercy justice and Judgment not one of you once to consider that for this very thing it was that the servants of God Prophets and Apostles did formerly suffer beating whipping imprisonment bonds and death but as though all this was nothing to you who are the Masters of this worke you still cry out like men stark drunk with blood to the rulers for greater punnishment to be infflicted upon those who have none on earth to plead their cause So that having prevailed to the filling of most of the Prisons in the Nation more then ever your fore-Fathers the Bishops did so that such a list may be given of your inprisoning stocking beating whipping and blooding in these three last yeares since the Nation had outward peace as will not be produced in three score yeares of your Fore-fathers and further to blood you are hasting as fast as you can prevaile with the Magistrates to fulfill your thirst how many petitions have beene formed by you Parish masters to the Magistrates against the despised people under the names of heresies and errors and blasphemies and as envious names as your envy cold invent to incense people and powers against them but never yet could convince us to our faces thereof by the Scriptures and the Saints lives without wrestings neither did you ever deale so Christian like as to desire that your practise and ours may be brought face to face before the magistrates and the Scriptures to stand as judge betwixt us and you as it is a declaration against heresies error and blasphemy but if you may not be our Judges and your own and the Scriptures too you cry out of heresie and fall a rageing and false accuseing shewing your selves to be of the generation of backbitters who will not come to the light to convince nor be convinced but cry out to the Magistrates that they must prepare greater punnishments against us shewing to all that you seeke more to destroy the bodies then save the soules crying out to men to Judge us and censure us but will not bring us to be tried by the Saints lives and practice how many of us have beene censured by drunkards and swearers and carnall men by your meanes but did you ever bring the Scriptures to lay before us and out and of that censure and Judge us as it is without your meaning added to it but this you know would fall upon your own backs and condemne your own practice if we be such heretiques as you call us why are we not convinced before authority by the Saints practice and judgment can any law judge of heresie but the law of God and is that which we do now more heresie then formerly being the same both in pure life and judgment you use to accuse us falsly saying we deny the Scriptures yet are we denied the benefit to be proved and judged thereby and because you say we are so that is sufficient in your account whereon to passe sentence and upon this account hath Christ suffered all along by your generation and doth at this day who have erred after the error of Balaam for gists and rewards and goe after the way of Caine in envy and murther and both these are one Spirit the covetous the murtherer seducer are one against the light which shews your evil deeds and the ground of your envy is the same wherefore did Cain hate Ids brother because his deeds were evill and his brothers good so for declareing freely the way of truth for reproving sin in Preists and people high and low as we are moved now we beare the envy of all whose deeds are evill and cannot endure reproofe For them whom the world reproacheth under the name of Quakers who are hated and persecuted for the Testimony of Jesus