your selves to be of them the Apostle speaks of that would be some body in conference but not in possession and hath got the form which the Apostle bids turn away from for immediate you have denied and so you are to be denied with the power and as touching Abraham Isaac and Jacob and Paradice and the Prophets and the holy men of God silence flesh for immediate you deny and all these things who knows them are immediately sent of God for all Scripture being given forth immediately by the Spirit and is of no private interpretation but holy men of God spake as they were moved of the holy Ghost And here you are manifest to be no Ministers of the Spirit but following your own inventions who saith you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were and here you may well enough stumble at the light who denies that you are sent forth immediately as the Apostles were And here all the children of light may see you to be formalists Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson and the rest who saith you are not sent forth immediately I command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to give over deceiving the people and be silent you murtherers of their souls who saith you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were make a scorn and derision of them that would have you live in what you speak but go on for destruction is your portion in the vain and blasphemous philosophy you are and your conclusion shall stand for your selves who are in the rottenness of your hearts and body of iniquity and you are not as the Apostles were and so you have denied the life that gave forth the Scriptures for all Scripture being given forth immediately and they that gave them forth were sent of God and you that go forth to preach which saith you are not sent forth immediately are in the state of them that err'd not knowing the Scripture for they are not known but with that Spirit which gave them forth which was immediate And here with all the children of light you are judged not to be of God nor sent of God out of your own mouths Whereas you say That them you call Quakers do admonish you to wait in silence till God open your mouths and they would not have any to read pray and teach but when the Spirit of the Lord leads them We cannot close with this Here all the holy men of God shall witness against you I take them all to record and you to be contrary to them and your prayers to be abomination and your teachings not of the Spirit and contrary to the Apostle who said He would pray with the Spirit And here you are contrary to his doctrine and contrary to the Scripture and the Apostle said The holy men of God spake as they were moved of the holy Ghost and they speak as the Spirit gave them utterance and Christ saith The Spirit of the Father speaks in you And here again you are contrary to Christs doctrine and the Apostles who cannot close with the Spirits praying and the Spirts teaching And there you shew you are Babylon again and in the error err'd from the life and doctrine of the Apostles And here I leave you to be judged by all the children of light and to walk out of the foot-steps of Christ and his flock who say you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were but praying in families and reading and instructing of children and bringing up in the fear of the Lord and teaching according to the Apostles doctrine we own who was a Minister of the Spirit but not of the letter And this we seek to bring all people to into the life which gave forth the Scriptures and all your experiences and teachings are to be trampled upon who cannot close with the praying of the Spirit and the Spirits leading to pray and teach Here out of the Apostles doctrine you are seen clearly to be with all the children of God Now you say To the best of your understanding That them you call Quakers gives equal liberty for men and women in assemblies to pray Here you do shew your selves to be them that would limit the Spirit of God for God saith He will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh and his sons and daughters shall prophesie the Apostle saith They may all prophesie one by one And here you shew again you are contrary to the Apostles doctrine and your understanding to be bruitish and as touching the assemblies of the Saints silence flesh or their prayers either for either male or female with the Spirit of the Lord they may teach or pray but you that deny the Spirit and cannot close with his praying or teaching either you have got a popish law of Queen Maries that when some hath been moved to come into your Synagogues some hath been beat some stoned some stocked and haled before Magistrates and imprisoned as many in these northern parts may witness Whereas you say They speak after their trembling with an extent voice as the Oracles of God and them you call Quakers do not leave you time to try their sayings as the Apostle did to the Bereans O ye lyers doth not the whole Scripture witness trembling and the Saints gave forth the Scriptures and such had the Oracles of God and we witness the same Spirit now the Saints in light you cannot deceive but the blinde you may lead into the ditch for a while And whereas you speak of magnifying papers equal to the holy Scriptures The same Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures which gives forth now is as true as the Scriptures and not contrary to the Scriptures He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith Whereas you are tormented at those that forsake pride in apparel and receiving honour of man and giving honour to man is it not according to Scripture and the doctrine of Christ who saith How can ye believe which seeks honour one of another And there you shew your selves to be out of the belief and the doctrine of Christ which cross the Saints doth pass through to eternal life which cross is to the world which cross you live without who are puft up And whereas you are speaking for your schools and learning There you shew where you are in the first nature not in that as the Apostles were in who counted all loss and dung and denied all his bringing up and learning in the first birth for the excellency of Christ when he knew the excellency of him Whereas you speak of buying and selling Now you shew where your mindes are yet lawfulness justice and equity we own for this is of God righteousness in man yea nay in all communication we own and all filthy merchandize we trample upon where we see you to be your mindes in the earth your God is your belly you glory in your shame and to be the evil beasts the
Their message required haste two coats would cumber to salute any by the way might occasion derision or delay and they were to go without money to encourage them he intended to send them into the nations afar off Here I charge all the Priests in England how you go about in your own country without bag without two coats without money without saluting any by the way So here in your own words you are judged who makes a derision of them that doth not salute by the way for that some are beat whom the Lord sends without two coats and doth not salute by the way so you are the oppressors of your own nation who go in two coats and money in your purses salute men by the way sue men at the law and imprison them that will not give it you and out of the doctrine of Christ you are for you confess you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were You are speaking something for justifying of your particular great houses Stephen for witnessing against the temple was stoned to death who saw the substance and Paul witnessed against the Jews outward temple and was haled out of the Synagogues and was persecuted And for the maintaining of the Pulpit in your great Steeple-houses you bring Ezra who had a Pulpit to read the Law who read the Law to a particular people and the Gospel which is preached by the messengers of Christ is to every creature and the Gospel where it is received they may all speak one by one which is the end of the Law Here you are raced out and Ezra and his Pulpit is ended and the Gospel is preached which you are cleared from who would have Ezra's Pulpit under the law And you dreamers saith Your great idol-houses are clean to you where you meet with your great mixt multitudes and your Pulpit and you that are up which are called of men Masters Let Mat. 23. Christ's words there judge you and all your practices who cries wo against such as you are and the Apostles words who said They sinned against their brethren and against Christ who sit in the Idols temple and there you are judged to be out of the Apostles doctrine and Christs And whereas you would justifie your method and your study first you say The Evangelist exhorted to you such means as are here blamed And these you bring to maintain your study and method You enemies of God was Timothy to study for the word or to divide it was he to study for the gift or to give it forth You bring Solomon who set in order many parables and teaching the people And this you bring for your study and method who speaks a definition of their own brain and not from the mouth of the Lord who confess you were not immediately sent as the Apostles were therefore all is but a definition of their own brain And whereas you are speaking of the Apostles opening the Scriptures and Ezra the law Their conditions shall judge you for that which opened in them was immediate which you confess you are not sent forth immediately therefore you cannot open Scripture as they did so all your method is to be troden under feet who speak a definition of your own brain Whereas you say Learning is to the understanding of the letter of the Scriptures and to help to significant words Here I charge you in the presence of the living God to be them that deny the word that gave forth all words learning is natural and the Scriptures were given forth by the Spirit and can that which is natural open that which the eternal Spirit gave forth Here let all try your spirit and judge your understanding to be bruitish And as touching Magistrates and your outward teaching the Lord hath opened many of their eyes to see your outward teaching to be vanity who witness the law of God in their hearts and so God is coming and is come to redeem his people from among you which witness new Jerusalem come and coming down from heaven so all you corrupt teachers must be trodden under feet which are not sent as the Apostles were they were sent immediately and that you deny to be sent as they were Whereas you are speaking of the deceiveableness of the mystery of iniquity lying Prophets and prophaness Lying Prophets and prophaness is found amongst you it shall stand for your selves for before you are proved to be out of the doctrine of Christ And as you are speaking of voices and being deluded and bewitched with the spirit of lyes This shall stand for your selves again for there you are made manifest to all the children of light who hath long reigned this dark time and where Christ is made manifest the same yesterday to day and for ever There him you call false Christ but in the mystery of iniquity you are which are curst from Christ who hath answered line for line among the simple ones who ensnare the simple ones but now you are taken in your craft and catcht in your guile bound with a chain and the Lord God of might and power is sending forth his sons and daughters and they are amongst you some cutting the branches and some at the roots and amongst you in the wood and drive you foxes out of your holes and shake you fowls out of your nests that are set so high who hath been saying Loe here and loe there but now Christ is within made manifest and all you are seen but you are without who stumble at the light and them that are sent forth without stick or money or two coates such you deride that walk according to the rule that gave forth the Scripture and are brought into Christs doctrine and against such you inform people they are as Satan transformed into an Angel of light but this shall stand for your selves for there you are in the dark eternally we judge you who are not sent forth as the Apostles were immediately as you confess it And what have you to talk of the authority of the Scripture which is immediate and what have you to talk of the Ordinances of God which are spiritual or Communion which is immediate or what have you to do to speak of Faith or Resurrection or of God who are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were Therefore you I say Lead the people from the authority of the Scriptures and from the Ordinances of Christ and from the Communion Therefore you that are not sent forth as the Apostles immediately your doctrine and Gospel is not as theirs was but are doctrines of devils so we are not as little children now to be tossed with your cunning sleights and windy doctrine you are for ever judged we see your footsteps and know in what path you walk and some of us have learned your language as Moses did the Aegyptians And whereas you are speaking of Germanie In the same nature you are which ever murthered the righteous seed where it
A short ANSWER To a book set forth by seven PRIESTS who call themselves MINISTERS of the Gospel of Christ but are plainly discovered to be lyers and slanderers and envious of them who are the true Ministers of Christ who abide in his doctrine With A vvord to the Reader To read with understanding and let the light of Jesus Christ within judge for to that in the conscience it is spoken LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the black-spread-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls 1654. A Reply to a book set forth by some Priests about Beverley whose names I do finde subscribed to it who saith The light in man before faith is not pure Answ. The law is just holy and good and what is holy is pure what is just is pure what is good is pure what is perfect is pure which Law is the Schoolmaster until faith after faith is come we are no longer under a Schoolmaster and this is witnessed amongst as And this you Priests about Beverley say is not pure Jos. Bellet Joh. Pomrey Paul Glisson Christoph Feake Jo. Simpsom Geo. Cockin Law wyse I charge you command you give over deceiving the people you seven who are perfect in iniquity without the Law of God And Moses saw Christ wrote of him that which saw him was pure and is pure And here you have shewed forth your ignorance and blinde judgement and not knowing neither Law nor Faith for the truths sake have I replied to your book of errors who is in the light of Christ which lets me see the Law and the Schoolmaster both And you which say you were not sent immediately as the Apostles were with the immediate which sent them are you all judged Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson Christopher Feake Jo. Simpson George Cockin Law Wyse which is seven perfection perfect in the mystery of iniquity acting against the mystery of godliness you are the beast which stands upon the sea with your seven heads and upon your heads the names of blasphemy who are out of the Apostles doctrine and life that say the light before faith is not pure whose mouths are opened with blasphemy against God and his Name and his Tabernacle which is with men the light which discovers sin and evil you are seen that such as you might be more manifest with it which are manifest now to all the children of light and the children of the day praises praises be to the Lord God for ever for that which shews sin is eternal and is pure and that which is before Faith is perfect just holy good and pure and it is written The Law is the Schoolmaster till Faith and that we own in its place which is just holy good and spiritual and you which owns not God owns not Faith nor the Law to be pure for the Law hath dominion over a man as long as he lives which you Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson Christopher Feake Jo. Simpson Geo. Cockin Law Wyse have cleared your selves to be without Law and Faith and both and so you are not fit to teach others so it is you that have slandered the innocent to have laid waste the Scriptures when you are they that have laid waste the Scriptures your selves Christ the Church Faith and Hope and the Law which stumbles at the light so the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth doth return a righteous judgement upon you unrighteous judges so in righteousness doth he set the innocent free To you all this is the word of God This is the word of the Lord to you that have subscribed your names to the book whose folly in it out of you hath appeared and to be viewed with the children of light it is seen and your nakedness and where you are who doth conclude the Light before Faith is not pure and who doth say God doth not send Teachers and Pastors and Elders immediately forth now as he did the Apostles And here you are concluded to be without the immediate life as the Apostles were in who were sent immediately from God See the miserable estate and condition you are in and with the immediate life you are judged who have professed your selves to be teachers to others and guides to others which hath gone on in such strains and presumptuously judgeth the innocent but God who is immediate sees you all and from him you all have your reward and your judgement which is eternal to that light in your consciences I speak which shall be your condemnation eternally which hate it and stumble at it and it will witness me when the book of conscience is opened and it you have condemned And to all people that have a love to Christ which love this light that those before mentioned do stumble at it is it that will lead up to witness Faith it is it that will lead you up to witness the Anointing it is it that will lead you to witness Hope it is it will lead you to witness Christ the Head and to know all the Saints which have unity in the light and so not to stumble at the words that proceeds from the light but with the light waiting upon God the Father of light with the light the Scriptures will be opened to you there is your teacher The light if you walk in it you will not stumble but have the light of life and if you hate it it shall be your condemnation eternally You shall witness what I speak for to that in every mans conscience I speak which if you love the light that Christ hath enlightned you withal it will guide your hearts together to hold the Head which if you hate this light you hold not the Head and all that ever you act or speak is in the invention of your own work so you are condemned with the light To the light in every ones conscience I speak which shall witness me when the book of conscience is opened and all things judged with it and out of it This is to all them that the Priests calls brethren to take heed to the light within them which Christ hath enlightned them withal that with it they may see all them that stumble at it and hate it which are to be condemned with it To you this is the word of the Lord Priest Somthing in reply to that which you do conclude as first to awaken your souls that are apt to slumber to take heed of the evil of the times pride covetousness formality which these clamour against which you call Quakers Reply Here you own their doctrine you call Quakers and with it you see your selves and what state you live in and yet in Page 52. you say Go not after them hath their doctrine stirr'd you up and let you see your pride formality and oppression and slumber and that which declaims against these you say go not after Priest Another false slander that you Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson and the rest charge upon them
you call Quakers that they bring an odium upon the glorious affairs of Christs kingdom Reply This shall stand for your selves who live in experiences which the Minister of Christ taught to forget the things past and to press forward and there you do shew that you are raced out from the life of the Apostle and layes waste his words Priest Another of your lying slanders is that you say They lay waste Churches Graces Scriptures Principles Reply And in these I charge you Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson to be lyers for the Churches of the Saints Graces Scriptures Principles we own but you slander us because we deny the Steeple-house to be the Church and the Grace of God we own which teacheth to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and so it is in the first lesson That they do come to see with the light of Christ to deny your Church your Principle your Experiences and so are not to taste of their doctrine which perish with the using of it for you have been the proud and coveto us that have led silly women captive which have been ever learning but never able to know the truth of you And some are moved to come and cry against you therefore slander them not Priest Another lying slander you bring saying They hinder the progress of the Gospel by weakening the hands of faithful teachers Reply These are more of your lyes for the progress of the Gospel we own and the faithful teachers we own but such as you Priests who say you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were we deny Priest You are making a Pharisees confession you Priests and are learning your lesson how you are apt to slumber and how you should be stirr'd up and doth confess that your people are in deadness of their hearts occasioned by formal duties Reply Here you have uttered where you are which makes people forsake you and where one doth ten shall and see your prayers empty without the Spirit and this is to your Pharisees confession of your selves and the people and many doth see that the Lord is gone out of your publick assemblies and that Ministery he doth not own for you are such as the Lord cried wo against as stood praying in the Synagogues c. Mat. 23. and there you are all openly shewed to be none of Christs sending neither your Church none of his Body for when the Lord hath moved some to come to speak after the order of the Saints Churches and the Scriptures Some have been stocked some stoned and beat and prisoned And how can you say This is a Church of God but blaspheme God but it is as the Scripture saith Become a cage of unclean birds And as touching the Saints conditions Hope Faith I charge you let them alone and meddle not with them for them you know nothing of for your Faith is vain and your Hope shall perish and to you this is the word of God who stumbles at the light Priest And again you say Take heed of judging Ordinances as unnecessary or indifferent things Reply And here I charge you to keep people in blindness who put no difference between the Ordinances of Christ and the Ordinances of Men Priest And again you cavil because they say Minde the light in you which is Christ and is pure and that it discovers every evil and your Answer to this is Whether makes not this the Scripture unncessary and casts off all outward teachings Reply O you blinde guides this light which is to be minded which is Christ stablisheth the Scriptures and it doth bring to deny all outward teachers which is made by man for What is the chaff to the wheat Priest And again you Query Whether this brings not down the glorious mystery of the Scriptures and from every rule of duty Reply Here you have declared you know nothing of the mystery of the Scriptures but are in your own duties for the light within which shews him sin and every evil it doth teach him how to pray and watch and oponeth to him every mystery of the Scripture and without it you are all blinde and know nothing of the mystery as you make it appear and you slanderers do not incense the people that we deny the Scriptures for the Scriptures is ours Priest And in your p. 2. whereof you are tormented and saith We sit inthe chair of judgement I answer Reply God hath given us an understanding and judgement that we are able to distinguish praises to his name We were in your state and kingdom but the Lord hath brought us out of it therefore we are able to judge it and you who hath no judgement but what is false Priest And you are querying Whether leaving you to be guided by the conscience and to have no standing rule whithout you you say Whether this be not to establish Heathens and Philosophy and you conclude that the Light is not pure before Faith Rep. Here you have declared that you neither know Faith nor Light and are afraid that that in your consciences should give you that standing rule which all the Prophets and Apostles had we have Christ Jesus saith I am the light of the world and enlightneth every one that cometh into the word and you conclude this light is not pure And Christ saith He doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world and one he loves the light brings his d deeds to the light and doth not stumble and the ohe hates the light and stumbles at noon as you do which stumbles so much at the light of Christ which enlightens every one that cometh into the world But it is that you might appear that you are them that hate the light and so hates Christ and that you might be judged with all the children of light and you that stumble at this light you neither know God nor Christ nor Faith nor Hope and cannot preach the Gospel nor the Gifts nor the Words but onely death hears a fame as Job said and destruction for â—n your p 4. you leave it to the spiritual to judge and here you conclude you are not spiritual and here you are concluded to be judged by the authority that gave forth the Scriptures for the spiritual man judgeth all things and the Saints shall judge the world and you that deny this light denies the Father of lights and the Apostles exercise who exercised his conscience towards God and man and you deny the Scriptures and growth and the watching and waiting upon God for you question Christs words do you who stumble at the light wherewith Christ hath enlightned Priest For you say If every one that cometh into the world hath a light sufficient to salvation that makes the Scripture the Testimony of God unnecessary a revelation of his minde and love which are nowhere to be found but there Reply And here I charge you again to set up the Scriptures before Christ who is the love of God to
the works of the devil and his servants ye are to whom ye obey and this light must be owned before he be owned Wherein ye cry out Ye cannot hold your peace for the deceit we seem to lay upon Christ and his Spirit which is but the light of nature not the light of Christ as a mediator Ye blasphemers who calls the light of Christ the light of nature which Jesus Christ is the light that enlightneth every man and is the Mediatour wherein ye are found to be them that draw back to perdition and not to the saving the Soul in drawing from the obedience of the light which is the light of Christ in man which shews him his natural condition which the Apostle exhorteth to take heed unto until the day dawned and the day-star did arise and such experienced ones as you are lives in jealousies which are as strong as death who stumbles at the light of Christ and calls it natural O high blasphemers You shew along that you are them that hates the light and hate them that walk in it who are troubled at them you call Quakes who saith That the light of Christ doth discover their thoughts and sin and yielding to it power is given from God to stand against thoughts and sin And this you call free will And as it is written They that waited upon the Lord their strength was renewed and here let all the children of light which be in the light contrary to their own wills and contrary to the will of man you judge and therefore it makes you stumble at it and here in this you have denied all the waiting upon God in the light and watchings with the light which hath declared that all your watchings and waitings is without the light an imitation which is to be condemned with the light and many derisions and reproaches have you given forth in your book but these we wave because they do not touch us And whereas you say While you change the Name and call the light Christ Here you have declared you are not Ministers of the letter Christ saith He is the light of the world so say we so it is you cannot own his name but stumbles at the light stumbles at the Mediator so if the babes of Christ should be silent the stones in the walls would cry out against you And whereas you say Reformation reaches not the work of regeneration O ye blinde Hypocrits and corrupt Judges doth not the same that reforms regenerate but you are without both And whereas you say By his disobedience not obeying the light he may fall from that eternal salvation which began to work in him by the power of light And this is your implies and so you interpret our words as you do the Scriptures you that oppose the light you oppose your eternal salvation and as touching eternal salvation you that stumble at the light are for eternal destruction and condemnation with the light which you stumble at and who turnes from the light turns from the salvation and draws back into perdition And whereas you say There is no mention made in any of your papers of eternal salvation from the wrath to come or condemnation of hell by any atonement or price of blood or sacrifice from the dominion of evil by Jesus Christ Eternal salvation from the wrath to come and condemnation of hell I witness by the price of blood of Jesus Christ which is without you and from the dominion of evil by Jesus Christ which your fathers crucified you their children seek to crucifie him where he is made manifest which stumbles at the light and thou ands do begin to confess That they are made free from the wrath to come the dominion of evil by Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday to day and for ever which witness the price of blood by which they are redeemed which makes them clean from your generation which hate the light Priest And now you come to declare your own belief you speak of the promise of the power of the Father and the Gospel and the lost sheep and Faith But to you I answer which stumble at the light you stumble at the promise at the power of the Father at the Gospel and at the Spirit as you plainly make it appear which scorns them you call Quakers which in the Scripture there is a cloud of witnesses against you And whereas you say If they can tell how the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child they may come neer to trace out this work of God We who are in the second birth know the first and how things genders and works and so with it we discern where you are And whereas you say You are children born not of blood nor of the will of man nor after the will of the flesh but of his own will hath he begotten us by the word of truth O ye thieves and robbers I charge in the presence of the living God to be so for these are John's and James's words who speaks of being born not of blood nor of the will of man but of his own will hath he begotten us what have you to do with these things that stumble at the light so you stumble at the truth and how can you glorifie God the Maker who stumbles at the light and so it 's you that deny the resurrection for we do witness the worst sort of men turned to God with his light so we witness the Scriptures fulfill'd Publicans and Harlots enter in before you Priest 2. You are speaking of waiting on Christ for renewing of strength morning by morning Ye enemies of God how can ye wait upon Christ who stumble at the light and writes against it for if you waited upon Christ according to the Scriptures you would own the light and there would be unity in the light but this light which ye stumble at shall condemn you to be no waiters upon the Father nor Christ And whereas you are speaking of the Saints assemblies Reply You that stumble at this light stumbles at the Saints assemblies as you make it appear in this book and the Sons of God and the children of Faith and as you say You are tied to all means so you would tie all to your means and the Lord is tied to none Here you shew you are not of the Lord for who are of the Lord are freed from ties and from the Ordinances of men and outward means which you finde your spirit is tied to contrary to the Spirit of God for where the Spirit of God is there is liberty And whereas you say The children of God all their life-time are found groaning under the burthen of sin Here your Spirit and experiences are tried again to be contrary to the Scriptures and all the Saints for the children of God born of God doth not commit sin and he that is born of God overcomes the world and as he is so are we in this
this you speak to the world Here you have shewed your selves to be as the Pharisees which looked for the kingdom of God to come by observations Christ said Behold the kingdom of God is within you to the Pharisees and they were of the world and if those words be spoken to your generations they are not believed with you as they were not with your fathers And as touching John's baptism and the Gospel silence flesh for you are far off that who stumbles at the light and you are sons of formality You say You hold a visible order of the Church in the body and is not of the substance of the kingdom that cannot be shaken and yet in the Church We that ye call Quakers do believe ye and tread that ye call a visible Regiment and Church under our feet as natural for natural is visible and your Church is a Steeplehouse and for denying it we suffer persecution as Stephen did for denying the temple who saw the substance so do we with that which cannot be shaken which is the substance and therefore deny your Steeplehouse which can be shaken and your Sacrament and your standing forms and your sprinkling Infants there is not a word in the Scripture that speaks of a Sacrament and sprinkling Ye heathens that live altogether in formality And as touching Pastors and Elders and the Saints practice you know nothing of who stumble at the light who are in your elementary things Elders and Members Pharisee-like who sets themselves against Christ this is to comprehend you all under what form soever which stumbles at the light which shall condemn you all To that in your conscience I speak And whereas you say You do abominate Babylons confusion Then you must abominate your Mother which hath been and is your Nurse for in Babylon you are and all your prayers abomination and out of the doctrine of Christ who denies the light and calls it natural and not pure who are in the state of Popery and Episcopacie and you are Familists which you have mentioned in your book which turns upon your selves for in the nature of all those things you are who are in the sects with the light which Christ hath enlightned are you judged to be not in the unity for the society is visible and that joynes not to the body of Christ for what joynes to the body of Christ is invisible and in the light we have unity in which all the Saints had and see you to be in the whole body and bulk of iniquity which is raised from Christ You say You must not expect them your Ministers Deacons and Elders to be sent forth as the Apostles were immediately It 's manifest they are not Here you have raced your selves from all the Prophets and Apostles from all the Elders and Deacons and all the Teachers and Ministers of the Gospel and the effect of all your Ministery hath shewed you to be the body of all the sects Heresies Schismes and Errors and to be the doctrine of devils for you say you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were then let all take notice who sent you And here you shew forth God never sent you for whom he sends he sends forth immediately and this you deny to be sent forth immediately as the Apostles were And here I charge you in the presence of the living God to be them he never sent 2. To use your tongues 3. Such as Christ cried wo against which have the chiefest place in the assemblies and such as make a prey upon the people which the Lord sent Ezekiel to cry against and Jeremiah and the rest of the Prophets and to be such as Jude speaks of which went in the way of Cain after the error of Balaam which perished in the gainsaying of Core which the wo is to and what you know you know naturally as bruite beasts in these things you corrupt your selves speaking high things in hypocrisie having mens persons in admiration because of advantage which Peter spoke of and Jude who saith you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were And here you declare you were never sent of God and your Spirit contrary to the Apostles and in the doctrine of men for in Babylon you are who saith you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were for the Apostles said The holy Ghost hath made them overseers and that is immediate and invisible And you say Your society is visible We know it is so and so is your Communion too in outward elementary things and your bread and wine in your Steeplehouse-Church and your Sacrament sprinkling Infants so all this is visible and mediate and imitation out of the doctrine of the Apostles and the doctrine of Christ we own every tittle of it in the same Spirit that gave it forth and so all your casting out in your assemblies and your taking in which you say is not immediate is contrary to the doctrine of the Apostles for with the power and life they cast forth and with the power and life they took in which was immediate And you which say You are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were have cleared your selves from the Church of Christ the pillar and ground of Truth which is immediate and so all your overseeing is natural and carnal and the natural man perceives not the things of the Spirit of God And here you have cleared your selves openly to all the children of light to be the spirit of error the beast the false Prophet which is not sent forth from God immediately as the Apostles were as ye confess so you are them which the Apostle John in the Revelation spoke of which was sent forth immediately from God to cry against such as you which was not sent forth immediately from God which Spirit is made manifest now which sees you now as they saw them then whom God sends forth immediately to cry against you now as they did then who are in the state of Paganisme who stumble at the light and confess you are not sent forth immediately with the immediate you are judged Whereas you say Them you call Quakers bids you speak no more then you can experience and live in And such you call for their pains painted Sepulchres which those words shall stand for your selves for Christ gave them to your fathers who had the Prophets words as you have the Apostles who spoke that they did not live in as you do as Mat. 23. but them that spoke forth the Scriptures and spoke what they lived in which you have declared your selves from who hath got the outside of the letter and makes a scorn and derision of them who would have you to live in what you speak as they did that gave forth the Scriptures and there you have shewed again what spirit you are of that would not live in what you speak and have cleared your selves from the Faith for Abraham possessed and you have manifested