THE HOLY TRUTH And Its PROFESSORS DEFENDED IN AN ANSWER to a LETTER writ by Lawrence Potts Priest of Staplestown near Catherlough UNTO Robert Lacky a Parishioner and formerly Hearer of the said Priest Occasioned by his forsaking his Ministry and embracing the blessed Truth herein vindicated By John Burnyeat John Watson Tâ—â—e counsel together and it shall come to nought speak the word and it shall not stand for God is with us For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people saying Say ye Not a Confederacy to all them to whom this people shall say A Confederacy neither fear ye their fear nor be afraid Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear and let him be your dread Isa. 8. 10 11 12 13. Printed in the Year 1688. ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER Christian Reader ANother Letter coming to our hands subcribed J. T. the tendency thereof being to beget a dislike in R. L. to whom it was writ to the Principles of Truth as prosessed by us the truly reformed Christians called Quakers and to prevent the writing of more such occasion'd our making thus publick the following Answer to Priest Potts's Letter and the rather understanding the said J. T. saw it and takes no notice thereof in his although it answers the substance thereof excepting in these following particulars 1. His accounting it an Errour in us not to swear Ans. We in short say we have Christs Command for not Swearing Matt. 5. 3 4. Swear not at all and seconded by the Apostle James 5. 12. which we believe ought to be observed by all Christians 2. He charges us with denying the Trinity as he terms it Ans. We do really own the Three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these Three are One Joh. 5. 7. and we also own the Three that bear witness in Earth the Spirit the Water and the Blood and these Three agree in One as ver 8. and so we do and always did believe according to the holy Scriptures 3. He charges us with denying the Scriptures to be the Word of God. Ans. We believe the Scriptures to be what they call themselves a Testimony or Declaration as in Luke 1. 1. Joh. 5. 39. but Christ we own and believe to be the Word of God according to Joh. 1. and Rev. 19. 13. so we own the Word of the Lord that came unto the Prophets saying as in Ezek. 7. 1. and in divers othes places and we own and believe the Sayings of the Word as recorded in the holy Scriptures so the Word that came unto the Prophets was the Sayer or that which spoke unto them and the Scriptures are the words or sayings which the Word or Spirit of Christ spoke unto and through the Prophets as is evident from the Testimony of the Apostle 1 Pet. 1. 10 11. Dublin the 12th of the 9th Month. 1688. J. B. J. W. The Holy Truth and its Professors defended c. Lawrence Pots WE having met with a Paper of thine and finding our selves and others of the people called Quakers concerned therein with our Christian Religion and Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ which we are called to bear witness unto and contend for were not willing to let it pass without taking notice of thy false Charges upon us and our Religion together with thy weak Vindication of thy self with the rest of the Clergy of your Church in those things which thou hast yet to prove And we find our selves the more concerned because of thy Challenge in thy Paper where thou saist It does become your Teachers to make this plainly appear to you and me from whom they have drawn you and therefore if they can make it out I again challenge it of them and you By the way we would have thee take notice of this that Robert Lacky in his Letter to thee doth acquaint thee that it was the Light or Grace of God that let him see the Evil or Defects in himself and others and so meerly the Love of God that prevailed in his heart so that it was not Man that drew him from thee and thy Teachings but the Lord Jesus Christ the true Shepherd whom the Father promised that by his Spirit of Light and Grace did draw him and so fulfilled the Promise of the Father in Ezek. 34. 10. where he saith He would deliver his Flock from the mouth of such as fed themselves that they might not be meat for them c. In the first place we observe thou blamest him for saying If he or any other through the Light of Gods Grace in the heart do see Defects in themselves or others that profess that Religion where in they were bred he does not understand how he incurs Damnation by forsaking it c. And so in thy Answer blamest him for confounding Religion as thou sayest with the Carriage of its Professors c. Answer It 's true there may be wicked men Professors of a most holy and pure Religion and therefore for some particulars being of an evil carriage to condemn a Religion is not proper But when a man finds and understands that in the Exercise of his Religion he receives not power against Sin and Temptation in himself nor yet sees the effect of such a power in others it may be not in the very Teachers but that is lived in which answers not the Law of God nor the Life of a true Christian and yet here is no dismembring of such or excluding them from their Church-Fellowship This may justly give ground to suspect a Defect in that Religion and therefore it may be warrantable for a man under these Observations both concerning himself and others to enquire and seek after a Religion wherein Power may be enjoyed from Christ to overcome Sin and withstand Temptation and we do believe thou thy self art not ignorant how that not only many of the people of your Church are of a loose Conversation but diverse of your Clergy also and yet they suffered to abide in their Places and Offices without either being excluded or silenced though the Apostle exhorts to withdraw from every Brother that walks disorderly And again 1 Cor. 5. 11. He writes unto the Church not to keep company with any called a Brother that was a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner such thou maist see were to be denied Fellowship in the Church But we have often observed how that in your Church there have been and still are both Swearers Liars Drunkards and men given to other profaneness and yet little zeal appearing to excommunicate or exclude them But when any for Conscience sake could not pay the Priest his Wages though it were but some small matter oftentimes such a one should soon be prosecuted and excommunicated so that by your practices whatever you may profess in words you are
for Pleasure but to get Fish from whence we may groundedly conclude that they used that Imploy for a Livelihood at times when they were not immediately imployed in preaching the Gospel and we challenge thee to prove the contrary if thou canst Concerning thy querying for a Command for keeping the First day of the week or calling it the Lords day We say we meet together on the First day of the week for to meet is our Duty and also upon other days and for this Practice we have both Command and Example the Saints were commanded not to forsake the assembling of themselves together Heb. 10. 25. and we account every day is the Lords and he that regardeth a day ought to regard it to the Lord and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he doth not regard it Rom. 14. 6. But what Scripture have ye for all such days as you observe which are called such and such Saints days Thou saist thou hast been the longer on this particular because thou findest it galls us most Answ. When thou hast read our Answer which by reason of thine being so long hath caused ours to be so too thou maist consider of it and of thy impertinency in quoting the Scriptures to prove your Practice which being well observed doth witness against you and then we doubt not but it will prove that which will gall thee and thy Brethren who are so found in such covetous practices as the Scriptures plentifully testifie against and for a further Testimony against your Practices read these following Scriptures of which for brevity sake having been so long already we shall forbear to write the words they that can may read them in the Bible Isa. 59. 9 10 11 12. Jer. 5. 30 31. Ezek 13. 19. Ezek. 34. ch Mich. 3. 5 11. Joh. 10. 12. Tit. 1. 10 11. 1 Tim. 3. 1 2 3. 2 Pet. 2. 14 15 16. Jud. 11. 12 13. In the next place thou undertakest to inform him of some Defects in that Religion he had chosen and first thou saist our Teachers have no lawful Call to preach the Gospel and quotest the Apostles saying Rom. 10. 15. How shall they preach except they be sent that is saist thou how can they preach the true Doctrine of Christ unless they be sent by him or by those Apostles of Christ who received immediate Commissions from him c. Answ. We grant what the Apostle saith How can they preach except they be sent c. But that our Teachers are not so sent thou neither undertakest to prove by Argument nor Scripture although thou hast the confidence to affirm that they have no lawful Call or Commission to preach the Gospel which we turn back upon thee as a false Accusation and demand of thee to prove and make it appear to be true if thou canst for we do believe that none can be true Ministers but such as are sent by Christ and have their Call and Commission from him and also receive the Gospel which they preach and their ability from him for the Scripture is plain that the Gospel-Ministers were sent by him and received the Gospel they preached and ability to preach it from him and not from men as in Gal. 1. 11 12. and in 2 Cor. 3. 6. the Apostle saith they were made able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit and in the foâ—egoing verse he saith our sufficiency is of God. And Ephes. 3. 7. he declares that he was made a Minister according to the Gift of the Grace of God given unto him by the effectual working of his Power And Peter saith 1 Pet. 4. 11. If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God if any man minister let him do it as of the ability which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified c. And so from him we say we have received our Call by his eternal Spirit and do wait upon him to receive our ability daily that what we do may be by the Gift of the Grace of God given unto us that God in all things may be glorified And if this be not according to the Scripture and the way of God do thou in thy next shew what is and prove your way of being bred up at Schools and learning your Tongues and taking your Degrees there and observing your Ceremonies in your Ordination and coming forth according to your Traditions and then looking for a Benefice the greatest you can get and then settling in a Parish for so much a Year until you can hear of a Place with a greater Benefice and then remove for greater Gain and Preferment and while you stay in a Parish take such Lordship upon you that none of your Church or Hearers may have liberty to speak or preach but such as are so ordained as you are Clear these things in thy next to be according to Scripture if thou canst In the mean while we charge this method and these doings not to be according to the Rule of the Gospel or Example of the primitive Ministers that this is your practice we believe thou canst not deny But in the true Church this Order and Liberty was ordained by the Apostle as in 1 Cor. 14. 30 31 32. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his peace for you may all prophesie one by one that all may learn that all may be comforted and the Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets But this Liberty which the Apostle ordained you do not admit of no more than you do of other things which were the practice of the true Church and Christs Ministers but instead thereof are gone into things which are of Mans ordaining and setting up And therefore Robert Lacky and all in whom God hath opened an understanding to see you aright have reason enough to forsake you and your Church and as for those Scriptures thou quotest to prove a successive Power to send others they make nothing for your method of Ordination at all for Matth. 28. he said he would be with them c doth not say they should send others In Acts 1. the Apostles desired one in the place of Judas to be numbered with them and he was chosen by lot so here was the Lords lot And in Acts 14. 23. it is said they ordained Elders in every Church Now how these Scriptures do prove a true Succession to your Call and Ordination let all that are wise in heart judge Secondly Thou saist we have no Sacraments administred in our Religion neither that of Baptism whereby people are admitted into the Christian Church nor that of the Lords Supper by which they are strengthened and preserved in it Ans. First we demand whence thou hast this Term Sacraments and what is the proper signification of it we are sure thou hast it not from Scripture And secondly We put it upon thee to prove whence you have your Authority for
Protestants in England and Ireland profess Christ in Words but in Works deny him Ans. This is evident from their doings as is before proved so that it is no hard matter to make that Charge good against them Do thou clear them if thou canst When he saith as far as he understands our Principles and Practice are according to Christs Institution which he doubts not but we will make good upon occasion thou in answer saist thou knowest our Practice well enough which if true and if so bad as thou endeavourest to make people believe of us why hast thou brought none of them to make good thy Charges against us And as for our Principles thou saist thou never heardst we had any Then thou must needs be ignorant of our Way and Religion and therefore in thy speaking evil of it thou speakest evil of things thou understandest not and so art of that Generation spoken of 2 Pet. 2. 12. And as for our Faith and Principles they have been published to the world both by Words and Writing they have not been hid in a corner so that any that had a mind to concern themselves against us and yet as wise men would not judge without an understanding lest like thee they should speak evil of the things they did not understand might easily be informed what our Principles are However we are a people that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that the Father sent him into the world to lay down his Life a ransom for all men that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal Life that he was crucified without the Gates of Jer. salem and so became a Propitiation for the Sins of the whole world and that after he had suffered and was buried God the Father raised him again by his eternal Spirit after which he shewed himself unto many Witnesses and then ascended into Heaven and is glorified with the Father with that Glory he had with him before the World was made And we further believe that he is the Light of the World and that he ought to be followed according to his own words John 8. 12. and that he lighteth every man that cometh into the world according to John 1. 9. and that this Light wherewith he lighteth every man all ought to believe in that they may be Children of the Light according to Joh. 12. 36. and so we believe in his spiritual Appearance according to his Promise who said He would pray the Father and he should send them another Comforter even the Spirit of Truth according to John 14. 16 17. and this was his own Spirit for he is the Truth and of this the Saints were Witnesses as the Apostle saith Gal. 4. 6. And because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And thus was Christ in the Saints the Hope of Glory according to Col. 1. 7. And thus believing and witnessing the Truth of the Scripture we wait upon God for his Spirit that we may worship him therein according to the Institution of his Son Christ Jesus as in John 4. 23 24. and that we may pray with the Spirit and sing with it according to 1 Cor. 14. 15. for the Apostle exhorted the Saints to be filled with the Spirit Eph. 5. 18. and the Saints were to pray in the Holy Ghost Jude 20. So our Faith stands in the Power of God which is that the Apostle laboured that the Saints Faith might stand in as thou maist see 1 Corinth 2. 5. believing that there shall be a Resurrection both of the just and unjust they that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation according to John 5. 29. Here we have given thee some account in short of our Faith Principles and Practice and proved them to be according to the Scripture whereby thou maist see if Prejudice and Self-Interest do not blind thine eye that Robert Lacky in turning from thy Teaching to Christ the true Light and his Teaching according to Gods Promise under the New Covenant who said they shall be all taught of the Lord which according to our Principle we direct people to wait for is no unsafe way to Heaven nor as thou falsly accusest us a pursuing such ways as are directly contrary to holy Scripture which thou in some measure promisest thou wilt make appear but hast it yet to do Thou saist because thou art fully satisfied we cannot make this out therefore thou wilt shew him how he has incurred not only the Displeasure of God for the present but the Damnation of his Soul hereafter unless he repent and return by this his departure from the Religion he was bred in Ans. Thou maist see thy Satisfaction is without ground as also thy confident presumption in thy passing such a Sentence upon him concerning his present and eternal estate And surely thy Judgment herein is groundless rash and vain as all may see who have any true Christian understanding and discerning and do but observe what is brought forth under your Teaching in your Religion for we understand no reason thou assignest for thy Judgment but his leaving of your Religion which we have before proved he had good reason so to do and therefore neither he nor any other need be afraid of thy threatning upon this account because from what is before written it is clear that there are great defects in the Principles and Exercise of the Religion he was bred in if he was bred in yours and so not according to Christs Institution as may be seen if compared with the Scripture And that there are no such defects in the Religion he now embraceth but proved in the Principles and Exercise of it to be of Christs Institution according to the Scripture and herein thy Challenge we have answered and endeavoured to make it appear both to thee and him according to thy demand but if thou hatest to be informed it shall lie at thy own door and thou shalt answer for it thy self So it is plain he may have changed out of a Principle of Conscience and pure Love to God and his Soul and not out of Interest Humour Passion or Prejudice as thou seemest to accuse him And as for thy assuring him upon thy word that it is not for any temporal advantage that thou seekest to reduce him but only in love to his Soul as thou hast to all mens as thou saist Ans. We think he hath no reason to believe that thou and the rest of your Clergy have such a love to the Souls of all men as to be the only reason of your coming amongst them to be their Teachers for your Practice which is a surer evidence than your words speaks the quite contrary in that you do leave any people where you are to go to another place for an Augmentation and higher Preferment so that it 's evident it is not the good of peoples Souls nor the Glory of God that chiefly moves you in this concern whatever may be pretended to And so to the Consciences and Understandings of wise men we refer these things to be considered of with our hearts desire to God for you all that he would open your Understandings and let you see the errour of your ways and bring you to a Reformation that the people you may lead in Errour no longer We conclude and remain Desirers of the Good of all men Dated the 13th of the 4th Month. 1688. John Burnyeat John Watson THE END
Chapter For first he saith they shall come in Sheeps Clothing but inwardly they are ravening Wolves so not in the Sheeps Life And what is the Sheeps Clothing Is it not the words of the true Prophets Apostles and Servants of God as appears by the Testimony of the Lords Servants as may be seen in Jerem. 23. 30. Behold I am against the Prophets saith the Lord that steal my Words every one from his Neighbour And the Apostle speaking of Deceivers Rom. 16. 18. saith that by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple So that it is evident these false Prophets and Deceivers had good words for God said they had stolen his words from their Neighbours c. and they had fair speeches but were inwardly ravening from whence evil Fruits were brought forth but that by Fruits there is not meant their Doctrine as thou saist Observe further what Christ saith in that Chapter Do men gather Grapes of Thorns or Figs of Thistles even so every good Tree bringeth forth good Fruit but a corrupt Tree bringeth forth evil Fruit c. Wherefore by their Fruits ye shall know them ver 20. And in the following verses it is most clear that by Fruits he means their deeds and particular actions for his words are Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is Heaven so the Fruits here meant are doings not sayings Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name c. and then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity Here the working of iniquity was the cause of their exclusion from him And further speaking of the wise and foolish Builders he saith He that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them I will liken him unto a wise man c. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man c. so that all along it doth appear that the particular actions are the Fruits whereby Christ declares they may be known and accordingly may be judged though thou saist many Hereticks men who have embraced vile Doctrines as thou affirmest the Quakers do have been of good Lives First As to thy affirming that the Quakers do embrace vile Doctrines that is false and we turn it back upon thee as a wicked slander and challenge thee to bring them forth that we may know what they are that thou accounts so and whether they be ours or not In the next place where dost thou read in all the Scriptures of men that held vile Doctrines that were of good Lives The next matter thou takest in hand to defend in thy Paper is your Tithes your great Dalilah for it's evident that it is your Tithes and other Revenues that is the very cause for which the most of you did become Ministers otherwise we are perswaded we had not had one of a hundred in those Offices at this day of you for it 's the Trade as it 's made by you whereby you get your rich Gain that is chiefly in the eye of those concerned in the preferring of Youth into the Schools and we think it is as much in the eye of the Ministers in their coming out of the Schools and going into the Nations to be Teachers as your practice doth manifest So that Christ and his Gospel is the least of your concern in the ground of your design what ever may be pretended For in all things mens ways and actions are a more sure evidence to demonstrate what they are than their words therefore Christ saith by their Fruits ye shall know them So that we do not wonder to find thee so concerned to plead wordly Gain But to come to the matter thy business is to prove Tithes of Divine Institution now under the Gospel Dispensation which if thou do then we will confess it is no defect in your Religion Thou sayest it will be no hard matter to do but thou hast not done it and if it be so easie to do thou shouldst have done it to have convinced him that scruples its Lawfulness However it may be supposed thou hast brought thy chief proof in quoting Christs words in Matth. 23. 23. and Luk. 11. 42. where he speaks of the Pharisees paying Tithes of Mint Anise Cummin c. and tells them these things ye ought to have done And then thou sayest nothing can be plainer to them that are not desirous to wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction So by thy own words this is thy chief proof being as thou saist nothing can be plainer But as plain as thou wouldst make the simple believe it is all that are wise do clearly see that this has no relation to the Gospel Dispensation but to the first Covenant and Priesthood And saith the Apostle Hebrews 7. 12. For the Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity a change also of the Law. And in the 8th chap. thou maist see how he proves the Law changed and gives the Reason for the Lords giving a new Covenant or Testament and making the first old So its plain the Priesthood that received Tithes and the Law that made them of Divine Right to the Priesthood are both changed and both a new Law or Covenant and Priesthood set up and established by the Oath and Promise of God which are the two immutable things by which God shews the immutability of his Counsel abundantly unto the Heirs of Promise for the strengthening of their Consolation through Christ that is made an High Priest for ever as thou mayst read Heb. 6. Now thy work is to prove Tithes of Divine Institution in the New Covenant and then to prove and shew the Priesthood that is to receive them for thou maist see both the Law that gave them and the Priesthood that received them are changed and though Christ told the Scribes and Pharisees they ought to have done it that was according to the Law of the first Covenant which was not then disannulled Christ not being offered up but he himself under it for it is said He was made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law Gal. 4. 4 5. and so he taught people to observe it as when he had cleansed the Leper in Matth. 8. he bid him shew himself to the Priest and offer the Gift that Moses commanded for a Testimony unto them and so while under the Law he was for observing the Law but now that being ended in him his Law is to be observed and what he has ordained we are to be subject to But before we speak to that we are willing to take a little observation of the difference between your Priesthood that now takes Tithes and Gods Priesthood that received Tithes by his Law in his first Covenant First Levi's Line that was to receive Tithes of Israel
6 th ch 8 th v. having in the former vers told Timothy that we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out and having Food and Raiment let us therewith be content Here was the Counsel of an Apostle to a Bishop for it 's said he was Bishop of the Church at Ephesus Now things being well weighed according to the Scripture where is the Divine Right either for Tithes or the other great Revenues you Clergymen compell the Nations to pay you It is not from Christs Command nor the Apostles nor from any of their Examples neither Apostles Bishops Pastors nor Teachers you are without Warrant from the Scripture you have neither Precept nor President for your Practices either as in respect to your great Revenues that you seek after and enjoy nor your manner of forcing people to pay you All we see in Christs Ordination that was to be done to them that would not receive them and relieve them was they were to shake off the dust of their feet as a witness against them and then Christ shews the danger of their rejecting but refers it to the day of Judgment but this will not serve you though ye pretend to be spiritual men yet it plainly appears you are for your carnal ends you cannot trust your selves under Christs Care to live of the Gospel and what that freely produceth in the hearts of the people as Christs Ministers did And you may see what they answered when he questioned them as in Luk. 22. 35. And he said unto them when I sent you without Purse and Scrip and Shooes lacked ye any thing and they answered Nothing So here is Faith and Obedience and the effects also of the Faith and Obedience of Christs Ministers set before us for an example But it 's evident you do no more love to follow the example of the primitive Ministers than you love to submit to what Christ hath ordained as appears by the great bustle thou makest and the many shuffling Arguments thou usest to invalidate the good example of the Apostle in that godly Care that was upon him that he might not make the Gospel chargeable which is no more than the real duty of every true Minister of Christ although you make it not your concern as is evident from your practices And what if the Apostle had Power and asserted his Power thou seest what Power he asserts in these words Have we not power to eat and to drink and again have we not power to forbear working c as in 1 Cor. 9. so thou mayst still see that he pretended to no power above his Masters Commission who said they might eat such things as were set before them the Labourer was worthy of his Meat So still this makes nothing for thee and thy Brethen his Power you will not be content with no more than his Example for then you know you must not live in pride height fulness and idleness as ye do and so being his Power will not answer your ends you fly from his Power which was the Gospel which they that preached it were to live by to Man's Power and Law for your Maintenance and by that force and compell people to pay you for whom you do no work and to whom you cannot say as he did 1 Cor. 9. 1. Are not you my work in the Lord But alas how many thousands do you compel in Ireland to pay you that are not your work in this sense he speaks of you have no concern in their Conversion if they be converted but whether they be or not you matter not you will have your Revenue from among them But thou tellest him He does not consider that the Gospel of Christ was but in its Infancy Paul was but then planting it endeavouring to make it the established Religion of the Nations as now it is Answer That Paul was planting it we grant but that the Religion which he endeavoured to establish is now the established Religion of the Nations we deny For first there is no such Unity nationally in Religion as he endeavoured to establish as in 1 Cor. 1. 10. Now I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing that there be no Division among you that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same Mind and in the same Judgment Secondly They are not established in Holiness and that Perfection which he laboured to establish and present in as Col. 1. 28. Warning every man and teaching every man in all Wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus And likewise in Ephes. 4. we read that he gave Ministers and Gifts for the Ministry for the perfecting of the Saints and for the edifying of the Body of Christ c. till they all come in the unity of the Faith to a perfect man c. And 2 Corinth chap. 7. ver 1. His Labour was to bring them to perfect Holiness in the Fear of God. This is the Religion Paul and others endeavoured to establish in the Nations and to establish people in and for this end Peter exhorts the Believers to be holy in all manner of Conversation that as he which had called them was holy so they might be holy 1 Pet. 1. 15. Here is that which they laboured to make the established Religion of the Nations viz. Uunity Perfection and Holiness in all manner of Conversation Thou affirmest that now it is made as he to wit Paul endeavoured to make it If this were true then the Nations would be gathered into Righteousness and Holiness Unity Peace Love Good will But alas there appears no such Fruits of the true Religion amongst the generality of the people of the Nations which doth demonstrate that there is no such Establishment of it as thou hast asserted whatever may be professed in words We take notice how much thou art offended at his telling thee that the Ministers wrought with their hands and takest occasion at the word Ministers as if he had said All laboured and then affirmest it's very false whereas he only saith Ministers in the plural number not All which is proved true by the Scripture and thy own consession who grantest that Paul and his Fellow-travelling Apostles did labour with their Hands And then when thou hast asserted it to be false thou challengest him to shew another Apostle besides them in the New Testament that wrought For saist thou they forsook their Boats their Nets their Trades for his sake and the Gospel and the New Testament doth not inform us that they ever returned to these Trades again for a Livelihood Answ. We read John 23. that Peter above three years after he was called by Christ with several other Disciples after they had so forsaken their Boats c. went a fishing and that Peter then had his Fishers Coat not a long Gown as those called Ministers now wear and we do not believe they went