Godhead is dead because thou saist it is revealed in every man so then if that spirit in that body be not Christ without that body but both body and spirit make that man Christ Jesus And thou ownest salvation by that spirit onely without that body thou ownest not salvation by Christ O Jeffery why wilt thon deny the Lord that hath bought thee with his own blood and bring upon thy self destruction for the Godhead dyed not as I have told thee but that body was made a curse by dying that cursed death upon the Tree to take off the curse from them that believe that sacrifice for sin which was a sweet smelling savour to the Lord. By which body offered up he hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified which sacrificed body and offered up bloud if thou reject how canst thou have thy cursed sins pardoned thy defiled conscience purged for without shedding of bloud there is no remission But I will tell thee my Faith I do own salvation cometh alone by that man Christ Jesus the only Son of God who was born of that Espoused Virgin Mary who was Crucified at Jerusalem by which cursed death he did there make an attonement for all and full satisfaction to God the Father for the sins of all that believe in him from the heart and obey his holy will revealed in his word the holy Scriptures of truth that are able to make the man of God wise unto salvation 1 Pet. 2.24 Heb. 10.14 Joh. 20.31 Mat. 7.24,25 Gal. 3.13 I could mind thee with many more Scriptures if thou wouldst hearken thereunto The holy Spirit of God I own and esteem for it is that which First made me to see into my sins and my cursed estate by sin according as is made known in the Scriptures of truth 2ly It did shed the love of God abroad in my soul how that Christ had dyed for my sins 3ly He did help me to lay hold upon the hope set before me without whose help I can do nothing 4ly He did work in my Soul a cruel hatred against all known sins in thoughts words and works 5ly He did work in my Soul a great love to my God and to his Son Jesus to his Children to all known good in words and works in my self and others 6ly He did assure me of redemption of my soul and forgiveness of my sins through the bloud of my Lord Jesus that was shed upon the Cross for me 7ly He did seal home the promises of Eternal Glory to my Sonl promised in the Scriptures of truth to the Sons of God 8ly He did work in my Soul holy reformation and godly resolutions to do and obey whatever my God shall make known unto me to be his will and mind by his spirit and word the Scriptures and that unto death 9ly It did fill my Soul with praises to the God of my life night and day praising him in the spirit admiring his love to my soul in redeeming it with so great a price as the blood of his own Son 10ly The holy spirit did also comfort me and quicken me and made me greatly to rejoyce with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory the which spirit of my God still is with me and giveth me that peace no man can take from me by whose help my desire is to my God I might still be preserved and hold fast the precious faith which I have attained through the Grace of God and my Lord Jesus Christ until he shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance upon the wicked and punish with everlasting destruction from his presence them that obey not the Gospel of Christ and be admired of them that believe Thomas Manning This Testimony of mine is owned by God the Father by his Son Jesus by the holy Spirit by the holy Scriptures by the holy Prophets by the holy Apostles Thou provest thine by two of thine own Friends God the Father I know his Son Jesus I know his holy Spirit I know the holy Scriptures I know to be the mind and will of God but who these thy Witnesses be I know not but if they be Angels come from Heaven if they despise the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ or declare any thing contrary to his will revealed in the Scriptures of truth I do not own them Thomas Manning I received thy paper and thou saist as soon as thou hadst looked on a few words thou saidst thou soon espied my subtilty Friend I had no subtilty in my heart but I plainly wrote the things I own thou askest me how I can prove Christ in that body to be Christ without that body I can prove it both by Pauls testimony and also by the same spirit of God the which Paul did prove it by who told the Corinthians the Fathers drank of the Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ and he also told the Colossians that the mystery which had been hid from ages and generations past was Christ within the hope of glory and also Christs visible appearance came in that present age but his invisible appearance had been hid from ages and generations past for Christ was with his Church in the Wilderness Again thou saist that body and spirit in that body maketh that man Christ Jesus Now the spirit in that body was the Godhead and thou saist that the Godhead dyed not and thou speakest true for so say I so then it was only that part which the Holy Ghost took from the woman the which died and not the Godhead which both was and is the spirit of God for it was God and the Woman that made the visible man Christ for he was made of a Woman made under the Law as saith the Scripture for Mary she knew no visible man Now cursed be that spirit that shall deny the blood of Christ or the end for which Christs body was offered up and blood was shed for I do believe that all the world were reconciled to God by the death of his Son and that all men were freed from their outward offerings for sin by that one offering and that after the shedding of the blood of that visible man Christ upon the Cross there was to be no more outward killing the sacrifice nor yet shedding of blood for remission of sins But this was not the flesh and the blood which Christ speaks of when he was upon the earth when he said He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood he dwelleth in me and I in him and he was then upon the earth as a man like one of us sin only excepted when he spake these words So Friend if thou knowest no other body nor blood to feed upon but that which dyed and was shed out of Christs body without the gates of Jerusalem thy Soul may perish for all the knowledge which thou hast of the Scriptures Now Christ in the days of his flesh exhorted people to believe in the Light and to bring their deeds
to the Light that so they might be made Children of the Light for he knew that they were Children of the Darkness and God he is Light and shews unto man his thoughts who said look unto me all yea ends of the earth and be saved and some of these words were spoken by the Lord in his Prophets before Christs body came into the world and the same that ever was the Saviour now is and not another for God is not changed neither is his salvation changed Again thou saist thou know est the Father and thou knowest the Son the holy Spirit Friend consider well what thou hast written and let Gods Spirit in thee try thy words whether thou hast thy knowledge of God and his Son and holy Spirit in and from the Spirit of Revelation for Christ saith no man knows the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son reveals him and Paul saith it pleased God to reveal his Son in him so then there is no true saving knowledge of neither Father nor Son but in and through the Spirit of Revelation so consider and let Gods witness judge in thee whether thy knowledge stands in the Light or in the Letter in the mystery or in the history in the word or in the words the which were given forth from the word for the words were given forth in time from the word which was before time was And so remember what the Jews said to Christ who had the Scriptures before the Gentiles how they said that they were Abrahams Children and God was their Father and they were Moses his Disciples and that God spake to Moses But they speaking concerning Christ said as for this fellow we know not whence he is and these were the blind professing Jews who had the Scriptures but they had neither heard the voice of God at any time nor yet seen his shape as Christ in plain words tells them and yet how great was their boasting and all this while they had but a blind zeal for a vail of thick darkness was over their minds and understandings Again thou saist the holy Scriptures thou knowest to be the mind and will of God then thy soul and mind and understanding they must be in the mystery and spirit of God which gave forth the Scriptures and if it be so with thee then I would desire thee to tell me these following questions 1. What is Eden and where is it and what was the Garden wherein God walked 2. What is the tree of knowledge and where it is and what is the fruit it bears and from whence doth the fruit come and what is that which feeds upon the fruit which the tree of knowledge bears and what were the eyes that were open in Adam and Eve after sin and transgression by them were committed And what were the Books which are to be opened and how many Books to be opened and what is the Vail which Paul speaks of which is to be done away and what is the enmity which God hath put betwixt the Woman and the Serpent Jeffery Bullock Friend Pauls Ministry stood in the Spirit and not in the Letter and he desired only to know Christ according to the spirit but not after the flesh for that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit as saith the spirit of God This following was given me from the Quakers to subscribe which I refused to do for reasons inserted FOr the clearing of the precious truth of God professed by us his people called Quakers from the occasion of reproach and stumbling given by Jeffery Bullock his pernicious doctrine in affirming That he neither expects Justification nor Condemnation by that Christ that dyed or was put to death at Jerusalem These are to certifie all Friends and Friendly people whom it may concern that we testifie against this Doctrine as stated by him as both pernicious and Antichristian and contrary to plain Scripture and the constant testimony faithfully born amongst us from the beginning for neither do we profess and preach two Christs nor yet own Justification by any other Christ or in any other Name but by and in the Name of that very one Christ of God to whom the holy Prophets and Apostles gave witness in the scriptures of truth who was miraculously conceived by the Holy Ghost overshadowing the Virgin Mary and was Crucified and put to death in the flesh without the Gates of Jerusalem but quickned by the Spirit whom God raised from the dead 1 Pet. 3.18 We must confess with the holy Apostles that even by him to wit that very Christ all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses Acts 13.30,39 and that remission of sins Justification and Salvation as then preacht in the name of the same Lord Jesus Christ and by his Eternal power and spirit of God so the same is constantly believed and witnessed amongst us And although the best fense that we can suppose or gather as aimed at by the said Jeffery Bullock is that it is not only by the suffering and death of Christ nor by a mere literal knowledge of him as after the flesh that men can be either compleatly justified or saved from sin and death any more then the Apostles or primitive Christians were but by his life spirit and power operating in them And so by a living and spiritual knowledge of Christ as after the Spirit which though the truth of this we cannot but own and justifie yet this cannot excuse the aforecited Doctrine as laid down which denies both Justification and Condemnation by that Christ that dyed for that supposeth another Christ for that end and so two Christs And therefore the said J. B. ought to see his error and call back and recant of his words which have given occasion of stumbling in Sudbury Whereas the very Christ the Son of God is but one though he hath often and variously manifested himself from the beginning as both before he came in the flesh and in the fulness of time in the flesh viz. that body that was prepared for him to do the will of his Father in and since in spirit for the everlasting comfort and salvation of all them who believe in his name and power which by his divine Light within is livingly revealed And we confess that this Son of God our Saviour Jesus Christ our Lord was made of the Seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holyness by the resurrection from the dead Rom. 1.3,4 And that that very Christ that came of Israel as concerning the flesh is God over all God blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 So that he is truly and inseparably God and Man according to the Scripture And even that very Christ who was crucified and slain hath God lifted up with his right hand to be a Prince
is a distinction between them for the one hath been Corrupted by the man of sin but the other never saw Corruption nor yet never consented to sin 6. Whether Death had any Dominion in the Tree of Knowledge before Transgression or whether he took his Dominion in the Tree of Knowledge by mans transgressing the Commands of God 7. And what were the Eyes that were to be opened in Adam and Eve after the Devils temptation had entred them and they had broken the Command of God when they became as Gods 8. Whether the Seed of God that never sinned hath been under the bondage of Corruption and so is to be redeemed from under Corruption although he never sinned nor yet saw Corruption for the Seed is God himself and whether it is not the Soul of Man that hath transgressed that is to be redeemed by the Seed and not the Seed to be raised nor yet redeemed it being both God and Christ 9. And whether the Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the World or since the foundation of the World or what was the Lamb of God or is the Lamb of God which was and is slain seeing that Christ is without beginning of dayes or end of life and he is the same now that he was in the beginning and he ever lives and never dyeth 10. What is the partition Wall and what doth it separate betwixt and where is the place it stands 11. What is the Vail as it is in it self which is over the understandings of people who are in outward profession 12. And how shall a man rightly understand and come to have a certain knowledge in himself manifested unto him whether his Soul feeds upon the fruit of the Tree which Knowledge bears or whether it feeds upon the Tree of Life or how he shall really come to understand whether his Soul be under the Dominion of Life or whether Sathan be Transformed in his Mind Knowledge and Understanding 13. Whether there be a will or power in either Man or Woman to believe in Christ the Light within or to receive the truth they having lost their first state wherein they had power but now are found under the power of darkness by the Light and in a state of degeneration from God 14. When is that Resurrection to be known that Christ speaks of when they neither Marry nor are given in Marriage but are as the Angels of God seeing our visible Bodies shall ever abide in the dust and what is that honourable Marriage the Apostle speaks of where the Bed is not defiled through Lust 15. And what is the Dead that is to be raised in the Sons and Daughters of Men seeing the Son of God never dyeth but the dead is to hear his voice and live and how shall the dead come to receive power to arise 16. And what are the Two witnesses that John speaks of which the Spirit of Life is to enter into before they can bear a true Testimony for God 17. Whether the Two Adams are not in the World yea and the man of sin too who is the Son of Perdition and whether something of these Three are not to be found in every Man and Woman 18. And whether the Woman that hath been in transgression both in the Male and Female ought not to be kept in silence although redeemed out of transgression and so the power of God to speak in all and she to be kept under subjection by the power that hath redeemed her and so all to feel the Woman kept in silence until the power of God is declaring the work of God in them which power hath redeemed her 19. What was the work of the Spirit and power of God in Christs Body whilst his Body was upon the Earth and what is the work of the Spirit of God in our Body whilst we are upon the Earth and whether the power of Darkness were not in his Body yea or nay 20. Whether the power of Darkness which is the Original of sin be not in every Child when it is first born and come into the visible World and the power of God also and yet the Child not guilty of Original sin 21. Whether a Man or Woman may not receive the truth and so by it come to have their minds knowledge and understanding Baptized with the Holy Ghost and yet after this Sathan may transform himself in the hearts minds and understandings of such as before had received the truth and whether such may not have a strong perswasion begotten in their minds that they are feeding upon the Tree of Life whilst they are declaring of words to others and yet all this while they are but a feeding upon the Fruit that the Tree of Knowledge bears or upon the Scriptures that were given forth from the word of life in the days of Old 22. And whether the power of Darkness doth not remain in a Man or Woman as he is in himself after that they are Regenerated and born of the Spirit of God 23. What are the Books that are to be Opened which John speaks of and how many Books are there to be Opened This Book is given forth by one who hath born the name of a Quaker about 20 years or more and he still owns the Light in every Man to be the only rule for man to walk by but I own my self to be neither Priest nor Prophet Apostle nor Elder Pastour nor Teacher Bishop nor Deacon but an Informer against Antichrist in his Ministers This Book is not to be Sold but freely given by the Author he having freely received this Testimony from the Lord Jeffery Bullock ERRATA Page 1. line 28. for heart r. hearers p. 2. l. 38. for sole r. Soul p. 7. l. 3. add And so I would have p. 8. l. 38. after the word been add these words so blinded that he could not see his sin by the Light but mans mind hath been p. 14. l. 35. r. books are there to be opened p. 15. l. 28. r. Spirit of our God p. 16. l. 25. r. and we by him POSTSCRIPT MY intention in giving forth this Book is That Men should learn to honour the truth before themselves and also for the overturning of all such who look upon themselves to be equal in power with the truth and for the discovering both of your Doctrines and Practices which are contrary unto the truth and also for the discovering of the Transformations of Antichrist and his Ministers Friends You do show more Homage Reverence and Obedience to the form outwardly then you do to the power of God inwardly Now God requires that all men should both Worship Honour and Obey the Spirit of Truth which he hath placed in every man and hath given it them to profit with all for God hath placed mans Salvation in it But Friends in this you do both Worship and Adore the form outwardly beyond the power for when you are come together to a Meeting then you
for her place is to be obedient and in subjection to her Husband for the first visible man God formed of the dust of the ground and God created and made the first invisible man Adam a living Soul and he was under the dominion of the heavenly power and spirit and then he was a heavenly man but he lending an ear to the Serpent when he spake in the woman and by his receiving of his counsel the Serpent beguiled him as he had done the woman and so he lost the enjoyment of the heavenly power and so he became like the woman he being brought under the dominion of the earthly spirit and power and so he lost his habitation in God and was brought under the power of death Friends I do not own the judgement and opinion of those Ministers nor yet their superiority who saith he that is not justified by the witness of God in friends is condemned by it in himself now Justification is by Christ alone who is the head in every member and the only rule for them to walk by and if they sin against him then he is their reprover and also their condemner and chastiser And again you say in your paper that none are to minister but those who are reconciled to the Church and have the approbation of the Elders Now the Scripture saith that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and not to the Church I do remember no such Scripture Now Christ the Light within he will not give his power and authority out of his own hand to any man or men for unto him alone is all Judgement in Heaven and Earth committed in matters of conscience but you say it is abominable pride in any who will not admit of any Judgment to take place against them whom you do look upon as an offender but I say all power both to judge and to condemn and also to justifie and to reconcile it properly belongs to the Light who is the head in every member Wherefore this is my testimony that you never received your authority from God who is the Light within neither will the Scriptures justifie your authority Wherefore I would have you in Gods witness seriously to consider what you have done in putting that writing of yours upon record for that may prove as great a snare to the generation of the Quakers in ages to come as the authority of the Church of Rome hath been to the Papists in ages and generations past and is to this day And Friends this I have further to bear my testimony against that is your imposing such Books upon Friends as you shall think good to put to print When these Books came first into the Country among the Churches called Quakers then every member was left free either to buy them or to let them alone and if Friends did not buy them nor they could not be sold to others then they were to be returned to the quarterly meeting again and then the thing was well but now it is not so for now the Churches must take them off and that which is almost as bad is this that the money which is gathered as collection amongst us for the relief of the poor out of that money the books must be paid for and so the old English Proverb is fulfilled the poor must pay for all Friends this is a thing I do believe was scarce ever heard of that some should print packets of several books and injoyn others to buy them Friends in these things you do not only put a yoak of Bondage upon your Brethren but you also rob God of his honour whose right it is alone both to rule and raign in the Churches and to have the dominion over them because that he by his invisible spirit and power at first did gather them for there is so much of his spirit and power both manifested and given to man and woman that if they hear the spirit and own Christ the Light within and believe in him and obey his voice that then he will manifest his power in the redeeming their Souls from death to life for it is not Christ the Light in me which can redeem neither man nor woman neither is it Christ the Light in any man or men neither Churches nor Bodies which can redeem my Soul from death to life wherefore your dictates and impositions is no rule for me to walk by except that Christ the Light in you can do these things following for me which Christ the Light in me is able to do for me and also for all that hears his voice and obeys him For Christ the Light within me is able to bruise the Serpents head and he is able to break down the partition Wall that separates between God and my Soul and he is able to open my understanding and to open the book of the Scriptures and also rend the vail of my understanding and he is able to make me wiser then all my teachers he is able to cleanse my Soul from sin and to give me true rest and peace and he is able to sanctifie both Soul and Body he is able to redeem my Soul to himself and to keep me in the greatest hour of temptation that can come upon me and the Light within is able to reconcile both man and woman to God again and Christ the Light within is able to lead him into captivity who hath captivated my Soul and he is able to give life to my Soul and to raise it from under the power of death and darkness and to translate it into the Kingdom of Light and Life he is also able to break and he is also able to bind up that which he hath broken and to heal that which he hath wounded and to convince the whole world of sin and he is able to Justifie both man and woman If either Men Ministers or Elders Bodies or Churches are able to do any of these foregoing things for me then shall their dictates and impositions be a rule for me to walk by Now I do believe that God who is Light and shews unto man his thoughts that he is infallible and that there is no fallibility attends him but there is a fallibility attends all those who are regenerated and born of the Spirit of God who is Light and that it is possible for them to err from the Light again the enemy which is the power of darkness presenting to them the fruit of the tree of knowledge whilst they are in Eden their minds taking delight in it and they feeding upon it the enemy hath power to draw their minds out of Eden again Wherefore I do believe that I ought not to subject my self to what the Church imposeth for then I must believe that it is God in them which doth impose those Yoakes of bondage upon their Brethren and also that the Church is infallible and cannot erre which thing I do not believe for then I must believe these several