and language and have not the pen-men of the Scripture shewed what they would do in their writings which thou would alter to make way for proud Haman and his devouring nature and would accuse us for railing accusations because we withstand thee And thou askes if we doe not abuse that Scripture Luke 10. 4. I say it is the Devill that abuses Scripture in leading vaine minds to talke of it who doe not walke in it but would accuse them that doe whom Christ hath sent forth and fitted for that purpose by his Spirit and power and such knows what to salute and to whom they bid God speed and will follow no manâ— traditions Que. 4 In this thou Queries In what the language of the Spirit consists in and Whether any mortall creature now may be said to speak the pure language of the Spirit c. Ans The language of the Spirit consists in that which the Spirit speaks or moves the Creature to speake and such is the pure language of the Spirit though spoken through a mortall Creature and where the fallen wisdom is silent and selfe dead there it is spoken forth without mixture but while the first borne lives where the light is denyed this is not knowne who are not redeemed from Nations and their Customes And whereas thou askest what Christ meant when he said Simon behold Satan hath a desire to sift you I say he meant as he spoke that Satan had a desire to sift the disciples and so he hath at this day which the prayer of the Spirit of Christ prevailes against and no man can speake the language of the Spirit in flattering titles neither doth the Spirit frame any such speech And they that have this Spirit have power to speak the pure language without arrogating to themselves and thou that speaks evill of this language Mark 3. 29. 30. art the blasphemer thou speaks on who saies this is contrary to the divine motions which is but contrary to thy Nationall customes and the Devills pride who withstands mans redemption out of the Fall where all Jam. 2. the flattering titles respect of persons vain customs and worships is which the faith of Christ denies which brings out of the Fall Que. 5 This Query is made up of lies and do thou and all thy generation prove wherein we refuse to give that reverence to Majestrates which Christ and the Apostles did both in doing and suffering till then stop thy mouth thou slanderer who art opening thy mouth in blasphemy and lying who saith it is our pâ—ea that our Majestrates are not Christian Majestrates and that the high Priest under the law had nothing to do by the law of Moses to sit as Judge and divers such lies not worth mentioning Que. 6 The sum of this Query is to deny the infallible Spirit in the Saints to be the same now that it was in the pen-men of the Scripture and to deny it for tâ—e trying of all Spirits and thou would set up the letter in its stead for a rule to try Spirits and doctrines And when thou hast done thou confesses the Scripture to be but a dead letter and so death in thee being thy rule with the dead letter thou would try the Spirit of the living God Ans But to the Querie this I say the infallible Spirit by which the Scriptures were given forth is the sole tryer of Spirits doctrines neither hath it need of any addition where it is nor can thou who denies this Spirit nor thy fore-fathers the Jewes ever could know Christ nor the voyces of the Scriptures though you read them every day and so are fulfilling them bringing the letter to oppose Christ as they did so dost thou Acts 13. 27. and so denys the end of the Scriptures which is to set up the Spirit of God for judge and not themselves and this is the right use of the Scriptures when the man of God reads them which the man of sin turnes them to uphold sin and wrests them to the destruction of the Creature where he reads them neither do we throw them aside according to thy slander and thou that denyes the infallible Spirit art in the delusion of Satan thou speaks on and horrid opinions and changeable Religions and would keepe people from closeing with the Spirit leading them from the living to the dead and denying the light in thee goes not to the law of the new Covenant nor testimony of Jesus which is sealed up among Isa 8 16. the disciples but to the letter which all the world hath the letter that will read it or buy it And whereas thou asks what Peter meanes when he calls the Scriptures a sure word of prophecy I say that is but thy dark imaginations who knowes not Peters voyce for the letter was not a surer word then the voyce from Gods own mouth which they heard from heaven The Spirit of prophesie thou knows not who denyes infallibility and so as it s said thy faith lies in what others hath written Que. 7 Thou askes whether that can be the way of God which hath nothing to warrant it but the bare words and affirmations of men which they call infallible and whether this be a sufficient ground to satisfy others Ans That Spirit of God which is infallible is the sufficient ground and to preach that is the way of God neither had this ever any testimony but what is of it selfe for the worlds wisdom and carnall naturall man can neither receive it nor beare testimony of it onely such who beleive it beare its testimony and to such the light and life breaks forth but to the unbeleivers who cannot submit Luke 19. 14. to it even the same that was from the beginning and such as say we will not have this man to rule over us such abide in darkness and perish for ever because they believe not in the light and submit unto it for this is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness and here thou hast read thine Joh. 3. own condition without faith and without wisdom Que. 8 Thou askes whether our way be of God because it is altogether new and such as wherein God never yet appeared unto the sons of men nor doth the Scripture hold out any such manifestation of God as we teach and then saist thou shalt undertake to discoâ—er us in most of our tenents c. Ans The way of God was ever new to the old man but for thy saying God did never appeare in this way nor the Scripture hold it out those are but thy lies it had been most like for thee if thou had aimed at honesty to have disproved our way or our tenents according to thine undertaking before thou had proceeded to slander but the former of these is more ready with thy fallible Spirit then the latter and ever was with the accuser of the Brethren and thou proceeds to limit God and saist
thou art assured that this is the last in which God wil ever appeare unto the sons of men I say thou art in the way that that generation ever was in putting God affar off who would never own his apperance present yet this generation of you exceeds all your fore-fathers herein who would wholly exclud him never to appeare more unto the sons of men as some of your Rabbies have lately said that God hath spoken his last and so that you being spiritually deafe and blind do conclude that God is dead like your selves and as you know him so you worship him literall knowledge literall worship for who knows not in Spirit cannot worship in Spirit and with such as have God within so is his worship which stands not in outward meats and drinks nor carnall things not in oldness of the letter but in newness of the Spirit Que. 9 In this Query thou asks if we do not delude people in affirming that there is a pure light of Christ in every man and woman by nature according to which if they walke they shall avoyd sin and â—e saved if they refuse to hearken to it they shall perish c. Ans The Ethiopian cannot change his skin nor thou speak truth without lying did thou ever heare us say men and women have this light by nature we know this light we speake of to be spirituall and the light of Christ wherewith he enlightens every one that comes into the world and that it is pure and that whosoever believs John 1. 9. and follows it shall not abide in darkness but shall John 8. 12. have eternall life and he that beleivs it not is damned John 3. 17. and whoever draws people from this spirituall light to observe any traditions without this light though by God they have beene formerly commanded are the seducers nay the Apostle calls it witchcraft and thou that Gal. 3. saies the Scriptures tells you the contrary belies the Scriptures for Christ saies the Kingdom of God Luke 17. 20 21. is within even the Pharises who though they were as blind as thou and could not beleive it yet was not they so impudent as to deny it in plaine words as thou dost how blind are you in this age more then ever any was before you the Jewes who in the Old Covenant denyed Christ shall in the day of Judgment arise against you who profess the new Covenant in Spirit and yet deny the light of Christ within to lead to God out of the world art thou a spirituall man who hast thy law and light and word and Christ to seeke without Is the Kingdom of God within and is he not Luke 17. 21. in his Kingdom art not thou he whom the God of this world hath blinded the eye of the mind and so the Gospel is hid and thou lyest groping in the dark loe here loe there who art gone out into the world to deceive being deceived given up to beleive lies and tell lies who would make people beleive it was Adams sin to looke to the light within whose sin was to looke out to the Counsell of others who had lost their guid in Spirit and art now teaching people to waite for a power of 2 Cor. 13. 5 Christ without them and not Christ within so the Reprobate is turned teacher Que. 10 And this is a full answer to thy tenth Query onely see thy own confusion and confession first in denying Iohns words Iohn 1. 9. That this light is not in the heart of every man and then saies till this light shine in the soule it remaines in the dark hearts of men and brings Iohn 1. 5. to prove it O that ever men should be so sottish to appeare in the world in print in such confusions first to deny the light within and then to prove it remaines in the dark heart till it shine forth and brings Hos 6. 3. Eph. 5. 8. 2 Cor. 4. 6. to prove thy own confusions Que. 11 In this Query thou goes on adding thy lies saying that we say this light is in men and women by nature Que. 12 and as that we put the light of nature in the room of Christ when it s thy work all along to put the light of nature in his room and thou askes if people may not by the light of nature do the things contained in the law c. Ans I say no other light nor nature but the divine light and nature can do the things contained in the law and who follow that light have a law unto themselves within themselves written in their hearts by which law of Rom. 8. 1. the Spirit they are made free from the law of sin and death their conscience bearing them witness excusing or accusing according as God shall judge the world by 2 Cor. 1. 12 the Gospel and this is not fallen nature neither do we attribute it thereunto but to the divine nature and power which all that beleive in the light come to be partakers 2 Pet. i. 3. 4 of though they never partake of the letter for where this Spirit is knowne and followed the light that is in them is not darkness that 's their condition where the talent is hid neither doth the Scripture speake of any light but the light of Christ all else is darkness though darkness may imagine it to be light as the blind generation ever did who put light for darkness and darkness for light who walke not according to the testimony of the light in their conscience neither thou nor the Preists but according to your own wills lusts and imaginations and by them are guided and thus sets up your posts by Gods posts your foolish hearts being darkned and â—o become vaine in your imaginations who did not like to retaine God in their knowledge because that which may be knowne of God is manifest in them Rom. 1. 19 so become filled with all unrighteousnesse and these are the idolaters thou speaks on which are not under the Gospel as thou saies they are but under their imaginations and so set up a naturall light to walke by in stead of the light of Christ which is grosse darkness to the things of God and here thou maist read thy selfe and thy 12th Querie also answered Que. 13 In this Querie having repeated thy former lies with an addition thou askes if our crying out against some grosse sins railing against Priests tythes hirelings and the like be not Satan in us c. Ans Railing is thine own and lying also but denying the hirelings and the Priest that took tythes with their Heb. 6. tyths is the work of Christ and his Apostles which all his ever owned and that 's Satan in thee which opposes it and thou art his minister who art pleading for the hirelings and his tythes contrary to Christ and so would overthrow the foundation of the Gospel and Gospel ordinances who cals the hirelings the
crying up new light we do not bring people back to the same frame of Spirit under which they were when they first made a profession of godliness as crying out against pride and other gross sins c. Ans The light of Christ is new to thee who art the old man and the Child of darkness though it be the same that was from the beginning which we cry out against pride and all gross sins which thou who art gross in thy spirituall pride art an enemie to and carping against and after confesses that they are good in themselves and needfull to be knowne so an enemie thou art to that which is good and an opposer of that which is needfull to be knowne out of thine own mouth be thou judged and whereas thou talks of progress in godliness I say godliness thou art an enemie to and thy progress is in opposition to it denying the light of Christ and his infallible Spirit and so with the Spirit of Anti-Christ art thou pleading for Preists and hirelings such as are of thine own Spirit which the Spirit of Christ beares witness against Que. 24 Thou askest whether we do beleive that the Scriptures that speaks of quaking and trembling are to be understood of the quaking and trembling of the joynts limbs and members of the fleshly body of the Creature and whether there may not be this trembling in a perfon unwrought upon by the power of God Ans The Scriptures are true what they speake but they could never be understood by thy fallible Spirit which is contrary to that which gave them forth which is infallible so to thee they are a parable who art in that generation that would wrest them to thy own destruction 2 Pet. 3. 16 and the destruction of others which were given forth to be fullfilled and not to be wrested to the understanding of the carnall Spirit And this trembling spoken on in the Scripture is not without the power of God yet there may be a work upon the soule without this trembling of the body but who art thou that would limit him which knows neither of these who without the light of Christ and the infallible Spirit in thee art judging in thy dark mind how God looks upon man falsely accusing us for putting literall senses upon the scriptures which is thine own work who art sensuall having not the Spirit thy sence must be literall and carnall and devilish Que. 8 In this Query thou askest if our maine drift be not to bring men that are begun in the Spirit to look after perfection from the flesh and thou saies there is little or nothing in our teaching or writing that a soule spirituallized can close with but rather such things as do eclipse and darken the Spirits teaching c. Ans What Spirit is it that thou art begun in who denies the infallible Spirit to be in thee is not that the Spirit of Satan which is fallible and our maine drift is to bring people from that Spirit by the light of Christ to him that is infallible which thou oppolest so let all judge who knowes any thing of light and of the Spirit be witnesses against thee whether it be not by exhorting people to mind the light of Christ and the moving of the Spirit of God within them that darkens the Spirits teaching or thou who denies the light of Christ and the infallible Spirit to set up a visible teacher in its stead And whereas thou askest what brought the Galathians who had begun in the Spirit back to look after perfection in the flesh I say it was such as thou who bewitched Gall. 3. them and led them back from the teachings of the Spirit unto the letter and carnall Ordinances and Ruidments which is thy work now and so have been with thy query and thy practice and thy lies who saies we seek to Captivate the Lords People to bring them from liberty to bondage to bring them to tremblings and feares Phill. 2. 12. which are no waies consistent with the Gospel Ministration that nothing from us is heard sutable to the teachings of the Spirit that we seldome or never speake of such truths Of the Spirits teaching and convictions Of Christ formed in the Saints Of Christ in us the hope of glory Of our being compleat in him Of Communion with the Father through him Of prayer in the Spirit Of Gods revealing his mind to his people by the Spirit And thou saies we have a designe yet unknowne and that we are carryed out by another Spirit then the Spirit of the new Testament Which are so many lying slanders heaped against us in one query which I send thee back into the pit from whence they came till thou prove them against us herein thy Spirit is seene by his fruits not to be infallible but art making a refuge of lies to save thy Image from the sword Que. 26 And in thy next Query thou adde divers more lies under the pretence of a doubtfull Question whether we do not at last come to deny the resurrection To deny the Scriptures and their authority To deny God To deny Christ and the Spirit and all and yet thou saies thou sees but our outsides though thou thus judge what we will doe and that our teachers are but imitators That our union is not so great as people imagine That we have branched our selves into severall sorts As walking singing creeping naked And virgin-Quakers And in time will break out into as many sorts of orders as there are of Fryars and thou saies Satan must discover himselfe though he loose all I say whosoever knowes Satans works in the least measure of light may see him sufficiently discovered in these two queries and a great deal of his Treasure thou hast brought forth above twenty lies all laid at stake and all in vaine and like to be lost and swept away and the snake in the grass which thou tells on which lay hid thou hast brought into the high way but to no purpose but that his head might be bruised Query 27. In this Query thou askest if it be not the great work of Christians to expect the comming of Christ their glorious Bridegroom to marry him to himself c. Answ I say Christs comming will be a black day to thee and all the Generation of Lyars and slanderers he comes to glorifie none such nor marry them to him thou art married to the Devil and brings forth of his his brood abundantly therefore depart from iniquity till then cease to take Christ into thy polluted lips who still goes on bringing forth thy venom to cast upon us as though we perswaded the Saints that the Bridegroom is gone and will not return And that we in effect deprive Gods people of all society with their Bridegroom and that we evidently declare that we are ignorant of his glorious approaching wherein thou evidently declares that when the Ethiopian can change his skin then thou
of it thou tells of a list Catalogue of as vile wretches who are lately turned Quakers as any the Country doth afford and this thou saies to deter people from following us I say that 's my joy on their behalfe though troubled for you to see the Scripture fulfilled and fulfilling they come from far and sit downe in the Kingdom but the Children of the Kingdome cast out yea Math. 21. 31. 32. publicans and harlots take the Kingdome before you good is the word of the Lord which is now fulfilling but woe unto Mat. 8. 11. you who it is fulfilled upon and thou saies in thy Queries the Reader may see not only the face but the whole body of the Quakers Tenets I say they may see a body of thy lies where withall thou art arming thy selfe against the Lord but the body of the Quakers are out of the sight of hell and death and all the darke fallible Spirits that are in covenant therewith And thou sayest our Antiscripturall inventions will of themselves shortly fall to the ground like as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when t is shaken of a mighty winde I say inventions are thine who hath not the light and Spirit in thee but for our fall that is the false prophet that speaks in thee and so it shall be seene every day more and more the might of the winde of the lyer cannot shake our foundation Yet thy Queries I shall answer so much of them as have any truth in them and some of thy lyes I shall returne thee againe which may seeme to slander the truth most and for the rest let them alone as not worth mentioning nor troubling the cares of people with them and so in plainenesse as followeth AN Answer to Twenty Eight Queries sent out by Francis Harris to those People he calls Quakers IN thy first Query thou askes the way of Gods discovery to the sons of men and whether we come from God or we speak of our selves and the Light of conscience by which we walke whether our diâ—pensation be from Mount Sinai or Zion c. Ans Our dispensation is of the Spirit of light whereby we are led and Mount Sinai we know and the law received from Gods owne mouth where the beast cannot touch and from the wilderness of sin are we journeyed and some journeying and the wilderness of Judea we know and that righteousness fulfilled where the generation of Vipers is rejected Scribes and Pharises and to Mount Sion we are come many is coming with joy songs of deliverance and sorrows tears and fighing flies away with the wild asses who snuffs up the wind and never came to the yoake kicks and scoffs at when they see others brought to teares and sorrow and so in vaine minds talks of wiping teares away where none is and talks of Sion who have the words but are still in Egypt and in the state of Iannes and Iambres withstanding Isâ—aels seed in the imitations but knows not Israels light but scoffe at it and to all such it is a Cloud and darkness which is light by night to such as beleive and are in their jorney towards Sion and with that light are we separated and our enemies condemned in darkness and shall not come nigh us though they pursue and through tâ—is are we deliâ—ered from bondage and that which tendeth to bondage and so through the law we Gal 2. 19. are made free from the law and do not â—oyd the law Rom. 3. 31 God forbid And where is thou asks whether this be not done away I say thou might first know it fulfilled there shall not a jot of the law passe till all be fullfilled goe learne what that meanes Mat. 5. 17 to the end and the Saints waited to have the righteousness of the law fullfilled in them which vaine minds cast behind their backs Rom. 8. 4 and that law we see fulfilled and fulfilling which is spirituall just and good and herein Rom. 7. 12 14. our teaching and the effects thereof are one with that which the Gospel did and doth produce And thus the summ of thy first and second Queries are answered except such lies as these that we press upon people nothing but horror and amazement and that we do profess to lie under them along time seeke to affright others into them that we stumble at the noone day that there is no Gospel light in us c. which all being but lies heaped togather thou may take them back not worth answering And for thy mischievous words against us in that thou calls roareing I say thou may read thy generation and thy worke Psa 38. while David roared such as thou imagined mischiefe and his enemies was lively and strong and multiplyed against him Qu. 3 In this Query thou asks if that religion be of God which for the outward part consists in little else but thou and thee and railing against Preist and Tythes hirelings and grosse sins c An. That our religion consists of any outward thing or deportment is false But are not all these things thou carps at the practises of the Saints did not they declare against the Priests hirelings Tythes which thou calls railing in us Or did they ever use any other language but thee or thou to a particular who ever it was God or man Thou shameless man how dost thou discover thy envious Spirit against the practice of Christ and his people canst thou find nothing in us to envy against but Scripture practice be ashamed of thy doctrine who art come forth Joâ— 10. 13 into the world to plead against the Saints to hold up Job 32. â—â— 22 Hirelings Priests Tythes which Christ the Apostles cryed downe to plead for flattering Titles against the language of Scripture and against the true language of the Nation brought forth only to honour the Devils pride who is so exalted in men that he would have a better language then God and all good men have given and taken freely in all ages for God is one in all his but the Devill is legions and this thy work shews thy Master and yet in this his work thou would have the name of Christ to cover thee with but the light which thou hates is come and thou art found out by thy works thy words cannot hide thee who is bending thy wits to lead out of the Saints practice into Country customes and saies would not Christ and the pen-men of Scriptures have used it and suited with the place where they had come I say Christ and the pen-men of Scripture were in place where the Devill raigned as we are but they was redeemed from conformitie to him and his from customs of the world Nations kindreds tongues and People for which they was hated and evill spoken of by the Devills instruments who are in his Kingdom and custome and by such are we hated and slandered now for the same practises
wilt leave false accusing and slandering And thou tells of the Children of the Bride-Chamber cannot mourn while the Bridegroom is with them and of putting people into a watching frame of spirit I say what Bridegroom knowes thou with thee who deny the light of Christ and the infallible spirit in thee And what spirit wilt thou watch withall the lying spirit never knew him nor must not enter with him but is shut out with the Sorcerers and Whoremongers Query 28. In this thou askest whether our tenents shall not decay and fall as Satan is discovered in his mysterious actings c. Answ I answer no as Satan is discovered with his lies and filthiness so shall the light of Christ and the infallible spirit be advanced which discovers all inventions new and old and all Satans mysterious actings whereby you cannot long continue in your forms and changeable wayes invented lies and slanders covered over with a profession whereby the Nation is deceiâ—ed which deceivers with him are for the bottomless pit But our safety and the safety of all Christians is to dwell in the light of Christ and his Spirit and so to withdraw from all disorderly walkers hypocrites lyers and slanderers who have not the Spirit are out of the light enemies to purity who are under the power of the man of sin fighting against God reproaching his Spirit denying his light under a pretence of exhorting the Lords people which is thy work exhorting them to returne to their former works I say what works would thou have them to return to who are yet in the world and never was out of it they make a bad returne who ever knew any thing of God and returne to thee and thy practice who art opposing the light reproaching the Spirit pleading for tythes and hirelings preists heaping up lies and slanders too many to be numbered for all which thou shalt answer as that in thy conscience shal witness against thee herein if thou it minde though the truth thou canst not touch for as the lyer and envious one is discovered so our tenents which are in the truth the light and Spirit which cannot lie shall prosper so behold thy Queries when thou writes againe learne to write rruth and prove thy slander before thou spread it and mind that which leads thee to doe as thou would be done unto and thou wilt see the lyers mouth stopt the slanderer and false accuser And now I shall send thee back the summe of thy queries and of that which thou opposest in these few words to which thou mayest returne an answer when thou hast learned to speak truth First whether is not the ministration of law and Gospel both by one Spirit and both for one end to wit to hold forth Christ And whether the ministration ingraven in stone be done away in the matter of it or in the letter of it or both or can it passe away as to any particular man or woman till it be fullfilled And whether is the law of the Spirit of life and the Covenant of grace within or without or where is it to be known by them that seeke it whether woe to the wicked be not a Gospel ministration is there any entrance into the Kingdome but through the woes and tribulation whether thee and thou declareing against tythes and hirelings was not the practice of Christ and the Apostles and is not that the Spirit of Satan that was and is offended at their practice now and then and is their language and practice an afâ—ront to Majestrates now more than then whether Christ in Spirit or the letter be the rule of Christians and guide in all things And can any thing be sufficient for a ground of faith but that Spirit which is infallible is the way of God new or old to the world doth Christ enlighten every man that comes into the world or no if not who is it that is not enlightned and what shall be his Condemnation or his guide and was that light John came to witness Iohn 1. 9. a naturall light or the light of Christ And was John an Idolater in preaching that light that through him all might beleive in it whether the Saints did quake and tremble as the Scripture speaks or some other thing whether any who have not the infallible Spirit can judge of any thing of God aright or hath any such any dispensation of the Spirit of truth is perfection a thing to be beleived and preached in the Gospel yea or no must not all religions whatsoever change or do worse who have not an infallible Spirit and foundation is fasting a sin under the Gospel if God so command Is the light of Christ legall bondage or doth it lead from the Spirit to be made perfect in the flesh or doth any other thing discover the mysterious actings of Satan but the infallible Spirit in the light of Christ Here being the summe of thy queries give thy answer in truth and plaineness thereto and thou may discover thy foundation more plaine to the simple that yet see thee not but who are in the light needs no farther discovery then what already is THE END