all made perfect in One And here is the True Church where there is but One Teacher One Lord One Faith One Baptism One Light One Life and One Way One Shepherd and One Sheepfold and One Priest over the Houshold of God and One Hope and One Language One Family and One God and Father of all And they that cannot witness this are Strangers to Christ and Strangers to his Cross and Strangers to the Common-Wealth of Israel And this is the Work which the Lord has now begun and is carrying on by a Strong Arm and Mighty Power to redeem unto himself a pure Church and Blessed are they that hearken unto his Voice Here all you Formalists Imitators and Self-actors are shut out here all you Proud Ones are shut out here all you Lustful Ones Fleshly Ones and Carnal Ones are shut out and all you that are conformed like unto the World in their Fashions in their Customs in their Words in their Ways in their Worships and Traditions in their Love and in their Fellowship who are seeking the Glory and Honour and Riches of this World you are the Children of this World under the Dominion of the God of the World whose Kingdom is of this World Here all you are shut out who live at Ease in your Pleasures and live wantonly upon the Earth in the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life you are the Children of Babylon you kill the Just and he lies slain in the Streets but here you all are shut out of the New Covenant of Life in the Dark World under Death's Dominion of what Profession and Judgment soever Aliens and Strangers to the Covenant of Promise for they that are not with us are against us and our Union and Society is in the Light of Life But you must all suffer the Death of the Cross to the Life which you now live in before you can witness this Redemption for those that live with Christ are crucified with him therefore so it is they that will take up Life must first lay down Life for the Way to Life is through Death Therefore you must be stripped of all your Old Covers naked and bare that your Deceit and Shame may appear which you have so long covered with your own Righteousness but now you must suffer the Shame of the Cross if you would have part in Christ and all your old Wisdom Knowledge and Notions which you have gotten into your Comprehensions by your Conceivings of the Scripture-Letter wherein hath been your Life and Pride and Exaltation must all come to the Death of the Cross that no Flesh should Glory in his Presence but I say unto all you Professors Formalists Notionists and Disputers and Wise Ones of this World If you will not take up and imbrace this Cross Publicans and Harlots shall enter the Kingdom before you Therefore not many Mighty nor many Noble nor many Wise after the Flesh are called but he hath chosen the Foolish Things of this World to confound the Wise and the Weak to confound those that are Mighty that no FLESH should Glory in his PRESENCE but CHRIST is made over unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption that they which Glory might Glory in the Lord. And this I witness in my Measure the things which I have seen and heard and felt and tasted of the good Word of Life which was in the Beginning the same do I declare and am known and read by the Children of Light And now I shall proceed to several Passages that I have had with the People called Baptists in several Meetings that their Deceit and Delusion may be laid open to the Simple-hearted Upon the Thirtieth of the First Moneth called March in the Year 1655. I was at one Ashen's House in Fenstanton in Huntingtonshire where I was freely declaring the Truth of God to the People that came there together that Day as I was taught moved by the Spirit of Truth by which the Holy Men of God spoak forth the Scripture as they were moved and there came several of the People called Baptists into the Room amongst us amongst whom was one of their Teachers called Richard Elligood who after a while stood up in his Will and Wisdom to accuse me and said That I had said That God did not respect any Forms and yet saith he you use the Form and so use that which God hath no Respect to But his first words were Sir if you please I will speak something to what you have said To which I made Answer Here needs no Complements And then he runs on as aforeâ— said to which Accusation I reply'd was False and bad him prove what Form I used And he said The Letter And I replyed He that takes the Letter to talk of without the Life and Power such sets up a Form and makes a Form But this would not satisfie his filthy Wisdom which darkened his Understanding but because I spoak words which are mentioned in the Scripture by the same Spirit that spoak forth the Scripture by which I challenge the Scripture from him and all such who have gotten it to talk of but denies the Life and are Strangers to the Life and Power therefore with his contrary Spirit tasked me with a Form which by his Logick and deceitful Art would have proved but could not but his Deceit was laid open to the People and many declared against him for a Form is this as I said before the Likeness of a Thing but not the Thing it self as they have the Likeness of a Church which they have imagined from the Letter with their Elders Pastors and Teachers but not the Church it self and so they imitate the Scriptures but live not in the Life of them that spoak forth the Scriptures neither are acted and guided by the same Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures and so want the Life and Power and those are the Formalists that make Forms and Likenesses to deceive the simple as the Devil hath the Form of an Angel of Light but not the Life and Power who appears to rule in those Formalists and Self-Actors but the Day doth make him manifest and therefore he rages and then this Elligood denyed that I had the same Spirit that gave forth the Scripture and he said The Spirit might be tryed by the Letter for he said Many false Spirits are entered into the World and I asked him By what did the Apostle know that false Spirits were gone out into the World and he replyed and said By the Spirit of God then I replyed and said If by the Spirit of God the Apostle knew that there were many false Spirits gone out into the World then by the Spirit of God be tryed FALSE SPIRITS and knew False Spirits from the TRUE and here his Deceit was laid open to the People and he judged out of his own Mouth to be a Lyar and to be guided by a false Spirit
wrests and perverts the Scripture to thy own Destruction and then thou wentst on dreaming and flattering and daubing up the People with untempered Morter saying The Lord saith when he never spoake to thee and then thou runst on railing behind the Back of People that was not there as thou often said thou spoak it of none there and thus thou utteredst forth thy Folly and it is like thou mightst belie those whom thou spoakest of for I heard thee utter forth many open Lyes and then thou runnedst on to thy Water-Baptism to maintain it an Ordinance of Christ and thou broughtst this Scripture in the 6 th of the Romans which the Apostle spoak to the Church Know you not that so many of you as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptized into his Death Thou blind Hypocrite was this Water-Baptism They that are in Christ are New Creatures and so are not those who are baptized with Water but they are in the same Nature as they were before and thou mayst read in Corinthians the twelft what Baptism that was he spoak of there for saith he By one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body c. And they that are thus baptized are baptized into Christ but as I said before It is not the washing away of the Filth of the Flesh and here is thy Folly and Ignorance laid open who art so blind as to bring this Scripture to prove Water-Baptism to be an Ordinance of Christ and again it saith They were baptized into his Death and in the same Chapter it saith They that are dead are freed from Sin and this thou denyedst that any could be set free from Sin so long as they are upon the Earth and thus thou deniest Jesus Christ and his Ordinances who came to take away Sin and to cleanse his People from their Sin but praised be the Lord we do witness a Freedom from Sin by Jesus Christ who is the Lamb of God who came to take away the Sin of the World and to redeem his People from their Sins and to redeem unto himself a pure Church not having Spot or Wrinkle or any such Thing and saith he If the Son hath set you free then are you free indeed and here is the Liberty of the Sons of God and now are we the Sons of God and now they that witness this and confess it such blind Hypocrites as thou call them Blasphemers and so deny Christ come in the Flesh and so are of Anti-christ And one while thou affirmedst in thy Pulpet that they that pressed led People into Holiness were no Deceivers but they that led them into Sin and Evil were Deceivers and then afterwards toldst the People they never could be free from Sin so long as they are upon the Earth and thus thou wouldst settle them upon the Lees and deny Jesus Christ come in the Flesh who comes to cleanse from all Sin and thus art thou judged out of thy own Mouth for a Deceiver And thou also broughtst this Scripture to maintain Water-Baptism where the Apostle said For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Now let any whose Understandings are enlightned by the Light of Christ read this Scripture and see if this mention Water-Baptism and if any by Water-Baptism do now put on Christ and by the Light judge thee to be a Lyar and a Deceiver and a Perverter of the Scripture to thy own Destruction and all who believe thee except you repent And then thou runedst on to prove the Letter to be the Word by 〈◊〉 or despising those that say that God is the Word and that there is no written Word when the Letter saith it self that the Word is God and then thou broughtst this Scripture to prove the Letter to be the Word in 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being born again not of corruptible Seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever for all Flesh is Grass and the Glory of Man as the Flower of Grass the Grass withereth and the flower fadeth away but the Word of the Lord endureth forever And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you here thou dark Sot thy Blindness and Ignorance is more laid open is the Letter immortal or any written Word immortal or liveth or abideth forever or are any born again but of God and is not he that same immortal Word which the Scripture often bears Testimony unto and also in this Place and Christ the Lamb of God is the Everlasting Gospel who preached the Word and his Apostles were made clean through the VVord which he preached unto them but this was not the dead Letter in the which thou wouldst find Life and so art seeking the living amongst the dead like the blind Pharisees who thought in the Scripture to find Eternal Life but would not come unto Christ that they might have Life and here thou art in their Steps though thou madest light of this Scripture and saidst That some added Ye to it and said Ye search the Scripture for in them ye think to have Eternal Life they are they that testifie of me but ye will not come unto me that ye might have Life this was spoaken by Christ unto the Pharisees who could not believe that he was the Christ but thought in the Scriptures to find Eternal Life but would not come unto Christ that they might have Life and therefore he bid them search the Scripture for there the Prophets had prophesied of him and thereby they might know that he was the Christ if they had searched with the single Eye therefore without Ye I say unto thee search the Scriptures for they are they that bear Testimony of Christ to be the Word and all that do search the Scripture with a single Eye will find Christ to be the Word and will believe it and not be so blind as to put the Letter for the Word as thou dost who broughtst another Scripture with thy dark Mind where the Apostle saith Ye have a more sure Word of Prophecy the which ye do well to take heed unto as to a Light shining in a dark Place until the Day dawn and the Day-Star arise in your Hearts 2. Pet. 1. 19. Here thou still the more manifests thy Blindness who puts Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness and so art under the Wo from the Lord who puts the Letter for the Light how doth the Letter shine and what dark Place doth in shine in as a Light here the ignorant may see thy Folly and thus thou art a Stranger to the Light of Christ which dwelt in the Children of God and the Word is nigh in the Heart and in the Mouth to which thou shewest thy self a Stranger who draws Peoples Minds from this Word in their Hearts to the Letter without putting that for the Word and so art a blind Guide and a Deceiver who cryes Lo here without
in the Letter when the Apostle saith Go not forth the Word is nigh in the Heart And thus thou opposest the Apostle and drawest from his Doctrine and bringest another Doctrine and so art not to be received but held as Accursed as thou art by the Children of Light and sometimes thou calledst the Letter the Word and sometimes a Story and here was thy Confusion And then thou runndst on with thy fauning dissembling Speeches making a Shew oftentimes to the People of speaking more of a Matter but for wearying their Patience Oh blush and be ashamed of thy Doctrine now thou makest it appear what filthy Stuff it is that art afraid it should weary Peoples Patience to hear it if it was of God it would not be wearisom to any Thing of God to hear it but it was not of God therefore I am sure it was wearysom and burdensom to the Spirit of God and here thou art shut out with thy frothy Stuff and vain Complements to be a Deceiver And then thou saidst If you please I will speak more and thus thou markest out thy self for a Man-Pleaser and the Apostle said If yet I pleased Men I should not be a Servant of Christ. Now read thy self where thou art who art yet a Man-pleaser who comes with such inticing Words of Mens Wisdom so that the Preaching of the CROSS to thee is Foolishness and the Prophets who had the Spirit of the LORD and the WORD of the Lord they spoak whether they would hear or forbear and here thou art shut out both from the Spirit of God and the Word of God which is one who art a Man Pleaser and if not a Servant of Christ then a Servant of the Devil and so I mark thee out that all may know thee and no longer be deceived by thee with the Shadow instead of the Substance with thy inticing Words of Men's Wisdom And thou told'st the People Thou spoakest to the Reason of Man whenas all Men in the Fall their Reason is corrupted and the Natural Man receives not the Things of God for Man by Nature is worse then a Beast and there art thou who art preaching to the Corrupt Reason of Man in the Fall to judge of thy Corrupt stuff for I know there were none there that owned thee but such like But the Message of Paul was To Turn Peoples Minds from Darkness to Light but thou strivest to draw People's Minds from the Light Within to the Dead Letter without them telling them that was the Light and that was the Word and so thou bewitchest them with thy Lying Divinations and bad them search that and read often that and cleave unto that But I say they that read that and not by the Light within them read a Parable and it is unto them as a sealed Book though they may by their Carnal Wisdom add their own Meanings but that must be shut out of the Scripture for such are unlearned and unfruitful in the Word and so wrest the Scripture to their own Destruction But by this know That I go not about to draw men from reading the Scripture so that they read with this Single Eye the Light which gave it forth so shall they that read understand but to thee this is a Mystery and therefore thou went'st about to deny Christ in Man and God in Man by way of Derision to those that witnessed forth Christ Within God Within And thou saidst That he meant he was in them by his words and thou brought'st this Scripture If you abide in me and my Words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you In this Place thou Serpent he meant as he spoak but Paul witnessed Christ Within and said They that could not witness Christ Within were Reprobates and so art thou who denyest Christ come In the Flesh And Paul preached Christ Within the Hope of Glory the Mystery which had been hid and so it seems is still from thee therefore to thee this preaching is Foolishness and as Fancies and Whimsies but unto us that are saved Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God by which thy Folly and thy Ignorance of Christ is here made manifest and that thou never escaped'st the Pollutions of the World by the Knowledge of Christ who denyes him as he is known to all who have escaped the Pollutions of the World by the Knowledg of him they that thus know him not are in the Reprobation And here art thou a Minister of Antichrist who denyest Christ come in the Flesh. And then thou went'st on with thy Deluding Spirit pressing the Wicked to pray yea there were many there present of the People of the World besides thy own Company whom both thou and thy Company count as Heathen yet thou didst press them much to pray and to take unto them Words and pray whenas the Scripture saith The Prayers of the Wicked are abominable and thus thou didst that which was abominable in the Sight of God in praying thy self and teaching the Wicked to pray and to steal other Men's Words and pray for neither you nor they have any Words but what you steal out of the Scripture for thou hast shut thy self from that by which the Apostles preached therefore thou thus runnest into Confusion And thou toldst the People of Deceivers and nominated them to be such as denyed Baptism and Ordinances of Christ and the Scripture and the Resurrection of the Dead and Eternal Judgment So when thou hadst done thy Divination and thy formal Prayer I stood up and claimed the Order of the True Church That all might speak one by one and if any thing was revealed to him that stands by let the first hold his Peace And then like Cain thy Countenance fell thou being struck with Guilt in thy Conscience and fear surprised the Heart of the Hypocrite and thou wa st shuffling away but I bad thee stand for said I thou art a Deceiver as I shall prove thee one before all the People therefore stand to maintain what thou hast said But said I unto the People The Prophets and Apostles and the Holy Men of God who spoak forth the Scriptures they spoak from the Infallible Spirit of God as they were acted guided and moved thereby but all who come with their Words and pretending to preach and not from the same Infallible Spirit such are Deceivers of which this man is one who stands here in the Sâ—at of the Pharisee he being smitten with Guilt fetled to be gone and several would have stopped him but he said He would be gone unless they kept him in by Violence And I said unto the People Know this that these things wherewith he marks out Deceivers I own so that I am none of those for the Scripture I own and the True Baptism of Christ I own and the Resurrection from the Dead I own and Eternal Judgment upon the Wicked
Equity in is heart without putting off a Hat to a Magistrate and he that so doth Whether is he fit to be called a Magistrate that calleth such a one A Contemner of Authority and commits him to Prison for Mis-behaviour And whether this be Justice or Equity yea or nay 20. And you that plead this Scripture Be subject to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake Whether is it for the Lord's sake that a Man would have his Fellow-Creature to stand with his Hat off before him or for his Selfs sake and whether then it is to be obeyed yea or nay 21. And he that for the Lord's sake aud for Conscience sake cannot so rob God of his Glory and Honour as to bow to or worship any Creature but God alone who is the Creator Whether ought he to be imprisoned for Mis-behaviour or a Contemner of Authority yea or nay according to the Law of Equity And whether this is to be called Liberty of Conscience according to the Law of England yea or nay Now all you that profess your selves Christians and the Scripture to be your Rule take the Scripture and prove your Practice by the Scripture amongst all the Christians or else let the Life and Practice of the True Christians judge you and condemn you and own your selves to be in Proud Haman's Nature and so liable to Haman's Judgment And hence forward look to your Office to Rule for God and not for your selves and then you will not stand upon such frivolous things for it is a frivolous thing to look for the putting off the Hat and is no Part of True Nobility or Christianity Given forth for the Clearing of the Truth to which the Nations must bow James Parnel Here followeth a Copy of a Note that was written against the Idol's Temple which was judged a Contempt of the Ministry THis is the Idols-Temple where the Worship of the Beast is upheld down with it down with it 1 Cor. 8. 10. Rev. 13. 7 8. Deut. 12. God that made the World and all Things therein dwells not in Temples made with Hands Acts 7. 47 48 49. Acts 17. 11. Neither is he worshipped in Idols Temples made with Mens Hands Acts 17. 24. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth for the Father is seeking such to worship him John 23. 24. All the World wonders after and worships the Beast but those who have their Names written in the Book of Life Rev. 13. 3 4 8. And they that worship the Beast receive his Mark in their Foreheads Rev. 13. 16. As sprinkling Infants and worshipping the Works of their own Hands Isa. 2. 8. And following the Imaginations of their own Hearts such must drink of the Wine of the Wrath of the Almighty poured out without Mixture Rev. 14. 9 10 11 12. This Idols Temple that is made with Hands is a Place for Night-Birds and Scrich-Owls to meet each one with his Mate Jer. 34. 13 14 15. To the Dishonour of the only true God that dwelleth in Temples made without Hands at New Jerusalem where the Tabernacle of God is with Men Rev. 21. 3. Drunkards and Swearers Revilers and Scoffers and Scorners Proud and Wanton Ones Hypocrites and Dissemblers Envious Haters Backbiters Persecutors Lustful Covetous Ones and Earth-worms meet here the Fearful and Unbelieving Peevish Perverse Contentious Ones meet in these Idols Temples to satisfie their Lusts And saith the Lord these People draw near me with their Mouthes and honour me with their Lips but their Hearts are far from me but in vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrine the Traditions of Men Mat. 15. 7 8 9. But know you not that no Unrighteous Person shall inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. But must be cut down and cast into the Lake that burneth Rev. 21. 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked such as you sow such must you reap Gal. 6. 7. And to whom you yield your Members Servants to obey his Servants you are Rom. 6. 16. For he that commits Sin is the Servant of Sin and so is of the Devil Joh. 8. 34. 1. Joh. 3. This is a Deceiver that stands up here every first Day of the Week to deceive the People he is Proud and Covetous and speaketh a Divination of his own Brain but not from the Mouth of the Lord and so makes the People light and vain Jer. 14. 14. But the Lord is against him hold him not up for he ran and the Lord never sent him therefore he profits not the People at all Jer. 3. 1 2 3. But hath stollen the Letter which is Carnal with it to feed the Carnal for Carnal Ends and Lucre and so hath a Form but denyes the Life and Power and therefore from him turn away 2 Tim. 3. 5. Therefore spend not your Money for that which is not Bread nor your Labour for that which profiteth not Isa. 55. 1 2. For all the Children of the Lord are and shall be taught of the Lord and in Righteousness shall they be established and they shall be far from Oppression Jer. 31. 34. Isa. 54. 13. 1 Joh. 2. 27. He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith and be deceiv'd no longer J. P. Here follow several Queries that were sent to four of the chief Priests in Essex with some more added which may be serviceable for them or any other to answer whom they do concern SEveral Queries unto Priest Sammes Priest Sparrow Priest Willi and Priest Stellum and your gathered Churches by you to be answered according to Scripture which you profess to be your Rule Query 1. How and by what were you called to the Ministry which you profess 2. What is the Gospel which you pretend to preach and how did you receive it and whether your Gospel be free and without Charge as the Apostles was yea or nay 3. What do you minister from and what do you minister to in the Natural Man and what is the End of your Ministry 4. What Rule have you in the Scripture to take a Text of the Apostles Words and speak from it what you have studyed with your Uses Points Tryals and Motives and Applications 5. Whether do you speak by the same infallible Spirit as they did that spoak forth the Scripture yea or nay 6. And whether he that hath the same infallible Spirit need study how or what to preach 7. And whether it is not as lawful now for Fishermen Plowmen or Herdsmen to preach if they be called to it and fitted for it by the same Power and Spirit as they were in the dayes of old and whether Christ is not the same Yesterday to Day and orever according to Scripture 8. And whether any now ought to teach and preach in the Name of Jesus but who are called to it and fitted for it the same Way as the holy Men of God were spoken of in Scripture 9. Whether
it and uphold it which Christ hath cryd down and it is well known by them that are not wilfully blind that Master or Doctor are Names that are given taken amongst you Clergy-men as you call your selves as Titles of Honour witness your Degrees in your Nurseries of Deceit which you call Universities as first Bachellor then from Bachellor to Master of Arts from that to Bachellor of Divinity and from that to Doctor of Divinity which highest Title is given to thee and therefore it is no Wonder that thou so pleadest for it but the least Child of Light will judge these Traditions to be upheld by the Pride and Arrogancy of the Flesh that would be idolized but the Old Man must needs plead for his Life neither do these Scriptures in Eph. 4. 11. and 1 Cor. 12. 28. at all advantage thee for neither Doctor nor Master is mentioned in these Scriptures and thus thou art ignorant of the Letter then far unfit to be a Teacher of others which thou dost assume to thy self by the Name of Doctor according to thy own Meaning Pr. Ans. And as for the chief Seats in the Synagogues and uppermost Rooms as Feasts some thou sayest that are Worthy were allowed them by Christ himself which to prove thou quotest Luke 14. 7 8. c. Mâ—rk 5. 22. and by Luke Acts 13. 15. and Chap. 18. 8. 17. And as for Salutations they are allowed thou sayst as well in the Market-Places as any where else Rep. This is the truest Word that thou hast yet spoaken in one Respect though from a false Spirit for your Heathenish Customs and Salutations are allowed of no where by the Scripture neither hast thou brought any Proof to the contrary and it is also easily discerned you rather chuse them in the Markets or in Publick to be seen of Men that you might be accounted Courteous and looked upon for your Breeding witness your Congying and Bowing with your Hats off in Admiration and Idolizing of one anothers Persons wherein you exalt your selves above the Angel who would not suffer John to bow unto him but said he was his Fellow-Servant therefore let this judge you and condemn you in these Practices which by you are used from an ambitious and inordinate Desire of them and therefore are the most unworthy as thou confessest the Scribes and Pharisees were and therefore art out of thy own Mouth judged although thou would'st cast it upon the Quakers as thou callest them but we can justly clear our selves and cast it into thy own Bosom for we use no such Heathenish Customs yet we can justly say with John We are of God and the whole World lyes in Wickedness which thou accountest an exalting of our selves and in that thou belyest Christ and the Scriptures in saying he allowed these Things to any which he cryed down thy Impudency doth the more appear that thou wouldst not stick to bely us whom thou callest Quakers for none of these Scriptures which thou quotest to uphold the chiefest Seats in the Synagogue and uppermost Rooms at Feasts do at all concern the Matter but only Luke 14. 7 c. which Christ spoak as a Parable to the Pharisees who loved the uppermost Rooms at Feasts which also may fitly be applyed to you now who take the uppermost Room and think Scorn to take the lowest which may easily be discerned by you with an Impartial Eye or else you would not own these Things which Christ declared against to his Ministers and also taught that he that would be the greatest should be the least and the Apostle forbids all Respect of Persons and Christ shewed an Example of Humility to his Ministers when he washed their Feet and condemned the Pharisees who received Honour one of another which thou art here pleading for then if thou beest not in their Steps let the Understanding judge Qu. 17. Whâ—t is the Church and whether it be not a Delusion to the People and a Dishonour to Christ to call a House of Lime and Stone a Church Pr. Ans. And in thine Answer thou pleadest it a Custom in most Ages and by a Trope of Figure but thou confessest the Word Church is first and properly a Congregation of Saints or of such as profess so to be as in 1 Cor. 1. 2. And in the second Place thou say'st This Word is used for a Place where such a Congregation use to assemble which to prove thou quotest Cor. 11. 23. and Ver. 18. and Chap. 14 5. 23. compared with Ver 19. 28. Neither is this any Delusion to the People thou sayest nor more Dishonour to God then to use this Phrase the House of God which to prove thou quotest Isa. 60. 7. and Eph. 42. 4. Therefore here we seek a Knâ—t in a Bulrush thou sayest Rep And thus thou Blasphemer valuest thy Blasphemy covering it with Lyes that thou might'st still keep the People in Blindness who makest such a light small Matter of it to put a House of Lime Stone for the Body of Christ which is the Church And thus you have long fed the People in Blindness with your Vain Customs and Traditions and they put you out of your Customs and you are vexed and troubled as the Heathen was at Paul and Silas and said They came to turn the World up-side down And then to cover your Blasphemy and Lyes you have Tropes and Figures which is the Wisdom of Man to cover Lyes and thus you Learned Ones make use of your Learning to make Lyes in Hypocrisie contrary to the Scripture for the Types and Figures in the Scripture figured forth something to come But your Steeple-houses are no Figures of Christ nor his Body which is the Church And when the Substance is come of what Use is the Figure For the Temple which God commanded Solomon to build him which was called the House of God where them that feared the Lord worshipped him was a Figure of Christ but when Christ the Substance came he prophesied of its Destruction Mat. 24. And Steven after him declared against it and by them that upheld it was stoned to Death Acts 7. 47 48 49 c. And Paul declared against it and by them that upheld it was persecuted Acts 17. 24 25. Acts 19. 26. 2â— as we are by You now that uphold Your Idols Temples that figure forth nothing but the Imaginations of Man neither were ever commanded by God to be built as Solomon's Temple was which for its Time was called The House of God but the Prophet Isaiah saw the End of it when he spoak that in Isa. 66. 1 2. But that you should call your Popish Houses The House of God which were built by the Papists and such like without any Command of God thou hast no Scripture-Proof to maintain it neither are those fit Examples to bring to prove it as the Schollars and the Schools and the Jews and their Synagogues What doth this at all
Statutes or that thou shouldst take my Covenant in thy Mouth and here thy Heart hath deceived thee neither doth this prove that the World may sing David's Conditions in a Meeter because it is possible to come into his Conditions but then they must come out of the World but I do not perceive that you have a Desire to come into his Conditions who deny Quaking and Trembling which was Part of his Conditions But those that do come into his Conditions need not take his Words to sing in a Meeter but the same Spirit that taught him to praise the Lord will also teach them which it seems you are Strangers to and therefore sing Lyes in Hypocrisie And as he said He was not puffed in Mind nor had no scornful Eye you also say you are not and as he said He roared all the Day long and watered his Couch with his Tears you also sing you do so And thus the Ignorant People are led by you to exercise themselves in Things that for them be too high and you that lead them cause them to err And therefore Wo unto you blind Guides and Deceivers of the People Neither are David's Psalms nor the rest of the Holy Scriptures for Drunkards Swearers Lyars and such like Persons to make a Song on for to such they are sealed and the same that gave them forth the same will open them and they that can so read them may and so they are profitable And how the Jews did read the Old Testament in publick as thou sayst doth not at all prove that you should sing David's Conditions in a Meeter who are far Strangers to them so here thou might'st have been silent from such Carnal Reasoning but that thou art glad of any Thing to cover thy Deceit because the Scriptures will not And that Song that was given by the Lord to Moses for Israel to sing it was not in Meeter neither other Mens Conditions but it was a Song the Lord had appointed them to sing suitable to their Conditions but still this doth not prove that the Lord gave you David's Conditions to sing in a Meeter from your light Minds as you do therefore silence Deceiver and let the Scripture alone in its Place and strive not to make the Lord the Author of your Deceit And thou say'st His Prayers may teach them to pray but he saith The Prayers of the Wicked are Sin And thus thou wouldst teach them to pray by Tradition and not by the Spirit for they that pray by the Spirit need not others Prayers to teach them though ye that are ignorant of the Spirit have nothing else And thou say'st His Hymns may teach them to land the Lord but the Prophet saith The Dead cannot praise the Lord but the Living and none can praise the Lord but those that know him but the Wicked know him not and therefore their Prayers and Praises is Deceit though for a Cloak they steal their Words that knew him and thus thou wise Man thy Wisdom perisheth And thou say'st His Afflictions may order support and comfort them when they are in the like Conditions I say till then let them alone and then you will know how to use them but while ye are blind ye do abuse them and are Ignorant of the only Comforter and Supporter which David witnessed in Affliction And thou say'st His Prophesies and Promises may be the strengthning of their Faith Thou blind Hypocrite what Faith have the VVicked who know not God while thou thy self that art a Teacher hast not Faith to trust him for an Earthly Maintenance what then hath his Promises strengthned thy Faith who hast sung them and read them these many Years Neither are his Promises to the VVicked but upon Reformation For No Peace to the Wicked saith my God Neither doth his Zeal to God nor Love to Righteousness at all provoak them as you teach them to use them in a Customary VVay to make a Song of them and therefore are not profitable to them because they do abuse them where thou hast sufficiently discover'd thy Weakness and Ignorance in thy Opinion with which thou slanderest us but it is thy own Qu. 28. What is the Word And whether is it Visible to the Carnal Eye or Invisible And where the Scripture speaks of any other Word of God then one Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou goest about to prove the Word to be four-fold and condemnest me of Ignorance in it and say'st There is first an Essential Eternal Powerful and Living Word by which all Things were made Joh. 1. 1 2 3. And to prove another Word which thou callest the Ingiven and Inspoken Word thou quotest Jer. 2. 1. and 4. 11 13. And to prove another Word of the Lord thou quotest 2 Tim. 3. 16. Rep. Here thy Ignorance of God is not hid who by thy Wit and deceitful Wisdom wouldst make four of one but all these Scriptures which thou hast quoted do not prove any other then one which Word was in the Beginning by which all Things were made which thou confessest to be Eternal Powerful and Living and that Word which came unto the Prophets was as a Fire and a Hammer to beat the Rocks in Peices then was it not Powerful and Living and one and the same with that the Apostle speaks of which is Qâ—iâ—k and Powerful and Sharper then a two-edged Sword and this is the same Word of Life which the Apostle spoak from and published which was from the Beginning and this was the same Word which was published which David there speaks of and by this Word were the Prophets all begotten and born again and this Word is Invisible hid from the Carnal Eye as thou thy self confessest though in Confusion But that Scripture which thou quotest in 2 Tim. 3. 16. to prove a written Word doth not mention any such Thing but if thou meanest that the Scriptures are that written Word I answer There are many Words in the Scripture but the Word is but one of which the Scriptures bear Testimony And thus thy Ignorance is manifestâ—d and returned into thy own Bosom Qu. 29. What is the End of Christ's Coming and what is the Redemption Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou goest about to prove that manifold which is but one and so runnest into thy sundry Divisions in thy Imaginations and though thou accusest James Parnel that he knows it not yet he is able to discern thy Confusion for in one Place thou say'st There is a Redemption from all Sin and another Redemption from all Evil and this thou callest two-fold and thou say'st There is a Redemption from the Curse of the Law and another Redemption from the Guilt of Sin which also thou callest two-fold Rep. How many Redemptions wouldest thou here make of one thou blind Guide Can any be redeemed from all Sin and not from all Evil and from the Curse of the Law and not from the Guilt of Sin And is not all
his Enemies and testifying against tâ—e gross Hypocrisie of that Day And this I have to say concerning him and it 〈◊〉 in many and shall not dye That he was an Innocent Man and lived in the Testimony and Feaâ— of God that he sought nothing here for himself but alone laboured and traviâ—ed that People might be brought into the Knowledge and Love of God and had he bin otherwise spirited he should have had Acceptance with many of hâ—s Enemies I believe And as he was an Innocent Man so he lived Innocently towards all men and so he dyed Innocently as himself estified a small time before his departure Here I Dye Innocently And as several who were with him were Eye-Witnesses of the sâ—me and is enter'd into the Bosom of the Eternal Rest with God forever His Testimony was That God was Light and that Christ who proceeded and came from God did enlighten every Man that cometh into the World that all Men through him might believe which Testimony of Truth bearing although it was rejected by many and the heavenly Light of the Lord too mean an Appearance for the aspir'd Minds of those Dayes â—o submit unto yet accepted of was it by some who by it soon were taught to take the Yoak of Christ upon them and to receive his holy Fâ—ar into their Hearts and were blessed of the Lord prospered and encreased although therefore persecuted and reviled by the Vngodly Generation who turn away their Eyes from the Reproof of Instruction because of the Reproof thereof and preserved through many grievous Trials Tribulations through their faithful Obedience in the Light Valiant for the Truth upon the Earth so what Acceptance ever had the Righteous in this World by the men and spirit thereof is apparent by Scripture and Historical Account and our Experience doth confirm the same viz. Persecution and Cruelty Prisons and stinking Holes Banishments and Death Destroying of the Goods and Estates of the Innocent and what do I behold at this day I never saw or read of a Lamb worrying a Dog nor an Innocent Sheep to tear or devour a Wolf What Christianity or Holiness is that which hurts and destroyes and thinketh thereby of doing God good Service Surely it is not to be found in all God's Holy Mountain saith the Lord. And so The Name of the Righteous is had in Everlasting Remembrance aâ—d his Memorial shall shine forever and ever In true Faith and Assurance as a Brotherly-Testimony to my deceased Friend's Innocency is this written that it may be known from one who was acquainted with his Life and Death in this Town that the Lord was with him in his Life and Death that those who are yet in being that had a Hand in his Sâ—fferings or consented may Repent Repent unfeignedly and seek the Lord while He is to be found for if thou art found out by Him to be a Blood-guilty Man and knowest not his Hysop in thy Day of Visitation to have purged thee know thou that the Lord God will give thee Blood double to drink in his Day of Judgment with Horror and Destruction for evermore â—olchester the 7th of the 7th Month 1671. Thomas Bayles A TESTIMONY Concerning the Sufferings and Death OF James Parnel I Having a Knowledge of J. P. the Author of these Books and being an Eye-Witness of part of his great Sufferings he under-went for the Testimony of the Blessed Truth which he sealed with his Blood being persecuted by a Professing Generation who though they made great Pretence to Christianity yet they were upon Tryal found to be such who were born of the Flesh who always persecuted them that were born after the Spirit and were like the Professing Jews who reckoned they were of the Stock of Abraham and that he was their Father when they were of their Father the Devil doing his Works Persecuting the Innocent And that the Remembrance of the Great Suffering of this our Dear Friend and Brother JAMES PARNEL may not be extinguished I shall insert a full Relation of his Imprisonment and Death as followeth The said JAMES PARNEL being moved of the Lord to go to a Steeple-House at Coggshall the Priests and the People having appointed a Fast as they said against Error the 12th Day of the 5th Month in the Year One Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Five after the Priest had Ended James spake a few Words to them so passing forth of the Steeple-House one called Justice WAKERING followed him and clapt him on the back and said He Arrested Him although he shewed no Writ and by the means of divers Priests he was by Dionysius Wakering Herbert Pelham Thomas Cook and William Harlakenden committed to Colchester-Castle and there kept close up and none of his Friends suffered to come near him and from thence at the Assizes was carried to Chelmsford where they kept him on the Chain Day and Night but when he appeared at the Bar the Chain was taken off only had Irons on his Hands where Judge Hill urged the Jury to find him guilty declaring what he could against the Prisoner to them and would not suffer him to speak to the Jury to clear himself so the Judge fined him Forty Pounds and to be committed Close Prisoner till Payment and gave Charge to the Goaler Not to let any Giddy-Headed People as he called them come at him so the Goaler denyed his Friends to come to him to Relieve him and would not let them in but such as came to Abuse Scorn and Beat him they let in to him and the Goaler's Wife did set her Man to Beat him who threatned to Knock him down and make him shake his Heels and she her self did Beat him several times and swore She would have his Blood And sometimes they would not let him have any Victuals brought to him other times they would set Prisoners to take away such Victuals as was brought to him and would not let him have a Trundle-Bed which his Friends would have brought him to lie on but forced him to lie on the Stones which in a wet season would run down with Water and when he was in a Room for which he paid Four Pence a Night he was threatned if he did but walk to and fro in it Then they put him in the Hole in the Wall which is very high from the Ground and where the Ladder was too short by Six Foot and when his Friends would have given him a Cord and a Basket to have taken up his Victuals in they would not let them though they much desired it but he must either come up and down by a Rope or else Famish in the Hole which he did a long time But after a long Suffering in this Hole where there was nought but Misery as to the Outward Man it being no Place either for Air or Smoak and James being much benumbed in his Naturals as he was climbing up the Ladder with his Victuals in one Hand and coming to the top of
or to the left cryes This is the Way walk in it Isa. 30. 21. Of which the Scripture is a true Declaration spoken from this Word of Truth of which Light every one hath a measure which unto them is the free Gift of God to profit withall which Light in the Conscience reproves for sin and iniquity and manifests the deceit of the heart and checks the Creature when it swears or lyes or doth amiss telling it that it should not do so and calls for Repentance and Amendment of Life and leads unto the same as it is owned and followed and as many as receive it receive power to become the Sons of God Joh. 8. 12. and 1. 12. Rom. 2. 4. But he that doth evil hates the Light and will not bring his deeds to it by it to be proved and to him it is condemnation but he that loves the Light brings his deeds to the Light that it may manifest them whether they be wrought in God John 3. 20 21. But of this Light you People and Teachers of the World are ignorant and so are doting upon the Scripture without with your dark minds there with the blind Pharisees seeking for Life where it is not to be found but will not come to Christ the Light that you might have Life but would cast him out of his Throne and exalt Scriptures above him calling them the Judge and the Light and the Word and the Life and the Rule and the Guide and thus with your dark minds you would take the Authority from Christ and would give it unto the dead Letter which is but a Declaration of these things And thus your Leaders cause you to err Isa. 3. 12. for their own ends and of the Scripture they make an Idol to get money by adding their own Meanings Interpretations and Constructions upon them which are all the Conceivings and Imaginations of their own hearts by which they lead you in Blindness ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth in your hearts but are looking without doting without in the Letter acting and imitating out of the Light for Life and so in darkness doing your own works which are not required at your hands but are for Condemnation by the Light And so in vain are you worshipping a God whom ye know not crying up his Ordinances and crying up his Commands and crying up the Scripture exalting it in the Place of Christ and thus coming neer him with your lips and your hearts far from him still living in the corrupt sinful nature ignorant of the free Grace of God which should lead you to repentance and amendment of life Ephes. 2. 5. 8. And because we do witness this Mystery which hath been hid from Ages and Generations now made manifest in us which is Christ within the Hope of Glory Col. 1. 26 27. who is the Light of the World who doth enlighten every one that cometh into the World who is the true Shepherd John 10. and the true Teacher no more to be removed into a Corner Isa. 30. 20. who is the Anointing who teacheth all things and is the End of mans teaching therefore your Ministry of the Letter who make a Trade and a Gaine of the Letter by idolizing it and setting it up in the room of Christ by taking the Authority from Christ and applying it to the Letter that your minds who are taught by them may the more be drawn without to look at it and Idolize it expecting Life and Salvation by it and no hope without it that they may the longer make Merchandize of you and still uphold their Trade and Gain by it do now see that this our doctrine of Christ to be all in all and that without him we can do nothing John 15. 5. but that by him we can do all things without the help of Scripture or any thing else without Phil. 4. 13. and that there is no other name under Heaven by which we can be saved but that he is able to save to the utmost all that shall come unto God by him Heb. 7. 25. and that he is the Word and the Scripture is not and that he is the Light and the Scripture is not and that he is the Rule and Guide and Teacheâ— and Judge and the Scripture is not but a Declaration of him to be so and that the Scripture all along witnesseth with our Doctrine to be one with it and theirs to be another Doctrine which the Scripture will not maintain but the Scripture is against and is onely brought in for Lucres sake to satisfie their own carnal ends that they may bear rule by their Means as the false Prophets did before them Jer. 5. 30 31. And this Light all along makes them manifort in all their Colours and false Covers so that they cannot hide themselves from being Deceivers and also this they do know that if every one come to know and find a Teacher within them which doth teach them the will of God and doth enable them for to obey it so that they need no man to teach them then indeed they will no longer spend their Money upon them for that which is not Bread nor their Labour for that which profitteth not and will be a Prey unto them no longer So not only their Craft and Trade and Idol will fail them but also their great Gain and Riches will be taken from them and all their Honour and Fame and Dignity will come to nought Therefore they in their hot Rage and Fierceness and Enmity of their Spirits do set themselves to oppose this Light wheresoever it is made manifest and persecuting the Publishers of this Doctrine railing against them as Deceivers Seducers Bringers in of false Lights and such as deny the Scripture and would rob it of its Authority and give it to a Light within them which the Priests call natural Light and insufficient to lead to Salvation without the help of Scripture and other outward Helps and so would set the Scripture above the Light of Christ saying among themselves If we let go the Authority of Scripture then all is gone that is to say Take away our Idol then take away our Maintenance then down with our Ministry So here is clear the Foundation they stand upon and this is the cause why they call the Scripture their Foundation and so all this Authority which they put upon the Scripture they take from Christ who alone is the Foundation of the Faithful of whom the Scripture is a Declaration and so we do own it by the same which gave it forth which unto us doth open it and reveal it and manifesteth them to be out of the Life of it and so by the Life thereof are judged and condemned as before is proved And though they call it the Word yet in the same it doth witness against them and witness Christ to be the Word before the Scripture was written John 1. And though they call
the Scripture the Light yet in the same it doth witness against them and witness Christ to be the Light before the Scripture was written and is able to save to the utmost all that shall come unto God by him and they that climb up any other Way the same are Thieves and Robbers John 10. 1. And therefore is not a Natural Insufficient Light as they that know not him do report of him and therefore shew themselves to be as ignorant as the Pharisees who only supposed him to the Son of Joseph yet wondred at his Power and the Works that were done by him as these do now wonder at the Prosperity of this Ministration of Light and to see how it prevails upon the Hearts of the people so that they know not what to think of it they are not able to encounter with it but that they see it strikes so much at their Diana and lies so hard at their Foundation so that it makes their Building Totter therefore the Rulers Priests aud Pharisees take Counsel together saying one to another If we let this People alone all men will go after them and they will draw away whole Nations therefore they take the same course as ever the false Prophets did joyning together with the Earthly Powers to make War with the Lamb Persecuting Stocking Whipping Imprisoning and shamefully intreating his Messengers whom the Lamb sent forth to bear Testimony of this Light in peoples Consciences where we have a Witness both in them that believe and in them that perish and also striving all the wayes they can by their Evil Incensing Lying Railings and false Accusings and Reporting to defame this Light and leaven your minds against it that if it were possible to put it out that still they might uphold their Father's kingdom of darknes and bear rule by their Means over the Blind carrying captive the minds of people But who is able to make War with the Lamb or who shall withstand the Day of his Coming Saul Saul it is hard for thee to kick against the Pricks And though they call the Scripture their Rule and Guide yet in this it witnesseth against them to be in Cain's way and Balaam's way and in the GainSaying of Core and so have not God Jude 11. 2 John 9. but are found to be the Generation who are born after the Flesh persecuting them that are born after the Spirit Gal. 4. 29. And though they call the Scripture their Rule and Guide yet they receive not Power from it to enable them to walk according to it but are altogether erring from it in any thing that crosseth Self but as many as receive the Light receive Power to follow it and come out of the corrupt sinful nature which they live in who know not the Light John 1. 12. and here the Light is above the Scripture And though they say the Scripture is the Judge and Tryer of Spirits yet in the same it witnesseth against them to be Lyars and bears witness of Christ to be the Judge and Tryer and Searcher of the Heart and Discerner of the Thoughts Heb. 4. 12. Rom. 1. 16. 1 Pet. 4. 5. and that whatsoever makes manifest is Light Eph. 5. 13. therefore that which makes manifest false spirits is the Light and not the Letter which Light manifested and discovered false spirits before the Scripture was written And also though they say the Scripture is the Judge and Tryer of Spirits yet by the Scripture they cannot discern or judge of Spirits else what makes all this difference in Judgment amongst them who profess to try Spirits by the Scripture and profess it to be their Rule and ground their Judgments upon it yet are so confus'd in the same and never a one knows which is the Truth when as the Way is but One So that it follows that they have nothing but the Scripture without and are still without in Darkness and Confusion as all those appear to be who call the Scripture their Rule and Guide and Judge and Tryer of Spirits aud yet know not the Truth but are jangling and rangling and arguing and disputing and contending about the Scripture every one with a several Judgment upon it surely this Distraction is not in Scripture for it was spoken from One and all agrees in one therefore you that so profess the Scripture see if you can find it out by the Scripture and see where you are but they that are in the Light have fellowship one with another 1 John 1. 7. and are of one heart and one Soul Acts 4. 32. and all agree in one and are Epistles wrote in one anothers heart 2. Cor. 3. 2. and by the Light they try and discern false spirits and in it are able to judge them and open the Scriptures without wresting adding or diminishing and by it do know they are of God because they love one another with the same love with which Christ loved them 1 John 4. it is not such love which is to day and to morrow cross the will and it is turned into wrath and anger nay that love stands in the corrupt will but this love stands in the bond of peace which doth indure and here again the light is above the Scripture and though they say the light must be received from the Scripture yet in this the Scripture doth witness against them and bears witness of Christ to be the light of the World and doth enlighten every one that cometh into the World And they that could never read letter of the book have this light which is sufficient to teach them and lead them into all Truth after they come to the knowledge of it from this light the Scripture was spoken 2 Pet. 1. 21. and without this light none can read the Scripture with understanding and here the light is before the Scripture and out of it all the Children of Darkness are shut with their busie minds and vain contending spirits and though they say they must receive life and salvation from the Scripture yet in this the Scripture witnesseth against them and testifies of Christ to be the alone Fountain of Life and Salvation and that there is no other name under Heaven by which we can be saved Psal. 30. 9. and 144. 10. And that the Pharisees had the Scripture yet had not the Light neither could see that he was the Christ though the Scripture bare testimony of him or either would come unto him for Life and Salvation but trusted in the Scripture thinking there to find eternal Life and therein found it not John 5. 39 40. As all you are now who are seeking the living among the dead and here again the light is above the Scripture which light is within us the hope of glory Col. 1. 26 27. and those that cannot witness this are in the reprobation though they have the Scripture without 1 Cor. 13. 5. and from it we receive life and salvation and from no other and this alone
is our Guide Teacher Judge and Law-giver if we never see letter Luke 1. 79. John 6. 45. Isa. 33. and this alone is the Ground and Foundation of our Faith and Hope by which we are made able to cry Abba Father 1 Cor. 3. 11. Rom. 8. 15. And here it is not self that judgeth or condemns but Christ that liveth in us Gal. 2. 20. and it is not self that justifies us but Christ that liveth in us and here Christ is exalted into his Throne and the Scripture owned in its place without contempt or undervaluting And they are found the Ministers of Antichrist who would cast Christ out of his Throne and take the Scripture out of its place to exalt above him applying to it that Authority which alone belongs unto him for their own by secret self-ends so that in that they apply such Authority to the Scripture they in the same Rob Christ of it and undervalue him as the Pharisees did who thought in the Scriptures to find Eternal Life but would not come to Christ that they might have Life in whose steps ye and your Teachers are now found professing Christ in words but in Life denying him and therefore must be judged and condemned by him as they were And if you Priests do alledge there is a false Light as well as a True Light I Answer That is it in you which blinds your Minds so that you cannot receive this Gospel but from you it is hid 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. And therefore you bring another Gospel calling the four Books Mattew Mark Luke and John the Gospel in which these four Books will Witness against you and bear Witness of Christ to be the Gospel which is the Power of God unto Salvation who is the Lamb of God slain from the Foundation of the World who came to take away the Sins of the World and blessed are they that are not offended in him John 1. 26. and vers 13. Luke 7. 23. And also that is a false Light in you which leads you into the Form or Resemblance or outward Shew of Holiness but denies the Life and Power 2 Timothy 3. 5. and to profess the Scripture to be your Rule but in Life and Practice deny it and to be short leads into a Profession without Possession but that which leads into the Life and Power is no false Light for it leads into the Possession before the Profession and so the Profession is from the Possession but your Profession is from anothers Possession and so Boast in anothers line by which you beguile both your selves and others and therefore in that you go about to Arm your selves with the Scripture to oppose the Light by exalting it above the Light thinking thereby to debase the Light and so to keep Peoples Minds from the Light that they may still remain in Darkness and Blindness under you You do but in the same bring a Weapon to cut off your own heads and raise a War to destroy your selves and increase more light to the people and manifest your selves odious and to be the Blind Guides of the Nation who are to be denyed and turned away from by us as Deceivers and to be held as accursed who bring another Doctrine in oposition to the True Doctrine which is held forth in the Scripture for the Scripture and the Light agree in one from both which you are shut with jangling contentious spirits by which you would wrest the Scripture out of its place to clash against its Original thereby to uphold your Father Antichrist's Kingdom and therein do the more Manifest your selves to be the Ministers of Antichrist who under Profession of the True Christ do oppose him and make War with him 2 Cor. 11. 13 14 15. but your Weapons are weak as is daily made manifest James Parnell THE TRUMPET Of the Lord BLOWN OR A Blast against PRIDE and OPPRESSION and the Defiled Liberty which stands in the FLESH WO unto you that are called Lords Ladies Knights Gentlemen and Gentlewomen in respect to your Persons who are exalted in the Earth who are proud and high and lofty who are called of men Master and Sir and Mistris and Madam in respect to your Persons because of your gay Clothing because of your much Earth which by Fraud Deceit and Oppression you have gotten together You are exalted above your Fellow-creatures and grind the faces of the Poor and they are as Slaves under you and must labour and toyle under you and you must live at ease sporting in day time and spending your time in Pleasures and Chambring and Wontonness according to your lustful minds in Hauking and Hunting and Bowling and Carding and Dicing in all manner of Musick Pleasure and Delights in Eating and Drinking and Sleeping and you must have your Wine and Ale and all your Dainty Dishes and all manner of Delights and Novelties and so ye feed the lust eating and drinking and rising up to play which is Idolatry and you have your fine Attire and all manner of New Fashings Silk and Vilvet and Purple Gold and Silver and you have your Waiting-Men and Wating-Maids under you to Wait upon you and your Coaches to ride and your high and lofty Horses are like your selves according to your lofty minds and you sit at ease Dives-like Devouring the Creation and spending it upon your Lusts and with it committing Fornication into it your hearts being adultred from God who created you and your Fellow-Creatures must labour like slaves under you and work for all this when you are at your Pleasures they must be at work and labour and must hunger and thirst and labour when you are eating and drinking and sleeping and here like Dives you sit at ease and poor Lazarus lies starving without and here you are Lords over your Fellow Creatures and they must bow and crouch to you or else they must be hated and punished and put out from your presence and be scoffed and scorned and reproached and you will be called Masters and think Scorn that a Poor Man should stand with his Hat on before you and so set up partiality which the Law of God condemns upholding that which Christ in his Doctrine forbids who saith Be not ye called Masters and so by that which you do prosess you are condemned And you think Scorn in particular to be Thou'd of your Fellow-Creatures which is the Scripture Language to one but you will Thou God and Christ and yet you will not be Thou'd and here you exalt your selves above God and lord over your Fellow-Creatures but though you be exalted as high as the Heavens and set your Nests amongst the Stars and lay up Treasures for many years thence will the Lord fetch you down and cast you into Hell the Pit as he did Lucifer Dives and Hamon and Pharaoh and Herod and the rest of your Fore-Fathers who would have been exalted above the Creator as you would for it is Lucifer who is Head and
God which is a meeer Delusion We are accused to deny the Sabbath The Sabbath of the Saints we own which is not for a Day but Everlasting and who dwells in Christ witnesseth this Sabbath which is the Substance and the Shadow without is vanished for saith Paul let no man condemn you in respect of Meats and Drinks or of an Holy Day or of new Moons or of the Sabbath-Dayes which are but Shadows of things to come And so the World hath the Shadow and the Saints the Substance and you who have the Shadow persecute them who have the Substance as the Scribes and Pharisees and High Priests did who had and upheld the Types and Figures of Christ and persecuted him who was the Substance so they that are alter the Flesh persecuted them that are aftor the Spirit But your Sabbath is a Shadow of Nothing for the Jews Sabbath in the time of the Law was upon the seventh Day which was the last Day of the Week but yours is the first Day of the Week for which you have no Scripture and they were not to do their own Wayes nor their own Pleasure nor speak their own Words upon the Sabbath Day and here you transgress in the Figure and walk in your own Wayes and speak your own Words and do your own Pleasures both of that Day and every Day We are accused that we justifie our selves and condemn all others I answer When we were our selves without the Spirit of God and had a Form and Profession of the Saints Condition which we did not possess we sought to justifie our selves in our Profession and earthly Wisdom and to exalt our selves and be something in the Eyes of others and here we were Pharisee and yet feigned Publicans saying we were sinfull but thought higher of our selves then others though we were in the same Nature and here our Justification was of our selves and not of Christ and here all you Pharisees and feigned Publicans both Priests and Professors who are in your earthly Wisdom feeding upon the Letter but as the Light of Christ arose in us all our earthly Wisdom wherein we were exalted became Foolishness and Self was judged and denyed and all that which was of Self both Wisdom and Righteousness wherewith we covered over our filthy lustful unclean Hearts and so were as painted Sepulchres and here are all Professors at this Day who are feeding upon the Tree of Knowledge and are from under the Cross of Christ but all would not hide from the Light of God but as it arose it searched through all and lay'd open all and all our Covers became rotten and fell from us and so it will be with all Professors as the Light of Christ doth arise and the Book of Conscience is layd open for no Flesh must glory in his Presence But now we have nothing but what we have received of the Father through Death and Christ is made over unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption and though we glory we glory in the Lord for we have nothing in our selves to glory of and the Saints thought it no Presumption to call themselves the Sons of God and said they were of God and all the whole World lie in Wickedness and here the same Spirit would have accused them yet they were no Pharisees and Christ thought it no Robbery to be equal with God yet he was no Pharisee though of the Pharisees he was judged a Blasphemer and as he is so are we say the Saints yet they were no Pharisees and so who are made the Sons of God it is no Self-justification to witness it forth neither those who are made free from Sin to witness it forth as the Apostles did and to witness forth the Life and Power of Truth and deny them that have gotten the Form Notion or Profession And here Christ is the Witness and the Justification for the Way is but one and the Truth is but one and they who dwell in the Truth witness one with another for the Light of God owns its own wheresoever it is for God cannot deny himself but they that are not with us are against us and out of the Truth in the State of Condemnation for all who are out of the Truth are under the Curse in the Fall and this Truth we witness by the Spirit of the living God through Death the same Truth as ever was and there is that in every Conscience shall bear us Witness yea in the Heathen and condemn them that hate it Jer. 3. 19 20. We are accused to be one with the Ranters I answer it is false for we abhor their Principles in our Hearts and deny any Liberty to the Flesh or any light or loose or vain Conversation which they live in or any thing which is impure or unclean for our Principles are pure and clean and are at Enmity with any thing that is impure or unclean for Purity and Impurity cannot agree together and it is our desire to keep our selâ—es unspotted of the World for that which is unclean defiles and from that we are seperated who are the Sons and Daughters of the living God But some of them have tasted of the Love of God and Grace of God and have had Appearances of God but by hearkning to the Voyce of the Serpent and giving way to the Lust have turned with the Dog to the Vomit and the Grace of God into Wantenness casting his pure Law behind their Backs and walking despightfully against the Spirit of Grace and have crucified afresh the Lord of Life and put him to open Shame therefore hath the Lord given them up to their own Hearts-Lusts and vile Affections and their Consciences are seared as with an hot Iron for it is written It is impossible that those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly Gift and were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted of the good Word of God and the Powers of the World to come if they shall fall away to renew them again to Repentance but they have deceived many with their alluring Speeches and have caused the Truth of God to be evil spoaken of by their pernicious lascivious wayes but Wo Wo be to them for double shall be their Reward But God is our Witness we deny and abhor all things which are filthy or unclean and though all the World condemn it is without For there is no Condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not aefter the Flesh but after the Spirit And it is my tender desire towards all tender Consciences that they may take heed of giving any Liberty to the Flesh lest they loose the Tenderness of Conscience and harden it by Lust and Uncleanness for nothing but Purity will the Lord receive for he is of purer Eyes then to behold Iniquity We are accused that the Ground of our Religion is Popery The
going about to prove me a Deceiver he would the more lay open his own Deceit and prove himself to be the Deceiver and the People did plainly see it so and witnessed with me against him for he did so utter forth his Folly and Deceit that he made himself odious to many that were there and at last he shuffled away under Pretence he had far to go but the Judgments of God he cannot escape for his Damnation slumbreth not who is an Opposer of the Truth of God Then there was one Philips an Old Man of the Baptized Party in another Room who in Scorn and Wrath stood up and said They knew the first Principle of Religion before I was born because one of my Queries to them was What is the first Principle of Religion So I replyed to the Old Man if they knew it they should have answer'd and then presently as he was running on in many Words he swore as he lived and breathed and Christ saith Swear not at all and here he was found not come to the first Principle of Religion but out of the Doctrine of Christ and so hath not God so I told him of his Swearing and he would have shuffled it off but he could not and I told him He that seems to be Religious and bridleth not his Tongue his Religion is vain and therfore he might own his Religion to be vain who could not bridle his Tongue and then in his Will he shuffled off and said He would not confess his Sin to me for I could not forgive Sin in Scorn he spoak then I said Wo unto him that hides his Sin and covers his Iniquity but he shuffled away in much Confusion of Face as they will all appear as by the Light they come to be searched and tryed their Coverings will be found too narrow and their Nakedness will appear to their great Shame and Confusion of Face and they will be made to bow to the Truth and lay down their Crowns at the Feet of Jesus for he is risen and reigns in his Saints to whom the Nations must bow and every Tongue confess to their Condemnation who do oppose him but here now by the single Eye you may see the Emptiness of these Forms and what a blind Hypocrisie this is of them to wash the Outside but leave the Inside full of Uncleanness and so the Inside defiles the Outside A Copy of the Queries which were sent to the Baptized People in Fenstanton with some more added for them or any whom they do concern toanswer Several Queries to you who are call'd Baptists by your Teachers to be answered Query I. WHat is the first Principle of Religion and whether to it you be come yea or nay 2 What is the Bridle of the Tongue and whether to it you be come yea or nay 3. What is the Church in God and whether to it you become yea or nay 4. What is the Order in the Church and whether to it you be come yea or nay 5. What is the Baptism into the Church and whether to it you be come yea or nay 6. Whether you will own the Baptism of the Spirit or the Baptism of Water and which you will deny seeing the Scripture saith The Baptism is but One Ephes. 4. 5. 7. And where Christ ever commanded Water-Baptism 8. Why did the Apostles baptize with Water and why do you baptize with Water and where and when and by what were you commanded and where was any of the twelve Apostles baptized with Water 9. And whether you do it because the Apostles did it yea or nay 10. What is the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and whether to it you are come yea or nay 11. Whether your Faith purifies your Hearts yea or nay 12. And whether you commit Sin yea or nay 13. How would you know there is a Christ but by the Scripture and how do you witness the Scripture is Truth 14. And what is the Ground of your Faith 15. What is the Redemption and whether to it you are come yea or nay 16. What is the Communion of the Saints and wherein it stands and whether to it you be come yea or nay 17. And whether you that break Bread do discern the Lord's Body yea or nay 18. What was their Rule and Guide that spoak forth the Scripture 19. Whether you have the same insallible Spirit that gave forth the Scripture 20. Whether is the Scripture your Rule and Guide or the Spirit that gave it forth 21. Whether they that are guided by the Spirit that gave it forth live not in the Life thereof yea or nay 22. Whether the Life of the Scriptures be perfect yea or nay 23. And whether you are or think to be made perfect while you are upon the Earth yea or nay Or where do you think to be made perfect if not upon the Earth 24. And what is the Life and Power of Godliness and whether in it you dwell who have a Form yea or nay 25. Whether you are washed and cleansed by the Blood of the Lord Jesus and the Spirit of our God as the true Church was yea or nay 26. Whether you have put off the Old Man and put on the New as the true Church did yea or nay and what is the New Man 27. And whether you have put off the Image of the Earthly and put on the Image of the Heavenly and how are they known the one from the other 28. Whether you are not conformed like unto the World so long as you follow their Customs and Fashions 29. Whether you are come that you need no Man to teach you as the true Church was yea or nay 30. What is the Cross whereby Paul was crucified and whether to it you be come yea or nay 31. What is the Watcher that strikes at the Feet of the Image and whether to it you be come yea or nay 32. What is the Word and what is the Death that hath passed over all Men even over those who had not sinned after the Similitude of Adam's Transgression and whether this Death you ever passed 33. Whether you have passed from Death to Life yea or nay 34. Where and when and how received you the Command and Power to deliver any Saul up to Satan and where is that Satan you deliver it up to 35. What is the Tree of Life and what is the Tree of Knowledge and whether upon it you do not feed and what is the flaming Sword that is set to keep from the Tree of Life and whether it ye ever passed yea or way 36. What is the Beast that all the World wonders after and worships and what is the Worship of the Beast and whether any worships the only true God but the true Church and what is the Worship in this Church 37. What are you Ministers of and what do you minister unto and what is the End of your Ministry 38. And by what do you try the Spirits
one of them in the open Court for so doing and yet these things were suffered And also the Judge gave Charge unto the Goaler To let no Giddy-headed People come to me as he called them which I never desired that any such should come but thereby they take Occasion to keep my Friends from me accounting them Giddy-headed People But they are not Giddy-headed People that own sound Doctrine but they are Giddy-headed People that cannot endure sound Doctrine but have itching Ears carried about with Reports and Hear-says to speak Evil of the things they know not But thus without all Honesty they acted in the Enmity of their Minds against me yet in all I was made to rejoyce for I see their Deceit was manifest to the People and the Truth owned in many Hearts so that my Sufferings were not grievous unto me but joyous But as the Judge's Dealings were Rigorous and Unjust towards me it was so much the more on the contrary to Barrabas for there were three or four arraigned for Suspicion of Murder and others for Fellony yet he did deliver them and there was not one that Dyed or was Branded neither which I did desire but only this I do declare to shew how the World loves its own and how the same Spirit now rules in both Priest People and Rulers that ruled amongst the Jews who esteemed Barrabas above Christ and numbred him amongst Transgressors And so in all this the Scripture is fulfilled and the Day further appears to the Glory of God the Father of Truth who will exalt his Truth by his own Power over the Heads of all its Enemies So then they brought me back to Prison again where I still remain in the Peace and Freedom of my Spirit which none can take away though in the Hands of mine Enemies Yet this I know That the Invisible God in working in Secret by his Power and with a Strong Arm carrying on this great Work which he hath begun in the Earth yea and he will bring down and overturn all until it come into his Hand whose own it is and he will exalt his Kingdom in the Hearts of his People and his Son shal rule over the Earth yea and all his Enemies shall be his Foot-stool and shall bow unto him and be glad to lay down their Crowns before him and acknowledge his Power yea and he will dash all the Forms and false Likenesses and Images which are set up by Man in his Imaginations calling them Churches and he will dâ—â—h them and the Powers of the Earth in pieces one against another like a Potter's Vessel though now they set at nought the Corner-Stone yet then by it shall they be grownd to Powder For our God is a Consuming Fire and who is able to stand in the Day of his Wâ—ath Therefore it is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God Then Wo to all his Enemies or be that lifts up his Hand against his Maker to Contrary what he hath decreed Here followeth a REPLY to my MITTIMUS which was adjudged a Contempt of the Magistracy WHereas I who am of the World called James Parnel am committed as Prisoner to be kept in the Common Goal by a Mittimus sealed and signed by you four Men who are called Justieâ—s of the Peace who write your selves Herbert Pellham Thomas Cook Dyonisius Wakering William Harlackinden wherein I find several Lyes Slanders and False Accusations cast upon me therefore for the Truth 's sake and for the Satisfaction of the Simple I shall Reply to the same and clear the Truth and return the Venom upon your Venomous Spirits from whence it comes that you may be convinced of your Evil and cease Fighting against Christ and his Kingdom First Your Own as followeth WHerereas it duely appears unto Us by Our own View and also by the Examination of James Parnel who saith He was born at Retford in the County of Nottingham Labourer That He the said James Parnel with very many other Persons of his gathering together did this Day in a Riotous Manner enter into the Parish Church at Great Coggashall aforesaid and there being a great Number of Christians met in the said Church to hold and keep a Day of publick Humiliation and Seeking of God and being in order thereunto then exercised in the Divine Worship and Service of God Almighty He the said James did then and there stand up and told the Minister He Blasphemed and spoak Falsly and used many other reproachful Words against the said Minister And afterwards he departed the said Church and went into the common High-Way in the said Town of Great Coggashall with a great Number of Persons his Followers who kept there Unlawfully together and some of them gave out Menacing Threatning Speeches tending to the Breach of the Peace and against the Law And also the said James cannot give us a very good Account where he was last setled or of his Life and Conversation but doth further appear to us to be an Idle Disorderly Person These are therefore in the Name of his Highness the Lord Protector to will and require you To convey forthwith the said Iames Parnel unto the Common Goal for this County there to remain until the next General Goal-Delivery to be holden for this County and until thence delivered by due Course of Law unless he the said Iames shall come before us or any two of us or two some other Justices of the Peace for this County and shall find very Able and Sufficient Sureties to be bound with him by Recognizance for his personal Appearance at the said next Goal-Delivery there to Answer what shall be then objected against him and not to depart thence without License of the Court and in the mean time to be of good Behaviour and thereof fail not at your Peril Dated at Coggashall aforesaid the Twelfth Day of Iuly 1655. The Keeper of the said Common Goal is hereby requir'd to receive and keep the said Iames if he shall be brought unto him Herbert Pellham Thomas Cook Dyonysius Wakering William Harlackinden A Reply to the aforesaid Mittimus 1. Accusation WHereas I am hereby accused That I who am of the World called JAMES PARNEL with very many other Persons of my gathering together did this day in a Riotous Manner enter the Parish Church of Great Coggashall aforesaid Reply Are you not ashamed who profess your selves Ministers of Law Justice and Peace to begin with Lyes and make them your Refuge against the Innocent tending to the Disturbance of the Peace of the Faithful whom you both ought and would Encourage and Countenance if you were faithful Ministers of Peace and Justice standing in the pure Counsel of God Ruling for God and not for your selves in all things discharging your Consciences unto God without Partiality or Respect of Persons as faithful Ministers of Law and Justice But contrary unto this you have acted in your corrupt Wills turning your Swords against the
Yea or Nay 54. VVhat is that which is lost which Christ comes to seek and what is that which was driven away which Christ comes to bring again and whether this is not to be witnessed and fulfilled in Man Yea or Nay 55. VVhat is the Paradice wherein Man was placed and what was the Image of God wherein Man was created 56. And how was Man a living Soul and whether all this is not to be restord unto Man and fulfilled and witnessed unto Man while he is upon the Earth Yea or Nay 57. What is the Tree of Life and what is the Tree of Knowledge and whether upon it you do not feed and what is the flaming Sword that is set to keep from the Tree of Life and whether it you ever passed 58. Whether the Natural Man can try and discern false Spirits by the Scripture and by what doth the spiritual Man try and judge all Things and whether by the same he did not try and discern Spirits 59. And by what did the Holy Men of God that gave forth the Scripture try and discern Spirits and whether yours be the same Tryer of Spirits as theirs was who say You must try the Spirit by the Letter 60. Whether you are not conform'd like unto the World so long as you follow their Fashions and Customs 61. VVhether you are not partial amongst your selves so long as you respect Persons These Things I do not ask as if I knew them not but for the Satisfaction of the Simple and the clearing of the Truth and Manifesting your Deceit to the World by which you have deceived the World who are the Deceivers of the World therefore answer by plain Scripture and your own Experience or else let all Flesh keep Silence before the Lord and let Guilt stop your Mouthes for Railing Reproaching and Blaspheming the Truth of God which is made manifest in these People whom you scornfully call Quakers who by you and your Agents are persecuted but where do you find that the Church of God was ever Persecutors or ever made Use of Carnal VVeapons to defend them J. P. Here followeth a Copy of a Letter that I was moved to write to Judge Hills after the Assize A Few VVords â—nto thee that art set in the Seat to do Justice and to bear the Sword of Justice in thy Hand and hast turned the Edge of it against the Righteous and laid it upon the Innocent and thy fair VVords will not shelter nor cover thy deceitful Actions but thy deceitful Heart is made manifest and thy Hypocrisie doth there appear for thou hast hearkned unto the false Prophet and by his enticing VVords thou art deceived and so puttest Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness Evil for Good and Good for Evil and so art lyable to the VVo from the Lord and hast persecuted Christ and set at Liberty Barrabas yea and I was numbred amongst Transgressors yet could not have the Liberty of Transgressors as in many Things might be nominated but in short I shall declare it First That mine Accusers should stand in the Place as Judges over me and their Accusations and false Witnesses to be heard to the full and also to whisper and buz in thy Ears in secret what they would against me and also that thou that satest in the Seat as a Judge to repeat over unto the Jury all that thou couldst gather by wrong Interpretation and Construction against me but nothing of my Defence against my Accusations but rather to drive out of their Minds by thy evil incensing what I had before declared in my own Defence but thou as it were passedst the Sentence upon me before the Jury went forth but thou thoughtst thou hadst pannelled a Jury wherewith thou wast pleased to try me according to thine own Mind and Will for the Fore-man was a Drunkard and the rest Swearers out of the Doctrine of Christ against all which I did object and denyed by them to be tryed but it was thy Will and Pleasure so to do and when they come to bring in their Evidence they had so much Understanding that they charg'd me with nothing but the Papers which I had before confessed to be mine and owned them but the Indictment they would not own to be Truth against me though dishonestly both thou and the Clerk did draw Words out of the Fore-man of the Jury which the rest did not consent to and then in thy Will with thy fair and deceitful Speeches thou imposedst a Fine upon me contrary to all Law and Equity but where Equity is not it cannot be expected for Oppression within Oppression without and he that cannot Witness the Sword of Justice set up in his Heart knows not how to handle it without for he that rules not by the Law of God in his Heart rules in his own VVill and is partial and understands not the Things of God but what pleaseth his VVill that he cherisheth and what crosseth his VVill that he would curb and the VVill of Man is opposite to the VVill of God therefore the Cross of Christ is of Use to them that know it but a stumbling Block to the VVorld but he that rules in his own VVill is no Minister of God he that respects Persons is not fit to bear Rule for God he that seeks himself is not fit to bear Rule for God all which appeared and was openly manifest in thee in the open Court as in those Things before mentioned and many other which are now out of Mind but for the clearing of my Conscience unto thee I was moved to write that thou mightst see what thou hast done and be left without Excuse of Ignorance in the Presence of the Almighty for contrary to the Light of God in thy Conscience thou hast acted by which thou standest Accuâ—ed in the Presence of the Almighty and if thy Conscience accuse thee God is greater But if thou hadst stood in the Place where thou art set to judge of legal Matters about natural temporal Things thou hadst had the less to account for but in medling to judge about Spiritual Matters is Authority which the Scripture which thou callest thy Rule doth not allow thee for the Natural Man perceives not the Things of God because they are spiritually discerâ—ed therefore in this the spiritual Man judgeth thee and thy Condemnation is great therefore lay these Things to Heart and put them not far from thee or to the Light of God in thy Conscience I do speak which eternally will witness me condemn thee in the Presence of the Almighty who hast taken upon thee to judge and condemn those whom God hath justified Thereâ—ore consider what advantageth it thee or what will it advantage thee when thou comest to give an Account before the Lord God of Heaven and Earth the Judge of all the Quick and the Dead if thou hast now Power to keep this Body in Prison until thou hast the Life of the Creature which
a Despiser thereof and therefore out from among the Ministers of Christ thou art raised and thy Answer is not according to Truth but a Lye as shall further be made to appear hereafter by him whom thou callest the Young Quack and it seems Fear surpriseth the Heart of the Hypocrite so that thou art ashamed to own thy Work with thy Name Priest And whereas thou saist Courteous Reader we are forced notwithstanding so many Pamphlets extant against the People called Quakers to give Answer to thirty six Queries of James Parnel's the Young Quaker Reply Although thou hast boasted thy self an ancient Minister and contemnest me as a young Boy yet here it appears that thou art glad of others to help thee to answer my Queries as these Words before mentioned do testifie and yet it is but a Pamphlet as thou and thy Helpers do confess that those many are that are extant against the People called Quakers And then thou runst on in Way of Reproach and Scorn against me because of my Youth but the Wisdom of Solomon answereth you That a poor and wise Child is better then an old foolish King who will no more be admonished and therefore when you think of your Age consider also your Folly and let that stop your Mouthes from professing your selves Ancients who manifest such a light scornful Spirit and hate to be reformed Priest And whereas thou saist Thou doubtest not but his Queries are the Dictates of others deceiving and being deceived which yet they put under the Boy 's Name for the Credit of their Cause Here also without Doubt thy unbelieving Heart is manifested who without Ground measurest others according to thine own Heart who because thou makest Use of the Dictates of others as here doth plainly appear therefore censurest others which doth not add Credit to thy Cause because thou boasts of thy Age. Priest But according as thou believest so be it to thee yet nevertheless thou shalt find that the Truth I shall maintain against thee who with thy Unbelieving Heart art deceiving and being deceived and then thou runnest on in the Pride of thy Spirit accusing of me to be Ignorant of the Truth of God because as thou sayst of the false wording of my Queries Reply But with Shame mightst thou speak it for openly hast thou manifested to the Understanding Reader thy self to be a meer Stranger both to God and his Truth also who wouldst limit the Truth of God to an human Art which many of the Children of God had not and therefore the Power of God was the more manifested And when Peter and John were brought before the learned Men to wit the chief Priests and the Rulers and they wondred at them because they perceived they were unlearned Men and thus with thy Wisdom and thy great Learning thou art shut out of the Truth in the natural but by this I do not own thy Accusation to be Truth against me for I have a Copy of the Queries of my own Hand-writing which was the Original of those that were sent to thee which will bear Testimony against thee to be a false Accuser and how thou thy self hast wronged them and misworded them because they were in the Cross unto thy Wisdom and to maintain this thou bringest a Story in Erasmus nevertheless the Story which thou bringest doth not at all touch me but may fitly be returned into thy own Bosom where it shall lâ—e Then thou and thy Agent do beseech the Reader to read without Partiality which if he do he will judge no otherwise of you then as I have declared but will see how you have uttered forth your Folly and foamed out your Shame in going about to contradict the truth And at the End of this your Epistle to the Reader I find W. P. which I judge to be one of thy Agents to this your shameful Work to which thou darest not own thy Name My first Query Where and how and by what wast thou called to the Ministry which thou professest Pr. Answ. And in thy Auswer thou goest about to plead many Excuses whereby to flee the Answering of my Queries saying It is easier for him that is yet in Darkness to propound Doubts and Queries then for some of the Children of Light to auswer them on a suddain Which to prove thou quotest Daniel and that our Saviour thou say'st himself refused to answer the Pharisees Interogatories till they had first answered his Mat. 21. 23 24. And albeit thou say'st Thou might'st put me off with Solomon's Words Prov. 26. 4. Answer not a Fool according to his Folly lest thou also be like unto him Reply I did not propound the Queries unto thee as any Doubts of mine but that thou in thy Answer thereunto mightst either prove thy Practice by the Scriptures unto them that are in Doubt thereof or unto them manifest thy self to be a Deceiver which last thou hast plainly done to the least Child of Light and therefore it doth not follow that I am in Darkness or that thou art a Child of Light Neither didst thou suddainly answer the Queries though they concerned thy own Condition and therefore this Place in Daniel doth not at all stand for thee for it was for Daniel to tell and interpret Nebuchadnezzer's Dream which was a hard thing for any to tell unless it was immediately revealed to them by God's Spirit as it was to Daniel but all the Magicians and Learned Men could not find it out by their Arts But most of these Queries unto thee were concerning thy present Condition and Practice and herein thou manifestest thy self to be in Darkness who thus wrests the Scripture out of its Place for thy own Ends. And also Daniel was a Man that Feared the Lord and Trembled at his Power which now thou denyest and scoffest at and yet art not ashamed to take Daniel's Words for a Refuge against the Light And as for that Scripture in Mat. 21. 23 24. it shall be returned into thine own Bosom for it is thee and such as thee who are set up by the Will of Man and Authorized by the Authority of Man who joyn with the Pharisees and Scribes of these Times and combine together with the Earthly Powers to call us to question By what Authority we go abroad preaching the Truth from Place to Place and Crying against Deceivers and where we had our Commission because we receive it not from Man as you do but do witness the same Power and Authority as the Ministers of God did in all Ages and the same Commission for they received not their Commission from Man but were immediately called and immediately fitted and sent forth into the Work of the Ministry freely to give as freely they had received and were persecuted by them that were set up by the Will of Man which also we do witness and therefore the Scripture afore-mentioned belongeth unto thy Generation who were ever Persecutors And if by propounding Queries thou judgest
me to be in Darkness then much more thou judgest and condemnest thy self for for my Thirty Six Queries thou hast propounded me an Hundred And here also thou accountest me a Fool as by the Scripture thou quotest in Prov. 26. 4. and therein manifests thy self so much the greater Fool in propounding so many Queries to me whom thou account'st a Fool And thus the Pride of thy Heart hath deceived thee Pr. Answ. And whereas thou sayest Thou wast Inwardly called to the Ministry by the Motion and Gifts of God's Spirit long before I was born which thou sayest hath been God's Ordinary Way which to prove thou quotest Job 32. 8. 2 Chron. 20. 14. Amos 5. 7. 15. Mich. 3. 8. Rep. Though it hath been and is God's Ordinary Way by his own Power and Spirit to call and fit his own Ministers for his own Work as those Scriptures afore-mentioned do prove which we also do witness and do come no other Way yet these Scriptures do not at all prove where and how and by what thou wast called and Jahaziel and Amos and Micha which those Scriptures aforesaid bear Testimony of to be thus called were men that spoak the Word of the Lord freely against Sin and Transgression and False Prophets and Hirelings and their Lives sealed their Testimony And these Scriptures also bear Testimony how and where they were called from their Outward Callings to speak the Word of the Lord and so from those Scriptures thou art shut and hast nought to do to take them into thy Mouth for they do not prove that thou wast thus called from thy Labour for thou wast brought up all thy Dayes in Idleness and at a University as you call it to learn Arts and Sciences without which Those were Called and Fitted And for any other Call then as the Common National Ministers are called who deny both Immediate Revelation and Inspiration thou hast brought no Proof that will stand for thee but only thy own bare Words wherein thy Life and Practice will condemn thee for it is one with the National Priests and thou art maintained and upheld by the same Power as the National Teachers are neither dost go from Place to Place reproving Sin in the Gate as Amos and Micha did who were thus called neither dost speak freely as they did therefore are a False Prophet who sayst The Lord saith when he never spoak to thee but runnest and the Lord never sent thee and therefore thou profittest not the People at all as is manifest by the Fruits of thy Ministry and thus thou wast a Deceiver before I was born and the Lord hath Raised me up to Tell thee of it Qu. 2. Whether is thy Call and Means which thou professest Mediate or Immediate Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou say'st It was both For say'st thou Besides the Immediate aforesaid thou wast ordained a Minister by the Superiours and Governours of the Church as the Elders and Pastors of the Churches were formerly by Paul and Barnabas Acts 14. 23. But thou say'st Thou doubtest whether James Parnel well was called either way to be Teacher if so let him prove it by an Infallible Testimony Rep. Those that have an Inward Call to the Ministry do not stay for an Outward Call by Man but go forth in Obedience to the Word of the Lord Whosoever was called to the Ministry of the Gospel it was Immediately and not Mediately but thine Mediately by the Will of Man and not Immediately as before is proved and also out of thy own Mouth art made manifest For thou say'st Thou doubtest whether I was called either way But if thou wast Called and Guided by the Spirit of the Lord thou wouldst know without Doubts whether I was so called yea or nay for the True Ministers were Epistles writ in one anothers Hearts And they also know the False Prophets and the False Apostles and the False Ministers and declared against them as I do against thee and without doubt I do know thee to be a Deceiver by an Infallible Testimony and those that thou speakest of in Acts 14. 23. whom Paul and Barnabas ordained Elders they did not ordain them Ministers of the Gospel neither sent them abroad to preach the Gospel neither allowed them an Hundred or Two Hundred Pounds by the Year as thou hast but they chose out those that were strong in the Faith and set them to watch over the Weak But those Churches were gathered by the Power and Spirit of God and were turned from Darkness to Light and were washed clensed and sanctified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God But out of your Church cast Drunkards and Swearers and Lyars and Proud and Covetous Ones and Adulterous and Idolaters and Quarrellers and Fighters and Scoffers and Scorners and Backbiters and Envious Ones and Prophane and Wanton Ones and the like who are neither Washed nor Sanctified and then see where will be the Church of England and the Pastors Teachers and Elders and all Then you that profess your selves to be the Church of Christ will be found the Synagogue of Statan whose Minister thou art And also Paul and Barnabas who ordained them Elders were Men endued with the holy Spirit of the Lord and were immediately called and chosen to the Ministry and had a Spirit of Discerning to know who were fitted for the Eldership and all this was done without an University or serving Seven years to learn Arts and Sciences or taking Degrees without which you can do nothing And also those Superiours and Governours have nothing but what they have gotten by Art and Study and reading of others Experiences but are ignorant of the Power of God neither know whether there be any Holy Ghost yea or nay but by the hearing of the Ear but scoff and scorn and persecute those that now do witness these things and they themselves were also first ordain'd by the Will of Man And thus thou hast but so much the more manifested thy self of the World in going about to prove thy self a called Minister by the Scripture which doth altogether witness against thee And whereas thou wouldst have me to prove my Call by an Infallible Testimony I tell thee Without an Infallable Testimony I do not go neither without an Infallible Testimony do I desire to be received or owned and to this the Infallible Spirit of Truth bears Testimony in all the Children of Truth And thou that hast not an Infallible Testimony either with me or against me are still in Darkness and knowest not the Truth then far unfit to be a Teacher to others Qu. 3. Whether thou art guided by the Same Infallible Spirit that gave forth the Scripture Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou say'st That we our selves teach That all Men are taught and guided by that Spirit at times And secondly thou say'st Thou praisest God for it thou art guided and assisted by that Spirit which is alwayes Infallible
And thirdly thou say'st Thou doubtest whether any of those that are called Quakers are alwayes guided by that Spirit Rep. Here all that are guided by any Measure of that Spirit may easily see the Lyes and Confusion for thy first is a Lye That any of us do teach that all Men are taught and guided by that Spirit at Times for I deny that thou art who art now taken with a Lye in thy Mouth which all that understand our Doctrine will witness against And 2dly That thou art guided hy an Infallible Spirit is a Lye against the Holy Ghost for no Lye comes from that Spirit And again thou belyest the Spirit of Truth to say Thou art guided by it and yet canst not give an Infallible Testimony whether those thou call'st Quakers are guided by an Infallible Spirit Yea or Nay but art in thy Doubts but that Spirit is without Doubts which now judgeth thee to be a Lyar and thy God thou praisest to be the Devil the Father of Lyes who must both be tormented together Qu. 4. Whether they that are guided by that Spirit need study how or what to say Pr. Ans. And in thy Answer thou sayst Timothy had that Spirit in a greater Measure then James Parnel yet Paul saith thus unto him as in 1 Tim. 4. 13 14 15 16. And thou saist If the Apostles had been put to preach upon a short Text or Theam methodically as by long Practice in the Church is expected from you they must oft times have studyed for it as thou conceivest though if you were left at large to speak as the Spirit of God moves you and gives Matter in thou hopest some of you by God's Assistance should speak as to good or better Purpose then any who now pretend to the Spirit 's Actings Rep. Here thou hast sufficiently manifested thy Spirit and thy Ignorance of the Spirit of God to any who understand the Things of the Spirit of God and all these Scriptures which thou hast brought concerning Timothy doth not at all prove that he that is guided by the Spirit of God need study how or what to preach But Paul exhorted Timothy to the Gift that was in him which was given him by or for Prophesie for in so doing he should save himself and those that heard him which you never do by the Fruit of your Study but rather destroy them witness the Fruits of your Ministry these many Years in this Nation who have wrought no better Reformation among your Hearers and also this Scripture doth not at all prove that Paul bad Timothy study old Authors and Heathenish Commentators as you do neither to Study Arts and Sciences as you do who with your Philosophy and vain Deceit do spoil the People for thou hast manifested thy self to be altogether ignorant of the Spirit of God who by thy own Conceivings judgest the Spirit of God to be insufficient to instruct and teach the Apostles what to speak at all Times without Study when as Christ himself exhorteth them to take no Thought what to speak for it should be given them in the very same Hour for saith he It is not you that speak but the Spirit of your father that speaketh in you which Spirit speaketh not without Method which Spirit you Teachers of the Church of England are great Strangers to who think that the Spirit of God can be limited to a Text or a Theam as thou confessest you are but thou Lyar where is now thy infallible Spirit who thus speakest thy own Conceivings And therefore be ashamed hence-forward to pretend to an Infallible Spirit who hast here so openly manifested thy Ignorance of it and its Movings so that if thou wast left at large to speak from that Spirit in thee and wast shut out of thy Library and from any Text or Writing thou wouldst plainly manifest thy self to be one of the dumb Dogs that could not bark which Isaiah from the Spirit of the Lord declared against without Study For I do believe that if thou and the rest of the National Teachers whom thou confessest are tyed to a Text or Theam could tell how to please the People and get Gain without studying or speaking from a Text you would for the Credit of your Cause as thou saist for I know nothing that tyes you to it but your own Covetous Ends to make a Gain of these Scriptures and to deceive the Ignorant with feigned Words whom Peter without Study foretold of and therefore thou Hypocrite pretend no more to an infallible Spirit but with the rest of thy Brethren confess thou art void of it as many of them have done for in such Pretences thou art but the greater Deceiver and thy Folly doth the more appear Qu. 5. Whether is it as lawful now for Tradesmen Shepherds or Plowmen to preach if they be led by the Spirit of God as those that spake forth the Scripture Pr. Ans. And in thy Answer thou saist If this was wholly granted James Parnel cannot claim any Interest therein as thou conceivest for thou saist he is neither Tradesman Plowman nor Shepherd nor will take any Course to maintain himself by this Labour for he hath been tryed But herein James Parnel can plainly tell thee thou art a Lyer for he followed a Trade with his Father until the Lord by his Spirit called him from it into his own Word and so I obeyed the Word of the Lord and left my Father with his Trade as James and John did their Father in the Ship For he that will not forsake Father and Mother Lands and Livings Wife and Children and all for Christ's sake is not worthy of him in which Work neither thou nor any other can tax me for Idleness but I believe my Labour and Diligence in the same is more offensive to you Deceivers then if I had been Idle But he that would call me from this Work that I am set about into the Work of Man I should answer him God must be served before Man for if it had not been the Will of God to call me forth into his Work I should still have served my Earthly Father sooner then any other Man notwithstanding the Evil Thoughts and Conceivings of such like as thee who art given up to believe Lyes and tell Lyes but where is now thy infallible Spirit who speakest by thy own Conceivings and thus the Thoughts of thy Heart deceive thee And as for my Maintenance I need not a Law to compel it as thou dost neither am chargeable to the World as thou art who by a Law of Man takest nigh three hundred Pound by the Year of them therefore in this thou mightst have laid thy Hand upon the Mouth for thou and hundreds more of thy Brethren never followed any honest Calling whereby to get an honest Livelyhood without being chargeable to the World but were from your Youths brought up at Babylon's Schools learning her Witchcraft and Sorcery thereby to deceive the
Nations and through Covetousness with feigned Words make Merchandize of them which you now spare not Pr. Ans. And secondly thou grantst That if Men be made of God spiritual whether Shepherds or Plowmen first they may teach But thirdly thou sayst every Man that hath the Spirit in some Measure doth not attain to that Height Growth and Degree that they did who gave forth the Scriptures and therefore may not as lawfuly nor as infallibly teach as they did and thou sayst Nor canst thou discern clearly that the best amongst them called Quakers have yet reached that Degree or Dispensation of the Spirit And after much dissembling Speeches thou manifests thy light and frothy Spirit still despising me because of my Youth but thy Words are not worth mentioning And thus when thou openest thy Mouth concerning the Spirit thou manifests thy Folly and Ignorance of the Spirit so that a Babe may comprehend thee and tell thee of thy Folly And when thou thinkst of thy Beard or Age as thou sayst Confusion of Face may cover thee For though every one that hath the Spirit in some Measure doth not attain to that Height Growth and Degree that they did who gave forth the Scripture yet it doth not follow that none do attain to that Height Growth Degree and they that have attained to the same Spirit in a Measure and by the same Spirit are moved and called forth may as lawfully and as infallibly teach as they did in their Measures for the same Spirit is infallible in the least Measure and its call is lawful and thus thou shewest thou wast never called norâ—led by it who art so ignorant of it and as here also doth further appear in that thou confessest Thou discernest not the People called Quakers and therefore are blind and from thee the Secrets of God are hid and it doth not follow that they are ever the less spiritual but rather more because thou canst not discern them who pretend'st thy self a spiritual Man And thus they are attained to that Degree they can discern thee to be a Blind Guide and Deceiver of the World and therefore is thy spirit the more against them for all thy Flattering and Dissembling Speeches from thy hypocritical Heart who bendest thy Tongue like a Bow against them uttering forth Lyes in Hypocrisie and with thy scornful spirit Reproachest me with Lyes but it was thy Generation that Quaked for Fear of the Downfal of their Kingdom and therefore persecuted me and imprisoned me yet their Fear did not overtake me for I was made as willing to Suffer as they were to Afflict as knowing it was for his Cause who will make you all to Quake and Tremble who lift up your Heels against him And as thou comparest Cambridge to Jericho so the Curse of Jericho shall come upon it for its Whoredom and Sorceries and Stiff-neckedness against the Lord and his Anointed And though thou thus Scornest me and Despisest me because of my Youth yet it is because thou knowest not the Scripture nor the Power of God Qu. 6. Whether any are the Ministers or Messengers of Christ but those that are guided by his Spirit and abide in his Doctrine as the Holy Men of God were in Scripture and whether the Wind doth now blow where it listeth Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer to the first Part thou grantest That none are the True Ministers and Messengers of Christ but those that are in some measure guided by his Spirit and abide in his Doctrine But secondly thou say'st Men may think that they have that Spirit and yet be led by the Lying Spirit as Zedekiah who smote Michaiah was 1 Kings 22. 24. Rep. Herein thou markest out thy self for a Deceiver who pretendest to the Spirit it is the Lying Spirit as is before proved and so art shut on t from the Ministers and Messengers of Christ who art not guided by his Spirit and therefore abidest not in his Doctrine as is before proved by thy Ignorance of the True Spirit And therefore thou and such False Prophets as thou thus smite at and persecute us that are called Quakers because the Lord is pleased to bestow his Spirit upon us whereby we are able to declare your Deceit and manifest your Lying Spirits who have professed your selves the Ministers of Christ yet Strangers to his Spirit and Opposers of his Truth like Jannes and Jambres who are Men of corrupt Minds and Reprobates concerning the Faith 2 Tim. 3. 8. Pr. Answ. And to the second Part of the Query thou say'st That the Wiud blows where it listeth if it be not stopped yet are there many false Winds which blow likewise from a Deceitful Spirit which to prove thou quotest Ephes. 4. 14. That we henceforth be no more Children tossed to and fro with every Wind of Doctrine and sayest Mind this James Rep. This I do mind and still see how thou markest out thy self with thy Deceitful Spirit for if the Wind doth blow where it listeth which thou acknowledgest then what is that in you professed Ministers which goes about to stop it with Gain-saying and Persecution and would limit the Spirit of God unto a Text or Theam from which you with your deceitful spirits do raise Uses Points Tryals and Motives c. whereby many poor Creatures are tossed to and fro and carried about with your airy spirits with the Sleight and cunning Craftiness of your Brains whereby you study to deceive as thou mayest read in the latterâ—end of the Verse which thou hast quoted Ephes. 4. 14 which here shall stand against thee And so many are the Children which are tossed to and fro by you although they have both Beards and Age as thou sayest yea some are Thirty some Forty some Fifty some Sixty yea Eighty and never yet come to the Knowledge of the Truth and thus with Feigned Words through Covetousness you make merchandize of the People beguiling Unstable Souls But think not that all you False Prophets with the Beast that upholds you can stop or quench this Spirit which now bloweth where it listeth for with all the Sleight and Craftiness that you can use you shall be made to fall before it and the Fruits of your Labours shall be given you Qu. 7. Whether thou wilt own Immediate Revelation now yea or nay Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou sayest The Apostle teacheth you to pray for the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Acknowledgment of God Which to prove thou quotest Ephes. 1. 17. but sayest There are many False Lights and Delusions of Satan who too often transforms himself as an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11. 14. which thou sayest are entertained by unwary men for the Illuminations and Revelations of God's Spirit as appears in Zedekiah aforesaid which to prove thou quotest Ezek. 13. 6. 2 Thess. 2. 11. Rep. Here again thou hast marked out thy self and also belyest the Apostle for that Scripture in Ephes. 1. 17. only makes mention how the
our Lâ—nguâ—ge hath You Answ. Here thou Son of Babylon who art with thy Carnal Reason in thy Languages confused who stumblâ—st at the plain Language Thou what is that in thee that cannot bear the Word Thou which is the single proper Language to a single Person as well as You which thou confessest is a borrowed Language and thus the Hebrews and the Grecians and the Romans and the Dutch will condemn you who are content with their Natural Language Qu. 13. Whether it hath not been ever accounted Rude and Rustical in this Nation for Inferiour Men to speak unto others their Superiours by the Word Thou and not You and also to stand with their Hats on unless Leave were given them so to do Answ. Thou blind Sot thou hast laid thy self naked to the World with thy Rude and Rustical Query it was never accounted so but by Dives's Nature which is swelled with Pride and Arrogancy yea that which would be above God which must come down into the Pit Is not God the Superiour of all then why do you give unto him that Rude and Rustical Language as thou callest it here thou manifests thy self amongst the Heathen who know not God who exercise Lordship and Authority one of another and so you rule in your own Wills and would not suffer your Fellow-Creatures to put their Hats on their Heads but as you give them Leave and so are out of the Doctrine of Christ with your Rude and Rustical Spirits And was not THOU the Language betwixt God and Adam and betwixt God and Moses and so all along the Scripture to one particular Person then whether or nay is thine a Rustical Proud Spirit that canst not receive the Language thou givest unto God And thus thou hast sufficiently foamed out thy Shame and I am sure now thou speakest not by the Motion of the Holy Ghost Qu. 14. Whether ever Christ or his Apostles taught us to alter or violate the Civil Speeches and Customs of the Nation where we live by which our Reverence to others is expressed and accordingly expected if not commanded also And thou quotest 1 Cor. 10. 32. Answ. Christ is not your Teacher for out of his Doctrine ye are found in the Pride of your Hearts contemning his Speech and Language are not contented with your natural Language but borrow of others in which Custom we are not to follow you out of the Language of the Scripture and so here by thy Query you express no Reverence of God because to him you use the Word Thou which you do account an Uucivil Speech Therefore now see what is that which takes Offence at that which God accepts it must needs be of Proud Lucifer and that same took Offence at the Apostle who said Give No Offence yet the Truth is a Stumbling Stone and a Rock of Offence Therefore now see how thou stumblest at the Noon-day Isa. 59. 10. Thy next is concerning Salutations at your Meetings with others or Departings from others Unto which I Answer That your Heathenish Customs Traditions and Salutations I do deny and know them to be contrary to Scripture for saith it Let him that nameth the Name of God depart from Iniquity Therefore you that are in Iniquity do take his Name in Vain and make a Custom and By-word of it amonngst your selves when you meet with or depart from one aâ—other and so your Children learn it at you and by Imitation use his Name before they do know whether there be a God or nay And to that in Ruth 2. 4. and to that in Psalm 129. 8. which thou hast quoted in thy Fifteenth and Sixteenth Query I Answer They that there named the Name of the Lord knew him and that in the Psalm will witness against You that You have nothing to do to name his Name nor to have such words spoaken to you who know him not And read what God saith to the Wicked in Psal. 16. And why call ye me Lord and do not the things which I say But the Salutations of the Saints Iown who are not by Custom lead Luke 6. 46. Qu. 17. And to Mat. 10. 12. and Luke 10. 5. which here thou hast quoted I answer That you are no Ministers nor Messengers of Christ who are found out of his Doctrine therefore Peace is not given you to speak but as False Prophets you speak it to that which is for Death because that puts into your Mouthes and even prepare War against those that do witness the Son of Peace Thy next is concerning Meat Drink and Apparel And to thy first Query of that I Answer All the Creatures of God are Good in their Places and all things for the use of Man who dwells in the Moderation but cursed to you who live under the Curse in the Lust under whom the Creation groans who know not the pure Wisdom that made all things to teach you how to use all things to the Glory of God and therefore are out of the Right And thy 23d and 24th Query is here answered But you are they whose Kingdom stands in Meats and Drinks and Apparel who are taking thought what to eat what to drink and where-withal to be cloathed Matthew 6. 15. Qu. 22. And to this Query Where hath God enjoyned men to drink Water in any Part of his Word I Answer Thou mayst be ashamed to boast of thy Age who askest such a Childish Query I might as well ask thee Where God enjoyned men to drink Beer For Water is the Original of all Drinks for in the Dayes of Old Water was the Common Drink Hast thou not read of Jacob's Well where Christ drank then Who art thou that despisest Water It is a Sign thou servest the Lust. But if any drink Water who know the Goodness of it what is that to thee Who enjoyns thee to drink Water And in thy Twenty Fifth Query thou answerest thy self Qu. 26. And this Query is Whether one may not Satisfie the Flesh even in Over-fasting and Over-watching the Body Which to prove thou quotest Col. 2. 23. Answ. But I perceive thou wilt have a Care of that who hast been pleading so much for the Body which is the most thou mindest thy Zeal is not so hot But they that dwell in the Power of God are free from this and yet know how to keep uâ—der the Body and not satisfying the Lust But you that know not the Creator trust in the Creature Qu. 27. And here thou askest Whether are not the Saints to sanctifie their Meats and Drinks by Prayer and Thanksgiving before and after they eat and drink Which to prove thou quotest 1 Tim. 4. 5. and Rom. 14. 16. Answ. To the Pure all things are pure but thy Prayers are Abomination who art in the Lust. But which of these Scriptures maintains your Custom after Meat But the Saints receive nothing of God but with Thanksgiving and Glory to God but your Blessings are cursed And here is thy
Twenty Eighth Query answered also Qu. 29. Whether the Apostle's Interdiction be absolutely against all Ornaments or Comparatively only And thou hast quoted a Scripture in 1 Pet. 3. 3 4. which answereth thee where thou may'st read what Ornaments he approves of and here thy Thirty Thirty One and Thirty Two Query is answered Answ. But Moderation in every thing Iown but what is waste is for the Lust both in Kings Princes and Great Personages as thou callest them but with us there is no Respect of Persons neither taking thought what to eat what to drink or wherewithal to be cloathed as the Children of this World do amongst whom thou art found but our Kingdom is not of this World And Israel after the Flesh was a Figure of Israel after the Spirit therefore now read their Adorning if thou canst and remember No Creature was made for the Lust though Lustful Men Abuse them Thy next is concerning Pride And thy first Question of this is Whether Pride doth lye in Apparel though there may be much Wastefulness Vanity and Ostentation committed therein or inwardly in the Heart and Mind of the Poor as well as of the Rich and thou quotest Mark 7. 21 22 23. Answ. The Scripture which thou hast quoted doth answer thy Question where Pride lyeth but Apparel is a dead Thing and no Pride in it but the Vanity and Wastefulness which thou confessest is committed therein figures forth the Pride of the Heart and where Riches are this is shown therefore you Priests look at home and judge your selves though Poor and Rich be both in one Nature before the Regeneration Ephes. 2. 3. Qu. 34. Whether one of the greatest Things that puffs up the Hearts of Men be not knowledge whether it be true or false and imagined only and thou quotest 1 Cor. 8. 1 2. Answ. You that are Carnal and Fleshly are puffed up with your Fleshly Notional Knowledge and in that you steal from others Experiences but the true Knowledge of the Spirit puffs not up but judges down that which would be exalted but this unto thee is a Mystery because thy Knowledge hath blinded thy Eye who art confused in thy Imaginations so read thy self in the Scripture aforesaid which thou hast quoted Qu. 35. Whether another Thing that exalts a Man in Pride and makes him despise his Brethren and perhaps those that are better then himself be not a Conceited and Self-chosen Holiness seeing such a Proud Saint is brought in Isa. 65. 5. which Thing also thou sayst is verefied in the Pharisee and the Publican Luke 18. 15. Answ. Thou hast here answered thy self with these Scriptures wherein thou may'st read thy self who thinkest thy self more holy then thy Brethren and wouldst only answer for thy self and not for thy Brethren though thou art found in the same Practices but thou blind Pharisee he was not a Saint which was spoken of in Isa. 65. 5. but he was a Saint which said We are of God and the whole World lyeth in Wickedness 1 John 5. 19. And here also thy 36 Question is answered with the Scripture which thou hast quoted 1 Tim. 3. 6. who art a false Teacher doting about Questions Qu. 37. And here thou askest whether a Young Man be not the proâ—est of all other to be thus seduced and puffed up and thou quotest 1 Tim. 3. 6. Answ. Thy Spite is much against Youth but him thou shootest at thou canst not hit because thou art blind and canst not divide the Word aright but thou may'st plainly have read thy self in that Chapter aforesaid and find that thou art the Novice who knowest not the Truth but despisest the Young Man because of his Youth which is contrary to Paul 1 Tim. 4. 12. And thy next is to maintain Swearing Qu. 38. And thy first Query of this is Whethâ—r it be lawful now in the New Testament to take an Oath before lawful Authority to put an End to Controversies and thou quotest Heb. 6. 16. Answ. This which thou goest about now to uphold manifests thee an Enemy to Christ and his Doctrine who saith Swear not at all for saith he it hath been said in the Old Time thou shalt not forswear thy self but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oath but I say unto you Swear not all but let your Yea be Yea and your Nay be Nay for what is more is Evil Now here he doth not only forbid false Swearing but also all Swearing Mat. 5. 33 34 c. and also the Apostle James doth the same in Jam. 5. 12. both which Scriptures thou hast quoted in the 39th Query and so here out of the Doctrine of Christ again thou art found in the Evil and all you that cannot believe one another without Swearing and so are more then Yea Nay and what is more is Evil saith Christ now read your Condemnation And as for that in Heb. 6. there the Apostle was speaking by Way of Comparison how the Lord made a Covenant and confirmed it with an Oath which is Christ Jesus the Everlasting Oath who saith Swear not at all and the Apostle brought a Comparison from Men in Strife and Controversie but this doth not at all maintain Swearing now for Strife and Controversie is out of the Doctrine of Christ and such run into the Swearing and into the Evil amongst whom thou art found upholding the Evil and opposing Christ's Doctrine and so art found in the Condemnation of the Devil Jam. 5. 12. This was not the Saints Practice for in the New Covenant neither Strife nor Swearer is and thus you Leaders cause Men to err by upholding that which Christ is against and here thy 39th Qâ—ry is answered Qu. 40. Here thou askest Whether Paul himself did not swear in these Words 2 Cor. 11. 10. as the Truth of Christ is in me c. Answ. Oh thou Enemy of Truth that would'st here scandal and accuse Paul for Swearing that so thou might'st uphold Swearing but by what doth he here swear this is plain Language And thy next is concerning Outward Material Churches and the publick Exercises therein Most of these Queries are answered in my Reply to thy Answer to my 17th Query wherein I have declared why I object against your Steeple-houses which thou callest Churches Qu. 44. Here thou askest if such Meetings may not be mixt Assemblies of Learned and Unlearned of Believers and Unbeliers and thou quotest 1 Cor. 14. 23. Answ. But the Unbelievers are not owned by the Believers though they come amongst the Believers as in 2 Cor. 6. 14 15 16 17 18. then the Ministers are far off being maintained by Unbelievers as thou art for though thou confessest the greatest Part are Earthly-minded and Worldly-minded thou yet art maintained by them and I am sure they that come into the true Faith which purifieth the Heart come out from amongst you so that you are not much mixed for you are all one Nature like Priest like People And in thy 47 th and
his Praise Therefore henceforward stop thy Mouth from despising any because of their Youth but know this That whomsoever God calls to his Ministry he by his Power and Wisdom doth fit them for the same and contrary to the Reason of Man doth the Lord work Therefore it thou wast not blind thou wouldest not so much look at the Creature but at the Power of God in the Creature But as it is written He hath hid these things from the Wise and Prudent and revealed them unto Babes And here thy Eighty Fourth Query is also answered Qu. 85. Whether Lord will break his own Orders and Commands expresly set down in his Word where he saith as you already heard by Paul 1 Tim. 3. 6. Answ. And unto this I have already answer'd as to thy Thirty Seventh Query Therefore thou Blasphemer stop thy Mouth and be ashamed thus to accuse the Lord because he is pleased to make his Power known in Babes and Youth for Timothy To whom Paul writes this Epistle was himself but a Youth as Paul wrâ—tes 1 Tim. 4. 11 12. and there read thy Rebâ—ke Qu. 6. Where did Christ or his Apostles send forth Women to be publick Prophetesses as you have done many and some of them not long since Inâ—amous for Lewdness of Life Answ. Oh thou Impudent One How dost thou provoak the Lord to Indignation against thee that darest lay any such thing to the Charge of God's Elect Oh thou Lyar Whom dost thou accuse of Lewdness We abhor thy words for all Lewdness Prophaness we testifie against wheresoever it doth appear or any thing contrary to the Pure Divine Light which now is thy Conscience and many other Consciences doth bear witness for us against thee who arâ— given up to believe Lyes and report them Therefore read thy Portion in Rev. 21. 8. and read an Answer to thy Query in Joel 2. 28. where the Lord saith the Sons and Daughters shall prophesie And none other do we own but who immediately are carryed forth by the Spirit of the Lord without the Commission of Man therefore thou falsly accusest us who saist we send â—orth any Qu. 87. If you be extraordinary Prophets Immediately Inspired as many of you pretend to be where are the Miracles which such inspired Men wrought in Times past Answ. But that we are so inspired thou dost not believe as may easily be discerned by thy querying and therefore unto thee no Sign shall be given who art in the Adulterous Generation who cannot see the Signs that follow the Truth Mat. 16. 4. Qu. 88. What have you foreâ—told by way of Prediction which hath accordingly come to pass as the Prophets Apostles aud Inspired Men were wont to do Answ. If thou canst tax us to the contrary thou may'st we bear not witness of our selves but he that believeth hath the witness within himself And as for thy Eighty Nineth Ninetieth Ninety One and Ninety Two Queries they are answered in my Reply to thy Answer to my Sixtee Qnth uery And thy Ninety Third Query is answered in my Answer to thy Query concerning Salutations Qu. 94. Whether is a Multitude of Disciples and Followers a sure Sign that his Doctrine is from Heaven who is followed seeing the Way is broad that leads to Destruction and many there be that find it And thou quotest Mat. 7. 13. and 2 Pet. 2. 22. Answ. Many are called but few chosen and many for a time followed Christ so that a Ruler said If we let this Fellow alone all men will go after him which is the Cry of you and your Rulers now against the Messengers of Truth And hast thou never read of the Multitudes that followed Christ but few there be that enter because strait is the Gate But divide England into Parts and see if the greatest Number belong not unto you who are in the broad Way your lives preach you forth Therefore now thou shouldst have first asked thy self this Query and said Is it I and so have laid thy Hand upon thy Mouth Qu. 95. Seeing this Age is Earthly minded and willing to serve God with that which costs them nothing contrary to the Pious Nobâ—e Spirit of David 2 Sam. 24. 24. is it any great Wonder that your Doctrine against Tythes should find so many willing yea greedy Entertainers of it as it hath done since it was first broached Answ. The more is your Shame who are Teachers in this Age that are so Earthly-minded who have so long taken their Money for that which is not Bread and their Labour for that which profitteth not Do You not herein manifest your selves to be such as run and the Lord never sent You and therefore You profit not the People at all but they are still Earthly-minded How have You then sown Spiritual Things But I shall prove that the Earthly minded Ones still stick unto you for you have a Law made by the Will of Man so that if they refuse to pay You and forsake You then by it You cast them into Prison and by Your Law take Tribble Dammage and this they know and therefore consult with their Earthly Minds that it is better to pay the Lesser then the Greater though the Lesser is a greater Oppression thus many deny the Truth though they are convinced in their Consciences thereof Therefore that which leads any from You to take up this Cross to own the Truth and deny You of Tythes the same crucifies the Earthly Mind and leads to suffer for Conscience And the Noble Spirit of David condemns You for whereas he refused upon Gift You take upon Gift and if They will not give it You You will take it by Force therefore this Scripture affords Witnesses against You But hereby thou confessest our Doctrine costs them nothing then how saidst thou before That James Parnel 's Gospel was not without Charge and thus out of thy own Mouth thou art proved a Lyar. Qu. 96. Did ever Christ or the Apostles disturb the Priests and Ministers of those Times while they were teaching the People as many of you and yours have done Answ. Both the Prophets Christ and the Apostles declared against the Deceivers False Prophets False Priests and Hirelings and the Apostles were haled out of the Synagogues and out of the Temple as Christ told them John 16. 2. as we by the same Spirit do now against You whom we find in the same Steps and here thou art answered if this be it thou callest Disturbance But it is because You would bear rule by Your Means and suffer nothing to be published that is against You or strikes at Your Diana Qu. 97. Doth the Gospel ordinarily call any man from his outward Calling whereby he should maintain himself and his Family And thou quotest 1 Cor. 7. 20. Ephes. 4. 28. Answ. Yea it doth and the Scripture holds forth the same that they were ordinarily called from their Outward Callings to preach the Gospel
is not this a False Doctrine of them that have told the People the Letter hath been the Light whenas the Letter saith Christ is the Light Qu. XII And is not this a False Doctrine of them that have told the People of a Sacrament which there is no Scripture for And have told the People The Steeple-house hath been the Church whenas the Scripture saith The Church is in God 1 Thes. 1. 1. And is not this contrary to the Scripture Qu. XIII Have you that Spirit that was before Scripture was given forth which gave them forth yea or nay Qu. XIV Have you heard God's Voice immediately from Heaven and Earth yea or nay Qâ— XV. Do you own Trembling inward and Trembling outward yea or nay Qu. XVI Is that Witchcraft and the Spirit of it that scoffs and scorns at them that do Tremble And is not that the Power of God that makes the Devils to Tremble yea or nay and shakes down that which must be shaken and removes that which must be removed is this the Power of God yea or nay Qu. XVII And whether ever any thâ—â— did Tremble at the Word of God and witnessed the shaking of those things that must be shaken and the removing of thâ—se things which must be removed did Scoff and Scorn at any yea or nay Qu. XVIII And whether such as do Scoff and Scorn Beat and Imprison and Hale out of the Synagogues such as Trembled at the Word of the Lord be not out of Christ's Doctrine who saith Love your Enemies yea or nay Qu. XIX And whether such as have the Chief Seats in the Synagogues and stand Praying there and are called of Men Masters which Christ cryed Wo against Mat. 23. whether he justifies such now and sends forth such now which he once cryed Wo against yea or nay Qu. XX. And whether such as bear Rule by their Means and seek for their Gain from their Quarters and seek for the Fleece and cloathe with the Wooll and make a Prey upon the People and are Hirelings which the true Prophets of the Lord were sent to cry against whether such be approved of the Lord now and justified and set up now which he sent his Prophets to witness and cry against and disproved as in Jer. 5. 30 31. Isa. 56. 10 11. Ezek. 34. Mic. 3. Qu. XXI And whether such as go in Cain's Way and Balaam's Way which the Lord sent his Apopostles to cry against which were disapproved of him whether suâ—h be approved of God now which were disproved and cryed against then which go in Cain's Way and Balaam's Way as it is manifest For they that do not give them Maintenance they sue them at the Law or cast them into Prison as is witnessed in many Places in this Nation Qu. XXII What is the First Principle of the Pure Religion Qu. XXIII Doth Christ Enlighten every one that comes into the World yea or nay JAMES PARNEL To you who be call'd JUDGES JUSTICES RULERS ant OFFICERS WHO Fine and Imprison Men because they cannot put off their Hats to you and call it a Contemning Authority and Mis-behaviour and Evil Deportment and yet say The Scripture is your Rule and profess your selves Christians and to believe on Jesus Christ Now by the Scripture try your selves and your Practice and let the Liâ—e thereof judge you where do you ever read that Pharoah King of Aegypt who oppressed the Children of Israel and knew not the Lord did command Moses or Aaron to put off their Hats or Fine or Imprison them if they would not or told them they Contemned Authority or called it Mis-behaviour or Evil Deportment as you do or ever Darius or Nebuchadnezzar or Belthaser or any of the Heathenâ—sh Kingâ—â—â— Princes Rulers Judges or Governours in the Time of the Law or Gospel command such a Thing Where did ever Herod who beheaded John or Pilate or Festus or King Agrippa command any such Thing Now if you cannot find one Example amongst all these Heathen for this your Practice let the Lise and Practice of the Heathen judge you and condemn you for you are not fit to be reckoned or numbred amongst the Christian Kings Judges Rulers and Governours as Joseph who was made Ruler over Egypt or Moses who was Judge over all Israel or Joshua or Jeâ—htah who was Chief Judge or David or Solomon nay they were Men fearing God and hating Covetousness and far from Oppression Therefore now behold your selves and be ashamed of your Pride Arrogancy and though there was a Time that Pharaoh in his Will oppressed the Children of Israel yet there came a Time that he felt the Hand of the almighty God thereby was Israel delivered and he drowned in the Sea And though Nebuchadnezzar made an Image and would have all to bow unto it or else be cast into the fiery Furnace yet there came a Time that he lost his Kingdom And though there was a Time that Haman was accepted and Mordecai despised and Haman made a pair of Gallows for Mordecai because he could not bow unto him yet there came a Time that Haman was hanged on his own Gallows and Mordecai exalted in his stead Now read your selves and your Portions for in Haman's Nature your are found Lording over your Fellow Creatures by your corrupt Wills as it doth appear by your Sternness and Cruelty in Fining of them and Imprisoning of them that cannot bow unto you nor put off their Hats unto you might not Haman upon the same Account have taxed Mordecai for contemning Authority and for Evil Deportment as well as you seeing it was a Decree of the King And might not Nebuchadnezzar have so accused Sahdrach Meshach and Abednego seeing it was a Command of the King And might not the Priests Captain and the Rulers have done the same to John and Peter upon the same Account as you now do But whether was it by the Authority of God or their own Wills that they commanded these Things and thereby try your selves see what you would do if you had a Law to shew for what you do as they had seeing you act thus without Law and have no Law to shew for it though you do it in the Name of the Lord Protector of England and so make him the Protector of Tyranny and Oppression and Cruelty as ever was heard of in any Age which is contrary to his own Proclamations and I do believe he would be ashamed to own his Name to such Practices for if he should he makes his own Promises Vows and Proclamations of none Effect And this the Lord God of Heaven and Earth hath suffered long but his Sword is drawn and furbished to cut you down all you high Oaks tall Cedars who oppress the little Shrubs and him too whom you call Lord Protector if he wink at and suffer such Things to be done in his Name contrary to the Name which he hath taken upon him and you shall know that there is another