accounted the Church of Christ in these dayes though imperfect Secondly Against the being of the seed of God and light of Christ within men thirdly against the Saints attaining to perfection and freedom from sin whilst in this mortal estate which is the very end for which Christ Jesus gave gifts unto his Ministers ordaining some to be Prophets some Apostles some Pastors and some Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the spiritual body till we all come in the unity of the faith unto a perfect man in Christ Jesus in whom the whole building fitly framed together groweth to an holy temple in the Lord and the Apostle saith know you not that your bodies are the temples of the holy Ghost i 1 Cor. 3.17 and if any man defile the temple of God him will God destroy k 1 Thes 1.1 and the Church is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ where nothing that is unclean can enter and the tabernacle of God is with men as he hath said I 'le walk in them and dwell in them though T C. have affirmed that God never had yet a Church in the world free from sin and so hath laid sin to the charge of Gods Elect for l John 3.8 he that commits sin is of the Devil and a servant of sin and so free from righteousness and this is the cause he hath undertaken to plead In the front or enterance into his paper he hath cited this Scripture to the Law and to the testimony if any speak not according to this rule it is because there is no light in them Now in regard he hath put in his declaration and goes about to plead a title or propriety that the man of sin hath and must have in the Church of Christ whilst here on earth and hath here cited the Law and Testimony which I own for a rule to try by I am constrained as Defendant to join issue and plead with him according to the Law of Truth in the presence of our Judge and Law-giver whose judgement is true and whose testimony is sure But first it is to be considered what the Law and what the Testimony is and where they are according to the Scripture Thy law is light Prov. 6. The law is spiritual Rom 7.14 The law gives the knowledge of sin Rom. 3 20. And behold the daye come saith the Lord Jer. 31. that I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers which Covenant they break but this shall be the Covenant that I will make with them after those dayes I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts And again Heb. 10. I will put my laws in their hearts and in their minds will I write them and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more and this is the Covenant that makes the comers thereunto perfect and the Law which makes free from the law of sin and death and he that believeth hath this witness in himself and so hath set to his seal that God is true and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesie and this is that sure word spoken of 2 Pet. 1.19 And we have also a more sure word of prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts mark In your hearts the Law in the heart the light in the heart the testimony of Jesus the sure word of prophesie in the heart the word of faith nigh in the heart And now to come to the matter he saith pag. 2. Christ was sent to save his people and not to save onely the oppressed seed or light within to which I say he was sent to set the oppressed free and to save his people from their sins and to open the eyes of the blind m John 9.39 that those that saw not might see n Mat. 18.11 and the son of man was sent to seek and to save that which was lost and the Lord of hosts hath left us a seed else o Rom. 9. we had been as Sodome yea like unto Gomorrah and this seed is within and we know that the whole Creation travelleth together in pain until now and not onely they but our selves also that have the first fruits of the spirit even we our selves have groaned within our selves for the redemption of the body which God hath prepared to do his will p 1 Cor. 15 who giveth unto every seed it s own body and he that is begotten of the immortal seed and born again of water and of the spirit is saved from his sin and he sinneth not neither can he because the seed of God remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God 1 Joh. 3. Mark he cannot sin because he is born of God and because the seed remaineth in him But T.C. saith pages 2 3. It is language besides the Gospel of truth that Christ came to save the oppressed seed within and farther that he dare say it is such a salvation as never came into the heart of God nor was ever known to Prophets Apostles or Christ himself to save the oppressed seed of God in men with which his Covenant is made Here he hath contradicted the Scriptures of truth above-mentioned with many others that might be instanced likewise he hath contradicted himself for he with others of his brethren directs their Epistle from Tiverton to such as are called to be Saints through the immortal seed which dwelleth in them now if it be language besides the Gospel of truth to mention the oppressed seed within why doth he make use of the expression and if it be according to truth why doth he suggest that those who use such expressions are poor deluded people and because I said in the beginning of my Epistle to them I am constrained with compassion to the oppressed seed in you which groans to be delivered from the bondage of corruption c. he seems to render it an offence by false constructions arising from an evil affected mind wresting and perverting my words and then calling it a mear cheat to please children and sools as if it were a language not fit to be spoken of or once named among them that are grown so strong in the state of imperfection And because my Epistle was directed to the Anabaptists Churches so called and then I denied them to be the Church of Christ and told them that their presumption was seen that called themselves the Church of Christ and were not as their blasphemy was known that called themselves q Rev. 2 9. Jews and were not He calls this contradiction and confusion but the confusion is in himself as may appear to the impartial Reader of that
Epistle And this I say farther that although they be called and calls themselves the Church yet were they never owned nor by me called the Church of Christ for as I said before the Church of Christ is as a Lilly among thorns in relation to their condition expressed and confessed under their hands in print and it seems they have refused to return from their wickedness and great abominations if this man may be credited in what he writes concerning them page 8. where he denies not but they are guilty of those sins expressed and confessed in their Epistle from Tiverton but saith He trusts they shall be found so more if this be to be vile we shall yet be more vile Now how can they be more vile then they have rendred themselves in that one Epistle where they confess they have been drawing iniquity with cords of vanity and slavish fear hath stopt their mouths till the mouth of this iniquity hath almost devoured their poor Churches c. and that their affections to Christ are alienated and that the world like a Canker hath eaten out their time their strength their zeal and that the Kingdoms of the world hath bewitched them so that they are become cruel to servants and children exacting all their labours with many other offences by them confessed which may seem to render them vile and uncomely both in the sight of God and men and yet he is so impudent as to say if this be to be vile I trust we shall be more vile Let him that hath moderation judge if this be not to glory in their shame yet they pretend after all this to take some effectual course as they say to purge away sin and sinners out of the house of God which if they do not one of them will be left but to them it seems unpossible to purge away sin and sinners if it be true which is here affirmed by T.C. pag. 7. they that say they are without sin in this mortal estate they are none of the Church of Christ and after he hath reviled against what I wrote concerning the baptism that now saveth and the great salvation that is begun to be spoken of he confesseth it to be a blessed truth and then saith it is such a salvation as never entred into the heart of God Should I but search through his writings and set it in order before him contradiction and confusion would appear eminently therein but that is not my work nor intention neither shall I render unto him or any other evil for evil and railing for railing nor make him an offender for a word nor contend and strive about words for I have not so learned Christ and this I know that there is a witness for God in many of them that shall confess to the truth of what is by me written and it shall stand upon true record for ever though at present he loves not holy things nor cannot receive pearls but turns again to tear and rend him that freely offers them to such as are covering after the best things But now we shall proceed to his doctrine in opposition to perfection and the Saints freedom from sin to which I am called and constrained to make defence for the truths vindication as the spirit gives utterance and first to what he affirms pag. 5. Now to this I say first as concerning the Church or Churches of Christ that God never had a Church in the world free from sin nor were there any durst so to say except the Pharisees and Hypocrites the Quakers excepted Oh from whence is this man fallen and what is become of all those desires and pressing after perfection that once appeared in him see his general Epistle to the universal Church doth he and his followers now think to be made perfect in the flesh that have made so fair a shew of beginning in the spirit and such large pretences of holiness as he hath done how hath he mingled himself among the dishonourable vessels of iron and clay the very feet of the Image what damnable doctrine is this that he holds forth in behalf of the Prince of darkness Surely this will please the man of sin well to let him be exalted above all that is called God to plead his cause and interest in the Church of Christ to exercise Lordship over Gods heritage whilst here on earth for Sions sake I can no longer hold in for if we should keep silence that are called to contend for the faith which purifies the heart and hear the name of God and his doctrine blasphemed the stones out of the wall and beam out of the timber would cry out against this wickedness to say that God never had a Church here on earth free from sin This renders the r Eph. 1.22 23 body of Christ not to be without sin but let T. C. know whatever he affirm to the contrary that the Lord hath reserved seven thousand in England that hath not received the mark of the Beast in their fore heads nor in their right hands nor bowed to his Image nor defiled themselves with women nor with the pollutions of Idols besides a cloud of witnesses wherewith we are compassed about that in their generation fulfilled the will of God and walked before him with an upright heart as doth at large appear in the declaration of truth which agrees to the exhortation of Christ and the gifts given unto men by Christ who said be ye perfect even as your heavenly father is perfect Mat. 5.48 who also ascended up on high led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry till we all come in the unity of the faith unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4. And the Minister of Christ whose preachng was not with excellency of speech nor with the enticing words of mens wisdom but in the demonstration of the spirit and of power he saith of himself and his fellow labourers Å¿ 1 Cor. 2. we speak wisdom among them that are perfect and their preaching was to the Churches of Christ whilst in the world though it is here affirmed that God never had a Church in the world free from sin nor none that ever durst so to say except Pharisees and Hypocrites And yet the Apostle saith concerning himself and the Church how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein for sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace being then made free from sin ye became the servants of righteousness Rom. 6. t Col. 2.10 and ye are compleat in him who is the head of all principalities and powers in whom ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ buried with him in Baptisme wherein also you were raised with him
through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead and u Rom. 6. Therefore we are buried with him by Baptisme into Death that like as Christ was raised from the Dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walke in newness of life and as hee is so are we in this present world 1 Joh. 4. and the Church of the Hebrews was come w Heb. 12.23 to the Spirits of Just men made perfect and they who testified these things was not hypocrits as in this mans account and now I leave it to the spirituall mans judgment whether ever God had a Church in this world free from sin or any that durst confess it yea or nay and farther hee affirmes pag. 7. that they that calls themselves the Church of Christ and say they are without sin in this mortall Estate are none of the Church of Christ for he had never yet any such Church To this I say his judgment is false and denyed and declared against by the children of light and witnessed against by the Scripture of truth for the Life of Christ hath been and is made manifest in mortall flesh and x 2 Cor. 4.7 we have this treasure in harth en vessels and for this purpose was the son of God made manifest to take away sin y 1 Joh. 4.3 and every Spirit that Confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is that Spirit of Anti-Christ that now is in the world but where Jesus Christ is made manifest in the flesh hee is made manifest to Destroy the works of the Devill to wit sin and to condemn sin in the flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled In us who walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit being Created again z Eph. 2.10 in Christ Jesus unto good works a Coll. 1.4 in whom we have Redemption through his blood who hath purged away our sins by the washing of Regeneration glory to his name for ever without boasting we can speak it to the praise of his grace who hath wrought all our works for us and In us that b 1 Joh. 5.19 wee are of God though the whole world lieth in wickedness and that Christ have had and yet hath a Church without sin in this mortall Estate for hee that sinneth hath not seene God neither known him and we deny all such to be the Church of God and of Christ as lives in sin and pleads for sin whilst in this mortall Estate who makes a profession of the Scriptures and comes not to the Life and power declared of by them For the Scripture we own and the Covenant which makes the comers thereunto perfect and the bringing in of a better hope we witnesse and the Law which makes free c Rom. 8.2 from the Law of sin and death and the unchangable ordinances and Administrations to which we are subject doth not perish with the using and the Baptisme by which wee are made members of the Church of Christ doth not Decrease but increase and save from sin and all such as are called Churches and yet remains in sin in the unconverted and Imperfect Estate offends in many things and are seduced and deceived being out of the truth they are enimies to the Cross of Christ in the strife and envy against truth and these are not the Church of Christ neither do they know it but are strangers to the saints Life having a likeness of a thing a forme of godliness but not the power d Rev. 3.1 a name to live and are dead and with such we have no union knowing them by their voice to be strangers and therefore wee turne away from them and cannot but deale plainely and faithfully with them though we bee reproched by them with the name of Quakers and joyned with Pharisees and Hypocrites because we cannot conforme to the customs of the Heathen and plead as they do for the Devills kingdom of sin and Imperfection that Anti-Christ may have quiet possession in the Church of Christ so long as it remaines here in the world And because we cannot own them as Ministers and Elders of the Church of Christ that sometimes murmurs and complaines of the tyrannicall government of the man of sin in them but pleades for the continuance of sin in the Church whilst in this mortall Estate therefore hee concludes that we are not sensible of sin in our selves nor in others as to warn them to mourn and seek the Lord for them To which I say we all like sheep have gone a stray and in sin we were conceived and in iniquity brought forth and were by nature the children of wrath even as others till it pleased the father in the riches of his grace and love to reveal his Son in us to destroy the works of the Divell and to condemen sin in the flesh and by his blood to cleanse us from all sin and we have known the terrours of the Lord and his indignation against sin and have been made sensible of our condition whilst sin reigned in our mortall Bodies and wee have mourned under it every familie apart when by the light of Christ it was made manifest and by faith in him many have obtained victory over the sin that did easly beset us and lead us captive and how can we that are dead to sin live any longer therein shall we continue in sin and plead for so doing like you that grace may abound nay God forbid that any such thoughts should enter into our hearts to draw us back to the pollutions which we have escaped and with the dog to the vomet and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire again nay verily we are snesible of that condition and cannot but warn them that yet remains in it and exhort them to come forth of it and we do pitty them and pray for them that they may be delivered from the bondage of corruption and out of the snares of the enemie and turned from the darkness to the light that as obedient children they may come to walk honestly as in the day in the light of the Lord and to this end do we labour and travile and freely administer as we have received commending our selves to that of God in every mans conscience again hee saith pag. 9. let both heaven and earth tremble at such rebellion and pride as this is Intimating that we Judge and Condemn all that dare not walk in such a way of disobedience c. Hear I appeal to all sober minded people that ever heard us speak or read our writings whether ever we judged or condemned any that was obedient t othe faith or when did we ever press any to disobedience or did in the least countenance it but have often declared that the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience and surely if this man had not a face
voice of a strange women therefore hearken diligently and be not as the untamed Heifer stuffing up and feeding upon the wind come off the barren mountains where you have been wandering in the cloudy and dark day and turn to the light of Christ Jesus in all your consciences who hath sent forth Pastors according to his own heart to administer freely as they have freely received and to turn people from the darkness to the light Let not a deceived heart lead you aside to heap up to your selves Teachers that cannot profit and so neglect this great salvation to that of God in all your consciences I commend these things to be answered with obedience to him that you may also come to have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and the Son in the light of life which the Scripture is a witness of and the true Christ q Col. 1.27 the hope of glory in us we witness and of him we bear testimony and for that faith r Jude 3. which was once delivered to the Saints which purifies the heart do we earnestly contend and in humility we can say that we have denyed self in obedience to Christ who is the resurrection and the life and he that is wise let him turn in hither for he that is of God heareth us but they that are of the world heareth us not because they have not heard nor known the Father and the Son of whom we bear testimony by whose grace we are saved And now if any among the Anabaptists or any other form whatsoever have but moderation to read this with the spirit and understanding they may have true information without an interpreter wherefore they are called to arise and come out of the state of imperfection and unto whom they must come that they may find rest for their souls and refreshment from Gods presence and let none be so foolish as to think that this doctrine will seduce or deceive them for we have the mind of Christ and Å¿ 1 Cor. 2.6 we preach wisdom among them that are perfect and we press after perfection wherefore I say of truth that you may prove all things and hold fast that which is good T. S. Ivelchecter the 12 day of the 1 Moneth 1658. A Lamentation taken up for the Churchs of the Anabaptists by John Collens with a call and warning for them to come out of the self separation into the foot-steps of the flock and to turn from the darkness to the true light FRiends you who call your selves Churches of Christ Jesus who have separated your selves not having the spirit to lead and separate you from your uncleannes and so are in the self separation out of the power of God which power maketh man willing to deny himself and take up the daily cross which crucifieth him to the world and the world to him where sin is nailed and the power of God received to resist the Devil which leads them captive at his will who live in sin and transgression which is the work of the Devil and all them that are led by him have not received the faith which giveth victory over him nor have not believed the Gospel which is the power of God to salvation nor received Christ Jesus to save them from their sins which all they that do believe do receive even power to become the sons of God and joynt heirs with Christ Friends in the Name and fear of the Lord God Almighty do I warn you and in bowels of love and tenderness do in Christs stead beseech you that in the light of Christ Jesus made manifest which never changeth but bears true testimony for God try and consider whether whilst you live in sin you are not servants to sin and doth the work of the Devil and the wages of sin is death and he that soweth to the flesh must of the flesh reap corruption and he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting you cannot serve two masters neither can you serve God and Mammon verily verily except you be born again you cannot inherit the Kingdom of God and he that is born of God cannot sin for his seed remaineth in him he that sinneth is of the Devil now friends in the cooleness and moderation consider whether you know this birth brought forth in you which cannot commit sin the seed immortal begotten of God which enters the Kingdom of God and try your selves how you stand in the presence of the Lord in singleness of heart and deceive not your selves with words for the gospel is not in word but in power a profession of God and Christ will not save you whilst you deny the power of God by which sin is crucified for whosoever committeth sin is under the Law and he was made manifest to take away our fins truly a lamentation is taken up for you how are you fallen how are your garments defiled how are you degenerated and fallen back to the love of the world with its customes fashioned and traditions with the lusts and vanities thereof renewing again those idolatries which formerly you have destroyed how is your leader and great Apostle amongst you Thomas Collier become an enemy of righteousness resisting the holy Ghost and perverting the right way of God preaching up sin and imperfection for term of life going about with all the strength he can muster up to establish the kingdom of the Devil in the Church of Christ raking up the failings of the Saints recorded to confirm the reign of the man of sin for ever condemning the generation of the just bringing in new destinctions to make the body of Christ an imperfect sinful body how doth be blasphem God his tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven who shal lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect how doth he slander reproach and falsly accuse the innocent and harmless Lambs of Christ Jesus yea the Lord is witness between him us and we call Heaven and earth to witness against him this day that these things * In his book called a dialogue between a minister and a Christian asserted by him as our principles never entered into our hearts our consciences bearing us witness in the sight of God though he like a whore hath wiped his mouth at a looking glass in which the children of light see much more of his deformity and wickedness having perverted the words in several books as he doth the Scriptures to his own destruction and out of his mischievous heart hath wrested their honest intents and taken pieces of sentences and raised it up a lie out of his own wicked heart upon them and then overturned his own work but that which is written in those books remaineth untouched by him his own lies being but wiped from them as any who are without prejudice may easily see reading over the things contained in those books who will sufficiently clear themselves but the Devil who