cannot witnesse his second appearing without sin unto salvation are ignorant of this and therefore persecute him where he is For your fifth Position That Christ in the flesh with all he did and suffered therein was but a figure and nothing but an example and this you say is expressely found in their Booke called Sauls Errand to Damascus pag. 8. 3. I answer we doe owne and confesse that Iesus Christ in the flesh is a figure or example to us to follow till we come up to his fulnesse and measure as the Saints in Scripture doe witnesse But O deceitfull spirits Ioh. 13. 15. is this to say that all that Christ did and suffered in the flesh was but a figure and nothing but an example or is the words 1 Cor. 11. 1. expressely sound in Sauls Errand as you say they are let that Booke be witnesse against you and your lying slanders herein to all that reade it And you say that this was written in a Letter which Nayler wrote to one in Lancaster viz. That he that expects to be saved by him that dyed at Ierusalem should be deceived which is a most filthy untruth and I challenge all the generation of slanderers to produce any such Letter under my hand or any such thing from my mouth for I owne no other Christ but that which suffered at Ierusalem and by him I am saved from my sins but had I not knowne him in me my Redeemer and Hope of glory I had not known him at Ierusalem nor should I have had any more benefit by him then covetous proud lyars slanderers envyers and such like who shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven though they talke of what he did at Ierusalem and yet live in their sinnes and filthinesse And all that have eyes may see how you invent your lyes and Ioh. 13. 15. cast them upon us and then in that you call your conâ—utations adde your owne imaginations to them to make us odious to all As because we say that Christ is our example therefore the Virgin Mary must be in us and Ioseph in us and Iohn Baptist â—nd the eleven Apostles Iudas Herod and Pilat in us and much such like stuffe which I shall not now mention but leave it to any where there is an honest principle of light to judge by what spirit these men are acted and how groundlesse these slanders are they cast upon us For your sixth Position that men are not justified by the righteousnesse of Christ which he in his owne Person did fulfill without us I answer what righteousnesse Christ hath performed without me was not my justification neither was I saved by it but was still in my sins and a servant to sin untill Christ appeared in me who is my life and by faith in him gave me victory over my sins and led captivitie captive in me and brought forth judgement into victory in me and appeared in me my righteousnesse sanctification justification and redemption and so in me the hope of glory till which time all my Prayers Teares and Profession could not produce an everlasting peace but still was overpowred by the powers of sin though I could talke of Faith and Redemption yet I had not the witnesse within my selfe which witnesse is Christ Jesus And you that talke of a Faith and what Christ did at Jerusalem and cannot witnesse the same Christ in you to Redeeme you but are still in your sins led â—â—pâ—â—â—â— by your lusts into pride and covetousnesse envy lyiâ—g bâ—ckbiting and such like filthinesse Why hath not drunkards swearers and such like as are captivated by those sins as mucâ— râ—ght to what Christ suffered at Jerusalem as you seeing they wiâ—l â—ay they beleeve in him that he dyed for them as welâ— as you though both live in your sins and so count the Blâ—od of Christ an unholy thing Foâ— your seventh Position that men are justified by that righteousnesse which Christ within us enables us to performe or which is in effect and some of them have expressed by inherent righteousnesse and you say it is affirmed by Iames Nayler in a Book wherein it is said this light within you will let you see your sins bring to repentance and tendernesse of heart bring you to feare God and so leade up to justification and peace I answer How the holding forâ—h that the light of Christ leades up to these Iohn 8. 12. things which the Scriptures doe witnesse doth hold forth an inherent righteousnesse let any wise man judge but by wresting truth to slander you would deceive the simple And you say Nayler saith We are not reconciled to God till we be perfectly holy and able to stand so in our owne power pag. 25. I answer that no unperfect thing can be reconciled to God is plain in Scripture but that I said or writ That man must be able to stand in his owne power is an horrid lye as the Booâ—e shall witnesse against you wherein is Printed quite contrary and least any should not have the Booke and so beleeve this false slander I shall set downe the words as they are Printed pag. 25. the words of the Quaere are these Whether God created man and woman perfect without sinne and able in his own power to have stood if they had not forsaken his power and consented to the wisedome of the Serpent yea or no Now what truth is in these men who notwithstanding the word be twice over repeated to stand in Gods power yet they are not ashamed to wrest it to their own power but what is in their hearts may appeare to all men by this as in the rest of the untruths in their Booke which are not a few And to your Position of being justified by any of our own workings we deny for it is he that worketh in us to will and to doe of his good pleasure and herein we deny selfe works and selfe will and stand in the will and workings of another blessed for ever For your eight Position That God and Man cannot be wholly reconciled till he be brought into the state of the first Adam and able in his own power to stand perfect And for proofe of this you refer the Reader to a Booke of Naylers pag. 26. And you say that their owne eyes may satisfie them there I answer That the Reader may be satisfied in the truth of what you say I shall set downe the plaine words in pag. 26. and the words of the Quaere are these Whether God and Man be wholly reconciled till Man be brought into that estate againe yea or no Now that God and Man is not reconciled till he be redeemed is plaine in Scripture but that here is any thing in these words spoken by me of Man being able in his owne power to stand let the Reader judge who may plainly see how you adde to my words your owne inventions to slander withall which are neither spoken not thought by me for
candlesticke be removed by often sinning against it for the light of the wicked shall be put out and this is that light which testifies of Jesus and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophesie and it is that more sure word of prophesie and light that shines in a darke place and leads to the day-star spoken of in 2 Peter 1. 19. to which he exhorts all to take heed though ye children of darkenesse cannot comprehend it and therefore deny it and tells people that we meane of the principles left in man since the fall and that we deny the Fountaine of living waters and goe not to Iesus for light and so by giving your false meanings upon our writings as you doe upon the Scriptures you cast lyes upon the truth and calls this light of Christ a naturall light and here you deny the Fountaine of light and would put it out that you might live in your deeds of darkenesse undiscovered as doth appear by all your twyning and cunning wynding and lying in that which you call confutation but who are guided by the true light may easily judge of your confused stuffe which I forbeare as not worth naming For your twelfth Position that there is no need of any outward teaching by reading or hearing the Scriptures opened and applyed I Jâ—r 31. 31. 32 33. 34. answer The promise of the new covenant is That all the children of the Lord shall be taught of the Lord and they shall Heb. 8. 10. 11. not need that any teach his neighbour saying Know the Lord for all shall know him by his own teaching from the greatest to the least of them And for this end is Christ the light of the world the Shepheard and Bishop of soules and when he came he denyed all the hireling teachers and said they have nought to doe with the sheep for his sheep heare his voyce and will not follow the voyce of a stranger and he who knowes this teacher knowes him to be a sufficient teacher alone For who teacheâ— like him who gives to every one seasonable food That Iohn Audland said No need of outward teaching is false the word was He needed no man to teach him the Lord was his teacher But you who know not this teacher apply the Scriptures to all hand over head and give the promises that is to the seed of God which seed is but one and is pure and these promises you give to them who are in the first birth still in their sins and so doubt with untempered morter and sowes pillowes under every armehole so that none turnes from their sins for you preach them up all beleevers except some that refuse to give you hire and them you prepare war against And whereas you alledge the teaching of the Apostles it is true they in whom Christ was risen the light and life and teacher they went out and Preached the Resurrection to others to gather all to this Teacher and told them that Christ was their light and life and exhorted them to waite for his appearance in them and that as he appeared their life should appeare with him and when they had directed them where to waite for teaching and gathered them out of the teachings of the hirelings they left them and went on to call more out of the world to this teacher and appointed the strong who were come to the teachings of Christ to take the oversight of the weake least there should be a turning through the deceipt of the false teachers and hirelings before they came to see the teachings of Christ and his appearing and such was not to keep a talking to them for filthy lucre but to watch over them of a ready minde neither did they take a verse of another mans condition and say to them Heare the Word of the Lord when the Lord had not spoken it to them but what was moved to be written to them by the holy Ghost was read to them without adding or diminishing and the same spirit hath the same workings now where it is in its measure which brings all things to our remembrance according to his mighty working in us And whereas you say that George Fox pretended to have all from within yet his jugling was discovered a Concordance being sent to him to help his memory I answer What the spirit did teach the Saints it doth teach them the same now within but the Scripture was not put in Chapter and Verse by the spirit but the hireling Priests have done it to trade withall and though for his owne teachings within he need no outward help yet having to doe with quoting Verses which was not by the spirit but in the invention he might use a Concordance not at all to adde to himselfe but to quote Scriptures to convince others And Scripture was used by Christ and his Apostles to convince gaine-sayers though they needed not use them in regard of themselves but had the same spirit that gave them forth and was taught by it and not by the letter And whereas you tell of your Ministry having undenyable seales of your ministration in the witnes of Christ therto begetting many soules to conversion I answer The witnesse of Christ is against you and your Ministry who came to set free from sin but you say men must commit sin while they live and be set free when they are dead Christ saith He that commits sinne is the servant of sinne and such are you and your converts For your thirteenth Position That the Scriptures are not the Word of God but a Declaration of the conditions of them that spoke them forth I answer The Scripture saith Christ is the word by whom all things were made was before all time which Word became flesh and dwelt in the Saints Now if the Scriptures be the Word which had their beginning since all were made and did not become flesh then there is two Words of God Now prove that in Scripture or that the Letter is called the Word in plaine words and the Apostle calls what he wroâ—e a Declaration 1 Iohn 1. 1. 2. 3. The things that we have heard and seen declare we unto you Now who denyes the Scriptures whether we that speake the plaine words as they are or you that deny them and would have us to beleeve your meanings and wrestings of them when you have no plain Scripture for what you say And whereas you say it cannot be understood to be the Word Christ that came to the Prophets Samuel Jeremy c. where it seems your understanding is not that with the Apostle who saith it was the spirit of Christ that was in them 1 Pet. 1 11. but all your wrestings will not cover your folly And you say what Christ and his Apostles Preached Spoke or Wrote was not Christ the Father or Spirit when as the Scripture saith That holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. And you say to say
An Answer to the Booke called The perfect Pharisee UNDER MONKISH HOLINESSE Wherein is layd open who they are that oppose the Fundamentall Principles of the Doctrine of the Gospel and the Scripture practises which the Authors of that Book would cast upon those they call Quakers but are found to be themselves who appear to be no Ministers of the Gospel but walke contrary to all that ever Christ sent forth in the Scripture scorning them who live the life of the Scriptures or are brought into the obedience of the same spirit Published for no other end but to cleare the truth from the slanders of these men who thereby goe about to deceive the simple and keep them of from obedience to the truth They prepared a net for my steps my sâ—ule is bâ—wed downe they have digged a â—iâ— before me into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves Selah Psal 56. 7. By one whom the World calls James Nayler To the Reader FReind There was a Booke lately set forth by five of the cheife Priests of the North residing at Newcastle who are all strangers to that sort of people called Quakers except one so thou may the rather perceive what they have Written is gathered by reports which Booke they caused to be disperced and scattered abroad with much diligence Thou wilt not in this Answer finde any contention in the words of mans wisedome with what they call their confutation but in plainnesse and simplicity what is truth is owned what is false is denyed and so much given forth to every thing as may discover to him that hath the single eye opened by what spirit these men are severally acted Reade with understanding and minde not the multitude of words least thou be deceived Truth needs no covers A. P. NOw that the Lord Jesus Christ is appearing in his Saints to dâ—scover the man of sinne with all his deceâ—ts and deceiveable workings as is foretold in the Scriptures Now all the powers of darkenesse are gathering together against him Gog and Magog whose number is as the sana of the Sea for multitude but it is that the Scripture of truth may be fulfiled according to the Prophets concerning these Heathen who know nothing of God and Christ and their raging imaginations against the Kingdome of the holy one And as it was at his appearance upon earth formerly Herod and all Jerusalem was moved neither could that spirit of envie that was in them ever be at rest till they had accomplished their end that was to take away his life And as then the chiefe Priests Herod and Pilat who never loved one another nor could agree in any other thing yet in this they were all agreed to take part against the Lambe And it is the same at this day with the same seed as plainely appears with these five with many more who formerly could scarce agree in any thing â—o not in that which they call The worship of God but have been at jarres and disputes among themselves one contending for one way another for another yet now in this they are all one and their consâ—ltations against the simple oâ—e where he is manifest inventing lyes and seeking for false witnesse against them in whom â—â—e is as will appeare in this their Booke and rendring them and what they doe in obedience to God under the name of Monkish holinesse Fryars Pharisees or any thing that in their subtilty they conceive will make them most odious to people who know not their conversation and least any who see their conveâ—sation should be convinced by their wâ—lking in obâ—dience to Châ—ist they are not afrâ—â—d to speâ—kâ— evill of their forsâ—king the World the pride and lâ—sts of it the gâ—eat â—ommands of Christ and without which none â—â—n come unto him and these they â—â—ll sinfull negâ—ect of thâ—ir Fâ—â—â—â—ies 〈◊〉 â—â—ll obsâ—rvatiâ—ns and belyes the Apostâ—e saying thâ—◠〈◊〉 callâ— thoâ—â— the rudimenâ—s of the world as though the Apostle was set to disanull the commands of Christ who saith He that will be my Disciple must forsake the world and what is deare in it yea to wife and children house and land for none can serve God and Mammon and â—hat those whom they would reproach doe in obedience to Christ and his commands they call shewes and will worships or any thing â—hey can devise to make them odious but all who are guided by the spiâ—it of light may plâ—inely see by what spirit these men are acted who â—â—eud all their subtilty that they may strike at the Kingdome of Christ in his owne whereby he brings forth obedience in them to his commands and whereby they are brought to follow him who was not of this world nor did live in the delights of it nor had whereon to lay his head but were hated and â—elyed and persecuted by those Priests and people that lived in pride and fulnesse and the hollygods of this world as these who follow him are by the same generation at this day but as then he that was borne after the flesh persecuted him that was borne after the spirit even so it is now but it is that the Scriptures may be fulfilled and the power of the Almighty seen in carrying on hiâ— poâ—re despised little Flocke against all the rage of the Heathen that know him not nor his power and hereby will he get himselfe a name and herein doâ— we rejoyee yea and shall rejoyâ—e for ever FOr that you call the first Position that is That George Fox should say He was equall with God I answer That he did say that George Fox was equall with God is false for I was in the hearing before some justices of the Peace when he was asked Whether he spake true of George Fox as he was a creature To which he answered I deny George Fox he is dust and must to dust but I and my Father are one and he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit and so the Scripture saith but they that are in the flesh cannot witnesse it At which the Juâ—â—ices were satisfied that he spake of the â—pirit of Christ in him and thereupon they did acquit him It is true That Marshall did sweare at Apleby and the other buâ— when he came to speak of George Fox being equall with God one of the Justices â—eing there upon the Bench who was present at â—a â—â—ster wâ—en George Fox spake the words did openly witnesse againâ—â— Marshalls false Oath in the hearing of the open 〈◊〉 To your second untruth that Iames Nayler should say That he was as holy just and good as God I answer that holinesse justnesse and goodnesse that I witnesse is no other but the holinesse justnesse and goodnesse of God himselfe in the Face of Iesus Christ for all my owne holinesse justnesse and goodnesse I doe deny but that ever I did say that I was as holy just and good as God is an untruth and was never spoken by me nor ever did it enter into my
I spoke of Adam being able to have stood in Gods power if he had not forsaken his power and consented to the wisedome of the Serpent which you wrest to his owne power but wickednesse shall be on the head of the wicked And you that say That Adam in the state of innocency was under the covenant of works make it appear to all that know Adams state that you never knew it for the Law wherein is the covenant of works was added after because of the transgression but being ignorant of the spirit by which these things are known you imagine of them in your carnall wisedome and as your Books leade you but Adams innocent estate you knew not For your ninth Position that no man that commits sinne or that is not perfectly holy can ever enter into the Kingdome of Heaven unlesse there be a Purgatory And you say James Nayler in his Booke before quoted pag. 26. puts it by way of quaerie I answer in pag. 26. there is not a word to that purpose as you have set downe but seeing you are mistaken in this as in many more things I shall help your mistake for the better informing of the Reader in pag. 25. which you intend the words of the quaere are these Whether any unperfect and uncleane one that lives in sin shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven yea or zo And if not how shall one dying in sinne and where shall he be made perfect and cleane seeing the tree must lye â—s it falls and whether you own a Purgatory yea or no Now I shall appear to any one that is guided by a Principle of truth whether you have not wrested my words quite to another sence as though I said no man that hath sinned can ever enter into the Kingdome and as though I owned a Purgatory but you are so used to wrest the Scriptures being unlearned and so used to turne the truth into a lye by your serpents wisedome that you cannot cease from it and were it not that what is Printed that cannot be altered did witnesse against you it would not be beleeved that such as you professe your selves to be should so wholly give your selves to serve the Father of lyes but blessed be God who is laying open your deceipt whereby you have destroyed soules and in the pit you have digged you shall be taken but the simple shall escape your snares You say The blood of Christ is your Purgatory which cleanseth the soule from all sins yet as to personall actings very guilty and to prove it you quote 1 John 1. 7. but doth that Text say any are cleansed from sin while they personally act sin or the quite contrary who saith If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Sonne cleanseth us from all sinne Now he that walks in the light doth not commit sin for sin is darkenesse but you that talke of being cleansed by the blood of Christ and yet live in sin counts the blood of Christ an unholy thing but you must pleade for your Fathers Kingdome and you are faithfull to him as appears in all this your Booke For your tenth Position No reall Saint but he that is perfect and perfectly holy in this life and doth not sin And you say it is Naylers designe in his Booke to prove this pag. 21. 22. I answer It seems there can be no greater offence with you then 1 Iohn 3. 8. to cry downe sin and to grow up to perfection though it is the very end for which Christ is manifest viz. To destroy the Col. 1. 28. works of the Devill and to present the Saints perfect to the Father as is plaine in Scripture And here you shew what Kingdome you are of who pleade so much against the end of Christs comming And in your 11. page you quote Gal. 3. 10. and saith there the Apostle clearely holds forth an universall impossibility to fulfill the righteousnesse of the Law when Christ saith Not one jot shall fall till all be fulfilled And the same Apostle saith Rom. 8. 3. 4. That God sent his owne Sonne that the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And here you bely the Apostle and deny the end of Christs comming and pleade for continuing in sin and imperfection as is plaine in this you call your confutation wherein you wrest and twine the Scriptures to pleade for the Devills Kingdome and putting cleansing from sin and perfection afar off till after death in another world and all to make the commands of God and endeavours of the Saints and comming of Christ of no effect here but all must serve sin here and you set it downe as a strange thing that Richard Farnesworth should say That no uncleane thing can enter into the Kingdome of Heaven though it be plaine Scripture but you must appeare for now God is seperating the pretious from the vile the day is come For your eleventh Position that every man in the world hath a light within him sufficient to guide him to salvation without the helpe of any outward light or discovery I answer That Iesus Christ is the onely light and there is none besides him to guide to salvation and that he is the light of the whole world and was given of the Father for that end is plaine in the whole Scriptures The Prophets prophesied of him That he should be given for a light even to the Gentiles Iohn Baptist beares Isay 42 6. witnesse That he was not that light but came to beare witnesse to it and that was the true light that lightneth every one that commeth into the world Iohn 1 8. 9. Christ saith of himselfe I am the light of the world he that follows me shall not walke in darkenesse but shall have the light of life Iohn 8. 12. Again This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkenesse rather then light because their deeds are evill Iohn 3. 19. Now this light shines in darkenesse but Iohn 1. 4. 5. the darkenesse comprehends it not and here are you who calls this light a naturall light and denyes the words of Christ and the Prophets and would make them lyars like you and all the world shall witnesse against you that they have a light that lets them see when they sinne which if they did minde and obey woule leade out of sin to Christ and all who have obeyed it shall witnesse it and this light of Christ is perfect in its measure as it ariseth and needs no outward light or discovery And this is the cause why this light is so hated of the Devill and them that love their sins because the Devill can have no hold in any corner of the heart but this will discover him and no sinne can be committed but it checks for it till the
Christ is the Word is to destroy the Foundation of Faith to make the Scriptures lose their authority and diverse such like false conclusions I answer to build all upon him in whom all is fulfilled is to establish Faith and Scripture and all where it must stand as on the Foundation for Christ is the authority of all Scriptures and not the letter and in him they are all profitable and not else For your fourteenth Position that the spirits are not to be tryed by the Scripture I answer The infallible spirit which is the Originall of all Scriptures is the tryâ—ll of all spirits and that spirituall man judgeth all things and by that spirit the saints was to judge of all spirits and gave those up to Sathan that was for that end as is pâ—aine 1 Corinth 5. 4 And by this spirit was the spirits tryed before the letter wâ—s and all that are guided by the spirit of God are the sons of God and are one and in one minde and have one rule and one Faith but you who have no guide but the Letter How many minds how many formes how many gods doe you worship and all pretend Scripture one wresting it one way another another way But what true tryall of spirits can you have here For you five though one spirit act you alâ— against the truth yet you have your severall wayes formes worships and spirits and all pretend Scriptures but who hath that true spirit of judgement is able to try you all and sees you all without and whereas you quote that place To the Law and to the testimony it is true The Law of the new covenant is written in the heart by God and the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesie and if any be not guided by and speake according to these it is because they have not the light in them but without them and here you are whose light is without you and therefore it is that you speake contrary to them who speake from the true light in them even the witnesse in themselves Now all your false conclusions as that to be guided by the spirit is to draw the soule from the judgement of God and you citing Iohn Gilpin against the truth it is no more then if the chiefe Priests should have cited Iudas to have confuted Christ and the rest of the eleven Apostles which truth they owned and suffered for though he denyed it and consulted with the Priests to betray it as Iohn Gilpin hath done now who shall receive his reward and you Priests also For your fifteenth Position That there ought to be no sense meaning or exposition given or studying of the Scriptures I answer What hath been said before may suffice as to this onely the spirit gave out the Scriptures either perfect or not perfect If perfect then let them alone as they are and doe not darken them by your invented wisedome that they may be read and fulfilled in the Saints for that is the end for which they were given forth Not to trade with for Tythes and Money and here the practice of all the Saints shall witnesse against you for they were spoken by the holy men of God as they were moved by the holy Ghost and they were written to such as were come out of the world pride envie and covetousnesse Now you that live in those sins and filthy lusts and are of the world have nothing in them but your judgements that is to be accomplished upon you from the wrath of the Almighty and you that wrest them to pleade for sin are raized out of them for they were given to warue off sin and you that have not that infallible spirit that gave them forth what will you judge and open and expound them with for the serpents Wisedome is shut out of them and can doe nought but twine and wrest them to their owne destruction and keeping poore soules that beleeve you in sin and the fall who cannot witnesse their Redemption and freedome from sin but are fed with words and profession without life and power or hopes ever to have power while they live And though you alledge diverse which you say expounded yet not one of them will warrant your way of trading nor your covetous practises For your sixteenth Position They cry downe Baptisme with Water and the Lords Supper as being but types and shadows ceasing upon the appearance of Christ within them I answer You your selves doe not say that they are the spirituall substance but as for your Baptizing Infants it is a meere invention and hath no ground in Scripture and we deny it but if any one out of a tender conscience doe observe it as seeking to fulfill any command as he conceives I shall not judge him that is weake onely if such a one rest there and come not to the Baptisme of Christ which is with fire and the spirit Water-Baptisme will not profit him and he that once rastes of the substance will not goe backe to the shadow And Paul knew what he spoke when he thanked God that he had Baptized no more for Christ saith he sent me not to Baptize but to Preach And for the outward signes of the Supper Doe this in remembrance of me till I come but when he was come then the bread which they did breake was the body of Christ they being many were one bread which whoever comes to witnesse in spirit will both see and say That your Bread and Wine is carnall and not spirituall and your way of giving it without ground and life who are not one bread nor of one heart and soule as all are who breake this Bread of life but they who rest in the types come short of the substance as is plain in your divisions and contentions Circumcision was a true command of God but who once witnessed the circumcision within of the heart denyed that without and then they who was ignorant of that was within stood in the Figure and persecuted him who had the substance and so it is now For your seventeenth Position That there is no mediate call to the Ministry I answer Where in Scripture will you prove a call to the Ministry by Man Magistrates Townes or Parishes or from one people to another there to rest and live in pride and idlenesse and the people to maintaine you by their labours and you to live idle and to be a Master over them but those who were sent to Preach the Gospel denyes that they were made Ministers by the will of man and had no certaine dwelling place but went up and downe in the world Preaching the Word and disputing in the Synagogues with them that held up the Idol worship though they suffered for it where ever they came And when they had gathered Churches out of the world they did not bid them hyre a man to talke to them for money but ordayned them Elders of themselves which were to take care of the weake freely and
not to runne from place to place for money as you Priests doe and these were ordayned not by man but by such as did it by the direction of the spirit of God for they who ordayned them had the gift of the spirit which they received of them and this ordination was not by man nor by the Churches but by the power of God and his spirit in whom it was and they had the gist of the holy Ghost from their hands Now what is this to your Parsonage or Parish callings for shame take not this for a shelter for your covetous practice and being set in great Livings by club Law or the power of the Magistrate for this practice of the Saints condemnes you and your callings and whole practice Nor is here any ground at all for your bargaining with the people or any set maintenance or to sue your hearers at Law for carnall things or take their goods by violence for shame take not the Scriptures which witnesse against your oppression and pride and covetousnesse nor the practice of the holy men of God to prove your filthy practice who hated the least appearance of such things and could not endure that covetousnesse should be so much as named amongst them For shame cease to pervert the truth by your corrupt minds and turning it into a lye for your selfe ends Repent the plagues of God are upon such practice and cease to deceive soules for gaine the Lord is arisen to lay you open and is comming with ten thousand of his Saints to be avenged of you Therefore take heed betime and cease your envie against the truth And now to those things you call our Principles TO that you call the first Principle viz. Not to salute any I answer You falsely accuse us in this as in other things for the salutations of the Saints we owne and practice It is your Heathenish customes you use by the way in taking the holy name of God into your mouthes in vaine which God hath forbidden and this we deny and witnesse against that all might feare to pollute the dreadfull and glorious name of God And now let all that feare the name of God judge by what spirit you are guided who are not ashamed to Preach and Print against us for this Nay you are not ashamed to wrest the words of Christ to contradict his owne commands and the commands of God as in Mat. 5. 47. where he is exhorted to love without respect of persons saying If you love them that love you that is no more but as the Publicans and the Heaâ—hen and likewise in the salutation If ye salute your brethren onely that is as the Publican and Heathen practice but here is no expresse command for salutation by the way but a warning of the partiality of the Heathenish practise as it is now practised with you who will salute those you love and are rich in the world and to them you will bow and doe worship but for the poore and such as you hate these you passe by and herein you shew your selves to be in the same nature with the Heathen whose partiality Christ reproves and whose practises we deny And whereas you alledge those whom Christ sent forth who were to salute the house into which they entered What is this to your high way salutation for they were to enquire what house was worthy before they entered or saluted and they that had the Sonne of peace in them was to speake peace to that house but if the Sonne of Peace was not there their peace was to returne to them againe Now neither this nor the Apostles commanding the Saints to salute one another doth warrant your Heathenish high-way customes and taking the name of God in vain And whereas you say If we observe the command of not saluting by the way then we should also forbeare to weare shooes I answer What we doe is not from the command that was to others nor herein doe we walke by Tradition but from command of the same power by which we are sent forth and if we were commanded to forbeare wearing shooes as well as we are commanded to deny your Heathenish customes and covetous practises in not taking care for food and rayment we should be made willing to obey as some have done who have been commanded to goe bare-foot and some who have been commanded to goe naked which you who know no particular commands from God but walke by tradition in your owne wills doing what you like and leaving what you will undone doe scorne and reproach as evill and whereas you say that Christ commanded the contrary to his twelve Disciples it is false because he commanded to salute the house that was worthy this was not to command them to salute by the way neither doth the practice of the Saints in saluting one another contradict this command of Christ neither are the Saints to conforme to the practice or fashion of any Country but to the commands of Christ which leads out of all the customes in the world And whereas you say There being a cleare command to salute all we deny it it is false for where Christ saith If ye salute as the Heathens doe it is no command to salute all but a warning to them of their partiality To that you call our second Principle viz. Not giving any outward tâ—ken of reverence to Magistrates Parents Masters or any other I answer Herein you falsely accuse us as because we deny to bow downe and worship any creature which God hath forbidden Is this to deny any token of reverence for obedience to their just commands is their greatest reverence and this we owne and practice for conscience sake both to Magistrates Parents and Masters and herein we deny your slander as false And whereas you goe about to prove it by the practice of others in their bowing downe to the creature and thereby to breake the commands of God which saith Ye shall not bow downâ— and worship And whereas you alledge Josephs Brethren bowing downe to him Abraham Abigail David and the like their practice is no rule for us to breake the command of God though they were good men no more then the practice of Ioseph which swore by the life of Pbaraoh is a warrant to us to sweare though he was a good man or the practice of David in seiguing himselfe mad before Akish the King of the Philistines should be made a warrant for us to fayne our selves mad to avoyd your persecution Nor Iacob bowing before Esau for the Scripture saith A righteous man falling downe before the wicked is as a troubled Fountaine and a corrupt spring Pro. 25. 26. And whereas you charge us that we say Is it not strange these Priests in the 34 pag. of their Booke shall say What is the power without the persons Government without Governors but a meer fancy and revile honouring the power without respecting the Persons When in this Nation all obey and
act by a Power in the name of the Keepers of the Liberties of England c. when there is no such Persons Is the Government of this Nation but a fancy And is it not high treason to subverâ— them A. P. We honour the Power and not the Persons I answer God is no respecter of Persons and you that would take the honour from the power which is of God and would give it to mens persons would rob God of his honour and are enemies to the Faith of Christ who respects no maâ—â— person but saith How can you beleeve that seek honour one of another and would charge this to let in treason or disobedience to Authority I answer Where did ever any who did reverence the power which was of God doe any violence to the Person of any into whose hands God had committed it though they have been sent by the Lord faithfully to declare against the unjust practises of such Governors who have used their power contrary to the end for which God committed it into their hands but this you cast upon us to make us odions to the powers â—f the earth that they may take part with you in persecuting of us but we stand in the power of the Lord who will cleare our innocency and distinguish betweene them who honour and obey his power in the truth and them that have mens persons in admiration because of advantage for selfe ends for such admire the persons of men no longer then then serve for their own ends as it is apparant at this day To that you call the third Principle viz. That no Man must have the title of Master I answer Here as in other things you would bring the practice of men in the old Testament to disanull the expresse commands of Christ in the New and so would set the Old Covenant against the New and would bring Scriptures against Christ and here you shew your selves to be of the Serpents brood who have alwayes wrested the words of God against himselfe and to make voyd his commands and let all who feare the Lord judge if you be worthy to be called the Ministers of Christ who are not afraid to contend against his expressâ— commands because it strikes at your pride and would make people beleeve that pride in you is not as much hated by Christ as it was in the Pharisees when you are sound in the same generation in the same pride and affecting to your selves the same Titles which they that are guided by the same spirit of Christ see and witnesse against in whomsoever it is now as was then Now for the fourth perticular which you call Charges against your selves and are so against all that are found in them viz. First That they love the high places of the Synagogues 2. That they weare long Robes 3. That they stand Praying in the Synagogues 4 That they Preach for hire To which I may adâ— a great sort more which are the markes which Christ and his Apostles did give whereby to know the false Teachers then and cryed woe against them warning all to take hâ—ed of them in which practises whosoever are found now are witnessed against by the same spirit as was then as to lay heavy barthens upon the people to say and not to doe to be proud and covetous heady high-minded despisers of them that are good false accusars speaking evill of the things they know not having a Forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof having hearts exercised with covetous practises that cannot cease from sinne that through covetousnesse make merchandize of the people who run greedily after the wayes of Balâ—am who loved the wages of unrighteousnesse and in the way of Cain in envy who pretend to be sheep but raven and devoure like Wolves Now saith Christ and his Apostles such shall come but by their fruits yee shall know them and they that then were guâ—ded by the eternall spirit of God did know them judge of them and warne of them by these fruits and though you now in whoâ— these fruits are found would cast them upon your fore-fathers the Scribes and Pharisees thereby keeping people looking at that sin in them but hiding and covering it in your selves yet they that are guided by the same eternall spirit now see you to be in the same generation to bring forth the same fruits and doe judge you and warne of you now as they did then and it is no new thing for the deceipt to cry out of their fore-fathers for the same sins wherein they are found themselves as the Scribes and Pharisees builded the Sepulchres of the Prophets and cryed out of their Fathers for Killing them but being blinde could not see themselves worse then their fore-fathers who were consulting to slay the Heire so yee make a trade of crying out of the pride of the Pharisees and their being called Masters and their loving greeting in the Markets and the highest places and being hirelings and persecuting Christ and the Saints raysing lyes and seeking false witnesse against him stirring up the Rulers and the rude people thereby to take away his life because he witnessed against their ungodly practises and thus you make a trade of crying out against them bâ—t are found in the very same things by those who are guided by the same spirit yet being blinde you will not owne them in your selves but Christ hath left no other rule without as to know such but by their fruits Therefore let all who professe the name of Christ so judge that where these fruits are found not to cast them upon others in the generations past but to avoyd them now And saith the Apostle from such turâ—e away And it is in vaine for you by your subâ—ilty to wrest and twine the Scriptures to cleare your selves of these things when ye are found in them by the Lord and all who are guided by his spirit and in pleading for your hire ye say you freely cast your selves upon the Gospel-maintenance herein we witnesse against you Where in the Goshel had ever any a set maintenance Tythe or augmentation or by any agreement from the people or by any power of the Magistracy or by any suites at the Law or any other challange but freely but ye that goe upon any of these accompts or any other accompt but freely doe not cast your selves upon the Gospel maintenance neither doe all these Scriptures you alledge or the practice of the Apostles make any thing to warrant your way of maintenance but doe witnesse against you as is plaine to whomsoever doth looke with a single eye into the Apostles practises and into yours And whereas yee say We charge you with stealing the Word from your neighbours and this you would evade by Christ and the Apostles quoting the Scriptures which we doe not deny But which of all the true Prophets Christ or his Apostles did take the words that were spoken to another and adde to them their owne
inventions and braine study and come amongst people and say Heare the Word of the Lord when the Lord had not spoken to them but the salse Prophets did so and saith the Lord I am against them that steale my Word from their Neighbours and say The Lord saith when I have not spoken to them and ye doing the same things are discovered by the same spirit And whereas yee pleade against our using the Scripture phrase in thouing eveâ—y particular we speake to and pleading against us the customes of the Nation here yee shew your selves to be guided by a contrary spirit to Christ who leades his out of all the customes of the world and the Nations and thereby they are knowne not to be of the world and yee who are Ministers of the Letter and dispute against the language of it which none of Gods ever denyed or disputed against out of your enmity to the truth yee pleade against what yee professe and are ministers of and all this ye doe to maintain the confused language which all they who are redeemed out of the fall are restored to a pure Language Now as touching your consideration of our practises and first concerning Quaking and trembling to which yee adde grovelling upon the ground and foaming at the mouth which are lyes and slanders of your owne inventing but for quaking and trembling we owne it as that which the Lord hath said shall come upon all flesh and which the Saints have witnessed through the Scripture and if we should deny them we should deny the holy men of God as Moses Isaac David Habakkuk Daniel Ezekiel Ieremiah Paul and many other of the deare servants of God and shew our selves to be strangers to that condition by which they came to know the Lord as yee doe who revile and reproach it And whereas you tell of three sorts of trembling in the Scripture but know them not within your selves ye are not to be regarded nor what ye speake by heare-say who are scorners of their conditions which ye reade in Scripture neither doe ye know from what they proceed but judge of them in your owne imagination and in this as in other things contend against what is witnessed in Scripture 〈◊〉 up all the lyes slanders and weakenesse of any to cast 〈◊〉 the truth and the Saints condition And whereas ye say 〈◊〉 call these quakings our great perfection that is false and a lying slander like the rest our perfection stands not in any outward things but in the good and perfect gift which we receive in Jesus Christ Now of our second practice which ye call Rayling I answer If they speake of ye the things that are true and in which you live will ye call the truth Rayling though it come in an unwelcome language to the disobedient natures Was it rayling in Christ to call them The children of the Devill who brought forth the workes of the Devill or to call them Serpents and Vipers who sought by their subtilty to devoure the simple Or to call Herod a Fox who was a King or for the Apostles and Saints to call them Dogs and Swine who loved their sins and filthynesse and could not be kept from returning into it againe For they who did stand in the light of the spirit of God did discover the contrary spirit which did act severall wayes in the men of the world and some they saw to be Doggs some Wolves some bryars and thornes some high-Mountains some fat Bulls which did compasse the innocent about to devoure them some Witches who bewitched the Saints from the guiding of the spirit to carnall things Now will you call these Raylers because they speak the truth upon the severall actings of the spirit of the Devill where it was But they were the servants of the Lord and were meeke and gentle and patient towards all men even so these servants of the Lord now 〈◊〉 they speake the truth as things are found in ye revealed unto them by the same spirit are no raylers but are meeke gentle and patient notwithstanding they must doe the Message of the Lord faithfully Now to the third practice They pretending upon all occasions to be sent by Commission from God as 〈◊〉 shall instance in some cases following 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I answer the Messages that God have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his servants on have been strange to the world neitâ—â—â— could the world who knew not the voyce of the Lord ever â—wâ—â— them but have been counted mad men mad fellows fooles â—â—â—â—â—â— with new Wine and such like Yet I shall not here justifie every one who saith he is sent of the Lord for many lying spirits are gone out into the world but woe unto him that runneth and is not sent and belyeth the Lord when he hath not spoken unto him but as for your particuler chargeâ— againâ—â— particular persons I shall say little as not knowing the things in particuler but finding your Booke stust with lyes and untruths gives me cause to beleeve that many of these are like the rest Onely this is plaine Scripture That the Messages of the Lord which he sends his people on are foolishnes to the wisedom of the world and so they are to ye and though ye would appoint them their place and manner and time yet it is neither in your wills nor theirs but in the will of God which if any out of feare or favour doe not obey they shall suffer for it And whereas ye declare of comming of some of us to Newcastle this I witnesse to be true as in the prâ—sence of God E. B. that our Call was from God and our Commission was from him and therefore did suffer persecution by you and by the Magistrates but as for our declaring our Message before the Magistrates my Brother and Sister were interrupted by some of you in their declaring But that they who were before the Magistrates were invited to go to any of your houses to speak is false and here W. C. is a false witnesse And whereas ye accuse us For casting off the Word of God I answer It is false for the Word of God we owne and obey for which we are scorned and suffers reproach by ye For your accusing George Fox for cursing Master Fetherston as ye call him I my selfe was in presence when Fetherston confessed that the words which George Fox spoke was Scripture And for your slander ye cast upon Christopher Atkinson and a Woman for their familiarity and to make a ground for your slander ye say to say no more but why to say no more if ye know more why doe you not speake the truth but slander in secret And here you false accuser thou and thy witnesse shall both be taken alive and cast into the Pit who hath deceived the people by thy false lyes and slanders thou charges me with my immodest familiarity with a Woman of C. A. my way and to colour thy deceit thou sayst to say no more thou false
and for being Heingathen that is your owne vvho exercise authority over your owne hearers and pleade for your Heathenish customes vvhereby it appears ye know not God And vvhereas ye charge us with crying up our own holinesse and our selves as extraordinary Prophets Rabbies and Doctors I answer It is false for it is Christs holinesse vve owne and Christ the everlasting Prophet and Priest vve owne vvhereby vve deny ye vvho goe under the namy of Rabbies and Doctors And vvhereas ye charge us with neglect of Apparell Fasting and seperating from the world I answer What Apparell doe vve neglect saving the pride and vanity vvhich you live in and vve are made to vvitnesse against for vvhich you hate us And for Fasting and seperating from the World for shame doe not professe your selves to be Christians vvhile you cast the commands of Christ and practice of the Saints upon us in scorne and derision Did not Christ command to forsake the World and vvas not the Apostle in Fasting often but you shew your selves not to be guided by that spirit but envie them vvho are And ye that scorne Visions and Revelations are ignorant of that by vvhich the Saints came to know God for no man knowes God but by Revelation Whereas you charge us with laying the weight of our justification upon outward observances I answer It is false for the vveight of our justification is layd upon Christ in us the hope of glory Whereas ye say Ye have not been injurious to â—â— in calling us Papists Monkes and Fryars I answer The injury vvill be to your selves for vve rest in patience vvhile vve see the Scripture fulfilled vvhich saith They shall cast out your names as evill and shall speake all manner of evill of ye falsely for my names sake which we beare with patience as owning it to be our portion from that Generation And now let every honest heart who reades these two Books and knoweth our practice and seeth the multitude of lyes and slanders cast upon us judge whether ye have done this from an honest principle and the establishing of the Faith or with an intent to slander us and make the truth odious because we have been brought forth as witnesses against your unrighteous practises and we leave it unto the righteous Judge who is the searcher of all hearts to cleare the innocent in his owâ—e time and will and to find out the guilty and discover him that simple soules may be no longer deceived through false glosses and the subtilty of crafty men of corrupt minds for their owne ends which we know is the worke of the Lord that he is about and therefore with patience we waite his time into whose hands and keeping we commit our selves and all the faithfull of the Lord who is a sure refuge to the truth To whom be all glory and holy prayses from all that know him for evermore Amen And now a word to ye five who have subscribed this Booke that yee may see by what spirit yee are carryed on to utter so many untruths and false reports taken up by heare-say without any ground at all and divers things out of Books which you cannot be ignorant how ye have on purpose wrested to slander withall that if there be any Principle of honesty in any of you yee may repent before the Lord and that it may not be layd to your charge at the great day when all hearts shall be layd open But in the meane time this I know that what ye have intended against the truth and to keep off the simple from owning of it shall by the wisedome of God so lay open your deceit and envy that it shall advance the truth in the sight of every simple heart which if the truth may but be exalted and my Father thereby honoured it is nothing to me how vile I seeme before men and therefore in peace I rest giving my selfe to the will of God and what I have Written to be judged by all the Children of the light which is not my owne but his from whom I have received it who will defend it against all the wilde Beasts of the World and whom he will shall profit by it And so I rest a Servant of the Truth knowne to the World be the Name of James Nayler A Word to all those who live after their own wills that they may be Witnesses against themselves that they are Persecuters and may reade their Cloud of Witnesses who ever Persecuted the Righteous Seed who is our Cloud of Witnesses ALl People take warning now while you have time prize it for the mighty day of the Lord is comming Woe uoto you that are proâ—d and high minded you will be as stubble before the fire howle woe and misery your down fall day is comming weep and howle ye mighty men ye lofty ones ye rebelliouâ— cones the sword of the Lord is drawne it is forbished and made fit for the slaughter the loftinesse of man shall be brought low cast off your hoods and your rings your filkes and your proud attire gâ—ird you with saekdoath prepare to meet the Lord the trumpet of the Lord is sounded his sword shall be made fat with slaughter and there shall be no peace to the wicked the Beast and the false Prophet shall be caâ—â— into the lake of fire great Babylon is come into remembrance before the Lord strong is the Lord that jungeth her she must have double for all her sins she must drink of the Cup of fury and indignation from the hand of the Lord for she hath made all Nations drunke with the Wine of her Fornication even all the Kings and great men of the Earth is drunke with the cup of Whoredome mystery Babylon the mother of Herlots hath deceived the Nations and she must be cast upon the bed of torment howle ye merchants of Babylon who through covetousnesse makes merchandise of soules howle ye proud Priests of Newcastle who set your nests on high and takes part with the Dragon in the warr against the Lambe and deceives the simple by your subtilties the Lord is comming to lay you open and to gather his sheep from your mouthes and you shall be taken with the Whore with whom you have committed Fornication and shall be partakers of her plagues for the wrath of the Lord is kindled against you and your destruction is at hand the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it therefore come out from among them my people and be ye seperated and I will receive you saith the Lord for now am I risen to redeem Syon with judgement and to render vengeance upon her oppressors Heare the Word of the Lord ye Inhabitants of the Land O how is the Land full of swearers and lyars drunkards and raylers scoffers and scornets O how full is the streets of prophane persons Esau like How full is the streets of proud ones who exalts themselves above all that is called god Tremble tremble ye lofty