your selves to be of them the Apostle speaks of that would be some body in conference but not in possession and hath got the form which the Apostle bids turn away from for immediate you have denied and so you are to be denied with the power and as touching Abraham Isaac and Jacob and Paradice and the Prophets and the holy men of God silence flesh for immediate you deny and all these things who knows them are immediately sent of God for all Scripture being given forth immediately by the Spirit and is of no private interpretation but holy men of God spake as they were moved of the holy Ghost And here you are manifest to be no Ministers of the Spirit but following your own inventions who saith you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were and here you may well enough stumble at the light who denies that you are sent forth immediately as the Apostles were And here all the children of light may see you to be formalists Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson and the rest who saith you are not sent forth immediately I command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to give over deceiving the people and be silent you murtherers of their souls who saith you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were make a scorn and derision of them that would have you live in what you speak but go on for destruction is your portion in the vain and blasphemous philosophy you are and your conclusion shall stand for your selves who are in the rottenness of your hearts and body of iniquity and you are not as the Apostles were and so you have denied the life that gave forth the Scriptures for all Scripture being given forth immediately and they that gave them forth were sent of God and you that go forth to preach which saith you are not sent forth immediately are in the state of them that err'd not knowing the Scripture for they are not known but with that Spirit which gave them forth which was immediate And here with all the children of light you are judged not to be of God nor sent of God out of your own mouths Whereas you say That them you call Quakers do admonish you to wait in silence till God open your mouths and they would not have any to read pray and teach but when the Spirit of the Lord leads them We cannot close with this Here all the holy men of God shall witness against you I take them all to record and you to be contrary to them and your prayers to be abomination and your teachings not of the Spirit and contrary to the Apostle who said He would pray with the Spirit And here you are contrary to his doctrine and contrary to the Scripture and the Apostle said The holy men of God spake as they were moved of the holy Ghost and they speak as the Spirit gave them utterance and Christ saith The Spirit of the Father speaks in you And here again you are contrary to Christs doctrine and the Apostles who cannot close with the Spirits praying and the Spirts teaching And there you shew you are Babylon again and in the error err'd from the life and doctrine of the Apostles And here I leave you to be judged by all the children of light and to walk out of the foot-steps of Christ and his flock who say you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were but praying in families and reading and instructing of children and bringing up in the fear of the Lord and teaching according to the Apostles doctrine we own who was a Minister of the Spirit but not of the letter And this we seek to bring all people to into the life which gave forth the Scriptures and all your experiences and teachings are to be trampled upon who cannot close with the praying of the Spirit and the Spirits leading to pray and teach Here out of the Apostles doctrine you are seen clearly to be with all the children of God Now you say To the best of your understanding That them you call Quakers gives equal liberty for men and women in assemblies to pray Here you do shew your selves to be them that would limit the Spirit of God for God saith He will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh and his sons and daughters shall prophesie the Apostle saith They may all prophesie one by one And here you shew again you are contrary to the Apostles doctrine and your understanding to be bruitish and as touching the assemblies of the Saints silence flesh or their prayers either for either male or female with the Spirit of the Lord they may teach or pray but you that deny the Spirit and cannot close with his praying or teaching either you have got a popish law of Queen Maries that when some hath been moved to come into your Synagogues some hath been beat some stoned some stocked and haled before Magistrates and imprisoned as many in these northern parts may witness Whereas you say They speak after their trembling with an extent voice as the Oracles of God and them you call Quakers do not leave you time to try their sayings as the Apostle did to the Bereans O ye lyers doth not the whole Scripture witness trembling and the Saints gave forth the Scriptures and such had the Oracles of God and we witness the same Spirit now the Saints in light you cannot deceive but the blinde you may lead into the ditch for a while And whereas you speak of magnifying papers equal to the holy Scriptures The same Spirit which gave forth the Scriptures which gives forth now is as true as the Scriptures and not contrary to the Scriptures He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith Whereas you are tormented at those that forsake pride in apparel and receiving honour of man and giving honour to man is it not according to Scripture and the doctrine of Christ who saith How can ye believe which seeks honour one of another And there you shew your selves to be out of the belief and the doctrine of Christ which cross the Saints doth pass through to eternal life which cross is to the world which cross you live without who are puft up And whereas you are speaking for your schools and learning There you shew where you are in the first nature not in that as the Apostles were in who counted all loss and dung and denied all his bringing up and learning in the first birth for the excellency of Christ when he knew the excellency of him Whereas you speak of buying and selling Now you shew where your mindes are yet lawfulness justice and equity we own for this is of God righteousness in man yea nay in all communication we own and all filthy merchandize we trample upon where we see you to be your mindes in the earth your God is your belly you glory in your shame and to be the evil beasts the
lusts you shew where your hearts is without pitty or compassion who wilt not cover thy own flesh but it is that you may be made manifest and you have shewed that you are out of the doctrine of Christ you have been pleading for your interest in the earth there is your God and with the doctrine of Christ you are judged and your community we abhorre but the communion of the Saints we own and servants in their places diligent serving the Lord and children obeying their Parents in the Lord and forsaking all for the Lord and he that doth not is not worthy of him This we witness Whereas you are slandering and saying We are breaking marriage bonds and wedlock because we question what Scripture the Priests have to marry people and take money for it O ye enemies of God where do you read in all the Scriptures that the Priests are to take money for marrying of people such trades we deny if you call that wedlock Marriage is honourable in all things where the the bed is undefiled and that we own but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge and such we deny and all the Priests practises which they have no Scripture for and therefore we question them with authority and deny them both Whereas you are speaking of some that are not free to be Tenants Is the Lord drawing his people from under you taskmasters as from under Pharaoh which are proud and oppressors which you Priests have been examples of and taught the people And this torments you now you Priests because you are against it who have been the oppressors of the creation and are but the Lord is gathering his people from under you now as he did from under Pharaoh and doth proud Pharaoh begin to rage if this torment you you shall see more come with everlasting songs upon their heads singing over Pharaoh and his host The song of Moses and Lamb is begun to be heard in our land and the children of Israel which had their land-marks What 's that to you Egyptians proud and covetous who are for destruction as your father Pharaoh was who was an oppressor proud and a taskmaster Therefore wo to you bloody Cains which are compast under the wo you are of the stock of them that build Babel who are Babylon harlotted from the living God and your Mother hath sit as a Queen deckt with her colours but now the time of her widowhood is come and loss of children and she hath lost many children and that many Kings and Merchants of the earth laments crying Alas alas Whereas you are speaking of tumults and attempts put this not far from you for this may be seen in some of your generation this shall stand for your selves as it is made manifest what tumults are in your congregations And your boasting as giving up your bodies and estates But let these words return upon your selves again and see where your bodies are where your lives and estates are for many lies in prison because they will not pay Priests Tythes which is contrary to the Lord Jesus Christ and his doctrine which the Apostles ever lived in for he never sent you for you confess you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were You say There is not a prophesie in all the Scriptures that takes away all outward teachers Here I am full of the Spirit and power of the Lord to declare against you for in John he saith Ye need not any man téach you There is mans teaching outwardly denied and in Heb. 8. he saith Ye shall not teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord for all shall know him All who are in the new Covenant witnesseth this and who witness the new Covenant witness the Son of man and Jeremiah prophesied That they shall no more teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord And here you enemies of the God are raced out of the Covenant and are ignorant of the Lord And Ezekiel saith Thus saith the Lord I will deliver my sheep from their mouthes that hath devoured them such as you that have sought for the fleece and for the wool and I will search out my sheep and finde them out and feed them upon the top of the mountaines saith the Lord of hosts he that hath an ear to hear let him for he feeds upon the top of the mountains of Israel And Isaiah saith All the children of the Lord shall be taught of the Lord and much peace shall they have and in righteousness shall they be established And here let this prophesie judge you to be out of the new Covenant and contrary to the Prophets and Apostles which say You are not sent immediately as the Apostles were so how can you witness their conditions so here you have brought your selves under the chain And Jeremiah saith The Lord speaks in him Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will make a new covenant not according to the covenant I made with their fathers but this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those daies saith the Lord I will put my laws in their inward parts and in their hearts will I write them and I will be their God and they shall be my people And all these Scriptures I charge you all ye Priests of England to have laid waste and have brought none into the new Covenant neither are you there your selves who stumble at the light and denies the first principle They that need no man to teach them such you write against and speak against and so deny the new Covenant and bring the conditions of those that were not come to the Covenant to oppose the new Covenant them that are in it And for quoting many Scriptures of the Epistles and bringing the conditions of the Saints written in the Epistles and not knowing what condition they were written to let the readers of the book examine the Scriptures which you bring in your book and then they will see how you wrest the Scriptures to oppose the truth and how ignorant you are of the Scriptures You are bringing the Apostles which said If we minister unto you spiritual things it is least if you minister unto us carnal things This was spoken to them that denied the Priests the Saints and would not hold up such Priests as you Priests of England which seek for your gain from your quarter and have Balaams wages which is a horrible filthy thing and which the wo is upon and seeks for the fleece and makes a prey upon the people and if they will not give it you sue men at the law did ever the Apostles so Here O England let thy teachers who are in their whoredom from the life be witnessed against by all the Prophets and Apostles life and let all thy whoredoms testifie against thee in thy face for with the eternal life of them all thou art judged eternally You are speaking of Christs sending forth his and say
you call Quakers that they bring an odium upon the glorious affairs of Christs kingdom Reply This shall stand for your selves who live in experiences which the Minister of Christ taught to forget the things past and to press forward and there you do shew that you are raced out from the life of the Apostle and layes waste his words Priest Another of your lying slanders is that you say They lay waste Churches Graces Scriptures Principles Reply And in these I charge you Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson to be lyers for the Churches of the Saints Graces Scriptures Principles we own but you slander us because we deny the Steeple-house to be the Church and the Grace of God we own which teacheth to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and so it is in the first lesson That they do come to see with the light of Christ to deny your Church your Principle your Experiences and so are not to taste of their doctrine which perish with the using of it for you have been the proud and coveto us that have led silly women captive which have been ever learning but never able to know the truth of you And some are moved to come and cry against you therefore slander them not Priest Another lying slander you bring saying They hinder the progress of the Gospel by weakening the hands of faithful teachers Reply These are more of your lyes for the progress of the Gospel we own and the faithful teachers we own but such as you Priests who say you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were we deny Priest You are making a Pharisees confession you Priests and are learning your lesson how you are apt to slumber and how you should be stirr'd up and doth confess that your people are in deadness of their hearts occasioned by formal duties Reply Here you have uttered where you are which makes people forsake you and where one doth ten shall and see your prayers empty without the Spirit and this is to your Pharisees confession of your selves and the people and many doth see that the Lord is gone out of your publick assemblies and that Ministery he doth not own for you are such as the Lord cried wo against as stood praying in the Synagogues c. Mat. 23. and there you are all openly shewed to be none of Christs sending neither your Church none of his Body for when the Lord hath moved some to come to speak after the order of the Saints Churches and the Scriptures Some have been stocked some stoned and beat and prisoned And how can you say This is a Church of God but blaspheme God but it is as the Scripture saith Become a cage of unclean birds And as touching the Saints conditions Hope Faith I charge you let them alone and meddle not with them for them you know nothing of for your Faith is vain and your Hope shall perish and to you this is the word of God who stumbles at the light Priest And again you say Take heed of judging Ordinances as unnecessary or indifferent things Reply And here I charge you to keep people in blindness who put no difference between the Ordinances of Christ and the Ordinances of Men Priest And again you cavil because they say Minde the light in you which is Christ and is pure and that it discovers every evil and your Answer to this is Whether makes not this the Scripture unncessary and casts off all outward teachings Reply O you blinde guides this light which is to be minded which is Christ stablisheth the Scriptures and it doth bring to deny all outward teachers which is made by man for What is the chaff to the wheat Priest And again you Query Whether this brings not down the glorious mystery of the Scriptures and from every rule of duty Reply Here you have declared you know nothing of the mystery of the Scriptures but are in your own duties for the light within which shews him sin and every evil it doth teach him how to pray and watch and oponeth to him every mystery of the Scripture and without it you are all blinde and know nothing of the mystery as you make it appear and you slanderers do not incense the people that we deny the Scriptures for the Scriptures is ours Priest And in your p. 2. whereof you are tormented and saith We sit inthe chair of judgement I answer Reply God hath given us an understanding and judgement that we are able to distinguish praises to his name We were in your state and kingdom but the Lord hath brought us out of it therefore we are able to judge it and you who hath no judgement but what is false Priest And you are querying Whether leaving you to be guided by the conscience and to have no standing rule whithout you you say Whether this be not to establish Heathens and Philosophy and you conclude that the Light is not pure before Faith Rep. Here you have declared that you neither know Faith nor Light and are afraid that that in your consciences should give you that standing rule which all the Prophets and Apostles had we have Christ Jesus saith I am the light of the world and enlightneth every one that cometh into the word and you conclude this light is not pure And Christ saith He doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world and one he loves the light brings his d deeds to the light and doth not stumble and the ohe hates the light and stumbles at noon as you do which stumbles so much at the light of Christ which enlightens every one that cometh into the world But it is that you might appear that you are them that hate the light and so hates Christ and that you might be judged with all the children of light and you that stumble at this light you neither know God nor Christ nor Faith nor Hope and cannot preach the Gospel nor the Gifts nor the Words but onely death hears a fame as Job said and destruction for â—n your p 4. you leave it to the spiritual to judge and here you conclude you are not spiritual and here you are concluded to be judged by the authority that gave forth the Scriptures for the spiritual man judgeth all things and the Saints shall judge the world and you that deny this light denies the Father of lights and the Apostles exercise who exercised his conscience towards God and man and you deny the Scriptures and growth and the watching and waiting upon God for you question Christs words do you who stumble at the light wherewith Christ hath enlightned Priest For you say If every one that cometh into the world hath a light sufficient to salvation that makes the Scripture the Testimony of God unnecessary a revelation of his minde and love which are nowhere to be found but there Reply And here I charge you again to set up the Scriptures before Christ who is the love of God to
present world and rejoyce evermore and they sung Hallelujah and the kingdom of God stands in righteousness joy and peace in the Holy Ghost Here I charge you in the Spirit of the living God to be lyers And you say That the children of God are found groaning all their life long under the burthen of sin Now I take all the children of the light to judge you and may see the Scripture to witness against you and see that your experience is contrary to the Saints in Scripture and as touching the second coming of Christ as you speak silence flesh who stumbles at his light for you that stumbles at his light stumbles at him But blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath given us an understanding with his light which you stumble at You Priests have been looked on to be the props and pillars of the truth but now the truth hath discovered you to be the props of Antichrists kingdom having the form as the Pharisees had And again you are speaking of the Apostles faith and the seed and the promises and of Abraham Isaac and Jacob All these are our witnesses who witness the promise of God to the seed but as for you that stumble at the light you have but the form as the Pharisees had who saith you are found all your life time groaning under the burthen of sin Here you shew your selves to be them that lead silly women captive led away with divers lusts ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth that the Apostle spoke of but lies groaning under your sins who said They haâ— put off the body of sin and was made free from sin Here your experiences are tried again to be contrary to the Scriptures and the Saints lives so we have weighed you to be contrary to the Scriptures and the Apostles you that say you lay groaning under the burthen of sin bound under the temptations and snares of the divel who are without God in the world And whereas you say That whosoever bids man take heed to the light within which the eternal Word hath enlightned which enlightens him which enlightneth every one that cometh into the world in attendance thereto puts man besides the way of life and saith This assertion puts men quite besides the way of salvation to attend upon that light which comes from the eternal word If this put men aside from the way of life and put men quite beside the way of salvation to wait upon the light which comes from the eternal Word Here again I take all the children of light to record how you are confused and are beside the way of life and salvation for none knows the way of salvation life peace and righteousness but who owns this eternal light which is in the eternal Word and so here all may see it is you that bring men quite besides the way of life and eternal salvation and terms the light of Christ to be the light of nature and not pure And so there you blasphemers are discovered to be the foxes that spoil the vineyards And you say What shall we think of Paul who found the law in his members warring Here you shew you are stangers to Pauls condition when you have learned it you shall know it but them that stumbles at the light stumbles at his condition and here your experiences are tried again to be contrary to the Scriptures You say You grant to walk up to the law or light of nature shall have the light of Grace or Gospel revealed to him and yet you say You never knew the Gospel bestowed upon any such person and say You more then doubt whether ever they stood before the throne of glory Here you are confused let the Reader take notice was not the light of Moses the light of the Gospel who wrote of Christ shall they receive Light Grace Gospel and not stand before the throne of glory you grant they may receive it then here they may fall from the throne of glory which you was accusing them of you call Quakers before they that fall from the light fall from the eternal salvation And so O man thus thy condemnation ariseth of thy self Whereas you say Men taking heed to the light which Christ hath enlightned them withal takes away the ministration of the Gospel and shuts the kingdom of God from men Here you have manifested your selves to be in the generation of the Pharisees who hath the letter to talk of as they had but the light wherewith Christ hath enlightned shuts not the kingdom of heaven from men but you that denies the light shuts the kingdom of God from men and so denies the Gospel and them that hate this light preaches not the Gospel but their own inventions and takes away the authority of the Scriptures who are in the same nature of your fathers that murthered the Prophets Christ and the Apostles and you the children of them now where the life and power is made manifest among the Quakers you act the same part of your fathers which all the righteous blood was shed by Whereas you say Your chief contention is for the Gospel administred by man Here you contend for that the Apostle denied not by man had he received it neither was he made an Apostle by man And here your Spirit is tried to be contrary to the Apostles and the Scripture Whereas you say You know not how any should believe unless they hear the testimony of the Apostles or their words Here you shew you to be in the generation of them who hoards the Apostles words as your fathers read the Prophets and Apostles words but persecuted Christ Blessed is he that believes and sees not And you say You cannot tell how men should believe unless they saw the Apostles conditions Here you shew your selves to be in the Jews doting condition who are Ministers of the letter and your faith is theirs and both is dead he that believes is born of God without Scripture and yet witnessed in Scripture And whereas you slander and say Them you call Quakers aimes to beguile you of Scripture themselves they say this Light or Gospel within you it is the sure word of prophesie Here let all see you to be lyers whether we do not set the Scriptures in the heart of every one for every one having the light within which shews his evil deeds which light is his condemnation that hates it this is Scripture within Here we do not take it from them but that every one might possess it within as it was given forth from within from the life and that they might take heed to the sure word of prophesie till the day-star arise in their hearts as the Apostles exhorts the Saints and that was within And so here again we do not take Scripture from you but it is that you might be seen to be lyers who seek to draw people from the light within from the
this you speak to the world Here you have shewed your selves to be as the Pharisees which looked for the kingdom of God to come by observations Christ said Behold the kingdom of God is within you to the Pharisees and they were of the world and if those words be spoken to your generations they are not believed with you as they were not with your fathers And as touching John's baptism and the Gospel silence flesh for you are far off that who stumbles at the light and you are sons of formality You say You hold a visible order of the Church in the body and is not of the substance of the kingdom that cannot be shaken and yet in the Church We that ye call Quakers do believe ye and tread that ye call a visible Regiment and Church under our feet as natural for natural is visible and your Church is a Steeplehouse and for denying it we suffer persecution as Stephen did for denying the temple who saw the substance so do we with that which cannot be shaken which is the substance and therefore deny your Steeplehouse which can be shaken and your Sacrament and your standing forms and your sprinkling Infants there is not a word in the Scripture that speaks of a Sacrament and sprinkling Ye heathens that live altogether in formality And as touching Pastors and Elders and the Saints practice you know nothing of who stumble at the light who are in your elementary things Elders and Members Pharisee-like who sets themselves against Christ this is to comprehend you all under what form soever which stumbles at the light which shall condemn you all To that in your conscience I speak And whereas you say You do abominate Babylons confusion Then you must abominate your Mother which hath been and is your Nurse for in Babylon you are and all your prayers abomination and out of the doctrine of Christ who denies the light and calls it natural and not pure who are in the state of Popery and Episcopacie and you are Familists which you have mentioned in your book which turns upon your selves for in the nature of all those things you are who are in the sects with the light which Christ hath enlightned are you judged to be not in the unity for the society is visible and that joynes not to the body of Christ for what joynes to the body of Christ is invisible and in the light we have unity in which all the Saints had and see you to be in the whole body and bulk of iniquity which is raised from Christ You say You must not expect them your Ministers Deacons and Elders to be sent forth as the Apostles were immediately It 's manifest they are not Here you have raced your selves from all the Prophets and Apostles from all the Elders and Deacons and all the Teachers and Ministers of the Gospel and the effect of all your Ministery hath shewed you to be the body of all the sects Heresies Schismes and Errors and to be the doctrine of devils for you say you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were then let all take notice who sent you And here you shew forth God never sent you for whom he sends he sends forth immediately and this you deny to be sent forth immediately as the Apostles were And here I charge you in the presence of the living God to be them he never sent 2. To use your tongues 3. Such as Christ cried wo against which have the chiefest place in the assemblies and such as make a prey upon the people which the Lord sent Ezekiel to cry against and Jeremiah and the rest of the Prophets and to be such as Jude speaks of which went in the way of Cain after the error of Balaam which perished in the gainsaying of Core which the wo is to and what you know you know naturally as bruite beasts in these things you corrupt your selves speaking high things in hypocrisie having mens persons in admiration because of advantage which Peter spoke of and Jude who saith you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were And here you declare you were never sent of God and your Spirit contrary to the Apostles and in the doctrine of men for in Babylon you are who saith you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were for the Apostles said The holy Ghost hath made them overseers and that is immediate and invisible And you say Your society is visible We know it is so and so is your Communion too in outward elementary things and your bread and wine in your Steeplehouse-Church and your Sacrament sprinkling Infants so all this is visible and mediate and imitation out of the doctrine of the Apostles and the doctrine of Christ we own every tittle of it in the same Spirit that gave it forth and so all your casting out in your assemblies and your taking in which you say is not immediate is contrary to the doctrine of the Apostles for with the power and life they cast forth and with the power and life they took in which was immediate And you which say You are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were have cleared your selves from the Church of Christ the pillar and ground of Truth which is immediate and so all your overseeing is natural and carnal and the natural man perceives not the things of the Spirit of God And here you have cleared your selves openly to all the children of light to be the spirit of error the beast the false Prophet which is not sent forth from God immediately as the Apostles were as ye confess so you are them which the Apostle John in the Revelation spoke of which was sent forth immediately from God to cry against such as you which was not sent forth immediately from God which Spirit is made manifest now which sees you now as they saw them then whom God sends forth immediately to cry against you now as they did then who are in the state of Paganisme who stumble at the light and confess you are not sent forth immediately with the immediate you are judged Whereas you say Them you call Quakers bids you speak no more then you can experience and live in And such you call for their pains painted Sepulchres which those words shall stand for your selves for Christ gave them to your fathers who had the Prophets words as you have the Apostles who spoke that they did not live in as you do as Mat. 23. but them that spoke forth the Scriptures and spoke what they lived in which you have declared your selves from who hath got the outside of the letter and makes a scorn and derision of them who would have you to live in what you speak as they did that gave forth the Scriptures and there you have shewed again what spirit you are of that would not live in what you speak and have cleared your selves from the Faith for Abraham possessed and you have manifested
Apostle spoke of and them as Christ spoke of coming in sheeps skins but now you are made manifest to be the wolves with the light which you stumble at as your fathers ever did Whereas you say The righteousness by faith or power of Christ in you is not to be rested in Nay from this you are excluded the power of Christ in you and the Faith and Righteousness who stumbles at his light who saith you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were but the just lives by his Faith And whereas you say The externals of the Gospel are to be used with the power of godliness and transacted to the glory of Christ Here all may see your confused muckie stuff who would mix your externals with the everlasting Gospel power of Godliness and glory of Christ And your external religion not abolished to the new creature things that be external and worldly Here you shew your selves to be enemies to the cross of Christ and your external Religion is carnal which the new creature feeds not upon and the pure Religion you are cleared from which is to be kept unspotted of the world and this is eternal and all old Ceremonies and your external Religion comes here to be trampled upon with the new creature where all things are become new but from this you are cleared and kept without who stumbles at the light Something to that you call your confession of apparel and faith this is your doctrine if you see a man boast in apparel be not troubled it may be all his portion in the world Here you shew you are holders up of the world and whom ye are friends to and Lot's righteous soul was grieved at their filthy conversation and holders up of boasters you are which the Apostles doctrine denies both and said it was excluded and gives way to that the Apostles declared against and though you say the Scripture declares against pride and wantonness in apparel yet you would not have it declared against and saith If thou see a man boast in apparel be not troubled And here you shew again what Spirit you are on the world loves its own contrary to the righteous soul Whereas you say Apparel grew in use for distinction of sexes and qualities of persons modesty and custome of the country and members of societies and greater matters Was it the apparel that grew in use for distinction of all these there you are who knows one another outwardly with your apparel who are in the customs of the country without in the fashions of the world without the doctrine of Christ and not in the kingdom of Christ and we know all creatures were created to be used in their places as servants to us and whatsoever we do and use it must be to the glory of God So all your pride amongst you rich and proud ones must down the sword of the Lord is drawn out of the sheath and fitted for the slaughter take warning all you proud and lofty ones that are numbred for the sword and all your bags of honour as you call it must be trampled upon for that which is in esteem with you in your generation is abominrble to the Lord but all men in the Lord we honour In the lusts of ignorance you are and you would make people believe it was their apparel which kept off the bruitish sort of men In the lusts and in your ignorance you are in the wanton world ignorant of the true God who confessed you was not sent before as the Apostles were and so you have not learned Christ and know not his coming and all this dirty stuff is not worth mentioning You say You declare against those who hath cast off the denying of respecting of men and you call this abominable pride Here you manifest your selves who make no distinction among men for all men in the Lord we honour but all men out of the Lord are not to be honoured for ungodly such as you are are for condemnation and the beast is not to be worshipped who hates the light as saith Jude As for your speaking of the fine linnen of Saints and the new name silence flesh and vain bablers who are without in the world but thieves who have got the Saints words but in the generation and nature of them you are that put the Saints to death who saith The persecution is much taken off in England One of your Mothers which two servants of the Lord were moved to go to Cambridge were whipped and scourged till their bodies were torn and many in your Synagogues in the North some stocked stoned beat and many imprisoned as in Carlile Kendal York Chester Lancaster Newcastle which these Goales now doth witness it the fruits of your Ministeries and now it self doth shew it's Babylon and Core and not sent immediately as you confess it as the Apostles were and God is bringing down your pride your honour renown and glory the sword of the Lord is drawn against you take warning and against all your gluttony and drunkenness which you are speaking of in your book which is not worth mentioning which shews where your mindes are but I shall let it stand for your selves And sometimes you seem to be against these things and then you turn to your God again and so denies the living God Something you do write and oppose the law of community as you call it Here you are against the Spirit of life for they that did believe were of one heart they that do believe are born of God and amongst such there was was no oppressour no taskmaster it 's said all things were common no man said This is my own but with the Spirit of the living God which sanctifies all such bruitish sensual lustful devilish and worldly covetous taskmasters oppressors and whoremongers thieves lyers cursed speakers as you are who live in all unrighteousness and in pride loftiness hath no part in this communion for no unrighteousness shall inherit the kingdom of God but your law and community is without and we deny it and you to have any part in this communion but in the lake that burnes who stumbles at the light in which there is unity and saith it is not pure and that you are not sent as the Apostles were immediately who act sin and unrighteousness and stumbles at the light so all the ungodly you think are let loose but here is no bait for them but are kept out you and them both with that in which is your communion but all the conditions of the Saints passages travels and progresses we own in their places and who acted under figures and shadows we own but you who are not come to Christs doctrine who is not come to give your coat yet who hath two you we deny And as you say giving a coat of two to him that hath none This torments you you stumble at this as at the light you enemies of God and murtherers with the
Their message required haste two coats would cumber to salute any by the way might occasion derision or delay and they were to go without money to encourage them he intended to send them into the nations afar off Here I charge all the Priests in England how you go about in your own country without bag without two coats without money without saluting any by the way So here in your own words you are judged who makes a derision of them that doth not salute by the way for that some are beat whom the Lord sends without two coats and doth not salute by the way so you are the oppressors of your own nation who go in two coats and money in your purses salute men by the way sue men at the law and imprison them that will not give it you and out of the doctrine of Christ you are for you confess you are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were You are speaking something for justifying of your particular great houses Stephen for witnessing against the temple was stoned to death who saw the substance and Paul witnessed against the Jews outward temple and was haled out of the Synagogues and was persecuted And for the maintaining of the Pulpit in your great Steeple-houses you bring Ezra who had a Pulpit to read the Law who read the Law to a particular people and the Gospel which is preached by the messengers of Christ is to every creature and the Gospel where it is received they may all speak one by one which is the end of the Law Here you are raced out and Ezra and his Pulpit is ended and the Gospel is preached which you are cleared from who would have Ezra's Pulpit under the law And you dreamers saith Your great idol-houses are clean to you where you meet with your great mixt multitudes and your Pulpit and you that are up which are called of men Masters Let Mat. 23. Christ's words there judge you and all your practices who cries wo against such as you are and the Apostles words who said They sinned against their brethren and against Christ who sit in the Idols temple and there you are judged to be out of the Apostles doctrine and Christs And whereas you would justifie your method and your study first you say The Evangelist exhorted to you such means as are here blamed And these you bring to maintain your study and method You enemies of God was Timothy to study for the word or to divide it was he to study for the gift or to give it forth You bring Solomon who set in order many parables and teaching the people And this you bring for your study and method who speaks a definition of their own brain and not from the mouth of the Lord who confess you were not immediately sent as the Apostles were therefore all is but a definition of their own brain And whereas you are speaking of the Apostles opening the Scriptures and Ezra the law Their conditions shall judge you for that which opened in them was immediate which you confess you are not sent forth immediately therefore you cannot open Scripture as they did so all your method is to be troden under feet who speak a definition of your own brain Whereas you say Learning is to the understanding of the letter of the Scriptures and to help to significant words Here I charge you in the presence of the living God to be them that deny the word that gave forth all words learning is natural and the Scriptures were given forth by the Spirit and can that which is natural open that which the eternal Spirit gave forth Here let all try your spirit and judge your understanding to be bruitish And as touching Magistrates and your outward teaching the Lord hath opened many of their eyes to see your outward teaching to be vanity who witness the law of God in their hearts and so God is coming and is come to redeem his people from among you which witness new Jerusalem come and coming down from heaven so all you corrupt teachers must be trodden under feet which are not sent as the Apostles were they were sent immediately and that you deny to be sent as they were Whereas you are speaking of the deceiveableness of the mystery of iniquity lying Prophets and prophaness Lying Prophets and prophaness is found amongst you it shall stand for your selves for before you are proved to be out of the doctrine of Christ And as you are speaking of voices and being deluded and bewitched with the spirit of lyes This shall stand for your selves again for there you are made manifest to all the children of light who hath long reigned this dark time and where Christ is made manifest the same yesterday to day and for ever There him you call false Christ but in the mystery of iniquity you are which are curst from Christ who hath answered line for line among the simple ones who ensnare the simple ones but now you are taken in your craft and catcht in your guile bound with a chain and the Lord God of might and power is sending forth his sons and daughters and they are amongst you some cutting the branches and some at the roots and amongst you in the wood and drive you foxes out of your holes and shake you fowls out of your nests that are set so high who hath been saying Loe here and loe there but now Christ is within made manifest and all you are seen but you are without who stumble at the light and them that are sent forth without stick or money or two coates such you deride that walk according to the rule that gave forth the Scripture and are brought into Christs doctrine and against such you inform people they are as Satan transformed into an Angel of light but this shall stand for your selves for there you are in the dark eternally we judge you who are not sent forth as the Apostles were immediately as you confess it And what have you to talk of the authority of the Scripture which is immediate and what have you to talk of the Ordinances of God which are spiritual or Communion which is immediate or what have you to do to speak of Faith or Resurrection or of God who are not sent forth immediately as the Apostles were Therefore you I say Lead the people from the authority of the Scriptures and from the Ordinances of Christ and from the Communion Therefore you that are not sent forth as the Apostles immediately your doctrine and Gospel is not as theirs was but are doctrines of devils so we are not as little children now to be tossed with your cunning sleights and windy doctrine you are for ever judged we see your footsteps and know in what path you walk and some of us have learned your language as Moses did the Aegyptians And whereas you are speaking of Germanie In the same nature you are which ever murthered the righteous seed where it
was made manifest but you are made manifest what generation you are of the day is come that declares it You say Why may not Satan help on mortification for such an end as to take away the death of Christ without you For Christ is without you we witness but your mortification that the devil helps on we deny and the plain Scriptures without any private interpretation we own and all your sences meanings interpretations and disputes we deny and you to be in Babylon in the state of the Pharisees Sorcerers and among dogs swine some in the lust and some in the mire are not some drunk and some as proud as they can go let you conversation witness it and all your arguments and consequences we do deny for you say You are not sent immediately as the Apostles were therefore ye are to be declared against that leads people with the mediate into the earth the lust and mire envious proud and covetous like your selves and the plagues of God is to come upon you all who live not in the doctrine of Christ Priest And whereas you slander and say That many writings of the the Papists are applauded and used by them of this way Reply Your writings and theirs we abhor which are contrary to the doctrine of Christ And whereas you were speaking of Jesuits books we put you all together Jesuits and Priests for you Priests have had their Law to maintain your Ministery and guard your Pulpit for with one Law of men have and are you Priests of England and Jesuits upheld so we that cry against Popery doth and must against you all and with the Spirit of the living God for it was before her Law was for where some have spoken in their time have been imprisoned and many lyes in prison now so he that sits in heaven laugheth at you the Lord hath you in derision and them that dwell in the light are on the watch have seen what your books have brought forth your folly and that the truth is exalted above all your lyes and slanders And they are at the battering of error who are in the commandment of the everlasting God who witness the everlasting Gospel the revelation of Jesus and the life of the Prophets and are in the obedience of the Faith who doth warn all to take heed of all seducing Spirits which draws from the light within which enlightens every one which comes into the world there is every one of your teachers in particular there is every one of your condemnation that hates it whose deeds are evil Priest Whereas you slander and say That some of them you call Quakers do expose themselves to be persecuted to sufferings Reply O ye persecuters and slanderers would you justifie your selves in destroying the innocent and make this your cloak and say They expose themselves to it when many are almost murthered in your steeple-houses but God is the strength of his people Priest And whereas you say That they put no difference between the Papists and the Protestants Reply Are they not both in a nature which are not in the power of God and who hath one law of Queen Maries for your protection for you have had that Popish Law of Queen Maries to defend you and doth not the Scripture say Every one that cometh into the world is enlightned with Christ which light is your condemnation that hate it which light searches the secrets of every mans heart Priest You say God who commanded light to shine out of darkness Reply This is not your condition it hath not shined forth of you which stumble at the light which hath enlightned every one that comes into the world Priest While you have been in your sinful silence you say Some privily have brought in damnable heresies denying the Lord that bought them Relpy This shall stand for your selves who saith You are found all your life time groaning under the burthen of sin Here I take all people in the light to record by whom I see you deny the Lord Jesus who came to save his people from their sins and to destroy the works of the devil which you say They must all their life time groan under and the Apostles said They were made free from sin and here your doctrine is contrary to theirs as in p. 15. and I take all people to record and let them read 2 Pet. 2. if you be not those Peter spoke of Which denies the Lord Jesus that bought them and hath brought upon your selves swift destruction many doth follow your pernicious wayes by whom the way of truth is evil spoken of and through covetousness and fained words you have made merchandize of the people who have gone in the way of Cain after the error of Balaam as you now have made it appear to the children of light who beguiles unstable soules eyes full of adultery sporting your selves in the day time evil beasts made to be destroyed speaking great swelling words of vanity through the lusts of the flesh promising your selves liberty but the mean while your selves are the servants of corruption and they that are escaped from you through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ comes to be entangled again among you their latter end is worse then the first and they had better never have known the way of truth but it is happened to such as the old proverb is The dog to vomit and the sow to the wallowing in the mire Therefore a warning to all you brethren that are in the light and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ that you may be kept unspotted from the world and to reign over all such who are in the lusts of the flesh and out of the doctrine of Christ that serves not the Lord Jesus Christ but your own bellies Queries 1. And whether the Gospel you speak of be the four books Matthew Mark Luke and John and if those be the Gospel then every one that hath these books hath the power of God to salvation and then that Gospel is preached and printed and that Gospel may be carried under their arms or in their pockets the Gospel we know and are established in it and we do not aske you this question because we would know it for your knowledge we deny but answer it to them you call your brethren 2. Whether that light that gave forth the Scriptures which enlightens every one that cometh into the world shall be every ones condemnation that hates it or the words of the Scriptures declared from it or this light which Christ hath enlightned withal when Christ saith This is the condemnation the light And whether there is any condemnation but this 3. And whether ye do own and believe in that one offering which hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified 4. And whether they are not in unbelief and not believe in this offering which say Men shall never be free from sin while they are upon earth and say They shall never come to perfection upon earth 5. And whether they that say so be not in the state of the Pharisees which brought no fruit to perfection though these professed a Christ to come yet they would not own this offering 6. And whether they that say Man shall not be sanctified throughout and shall not be made clean from sin while he is upon earth be not them that trample the blood of the new Covenant under foot and make the blood of Christ of none effect and denies Iesus Christ that bought them 7. And whether Christ Jesus doth not save his people from all their sins and set them free to reign as Kings upon the earth all these things we know and witness but to you Priests about Beverley and thou Priest Feak and the rest that subscribe to this book that saith They must lie groaning all their life long under it These queries are for you to answer that gave forth this book so here it is manifest that this everlasting offering that perfects for ever them that aresanctified is not owned amongst you Priests but onely to talk on as the Pharisees did of Christ From them whom the world scornfully calls Quakers who is in the power of God which shall make all the world to quake and tremble FINIS