and follow And such by W. Rogers must be Accounted Honourable Elders and Preachers And yet in his Sixth Part Page 12. tells us The Kingdom of God stands in Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost and tells us again in his Sixth Part. Page 3. of his Inward peace with the Lord c. and in his Second Page Part 8. there he speaks of the Government of Christ who alone is Lord over the Conscience and Page 10. Part 6. he tells us He is breathing to the Lord of Heaven That we and G. F. may be humbled before the Lord and G. F. in Particular that High and Lofty one may not utterly fall c. What a mad Prayer is this how canst thou be at peace and breath unto the Lord and be thus Wicked for thy Prayers are an Abomination to the Lord. And thou hast not only Judged G. F but as thou scoffingly saist his party also to be Apostates that is such as have blessed Unity with him in the Truth which is the whole Body of Friends who have kept their Habitations in the Living Truth and Faith of Gods Elect which thou art gone from And by what Spirit dost thou pretend thou hast Peace with God and breathest to God and tellest of his Kingdom and yet art blind and dost not see it s thy Duty to obey and follow that which is given forth from the Spirit of God c. How can thy Spirit and the Spirit of those thou termest thy Honourable Brethren be accounted any otherwise then a loose frivolous Spirit And doth W. R. and those that Encouraged him to publick his confused Books stuffed full of Contradictions and with a Rabble of false charges as hath been shewn in other Answers in Print believe that they proceeded from Gods Spirit when he doth not see it to be his Duty to Obey that which is given forth from the Spirit of God are you all of his Mind And he saith Speaking of the Unction That by it all things are known And yet he doth not see it his Duty to Obey that which is given forth from the Spirit of God For this is applied to William Rogers J. Story J. Wilkinson and their Followers for he doth not mention any others who are thus Blind that they do not see for we who are the Members of that Body which Christ is the Head of do see it is our Duty to Obey that which is given forth from the Spirit of God in our day Do we not Read that under the Dipensation of the Law which came by Moses the Priests lips were to preserve the Peoples Knowledge and to be Instructers to the People in all things pertaining to that Dispensation that the People might not be Ignorant of the Law of God but might fully know it And where they doubted in any thing that Priesthood was to Compleat their Knowledge in it that they might not plead Ignorance in any thing contained in the Law to be done for God was able by his Spirit then both Immidiatly and Instrumentally by his Priesthood appointed under that Dispensation to Instruct them fully and none then could say they did not see or they did not believe what was the mind of God under that Dispensation But those that wilfully stopped their Ears and shut their Eyes least they should hear and see understand and obey the will of God who Rebel'd against the Spirit And such came to be hardined in their Sins and Rebel against the Truth and despise the Government of it as Korah and his Company in the Conspiracy against Moses and Aaron c. Much more now in our day under the clear Gospel Ministration may the Israel of God be fully Instructed both Immediately and Instrumentally by his Spirit in all things pertaining to the Doctrine and Discipline of Truth and Gospel Government that their hearts may be subject thereunto and they need not plead Ignorance and say I see not this or I believe not this and If I do this or Obey t'otheir it will be a blind Obedience and I shall do it without Faith or sight I say none need plead thus and upon this ground and with their blind Minds and dark Understandings in their Disobedience oppose Gods People in what they both see and believe to be given forth by his Spirit For Christ hath enlightned them all and hath poured his Spirit upon all Flesh that they may see and perceive that which is given forth from the Spirit Therefore we do affirm that every Imprejudiced simple-harted Friend waiting and following on to know the Lord in his Light and Spirit will grow up in the Faith and not oppose the Faithful in their Faithfulness towards God in what he makes known of his Will And so the Simple-minded will mind the Lord and his power which will preserve them in Unity and fellowship with the Brethren the Members of Christ in the Spirit and Light according to their growth in the Truth and if at any time there be any Conscientious Scrupling concerning any thing as to matter of Discipline or Government or any thing else they will be desirous and willing to Ask Counsil of the Lord and in Gentleness and Meekness of his Faithful People in sinserity without Opposition as the Corinthians did to Paul who answered them cencerning the things they had wrote to him that they might be Convinced and helped in matters pertaining to Faith and Conscience And where did ever the Jews say to Moses and the Prophets They were not convinced and did not see if their Duty to follow and obey that which they declared from the Lord to them And also where did ever the Disciples of Christ say We are not convinced and do not see it our Duty to follow and obey that which thou Commandest us And forasmuch as it is on Record that the Apostles and the Elders wrote their Orders and Decrees and Traditions to the Churches where did ever the Churches and true believers tell the Apostles and the Elders they did not see nor beliebe and had not Faith in their words and therefore it was not their Duty to Obey that which they writ and spoke to them from the Lord by his Spirit but called it Imposition and blind Obedience this always was a marke of the false Apostles and Christians who opposed the true and it was and is the Devil that did and does blind People now that they do not see their Duty to God to do what he commands them Are the Ranters excusable because they say they do not see or believe the wickedness they commit to be sin or evil Will this excuse them in the the day of Judgment take warning and take heed Must not the secrets of Men be Judged by Jesus Christ according to the Gospell which is Preached to or in every Creature under Heaven And canst thou and thine Abettors be excused in your wilfulness and wicked rebellion against God and his People under pretence that you do not see
nor believe Nay William thou and you are seen and your wicked work is weighed in the Ballance of Truth and found too light and Woe and Misery from God will be your Portion except you Repent Your Nakedness doth appear for want of anointing your eyes with eye-salve that you might see c. For truly since you went from the Light of Christ by which you were convinced by which all God's People are now at this day kept in Unity I do plainly see with that eye-salve God hath given me that you are got into a Spirit of Rudeness Lightness Scornfulness and despising those that truly fear the Lord so that it is enough to convince every sober-minded person what Spirit you are led and acted by that they may see with the Light of Christ how you are fallen from the pure truth of the Gospel into Looseness like so many Way-marks for God's people to shun c. W. R. Thou makest a great Pudder and muddlest thy head about our Orders in part 8. p. 5. and twice in pag. 6. And about outward prescriptions in the same Page twice and pag. 10. there thou art at it again and speakest of Decrees and Prescriptions twice over then pag. 13. thou art at it again c. Answ But William why dost thou make such a confused noise about our Orders as though thy Head was amazed And dost so worry them with thy muddled Head that thou hast not been able to give a perfect list of them though it has been of thee demanded What those Orders are that our Friends have imposed upon you For with thy own muddled Head thou thinkest to muddle others Heads with thy making a noise about our Orders Prescriptions Decrees and Government but neither thou nor J. S. nor J. Wilkinson have yet given a full and particular Account of them what they are and stated them aright with the day when and the Year they were given forth that people might have seen them together with a Catalogue of thy own I. Wilkinson's and I. Story 's Decrees and Orders what they are thou shouldst have brought them forth that people might have seen them and been able to judge of them So give over thy making a Noise and Clamouring and Brawling against our Orders Prescriptions and Decrees as long as thou dost not discover them all to the people what they are that people may not be deceived by thee and pin their Faith on thy Sleeve for in this thy empty work thou hast but been beating the Air. And as for the Fruits of a Careless Loose Libertine Dark Spirit W. R. with all his Iâ—'s in all his Writings hath not proved against G. F. but hath manifested them to be the Fruits of his own Spirit whose Tongue is become no slander nor words of any Credit with them that fear the Lord. And J. Wilkinson and W. Rogers have not answer'd G. F's Question yet though W. R. be at it again in his 8th part pag. 8. viz. Whether or no an Heavenly Member of Christ's Body that is such as are born again of the Spirit and of the Immortal seed by the word of God turns to Dust Yea or Nay For G. F's Query was not about an Earthly Member nor an Earthly Corruptible Body but an Heavenly Member Part 8. pag. 2 3. W. R. says It 's the duty of some c. to pin their Faith on the sleeves of C. T. c. Again This small Tract is now written for the sakes of such among the people called Quakers as are not yet Principle'd to pin their Faith upon other mens sleeves Answ Are not the spreaders and the sellers of W. R's malitious Books the pinners of their Faith upon his sleeve And yet they are so confused that they will not stand by him in it But it was always my Judgment to Judge such as Pin their Faith upon thy sleeve or J. S's or J. W's or upon any else For the Faith of God's Elect stands in Christ the Author and Finisher of it And what need was there that any one that reads my Book against thee should pin their Faith on my slieve But W. R. hast not thou Judged us often over in thy malitious slanderous Book to be Apostates and Innovators Was not this a just ground for me to declare thee to be of Korahs Spirit and of Cains Line And if thou hast not in thy Book rendred us such as Apostates and Innovators unto which I refer the Reader then clear thy self if thou canst or else the Burthen of my words in my Testimony against thee in that Spirit thou writ that Book must certainly lie upon thee And herein I have not wronged thee I affirm it and still charge thee in the same true Judgment to be of Korahs and Cains Line to be sealed down under Eternal Judgment and Condemnation from God for ever except thou Repent and we stand over thee in the Authority of God's Power and of such as Abet to thee and adhere to thee in that Malitious Proud and Lofty Spirit thou art entred into W. R. saith part 8. pag. 5. That 't was safer to have a Dependency on this measure of Christs Light in our selves than to have an Eye out to the measures of others Answ Hath not W. R. shewed his Darkness and theirs that incouraged him to Print his Book For can any see the measure of the Spirit of Christ and his Light in others but by the measure of the Spirit of God in themselves in which they come into Unity But where did ever either I or any of our faithful Brethren bring any to look and have a Dependency upon the Measure in others and neglect the measure of the Spirit of God in themselves by which they should be guided to become the Sons and Daughters of God This was never our Principle but thou wouldst insinuate such a thing W. R. And in Part 8. pag. 10. thou speakest of a Visible man to be an Eye to see for the rest of the Body and pag. 11. thou bringest the same and Part 6. pag. 16. thou art muddling thy head again about the same thing and tellest of a late Doctrine viz. Have your Eye to the Brethren And sayst further The substance of this Doctrine hath of late been publish'd also in Publick Meetings c. As in the Natural Body the Eye is placed to see for all the rest of the Members so also in the Spiritual and hath been explained so as it hath been sometimes taken that G. F. is an Eye for the whole Body and other times as if some other Persons were an Eye for a Meeting c. Answ But who have publish'd these Doctrines whom thou hast so backbited in Print thou hast not named their names so must I pin my Faith on thy slieve for the proof thereof But hath not my Caution to the simple-hearted that they should not be deceived by thy lying slanderous Book tormented thee and thy Spirit because of thy wicked Works
And doth not W. R. think himself to be an Eye to his Brethren And doth he not take himself to be an Eye for John Story J. Wilkinson and the rest of the Seperate Company And have not they made him their Eye and Tongue and Mouth to Publish their Writings and Words and their silly false Certifficate Or is their Body without an Eye But the living Members which are the Church and the Body o Christ which he is head of he hath given a Spiritual Eye unto for he is their Eye by his Light and Spirit and without him we can do nothing By which Light all Members do see for themselves and to edifie one another in the most Holy Faith And I would have all people to have an Eye from Christ in themselves that they may see both thy Spirit and thy Books which many do now more fully see than before W. R. saith in Part 6. pag. 3 4. When I consider what Multitudes of the weaker sort of people are apt to be deceived by Embracing Shadows instead of Substance and Lies instead of Truth c. it hath been one motive amongst others occasioned me once more to appear in Print Answ Hath not W. R. appeared here to make the weaker and them that are apt to be deceived to believe him to be a strong man and an Eye to see for them that which they are not able to see for themselves nor help themselves who are weak so doth not he pretend here to see for them and to be a strength to them which he says Hath been one motive amongst others occasioning him once more to appear in Print so hath he not made himself a Seer or an Overseer here among others which thing in effect he Judges in the Body of Christ of which Body we are Now doth not here W. R. confound himself For why should not those Weak hear for themselves and see for themselves with the Light and Grace of Christ which thou W. R. confessest to be sufficient And dost not thou speak of an Unction within them by which all things were known Part 8. pag. 11. But Is not this the occasion that thou once more appearedst in Print that those Weak and such as are apt to be deceived may look at thy Writings For thou dost not say they should try thy Writings by the Light and Grace of Christ within them in the Third and Fourth Pages Part Six But is it not really thy mind that they should believe thee to see for them and help them and to pin their Faith on thy Slieve If not to what end is thy Writing For if thou seest neither for their Body nor for the separate Meeting what doth all thy Scribling then signifie W. R. Part 8. pag. 10. That the Grace of God is sufficient and that every one is to be left to their own measure Thou needst not tell us that who obey it And whereas thou goest over and over in thy Book telling us of G. F's Party but this is from thy malicious foul Spirit We are not such a Party as thou wouldst insinuate but are for Christ and all his Believers in the Light which is the Life in Christ Jesus before Parties were And that in the Light Grace and Spirit of Christ we might all exalt Christ both in Males and Females and by it we may know him to Reign in all our hearts W. R. And whereas thou keepest a Railing against the Second Days Meeting in several places in thy Book Answ I must tell thee the least Babe in Christ that is of that Meeting hath an Understanding with the Light and Spirit of Christ to see over thy foul Spirit and its Works and God hath given them the Spiritual Judgment to Judge them both And thou shalt proceed no further but art detected and thy Folly will be made manifest to all men that hear or see thy Books And the God of Heaven and Earth hath suffered thee a while that when thou hast run thy Race he may fasten his Hook in thy Jaws And how dare W. R. Part 8. pag. 6. say That the Second Days Meeting is Guilty of the like Crime of that nameless Book that W. P. answered Whereas Ellis Hooks his name was set to the Book on the behalf of the Second-Days-Meeting whose Credit did go as far as W. R's and farther among them that fear God And others also of us do own it and will stand by it And W. R. Part 6. pag. 9. speaks Of Saul 's hearkning to Samuel the Prophet c. ' Which he thinks should be a warning to G. F. and others of his Party to hearken unto the Word of the Lord that came through his Servant John Wilkinson on the Twentieth Day of the Sixth Month 1675. on this wise viz. To Repent and turn from your Proceedings and leave Gods people to the Order of his Gospel and Command and that if they would not then the Lord himself would break them and turn them one against another about their Orders so far W. R. of John Wilkinson Answ But neither W. R's nor J. W's Words do answer the Light of the Spirit of God in our Consciences to believe his words as the word of the Lord which proceeded from his Imaginations and lying perverse Spirit For all the Believers in the Light which are the Children of Light are in the Glorious Order of his Gospel the Power of God and Command and others are exhorted to it And J. Wilkinson might see and thou also if thou and he will believe Truth that he is a false Prophet and his false Prophecy is come upon himself For how many hath the Lord broken off from them in the North and also in the South And through thy Wicked Printings many have come to see with the Light of Christ your Wicked Spirit and its Work And especially when they see J. S's and J. Wilkinson's Orders of giving power to meet and those that would not take them but would meet without their Power and Orders were called Usurpers of Authority And many of these Simple-hearted which were ensnared by Subscribing to them are come off from them and have given Certificates against J. Story and J. Wilkinson which W. R. saith It was an Endeavouring to uncover the pretended Nakedness of them to wit his Brothers or Brethren sending Certificates abroad thereof Spread amongst Friends and Enemies Now I do understand that those Enemies were such as J. W. and J. S. had deceived and drawn into a Seperation or did Abet them and the Friends were the faithful that kept to Christ their head and did not follow J. S. nor J. Wilkinson in their Seperation And to such they were sent that they might see how they had been betrayed and as a Warning to others that they might not be deceived as thou hadst been So the Spreading of those Certificates according to the mind of those who had been seduc'd into a joyning with the Seperate Meeting and were brought off through
Gods Great Mercy was to the honour of God and good Caution to others Neither were they Printed but sent amongst Friends and thy own Company who are gone into Enmity and so become Enemies This is no Parallel to the Printing and Spreading thy Wicked Book with Ham's Spirit to the dishonour of God and grief of his good People rendring them Apostates and Innovators c. belying them and so telling and publishing thy slanders as in Gath and Askelon to the gladding the hearts of the Uncircumcised and so manifesting thy own shame in going about to slander such as God hath Clothed c. And my Book stands still a Witness and a Testimony upon thy head and those that encouraged thee against your foul Spirit And is there none come off in Wilts and Bristol since the 20th of the Sixth Month 1675. I say is there none come off from J. Story J. Wilkinson and W. Rogers Yes surely Let Wilts and Bristol speak whether none there have come off from them and testified against their foul Spirit And W. R. unjustly compares J. Wilkinson and his false Prophecy with Samuel the Prophet against Saul which he thinks should be a Warning to G. F. and others to hearken to J. W 's false Prophecy We have taken Warning but it is concerning thine J. Story 's and J. W's Spirit and do warn others to reject his false Spirit and Prophecy which if we should have believed then we might have Repented of it as some have done And so W. Rogers's and J. Wilkinson's own party is broken to pieces as the Certificates aforesaid manifest and Gods People are setled and established upon the Rock of Christ Jesus and by the Certificate that followeth you may Read J. Wilkinson's Apostacy how he kept not his first Habitation And was not J. Story and is not W. Rogers of the same Spirit with him A Certificate FRom William Gandie in Relation of some words in discourse between him and J. Wilkinson at William Gandies house some Years Past concerning the Persecution that was made by the late Act against Conventicles and how liable such as I to wit William Gandie who had a meeting twice in the Week at my house were liable to suffer because the Informers did know certainly where to find us but said J. Wilkinson to me we have taken a Course in Westmorland to prevent the informers for having their Prey upon us for we appoint our Meetings in Private places as Gills and Cloughs where we think they cannot find us Then I asked J. Wilkinson how they did appoint their meetings whether Publickly c. And J. W. said no privately one to the other And then how such Friends should know who might not be acquainted or not be at the meeting And J. W. answered they kept some one on a Hill as a Boy to give such Friends Notice by signes as by the Hat or some such like signes whither they might repair to the Meeting And further J. W. advised me to put the Meeting at my house to meet under a great Oake that stands before my door in the Lane or Kings high way which would prevent them of Twenty Pounds due for my fine c. This is as near as I can remember the Words that passed betwixt us Now I have often heard that William Rogers was about to Print but I hoped they would not have been so very Wicked thus to shew their Enmity but they will have their Reward So in this Day we may Bless the Lord that we have heen preserved from that Spirit in our Countie William Gandie Cheshire the 9th of the 2d Month 1681. W. R. says Part 8. Pag 14. Not one Iota of an Order approved by G. F s Party can be Dispensed with to maintain the Ancient fellowship of the People called Quakers Answer But W. R. hath not shewed wherein nor what all these Orders are nor our Ancient fellowship This is but his empty Clamour like the Rest And Part 8 Pag. 13. W. R. saith whether such of G. F 's party as declare Dis-union with another Person on the meer foot of that other Persons Conscientious refusal to propose the Intention of his Marriage to a Meeting of Women Distinct from Men be not a Badge of Apostacy c. Answer This W. R. would insinuate but hath proved nothing with his dark queries nor named these other Persons who do Conscentiously refuse And pag. 15. he speaks of his Declarations of the Ancient Brethren c. exalting Christ over all in Male and Female the hope of Glory c. And why should not Christ in the Female as well as the Male or why should not faithful Women have a sight into the Marriages in the Covenant of God And how can any Person Conscientiously refuse or deny it And is not W. R. so high and lofty that he and his followers do scorn to lay a Marriage before Christ in the Female as well as in the Male or before the faithful Women as well as the men though in their Meetings they may be Distinct or apart from the men as absent in the Body present in the Spirit one with another That so W. R. hath n t yet prov'd Seperation For some of J. Wilkinsons Party have called the Womens-Meetings an Idol I am a Witness of it Part 6. Page 4. W. R. speaking of Opposers Recriminating Reflections c. saith it hath been one motive among others Occasioning me once more to appear in Print and one part of my End therein is that some short Discovery may be made of the ways and means by which some simple-minded have heen betrayed c. And he further speaking of the Second Days Meeting in London saith These few Lines shall remain on Record to the Infamy and shame of such as have approved the aforesaid Books or Papers Answer W. R. This shame and infamy will remain upon Record against thy self and thine Adherents And must not these thou calls simple insnared betrayed Friends pin their faith on thy sleeve to unbetray them But who the simple betrayed Friends are what they are betray'd in and what our Recriminating Reflections are thou hast not here named And W. R. Thou sayst Part 8 Page 11. The sense I have of the snare attending many through Conformity to other mens Lines made ready to their hands in blind Obedience c. Answers But who are those that are Conformable to other Mens Lines made ready to their hands and where are the Lines they are Comformable unto Why hast thou not Printed them all or must I pin my faith on thy sleeve in this also But what W. R. who appearest in Print for the simple and betrayed is not the Grace of God within and the Light of Christ sufficient by which all must be kept to their own to see Christ their Saviour that they need not look at thy Lines made ready to their hands which instead of undeceiving them will deceive them the more And as for the Second
Days Meetings all thy brawlings and Clamours against the Friends Concern'd in that Meeting they in the Lords Power do not regard as knowing thy words to be of no Credit with them that fear the Lord. And W. R. are not all the Books that thou hast Printed against the Faithful in which thou hast shot all thy Wicked Darts with thy foul Language like unto J. Story and J. Wilkinson's Condemnation thou drew up for them which thou calledst a Rattle to please Children And could there have been more Wickedness known in Man and Dissimulation than that way For was not thy Intent thereby to deceive And was not that a mark and a Badge of thy great Apostacy from the Light of Christ and his Truth But the Children of the Light neither thou nor J. Story nor J. Wilkinson were able to deceive And therefore thou Roarest now like a Bull in a Nett and reproachest such Faithful Friends as here desired thy Eternal Good And all thy Printed Books are like unto the Rattle thou speakst of to please Children and they must be Children indeed and simple and Betrayed from Christ and his Light that believe thy Rattles But all that walk in the Light and are grafted into Christ see over thee and them and thou canst not deceive them And therefore thou art in such a Toss and Tempest and in a fretful Restless Spirit And what W. R Wouldest thou have a Meeting to wait upon the Lord to Manifest thy Words Works and Spirit The Lord hath sufficiently discovered both thy Words Works and Spirit by his Eternal Power and Spirit and judged them Thou sayst Thou art for Peace Then call in all thy Dirty Wicked Books and Condemn them And do not oppose the Light of Christ and his Grace the Truth and the Spirit in his people nor the Gospel the power of God in Men and Women which hath led them to Christ and God to meet in his Power and Spirit by which they are gathered to him to take care of Gods Truth which is their Duty that he be not dishonoured and the Camp of God may be kept Clean And to see that all Marriages may be performed desently and in Order that Christ in the Female as well as in the Male may have an Eye in them that both Male and Female being Faithful to God may be Meet-helps together in Truth and in Righteousness and Holiness in Christ Jesus But if thou dost proceed and goest on Gods Eternal Sword of his Spirit is drawn against thee and that Spirit that takes thy part and therefore be warned For its Judgment is begun and his Sword will not be put up untill it hath perfected its Work And when thou feelest it cut and the Terrors of the Lord upon thee for thy Wicked Works sake in which thou hast cryed Peace Peace but instead of Peace Peace nothing but Destruction will come upon thee Then William O the Horror when the Vengeance of God is upon thee for abusing people with thy deceitful Rattles Then remember the tender Bowels of them that sought thy Eternal Good and would have reclaimed thee for hadst thou kept to the Witness of God and Judged J. S. and J. W. thou hadst never followed this Disorderly Spirit of the son of Perdition which is exalted above all that is called God in thee which seeks to betray Gods people and his Truth Judas like to the World But if ever God should be so Merciful to thee as to bring thee down to his Witness in thy self thou wouldest Lament the Day that ever thou espousedst that Spirit that led J. S. and J. W. from the Truth and so turned against the Faithful Friends and Children of the Light W. R. Thou goest over and over in thy Books with slighting Expressions against our Church-Government and that in a lofty scoffing despising way But I must tell thee Christ who is the Governour hath established by his Light Power and Spirit his Government in the hearts of all his Children of Light who are living Members of his Body his Church which he is the living head of and the Gates of Hell shall not Prevaile against it And by Christs Light in themselves every Male and Female in the Church sees their service and their Duty to God And W. R. Thou art busying and mudling thy head about G. F's Trade thou hadst better let G. F. and his Trade alone who never did Dispise the smallest honest calling upon Earth W. R. says Part 8. pag. 8. Let G. F. know whether he can receive it or no that probable the Name of a Quaker might not have been despised so much by many as it now is had he but followed the example of W. D. and other his fellowlabourers keeping at some honest outward calling instead of mudling his head to bring about a Conformity to his outward Orders For I am fully satisfied in my Conscience that that noisom scent that hath risen like smoak from the bottomless Pit hath been occasioned from an Antichristian Promotion of his outward Orders so far W. Rogers Answ Now the Reader may see this Mans Spirit he hath not given a Catalogue of these outward Orders that the Reader may see them And his Clamorous Tongue is but from his Antichristian Spirit and Evil Conscience and the noisom smoak of his bottomless Pit but he cannot darken Gods Air for the Sun of Righteousness is arisen with healing in his Wings which shines over all but God will judge him for his foul Language and hard speeches for many weapons have been formed against G. F. since he was about 19 years old and moved of the Lord to forsake all and to follow the Lamb. But how can W. R. tell and be so confident that G. F. hath not some concerns in the outward Creation having a Family He hath not proved the Contrary which he must do or else stop his Mouth for shame for if he had not how is it that he hath been under sufferings and exercises some Years in several Courts for not paying Tithes and his quoting W. D. in the case is meer flattery But what outward calling was that J. Story followed and J. Wilkinson when they were at Bristol let Friends of Bristol and Wiltshire speak where they were and what it was whom he calls his honourable Brethren and how have they kept the Name of a Quaker from being despised there What a malitious Spirit guides thee to defame if possible G. F. that dear and faithful Servant of God who through his Grace hath been such a Faithful Instrument in his hand that by him thousands have been converted to God through the Gospel committed to him and have been shod with the preparation of it to defend them from the Briars and Thorns the Exercises and Troubles of this evil World to bring them to Peace with the Lord. And the Authority of God is with him still to preserve him to stand over the Devil and thy foul Spirit and all the Agents and
Instruments of Iniquity whose Life hath been preserved through great sufferings And those wicked Darts which have been shot at him by thee and such Apostates and Envious ones as thou art have recoiled back again into their own evil Souls And who yet ever hated him and scorned him as thou dost that ever prospered as to Godward but in the end perished and withered And W. R. thy disdain and folly and malice appears in Reflecting about G. F. his following no outward Calling who is in his Calling and Service exercised with all his might that in the end he may give up a blessed and faithful account through the Eternal Spirit of the Ever-living God of his Calling and Service he was in his young years called unto forsaking all other Callings and Concerns in this World to do the Work he was called unto and is still in his Calling and who in this our day hath travelled laboured and suffered more on Truth 's Account than he hath done Who is still spending himself that in the end he may be spent in the Work of it and lay down his head in Peace and Joy in the Lord. And I am sensible that all the Witnesses of God in his Tabernacle will arise to judge and witness against thee and thine Abettors in that foul Spirit by which you are acted to Blaspheme God his Truth and faithful people And now if W. R. by outward Orders means the Men and Womens Meetings which G. F. and many other faithful Brethren and Elders in Christ were moved in the Power and Spirit of the Lord to direct people to set up such Meetings did and do answer the Spirit of God in all that fear him and with the Spirit of God we witness the Authority of them to be the Power of God And we do witness with the Spirit of God a great service in them and for them to see and take care for the Poor and for the Widdows and Fatherless and to exhort and admonish such that walk not according to the Gospel of Christ Jesus or cause his Name to be dishonoured or blasphemed And to see that all that do Marry have their Relations Consent and be free from Intanglements with all other Persons in Relation to Marriage and to see that the Widdow and Fatherless be not wronged in their Estates in Marriage And we do not limit the Faithful Women in Jesus Christ from their exercise and care in such things but that all things may be seen to be done in Truth and Righteousness to the Praise and Glory of God And these be the outward Orders W. R. speaks of that stink and are so noisom like the smoak from the bottomless Pit and from an Antichristian Promotion in W. R's Eyes and Nose I tell him we will stand by them in Gods Power and Spirit against his wicked spirit and God will Judge him for his foul and wicked words W. R. Thou saiest part 6. p. 5. 22. what is frequently brought to thy Ears c. and thou saiest witness the Persecution raised against J. S. J. W. and proceeding against John Ainloe at a Quarterly Meeting in the Isle of Ely And I really pitty J. A. that he should ever have given the least occasion wherefore such a wicked adversary as thou art should be an advocate for him against us Alas Poor J. A once Dear to me my Soul wishes thee well But why did not W. R. set down the matter of Fact that the Quarterly meeting had against John Ainloe together with the informers Names that brought these things to his Ears and not to hide them under his dark Curtain But has W. R. sent his informations to the said Quarterly meeting that the informers have given him that he might know the Truth of it before he publisht it to the Nations in Print But we can expect little otherwise but General Clamours from this Spirit And it is a gross abuse and slender to say that ever Persecution was raised against J. W. J. S. by the Children of Light but they sought their good who willfully resisted all tender Admonitions And though with thy Wicked Spirit thou over and over smitest at G. F. and other Faithful Elders yet both he and many others can say Many Weapons have been formed against him and us by Apostates and prophane But the Lord saith no Weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every Tongue that shall rise up in Judgment against thee thou shalt condemn This is the Heritage of the Servants of the Lord and their Righteousness is of me saith the Lord so God has Restrained the Weapons and he gives Spirit and Power to Condemn those Evil tongues as thine that rise up in Judgment against them And something I have to say concerning that Scripture thou bringest Gal. 2. further to manifest thy folly 6 part p. 5. W. R. thou saiest if the meer Discovering of Nakedness by some professor of Truth against another be a Sin then doubtless Paul was a sort of sinner in leaving it on Record that he withstood Peter to the face because he was to be blamed for his Dissimulation read 2d Chap. of the Gal. To this I answer that from the 14. verse of the said Chapter we learn that Pauls reproof was before all Men c. Answ This proof W. R brings to cover himself in Printing of his book and to abuse the faithful And this proof he brings for a looking-glass for G. F. to behold his face in as he scornfully says And now reader trie his Doctrine whether it be not a proper Looking-glass for himself and his Company For 1st did Paul publish what he blamed Peter for and withstood him in and did he spread it up and down in the Nations yea and beyond the seas as W. R. or some of his Abettors have done and have not some Priests and professors got them that are Enemies to the Light of Christ let W. R. prove that Paul did publish a book against Peter as he hath done against Friends and Pauls leaving it upon Record was in his Epistle to the Galatians and was not that the Church of Christ there And therefore I put W. R. to prove it that Paul did publish and spread his book among the unbelieving Jews or Gentile Galatians Now we must trie W. R. with the Scripture he brings that the Reader may see how he hath abused the Scripture For in the 2d Chapter to the Gal. vers 14. to this he saith that from the 14. verse of that Chapter we may learn that Pauls reproof was before all men But let W. R. take his Looking-glass and see whether he learns any such thing in the 2d Chap. to the Gal. vers the 14. The Apostles words are these But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the Truth of the Gospel I said unto Peter before them all c. Now before them all who were them all were they all the believers then present he doth