and language and have not the pen-men of the Scripture shewed what they would do in their writings which thou would alter to make way for proud Haman and his devouring nature and would accuse us for railing accusations because we withstand thee And thou askes if we doe not abuse that Scripture Luke 10. 4. I say it is the Devill that abuses Scripture in leading vaine minds to talke of it who doe not walke in it but would accuse them that doe whom Christ hath sent forth and fitted for that purpose by his Spirit and power and such knows what to salute and to whom they bid God speed and will follow no manâ— traditions Que. 4 In this thou Queries In what the language of the Spirit consists in and Whether any mortall creature now may be said to speak the pure language of the Spirit c. Ans The language of the Spirit consists in that which the Spirit speaks or moves the Creature to speake and such is the pure language of the Spirit though spoken through a mortall Creature and where the fallen wisdom is silent and selfe dead there it is spoken forth without mixture but while the first borne lives where the light is denyed this is not knowne who are not redeemed from Nations and their Customes And whereas thou askest what Christ meant when he said Simon behold Satan hath a desire to sift you I say he meant as he spoke that Satan had a desire to sift the disciples and so he hath at this day which the prayer of the Spirit of Christ prevailes against and no man can speake the language of the Spirit in flattering titles neither doth the Spirit frame any such speech And they that have this Spirit have power to speak the pure language without arrogating to themselves and thou that speaks evill of this language Mark 3. 29. 30. art the blasphemer thou speaks on who saies this is contrary to the divine motions which is but contrary to thy Nationall customes and the Devills pride who withstands mans redemption out of the Fall where all Jam. 2. the flattering titles respect of persons vain customs and worships is which the faith of Christ denies which brings out of the Fall Que. 5 This Query is made up of lies and do thou and all thy generation prove wherein we refuse to give that reverence to Majestrates which Christ and the Apostles did both in doing and suffering till then stop thy mouth thou slanderer who art opening thy mouth in blasphemy and lying who saith it is our pâ—ea that our Majestrates are not Christian Majestrates and that the high Priest under the law had nothing to do by the law of Moses to sit as Judge and divers such lies not worth mentioning Que. 6 The sum of this Query is to deny the infallible Spirit in the Saints to be the same now that it was in the pen-men of the Scripture and to deny it for tâ—e trying of all Spirits and thou would set up the letter in its stead for a rule to try Spirits and doctrines And when thou hast done thou confesses the Scripture to be but a dead letter and so death in thee being thy rule with the dead letter thou would try the Spirit of the living God Ans But to the Querie this I say the infallible Spirit by which the Scriptures were given forth is the sole tryer of Spirits doctrines neither hath it need of any addition where it is nor can thou who denies this Spirit nor thy fore-fathers the Jewes ever could know Christ nor the voyces of the Scriptures though you read them every day and so are fulfilling them bringing the letter to oppose Christ as they did so dost thou Acts 13. 27. and so denys the end of the Scriptures which is to set up the Spirit of God for judge and not themselves and this is the right use of the Scriptures when the man of God reads them which the man of sin turnes them to uphold sin and wrests them to the destruction of the Creature where he reads them neither do we throw them aside according to thy slander and thou that denyes the infallible Spirit art in the delusion of Satan thou speaks on and horrid opinions and changeable Religions and would keepe people from closeing with the Spirit leading them from the living to the dead and denying the light in thee goes not to the law of the new Covenant nor testimony of Jesus which is sealed up among Isa 8 16. the disciples but to the letter which all the world hath the letter that will read it or buy it And whereas thou asks what Peter meanes when he calls the Scriptures a sure word of prophecy I say that is but thy dark imaginations who knowes not Peters voyce for the letter was not a surer word then the voyce from Gods own mouth which they heard from heaven The Spirit of prophesie thou knows not who denyes infallibility and so as it s said thy faith lies in what others hath written Que. 7 Thou askes whether that can be the way of God which hath nothing to warrant it but the bare words and affirmations of men which they call infallible and whether this be a sufficient ground to satisfy others Ans That Spirit of God which is infallible is the sufficient ground and to preach that is the way of God neither had this ever any testimony but what is of it selfe for the worlds wisdom and carnall naturall man can neither receive it nor beare testimony of it onely such who beleive it beare its testimony and to such the light and life breaks forth but to the unbeleivers who cannot submit Luke 19. 14. to it even the same that was from the beginning and such as say we will not have this man to rule over us such abide in darkness and perish for ever because they believe not in the light and submit unto it for this is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness and here thou hast read thine Joh. 3. own condition without faith and without wisdom Que. 8 Thou askes whether our way be of God because it is altogether new and such as wherein God never yet appeared unto the sons of men nor doth the Scripture hold out any such manifestation of God as we teach and then saist thou shalt undertake to discoâ—er us in most of our tenents c. Ans The way of God was ever new to the old man but for thy saying God did never appeare in this way nor the Scripture hold it out those are but thy lies it had been most like for thee if thou had aimed at honesty to have disproved our way or our tenents according to thine undertaking before thou had proceeded to slander but the former of these is more ready with thy fallible Spirit then the latter and ever was with the accuser of the Brethren and thou proceeds to limit God and saist
AN ANSVVER To Twenty Eight QUERIES Sent out by Francis Harris to those People he calls Quakers Wherein his spirit is tryed to be contrary to that Spirit that was in all the Children of Light by his own words and infallible proof his slanders being removed his Queries are groundless and so the truth cleared in the sight of the least of the LORDS People Written in the defence of the truth and for the freeing the Israelite out of the hand of the Aegyptian J. N. As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these resist the truth And they bend theâ—r tongue like their bow for lyes but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth for they proceed from evil to evil and they know not me saith the Lord. Take ye heed every one of his neighbour and trust ye not in any brother for every brother will utterly supplant and every neighbour will walk with slanders and will not speak the truth they have taught their tongues to speak lyes and weary themselves to commit iniquity London Printed for Giles Calâ—erâ— and are to be sold at his Shop at the Black-spread-Eagle neere the West end of Pauls London 1655. Francis Harris ARt not thou ashamed to call us the Grand opposers of Queries and thy self hath put forth a whole book of Queries made up of slanders and false accusations which thou saies if rightly considered may be a stop to prevent falling into the snares of the Quakers and if soberly answered will occasion a discovery of truth I say in the answer of it will be discovered many of thy lies by the truth though they be too many all to mention and thy self in the snare of Satan which rightly weighed with thy work thou art found in may serve not only to prevent others for joyning with thee but also to awaken those who are a sleep in thy security for no lyer hath the truth in him nor no envious person hath eternall life abiding in him so with that light of Christ in thy conscience which thou opposest thou maist read thy work and thy condemnation In thy word to the Reader thou saies that Satan in these latter yeares hath bestirred himself to destroy the Gospel and the essence of Christianity I say what Gopel is that thou meanes of which in this latter yeares hath beene a destroying dost thou meane the Papists or the Bishops or some branches sprung from those roots no other Gospel is in danger of destroying with the light of Christ and his infallible Spirit that thou so much opposes and scornes with which the work of Christ is now carried out against all such plants which are not of his planting them to pluck up for the fire nay be ashamed of your professions who have got the finest colours to cover you with all the Turks and Heathen exceed you in Iustice mercy meeknesse and righteousness this Nation exceeding for wickednesse and the finest formes the greatest hypocrisie shall you doe all this wickednesse and be delivered in the day of the Lords judgments by crying the Gospel the Sabbath the Sacraments the Chruches the Scriptures c. When there is not a verse in the Scripture wherein you may not read your condemnation shall you be hid by saying you are sinners but harden your hearts and increase in it such an adulterous and stifnecked generation was never in the world before you with whom neither judgments nor mercies hath prevailed and now at his apperance are you gathered against him from all quarters of the Nations armed with weapons like your Master for whom you fight some with lies and slanders back-biting and false accusing laying to our charge in whom he is things we never knew and accusing us with things to come which we never intended and these are the head of the Serpent which makes way for gathering all the body and taile some with clubs and stones stocks and prisons some beating in the Synagogues and haling before Rulers some plotting in secret hatching the Cockatrice eggs which yet you have not power to bring forth and soe all is at work Gog and Magog against the Lambe and his despised ones where he is the prisons are fulfilled throughout the Nation and the Devill is come downe in great rage and the Nations are mad yet can you not believe that this is the work of the Devill thus to make havocke though none of God was ever found in it but his time is short and to judgment he must come head and taile root and branch the day is at hand here is the faith and the patience of the Saints he that hath an eare can only heare and he that hath an eye can see but the world is as blind and deafe as ever The occasion of thy Queries thou saies is the increase of the Quakers in Glocestershire and thou saies in a rude manner thou did compose them which some perswaded thee to correct c. I say they are rightly called rude and so they will appeare in time and thy ignorance also who thinks to stop the work of the Lord with these Queries but if thou had taken counsell so to have corrected them as to have taken out all thy lies thou had marred the foundation of thy Queries and with the light of Christ in thy conscience thou might have answered thy selfe covered thy shame and not have brought forth such a shamefull birth as this into the world the first coppie of them thou saies thou dâ—sowned I say if ever thou own truth thou will dâ—sowne the second also but thou seemes to put the fault why thou printed them upon the Quakers who thou saies threatned to publish the Coppie in thy name and thou saies some favorites of ours perswaded thee not to publish any thing against us saying we would cast dirt and filth in thy face and set out thy miscariages in a multiplying glass alledging to thee the Counsell of Gamaliel c. I say thy speech bewrayes thee was this our friend which gave this false testimonie against us he was a friend to thee if thou couldest have seene it and have taken his Counsell after Gamaliel but he hath not spoken truth of us for I am so far from multiplying thy miscariages that a third part of thy lies I have not mentioned And the quakers had done thee no wrong had they published in thy name what thou wrote yet I judge the least of the Quakers might have been much better imployed then to fill peoples eares with such lying vanities which are most fit to rot had not thou brought them first to light And thou speaks as of some feares of some reports that are out against thee concerning thy conversation as though the Quakers should publish them to which I say if thy conscience accuse thee and being inlightned with the light of Christ owne the light and turne to it and repent of thy sin and love the light which shews it therin should I rejoyce more then in publishing
servants of the Lord and saies they dwell in heaven who are serving their bellies with earthly things denying the light of Christ and his practice and the practice of all his and whereas thou sayest under a pretence of crying downe Priests and hirelings we cry downe all the Apostolicall institutions of Christ I say tythes and hirelings under the Gospel are not of Christs instituting nor his Apostles but by the Pope was they instituted and thou and all that takes part with him and his institutions cannot keepe them from being scattered neither are any of them the Lords people who are so gathered but now the sheepheard is come to save the sheep the wild beasts must fly every one to their harbor from whence they came and you that are come out from the stock of the Priests who came out from the root of the Pope stand up together that you may be broken roote and off spring Que. 14 Thou askes whether our selfe abasing Quakings tremblings roaring crying going in sackcloath and haire-cloath Nehemiah 9. 1. sitting in ashes living apart from our wifes silent gestures till the power move with some other lies thou adds be any other then a voluntary humility c. Ans Herein thou hast shewed how little thou knows of the Saints conditions or being acted contrary to thine own will is there any of these aforementioned but the Saints have been brought through them contrary to Psa 32. Psa 22 there own wills and have declared them in Scripture Luke 10. 13. which thou enemie to their Spirit which acted them thus calls anticke gestures and voluntary humility Luke 41. 26. canst thou judge it in us and not in them would not Ia. 22. 12 13. thy fallible spirit have said as much to have seen them so acted before the Scripture declared it who dare thus blaspheme that Spirit now when the Scriptures hath witnessed it and yet saith the Scriptures is the judge of all Spirits so with the Scripture thy Spirit is judged to be the Spirit of the Devill who opposes and reproaches the actings of the Spirit of God in the Saints lying and saying that they are acted by the light of nature but what else canst thou judge with thy fallible Spirit of the things of God or the Saints liberty or what there is in it Que. 15 In this Querie thou askes whether the nature of the covenant of grace be not one of the most needfull truths that a people can be taught and thou sayest in all our speakings and writings we seldome are never touch upon it nor of Gods free actings in it c. Ans With thy blind fallible Spirit thou art here judging again thou knows not what who hath neither read all our writings nor been at all our meetings so with thy false judgment condemnes thy selfe to be one of those that speaks evil of that thou knows not Art not thou ashamed to accuse us for not declaring the nature of the Covenant of grace and thou thy selfe denying the light within which is the light of the Covenant is not that the thing for which thou art become our enemy because we declare the light and Covenant to be within and Gods free actings thereinâ— whiâ—'st thy envie leads thee thinking to reproach us how dost thou cover thy seâ—â—e Jeâ—e 31. 31. 33. with thine owne shame like the troubled sea casting up mire dirt Is not the new Covenant its nature promise Heb. 8. â— 10. within whicch thou art preaching without reproachest the infallible Spirit within and thou saies the new Covenant attributes the whole operation onely to God thou blind sot canst thou atribute the work in man to God who denies the infalible Spirit in man doth the Spirit of God work where it is not or thou denies his Spirit to be infallible where it is so thou that denies the infallible Spirit must attribute either to the naturall light or the Spirit of the Devills for there is nothing of God but what is infallible for so is his Spirit so is his Covnant which are within all that know it but thou art without and so without God in the World heaping up thy lies saying that we drive people into Quaking and glorys in it and attributes that to the light of nature which is the proper worke of Christ and thus thon heapes up thy lies together Que. 16 This Qâ—erie being wholly made up of lies not being worth repeating after thee I returne them to thee againe being thy owne condition but Christs meekeness we owne and selfe we deny selfe righteousness and selfe actings thou art there who hast not the infallible Spirit to act thee so thou hast nought to act thee but thy selfe or the Devill Que. 17 Thou askes if it be not the policy of Satan now that so much Gospel ight is discovered that he cannot out as act uncleane Spirits nor in Popish Antichristian formes superstitious inventions as formerly to pretend in his future actings to be for Christ thereby he may som way or other blemish his primitive administrations c. Ans Heare in thy confusion thou askes thou knowes not what The Gospel light is within and so was in the Apostles time 2 Cor. 4. Luke 17. 20. but thou that hast noe light in thee nor the infallible Spirit art in the policy of Satan and with thy uncleane Spirit acting against the light of Christ with thy lies and slanders and the primitive administrations thou knowest not but as thou hast received by tradition from the letter and so thy Administration is literall but the Saints was and is spirituall in the light and not in the letter 2 Cor. 3. And whereas thou tells of sifting us I say what hast thou to sift us with who denies the light of Christ in thee and the infallible Spirit hast thou any other but the Spirit of Satan whose desire is ever to be sifting the Saints but thy Spirit must not prevaile against the Children of light thou art without with thy sin amongst the chaffe but the wheat is within Que. 18 Whether it be safe for Christians to forsake and let goe those Gospel dispensations of the Spirit of truth in which God hath sweetly and blessedly appeared unto their soules and wherein they have had blessed experiences of God c. Ans I say what hast thou or any else who deny the light of Christ and the infallible Spirit to let goe that is worth keeping art thou affraid of losing the Spirit of delusions for the Spirit of truth thou hast not for that is infallible and that which hath appeared to thy soule who hath noe light in thee nor the Spirit of God is but the Spirit of delusion or somthing in thy imaginations who art a Child of darkness and therein is all thy experience which thou art so affraid to loose and whereas thou would make people beleive that the dispensation of the light and infallible Spirit hath noe
promise from God and that they that doe so refuse him that speaks from heaven I say herein thou manifest what thou knowes of any promise from God or voyce from heaven who Eze. 11. 19 denies it to be in the light or infallible Spirit without Jo. 8. 12. which there is no promise nor word but what is stolen Rom. 8. 9. 14. from others or out of a booke and had thou had no Isa 49. 6. book thou had no voice nor promise who hast no light nor that Spirit by which alone the love of God is sealed to all that hath it Que. 19 Whether this power we have received and press people to waite for be from God from Satan or from the Spirit of bondage and thou askes if the power of God when it hath come hath put his people into such strange fits of trembling and quaking as if their joynts were fallen in peices c. Ans That power we have received and presse people to waite for is the power of God which thou knowes not nor its effects who calls them strange fits when Daniell heard the word of the Lord he stood trembling And when Moses heard the word of the Lord he exceedingly feared and quaked And David his bones were out of Dan. 10 11 joynt this thon calls strange fits who never knew the Heb. 12. 21. word of the Lord who hath eyes and sees not eares Psa 22. 14. and heares not and so art out of the feare of God one of those thou maist read on Jer. 5. 21. 20. and Isa 56. 5 who art venting out thy malice against such as feare the Lord and tremble at his presence but to trembling thou shalt come when thou shall see his face whom thou now art reproaching then shalt thou know Belshazers condition which now with thy vaine minde thou art talking of And whereas thou tells of liberty where the Spirit of the Lord is then there is none in thee who denies the infallible Spirit in thee but thy liberty is in thy beastly sensuall imaginations and in thy naturall condition thou art who art not borne of that Spirit And it is thou that is in Satans work to drive people from Christ who denies his light and Spirit and nought else hast thou received but a Spirit of bondage who hath not the Spirit of the Father in thee and so art bound in the chaines of darkness and would keepe others with thee and thy consolation and safety is but with Carnall things who hath not in thee the infallible Spirit but our consolation is in the Spirit of God which we have in us received of him in his light Que. 30 And whereas thou Queries whether that which we call perfection be not rather imperfection c. Ans No It is that which shews thy imperfection and Pharisaicall boastings it is that which leads us from sin and to the remission and the love of God which thinks no evill And from the righteous mans state which falls seven times a day which thou tells on to Christ which doth not fall and from that state that doth offend and from selfe sufficiency to the sufficiency of Christ which tells people see they have sinned and stand in need of a Saviour who saves them from their sin whose blood cleanseth from all sin and there is the time of seeing sin and have sinned and confessing and forsaking sin and the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin and perfection is not attained in thy life thou lives in for its the man of God that 's perfect and he knowes Pauls words who serves God in newness of life and not in oldness of letter and when thou comes to Pauls life thou shalt know Pauls state which we see and know who said As many of us as be perfect be thus minded and he was one of that us who wished their perfection and we deny thy Spirit which keeps thee allwayes in the warfare but we witness the Spirit of the Apostles which is to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus and this is the Spirit the Quakers witness Que. 25 Thou Queries if it be safe for Christians to be every yeare changing their religion c. Ans Thou that hast not the Spirit that was in the Apostles thou hast the Spirit of the world where the changing religions is and that Spirit grows not nor with it thou grows not up in grace which the Spirit that was in the Apostles did and who are in it doth and so the Ranters Levellers and changing religions thou tells on are of thy Spirit whose house is not upon the Rock so now the wind blowes so many of them tumbles downe and the rest of the lies returne into thy own bosome who art one of the tempest thou tells on caryed about with wind and words of men and so not stead-fast but with the Spirit that is stedfast are discovered which tendeth into Christ where we have an interest in God who is a consuming fire who is bringing all thy actings to light and thou askes what settlement people can gather to themselves I say such a settlement as thou art in which is but vaine notions which now doth oppose the Gospel and the glorious light of it but with it thou art condemned which leads to the Rock where the love of the truth is received and now thou art left in thy confusion having not the power art turned away from and this thou calls changeing like the Pope and all sects who calls it heresie to come out from their traditions so dost thou and your argument is one and where as thou tells of a wandring Spirit I say stop thy mouth for shame what Spirit else hast thou who denies the light of Christ and the infallible Spirit have not all cause who loves the Spirit of truth or their own souls to shun thee and thy vaine notions which are not from the Spirit of God that was in the Saints Que. 22 Thou askes whether they are carried on by the power of God in their fastings and abstinence from meate when they are not fatter and fairer then they was before c. Ans Canst thou judge what power David was carried on by whose knees was weake through fasting and his flesh Psal 109. 24. 25. failed of fatness whereby he became a reproach to Psal 1019. 70. such as thee who looked on him or did the three Children fast which thou talks on that they was fairer be Psal 17. 10. ashamed of thy proof and thy experience thou declarest of the Saints conditions thou art more like one of those whose hearts were fat as greece and whose eies stood out with fatness who speaks wickedly and loftily one of the ungodly who prospers in this world who increases in riches which David spoke of Psal 73 and such was ever scoffers at the Saints fastings that in thy conscience shall witness it Que. 23 Thou askes if we under a pretence of
of it thou tells of a list Catalogue of as vile wretches who are lately turned Quakers as any the Country doth afford and this thou saies to deter people from following us I say that 's my joy on their behalfe though troubled for you to see the Scripture fulfilled and fulfilling they come from far and sit downe in the Kingdom but the Children of the Kingdome cast out yea Math. 21. 31. 32. publicans and harlots take the Kingdome before you good is the word of the Lord which is now fulfilling but woe unto Mat. 8. 11. you who it is fulfilled upon and thou saies in thy Queries the Reader may see not only the face but the whole body of the Quakers Tenets I say they may see a body of thy lies where withall thou art arming thy selfe against the Lord but the body of the Quakers are out of the sight of hell and death and all the darke fallible Spirits that are in covenant therewith And thou sayest our Antiscripturall inventions will of themselves shortly fall to the ground like as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when t is shaken of a mighty winde I say inventions are thine who hath not the light and Spirit in thee but for our fall that is the false prophet that speaks in thee and so it shall be seene every day more and more the might of the winde of the lyer cannot shake our foundation Yet thy Queries I shall answer so much of them as have any truth in them and some of thy lyes I shall returne thee againe which may seeme to slander the truth most and for the rest let them alone as not worth mentioning nor troubling the cares of people with them and so in plainenesse as followeth AN Answer to Twenty Eight Queries sent out by Francis Harris to those People he calls Quakers IN thy first Query thou askes the way of Gods discovery to the sons of men and whether we come from God or we speak of our selves and the Light of conscience by which we walke whether our diâ—pensation be from Mount Sinai or Zion c. Ans Our dispensation is of the Spirit of light whereby we are led and Mount Sinai we know and the law received from Gods owne mouth where the beast cannot touch and from the wilderness of sin are we journeyed and some journeying and the wilderness of Judea we know and that righteousness fulfilled where the generation of Vipers is rejected Scribes and Pharises and to Mount Sion we are come many is coming with joy songs of deliverance and sorrows tears and fighing flies away with the wild asses who snuffs up the wind and never came to the yoake kicks and scoffs at when they see others brought to teares and sorrow and so in vaine minds talks of wiping teares away where none is and talks of Sion who have the words but are still in Egypt and in the state of Iannes and Iambres withstanding Isâ—aels seed in the imitations but knows not Israels light but scoffe at it and to all such it is a Cloud and darkness which is light by night to such as beleive and are in their jorney towards Sion and with that light are we separated and our enemies condemned in darkness and shall not come nigh us though they pursue and through tâ—is are we deliâ—ered from bondage and that which tendeth to bondage and so through the law we Gal 2. 19. are made free from the law and do not â—oyd the law Rom. 3. 31 God forbid And where is thou asks whether this be not done away I say thou might first know it fulfilled there shall not a jot of the law passe till all be fullfilled goe learne what that meanes Mat. 5. 17 to the end and the Saints waited to have the righteousness of the law fullfilled in them which vaine minds cast behind their backs Rom. 8. 4 and that law we see fulfilled and fulfilling which is spirituall just and good and herein Rom. 7. 12 14. our teaching and the effects thereof are one with that which the Gospel did and doth produce And thus the summ of thy first and second Queries are answered except such lies as these that we press upon people nothing but horror and amazement and that we do profess to lie under them along time seeke to affright others into them that we stumble at the noone day that there is no Gospel light in us c. which all being but lies heaped togather thou may take them back not worth answering And for thy mischievous words against us in that thou calls roareing I say thou may read thy generation and thy worke Psa 38. while David roared such as thou imagined mischiefe and his enemies was lively and strong and multiplyed against him Qu. 3 In this Query thou asks if that religion be of God which for the outward part consists in little else but thou and thee and railing against Preist and Tythes hirelings and grosse sins c An. That our religion consists of any outward thing or deportment is false But are not all these things thou carps at the practises of the Saints did not they declare against the Priests hirelings Tythes which thou calls railing in us Or did they ever use any other language but thee or thou to a particular who ever it was God or man Thou shameless man how dost thou discover thy envious Spirit against the practice of Christ and his people canst thou find nothing in us to envy against but Scripture practice be ashamed of thy doctrine who art come forth Joâ— 10. 13 into the world to plead against the Saints to hold up Job 32. â—â— 22 Hirelings Priests Tythes which Christ the Apostles cryed downe to plead for flattering Titles against the language of Scripture and against the true language of the Nation brought forth only to honour the Devils pride who is so exalted in men that he would have a better language then God and all good men have given and taken freely in all ages for God is one in all his but the Devill is legions and this thy work shews thy Master and yet in this his work thou would have the name of Christ to cover thee with but the light which thou hates is come and thou art found out by thy works thy words cannot hide thee who is bending thy wits to lead out of the Saints practice into Country customes and saies would not Christ and the pen-men of Scriptures have used it and suited with the place where they had come I say Christ and the pen-men of Scripture were in place where the Devill raigned as we are but they was redeemed from conformitie to him and his from customs of the world Nations kindreds tongues and People for which they was hated and evill spoken of by the Devills instruments who are in his Kingdom and custome and by such are we hated and slandered now for the same practises
thou art assured that this is the last in which God wil ever appeare unto the sons of men I say thou art in the way that that generation ever was in putting God affar off who would never own his apperance present yet this generation of you exceeds all your fore-fathers herein who would wholly exclud him never to appeare more unto the sons of men as some of your Rabbies have lately said that God hath spoken his last and so that you being spiritually deafe and blind do conclude that God is dead like your selves and as you know him so you worship him literall knowledge literall worship for who knows not in Spirit cannot worship in Spirit and with such as have God within so is his worship which stands not in outward meats and drinks nor carnall things not in oldness of the letter but in newness of the Spirit Que. 9 In this Query thou asks if we do not delude people in affirming that there is a pure light of Christ in every man and woman by nature according to which if they walke they shall avoyd sin and â—e saved if they refuse to hearken to it they shall perish c. Ans The Ethiopian cannot change his skin nor thou speak truth without lying did thou ever heare us say men and women have this light by nature we know this light we speake of to be spirituall and the light of Christ wherewith he enlightens every one that comes into the world and that it is pure and that whosoever believs John 1. 9. and follows it shall not abide in darkness but shall John 8. 12. have eternall life and he that beleivs it not is damned John 3. 17. and whoever draws people from this spirituall light to observe any traditions without this light though by God they have beene formerly commanded are the seducers nay the Apostle calls it witchcraft and thou that Gal. 3. saies the Scriptures tells you the contrary belies the Scriptures for Christ saies the Kingdom of God Luke 17. 20 21. is within even the Pharises who though they were as blind as thou and could not beleive it yet was not they so impudent as to deny it in plaine words as thou dost how blind are you in this age more then ever any was before you the Jewes who in the Old Covenant denyed Christ shall in the day of Judgment arise against you who profess the new Covenant in Spirit and yet deny the light of Christ within to lead to God out of the world art thou a spirituall man who hast thy law and light and word and Christ to seeke without Is the Kingdom of God within and is he not Luke 17. 21. in his Kingdom art not thou he whom the God of this world hath blinded the eye of the mind and so the Gospel is hid and thou lyest groping in the dark loe here loe there who art gone out into the world to deceive being deceived given up to beleive lies and tell lies who would make people beleive it was Adams sin to looke to the light within whose sin was to looke out to the Counsell of others who had lost their guid in Spirit and art now teaching people to waite for a power of 2 Cor. 13. 5 Christ without them and not Christ within so the Reprobate is turned teacher Que. 10 And this is a full answer to thy tenth Query onely see thy own confusion and confession first in denying Iohns words Iohn 1. 9. That this light is not in the heart of every man and then saies till this light shine in the soule it remaines in the dark hearts of men and brings Iohn 1. 5. to prove it O that ever men should be so sottish to appeare in the world in print in such confusions first to deny the light within and then to prove it remaines in the dark heart till it shine forth and brings Hos 6. 3. Eph. 5. 8. 2 Cor. 4. 6. to prove thy own confusions Que. 11 In this Query thou goes on adding thy lies saying that we say this light is in men and women by nature Que. 12 and as that we put the light of nature in the room of Christ when it s thy work all along to put the light of nature in his room and thou askes if people may not by the light of nature do the things contained in the law c. Ans I say no other light nor nature but the divine light and nature can do the things contained in the law and who follow that light have a law unto themselves within themselves written in their hearts by which law of Rom. 8. 1. the Spirit they are made free from the law of sin and death their conscience bearing them witness excusing or accusing according as God shall judge the world by 2 Cor. 1. 12 the Gospel and this is not fallen nature neither do we attribute it thereunto but to the divine nature and power which all that beleive in the light come to be partakers 2 Pet. i. 3. 4 of though they never partake of the letter for where this Spirit is knowne and followed the light that is in them is not darkness that 's their condition where the talent is hid neither doth the Scripture speake of any light but the light of Christ all else is darkness though darkness may imagine it to be light as the blind generation ever did who put light for darkness and darkness for light who walke not according to the testimony of the light in their conscience neither thou nor the Preists but according to your own wills lusts and imaginations and by them are guided and thus sets up your posts by Gods posts your foolish hearts being darkned and â—o become vaine in your imaginations who did not like to retaine God in their knowledge because that which may be knowne of God is manifest in them Rom. 1. 19 so become filled with all unrighteousnesse and these are the idolaters thou speaks on which are not under the Gospel as thou saies they are but under their imaginations and so set up a naturall light to walke by in stead of the light of Christ which is grosse darkness to the things of God and here thou maist read thy selfe and thy 12th Querie also answered Que. 13 In this Querie having repeated thy former lies with an addition thou askes if our crying out against some grosse sins railing against Priests tythes hirelings and the like be not Satan in us c. Ans Railing is thine own and lying also but denying the hirelings and the Priest that took tythes with their Heb. 6. tyths is the work of Christ and his Apostles which all his ever owned and that 's Satan in thee which opposes it and thou art his minister who art pleading for the hirelings and his tythes contrary to Christ and so would overthrow the foundation of the Gospel and Gospel ordinances who cals the hirelings the