Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
spirit_n dead_a life_n live_v 7,322 5 6.0283 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A40227 The papists strength, principles, and doctrines (which they are sworn to preach, from the Councel of Trent, by the Popes authority, and after confirmed by the last General Assembly at Rouen, 1571, all which they have sworn to perform) answered and confuted furthermore their principles and doctrines answered and confuted, as they were laid down in two or three severall papers, by R.W. papist, lately sent from Holland : also a challenge to the pope and all his adherents to choose out of all his dominions some cardinals, fryers, or Jesuits to try their bread and wine, after consecration (by watching on their side and on our side) to prove that if afterward they have consecrated it, whether the bread and wine doth not loose its taste and savour, and so not the body and blood of Christ : also a paper to all them that fast and afflict themselves who are in the will-worship and voluntary humility : also some quæries to all the papists upon earth to be answered in writing and sent to them, which all sects upon the earth call Quakers / by George Fox. Fox, George, 1624-1691.; Howgill, Francis, 1618-1669. 1658 (1658) Wing F1877; ESTC R3577 83,037 105

There are 6 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

representations to put you in mind of Christ and to stir up your love otherwise it would grow cold and that is the nature that will murther and all those things Images Crosses are held up by the spirit of murther and not by the power of God the cross of Christ Pr. In some particulars he saith there is no difference between them and the heathens as first I confesse their Idols are made of silver wood and stone and so are our Images their Idols were but dead creatures which had eyes and see not and so are our Images they bow to their Idols and we bow to our Images so far the resemblance is good and the heathens do believe that their Idols were able to help them and we say our Images and Idols stirs up our love to Christ Answ. So therein the Images helps you as the Heathens do and you may see that all those things are got up since the dayes of the Apostles you that be inwardly ravened from the spiri of God and gotten the sheeps cloathing as the Jews and the Gentiles which was astray from the spirit of God worshipping Images Idols which when the Jews was in the spirit of God they kept above them all So you being gone from the spirit of the Lord are fallen under Images and dead Idols since the days of the Apostles and bows down to them as the heathens they are dead a● the Heathens and so you are aposta●ized from the spirit of God in which God is worshipped and apostatized from the true Church who said Keep your selves from Idols for there was never any talk of worshipping of Images and bowing to Images amongst them but the Jewes while they lived in the law of God they broke down the Images of the Heathens so all that be in the life of God will break down the founder of the Images amongst you Apostates which sees not and hears not And Jeremiah saying to them that worshipped Images who said unto a stone thou art my father and to the wood thou hast brought me forth So say you to your Images Pictures and Crosses thou putst us in minde thou art our similitude and puts us in minde of Christ of Mary and shewing that you have not the minde of Christ in you but dead stocks and stones must put you in minde so this of yours is a higher mystery of iniquity then that of the heathen Pr. You say you account of the pictures no more then we account of any picture or pictures in our houses Answ. That is not so thou dost not speak with the bit in thy mouth we do not fall down to them but deny them Pr. And the heathens did all kinde of godly honour directly to their Idols but the small honour which we do to the Images or pictures of the Saints is no more then an outward complement as I may say just as it was the fashion in England to put off ones hat or bow to the Kings Throne in honour of the King Neither do we this honour to the pictures simply considered as pictures but as they are representations of Christ and his Saints Answ. That honour which the heathen did to their Idols was not godly honour for that which gave the honour to the Idols might be confounded before that came up that gave the godly honour to God though they worshipped the creatures and served idols who should have worshipped the Creator who is God blessed for ever and served him and your bowing and kneeling down to Images and before them it is the worship of the Beast and that is more then a complement to kneel down and bow down to Images which you call representations and this is come up and got up amongst you since the power of God hath been lost which should have brought you to have bowed down to the Lord and to have prayed in the spirit and to have had him in your mindes and not an Idoll to put him in your minds And the bowing before the Kings Throne in the Kings absence and the hat in England that is but the dead minde that bows the dead hat to the dead throne and a dead honour and so all the honour that is given to Images is but a dead honour given from the dead principle and not from the living principle of God within which brings to worship God who never accepts the other and that bowing the hat before the Kings Throne in the Kings absence is denyed by all that fears God and judged and worships him and bows to him for that is sup●rstition your bowing before images and pictures and crosses as bad worse then that prof●sse Christ and have him not in your minds then the heathens bowing to Molock Baal Jupiter Bac●hus Venus c whose spirits are as unclean as theirs who have set up Images and Crosses to bow down to them You are the unclean spirits as the heathen and a higher mystery of iniquity then the heathen but now is discovered by that which hath long been hid by the light Christ Jesus and the seed of God which hath discovered the mystery of iniquity which is the mistery of godlin●sse and all these pictures crosses and bowings is come up since the days of the Apostles for amongst them there was no such things Amongst you who have lost the power of God the Crosse of Christ and the image of God and has not the mind of Christ in you so are fain to have dead images crosses and pictures which you call representations to put your dead minds in remembrance of Christ and to stir it up which kills and slayes the just all that be contrary to it and the heathen and you do not differ for they bow to Images and so do you but yours as I have said is a greater mistery of iniquity who has fled from the true foundation of the true Church which is the pillar and ground of truth and so since have got up your images and idols Pr. Now because the main thing which you do carp at is at our bowing before Images or pictures of the Saints to the end that all your mouths may eternally be stopt I will shew you out of the Scripture that notwithstanding the bowing down to Idols is most strictly forbidden in the second command●ment and other places of Scripture yet was it lawfull both to make honour and bow down to other images and other representations although they were but dead creatures and the worke of mens hands The Arke of the Covenant you must confess was but a dead creature made of wood and other materials by the hands of men and upon this Arke were placed two Images or representations of Cherubims read the 7 of Joshua vers. 6. and you will finde that he and all Israel did worship and fall down before this Ark and these Images after the same manner that we fall down before a Crosse or a Crucifix or the Images of the Saints Answ.
of many generations is raised up You may fast from meats and drinks for dayes and observe meats and afflict your selves the envious man the man-slayers do thus which would kill and murther and slay in the heart Now this is not the Fast which is required of God but of men while the bond of iniquity is standing whilst strife and debate is do you not make vowes from the Marriage Is not then the cause you so do in the doctrine of the Devils and the forbidding of meats which ought to be used with praise and thanksgiving The Fast of the Lord is coming to be known that he requires which break● the bond of iniquity which is the foundation of many generations and the marriage of the Lamb many are come to know and enjoy the presence of the Bridegroom where they do not fast where they come into the wisdome of God by which all the creatures were created with which they come to use and order the creatures of God to his glory and sees the Kingdome out of meats out of drinks out of the observation of dayes above meats and drinks Your leaders have caused you to erre envy and wickedness hath been in them strong which is by the power of the Lord God comprehended and judged whose sacrifices God hath no respect to who be in envy in Cains way man-slayer● therefore haste out of the old life and come to witnesse the chast Virgin which follows the Lamb that to him you may be married and joyned all ye poor captivated ones for the Lord is come and coming to exalt the kingdome of his Son whose Standard shall stand over all the earth and Nations shall be ruled by his Rod of Iron come to know strife ceased and envy ceased and selfishnesse ceased and pride ceased and wickednesse and wilfulness ceased and envy and plots and murther ceased and the bond of Iniquity for this is that which will and doth deceive the simple-hearted for the Lord God with his power is come to redeem Who inlightneth every one that cometh into the world that all men through the light might believe whose day is appearing and glory is revealed So now every one of you that be come into the world having a light from Christ the Saviour of your souls from whence it comes Now this you that be enlightned withal it lets you see your sins you have done as thoughts you think and words you speak and actions you act and wayes you walk with the same light that lets you see this which comes from Christ the Saviour of your souls who hath all power in heaven and in earth given to him the same will give you power to come out of your sins And there you come to receive the Covenant of God Christ Jesus who hath given you the light to see sin he it is that takes away sin and blots out sinne and transgression And now every one of you this is the word of the Lord God to you all heed the light that you are enlightned withall with that you will feel your Saviour for the light lets you see sin the same blots it out the same is the covenant of God the same gives power for all power in heaven and in earth is given to the Son who is to rule and subdue to himselfe all the powers of darknesse and wickednesse The light which you be enlightned withal lets you see your deeds you have done your words you have spoke your ways you have walked in your actions you have acted the same will give you power to stand against your sin and there is the teacher and the same will condemn all of you hating the light which is Christ which hath enlightned you withal and if you go on still in wickednesse the same will become your condemnation at the last Remember when you are in your wickednesse and upon your death beds you were warned in your life-time and this light will let you see when evill thoughts get up in you and evill affections and evill desires and check you and reprove you if you love it and heed it when you are walking up and down when you are fitting still by your selves secretly it will bring you to think upon God and when you are walking up and down abroad yet it is present with you there will be your teacher there will be your condemnation if you hate it The light of Christ who saith Learn of me I am the way the truth and the life This is my beloved son heare you him And there is no way to the Father but by him who doth enlighten every man that comes into the world him by whom it was made all the sons of Adam drove from God in transgression Christ the second Adam the way to God who is the way and the life But man being drove from God from life and from truth so Christ is the truth man being drove from God from Gods righteousness so Christ is Gods righteousnesse drove from God from his wisdome So in a wisdome that is below earthly sensuall and devillish drove from God from his glory there is the first Adams state in the disobedience but Christ the second Adam the obedience the Lord from heaven who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world The light that shineth in his heart which Christ enlightneth him withall it must give him the knowledge of the glory of God and this brings him from things that are seen that are temporall the light that shineth in his heart that gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God with it brings to know all things that be eternall And the Lord is coming to teach his people himself and to bring them of all the worlds teachers and ways to Christ the way And the Lord is coming to break all in pieces that are gathered and are a gathering but not with the power of his Son and with the life of his Prophets and his Apostles such will he break to pieces and dismiss the assemblies who is come and will gather his people with his spirit into the life the Prophets were in Christ and the Apostles were in they shall come to live in the power of an endlesse life and the world where there is no end is known where there is the hungring no more and the thirsting no more the government of him is manifest where there is no end and the Kingdome and the Throne of Christ is exalted So all that afflict your selves and torment your selves and fast and observe days and meats by the commandement of men and not by the commands of God and doctrines of men and wills of men Consider the power of the Creator and come to the witnesse of God in you to the light which Christ lighteth you withall which is the covenant with you A God which breaks all other covenants when you come to the Light all the covenants you have made with men with Death must be broken and will be broken
heresies and lying signes which is your crosse who are gone from the power of God which is the cross of Christ who are them which the Spirit spoke of expresly before the Apostles decease that should depart from the faith forbidding eating of meats and marriage which is the Divels doctrin who has given heed to seducing spirits now you may see it is your Mother which you call the Church which is the Mother of Harlots which your Mother harlotted from the true Church the Apostles doctrin for the true Church of the Apostles did never command that men should abstayn from meats or set up a crosse of wood or stone or worship Images or Saints or names or bow down to them but worship God and worship not the Angels Now these things hath been sett up since the dayes of the Apostles in the Apostacy from the true Church which has made war against the Saints and over-come them but now is the Saints and the Lamb come to have victory and now the Lamb and Saints will have victory who is come to reign and the holy Prophets and the Saints shall rejoyce over you sing and rejoyce ye heavens and rejoyce ye Saints and holy Prophets over her That 's your Church which is inwardly ravened from the spirit of God and has reigned over the Kings of the earth and all other that hath had the name of Christianity out of the life of Christ found in your skirts the Lamb will tread you together in the press without the City of the living God the Church which is the Pillar and ground of truth against which the gates of hell cannot prevail though they may fall all on heaps one among another about their worships And we say that your Mother the Church so called hath commanded and laid the foundation of tythes amongst the Protestants and all their observing of Saints dayes holy dayes and you have been them that has taught them to give the names yea to their Schooles Colleges Steeple-houses which were your mass-houses which the Protestants has made their Churches of them you were the first root and layer of the ground and Author of them you and they are all judged with the Spirit which is not Apostacy which was before Apostacy was Pr. I say again that Christ is not without a body and the same body which is in the Sacrament is that which was born of the Virgin Mary which dyed for us and now sitteth at the right hand of God and none other Answ. Heaven is above and earth is beneath there is an earthly body and there is a heavenly body a naturall and a spirituall and if that which was born of the Virgin Mary be your bread after consecration which body saw no corruption though put in the grave Now see if your bread which you call the body of Christ will not corrupt after it lye a while though you have consecrated it then how can you say that is the body of Christ at the right hand of God and outward bread which will corrupt which the body of Christ saw none which was born of the Virgin the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world yet he did not corrupt nor saw no corruption Pr. And to say is Christ to be looked for in the Saints is so profound that he cannot reach the depth of the meaning the Roman Catholiques use no such manner of speech Answ. I do believe you Since the dayes of the Apostles amongst you that are got up in your likenesses and Images that sayes its so profound you cannot reach the meaning of it to ask you whether Christ be in the Saints and amongst the Roman Catholiques you have no such manner of speech I do believe you And so you put him in the Sacrament without you and call the bread and wine his body and blood so this is to prove your selves to be reprobates so are judged by the Apostles doctrine and the Scripture Know you not in your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Priest The more honour we give to Saints the more honour we give to Christ Indeed to give godly honour to Saints is to commit idolatry Answ. If that you do not give godly honour to the Saints it is ungodly and here in this you have again confounded your selves and that honour which belongs to the Saints is of God and godly and not idolatry but that honour which you give which is not godly is given to such which are not Saints which is idolatry and so that honour which you should give to God you give to Images in kneeling to them and so in that you are as the heathen and are found idolaters which never did any of the Apostles kneel before an Image but you that inwardly ravened from the Spirit of God and so lost the image of God and fallen down to Images Pr. A Crosse a Crucifix or an Image of Christ or any Saint whether they be made of silver stone or wood are according to our doctrine but dead creatures neverthelesse are profitable and honourable memorials of them and do much help our devotion and demonstrate our love and affection to them and they are not Idols but they represent unto us Christ and his Saints Answ. So then they being but dead things and you bowing to dead things is to Idols for bowing to a dead stock or a stone is a bowing to Idols as saith the Prophet and dead images Now you having them as you say to represent unto you Christ and to put you in minde of him and the Saints shews that you have not Christs spirit in you nor him in you nor his mind in you so are reprobates and are none of his for those that have Christ in them and his minde in them need no such representations as to put them in minde of Christ or to fall down before Crosses Crucifixes Images dead things to stir up the love towards Ch●ist which the blood of Christ purgeth the conscience from dead workes and not to bow down to dead Images but thi● shews the love of God is not in you Dead things do not stirre up the love of God in people but the faith which works by love this stirs up the love towards Christ who is the Author of it and the Saints to make Images of the Saints and observing of dayes shews that you are not come to just mens spirits which who are need no other thing to put them in mind nor observe dayes for they see over dayes and so in these principles I see ye are reprobates concerning the faith which works by love for the love of God is not in you you are not come to the j●st mens spirits so not to the Church of the living God the mind of Christ you have not his spirit ye have not and Christ is not in you and so in the reprobation in the apostacy and are fain to have dead Images and pictures and crosses dead
the life of the world to come 6 Prin. I admit and embrace most firmely the traditions Apostolique and Ecclesiastick and all the other observations and ordinances of the same Church Answ. Your traditions your word Catholique your sprinkling Infants which you call your baptisme does not remit your sins for there is no Scripture for it so Church traditions sprinkling Infants all have got up since the dayes of the Apostles and so the unholy Catholique and Apostolique Church traditions is got up since the dayes of the Apostles and your fruits declare it in the Apostacy from the true Church of the Saints and Apostles and the resurrection Christ you be ignorant of and the power of the world to come that be gone out of the faith that the Apostles were in 7 Prin. I admit also the holy Scripture according to the sense that hath been given by the holy mother Church to the which it appertaineth to judge of the true sense and interpretations of the holy Scripture and shall never take in hand to interpret them then according to the common consent of the Fathers Answ. Your mother which you call the holy Church which gives the sense is the whore from the spirit of God which the Apostles was in and Christ and the Prophets for that is it that knows the Scripture and that was in the Saints that gave it forth and all must have it in them before they know the words again and come into unity with God again of whom they learned that gave it forth and unity with the Scripture and one with another and this both Papists and Protestants are out of the spirit and falling out about the sense of Scripture and your Father and Mother sons which ravened from the spirit of God and so thou and you all teachers from others inventions and your teaching is traditions for Doctrine which are the commands of men but now to the Lord be glory ye are all discovered by his life 8 Prin. More I professe that there is seven truly and properly said Sacraments of the new Law instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ and necessary for the salvation of humane people but not all to every one viz. Baptism Confirmation Eucharist penitence the extream unction the Order and Marriage and that they confirme the grace and that among them the baptisme the confirmation and the order cannot be rejected without sacriledge Answ. In this you have shewed your Apostacy again from the Apostles and Christs doctrine which sayes Go preach the Gospell to all nations baptizing them without any limit and Marriage they that forbid that is the doctrine of Devils which is honourable the Bed undefiled in all And the Apostles doth not call them Sacraments neither Baptisme nor Marriage nor the visiting of the sick nor the Lords Supper Your confirmation and order and your penitence whipping and beating your selves for your sins is your own invention a sacrament of your owne making which the Apostle does not call repentance a sacrament or confessing of sin or sorrowing for sin the nature within should be afflicted and circumcised in the spirit which puts off the body of sin and that brought down and not to strike the creature and beat the creature that is as you wrestle with flesh and blood the power of darknesse causes you to do that which guides you within that strikes at the creature which power of darknesse should be struck at that the creature might come into the liberty of the sons of God 9 Prin. I receive also and admit the Ceremonies of the Church Catholique receive and approve in the administration solemnly of all the abovesaid sacraments 10 Prin. I embrace and receive all and every of the things which hath been defined and declared by the sacred holy Councel of Trent touching the sin originall and the justification 11 Prin. I protest likewise that in the masse is offered to God true proper and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and for the dead and that in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist is truly really and substantially the body the blood with the soule and the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and that there is made a conversion of all the substance of the bread into the body and of all the substance of the wine into the blood and the which conversion the Church Catholique calls Transubstantiation 12 Prin. I confess also that under one of these one receiveth Jesus Christ all entire and one true sacrament Answ. In these four Principles which ye teach for Doctrine is but your owne traditions and commandements which are learned of one another of men at the Council of T●ent and at your Fathers which is your sin in the apostacy from the Apostles who was not of man nor by man And as concerning Justification ye are ignorant of for where that is known the sin is done away which came by the first Adam And they that believe are passed from death to life And there are some children of believers which is holy yet all by nature children of wrath in the unbelief and your Church is held up by tradition and traditions and vows and oaths which is all in the Apostacy from the spirit where it seems the root of the word protesting is come from your selves who are Apostates and not ftom the Scriptures but you have thrust it in your offering and mass it is but a dead thing it is neither good for the dead nor the living the living do not accept of it but as Cains sacrifice for are not you murtherers and destroyers of one another about Religion sacrifice and traditions as Cain did whom God did not accept his sacrifice And as the Jewes did without the life which gave forth the Scriptures turn against the just and all the Apostates since the dayes of the Apostles which are inwardly ravened from the spirit of God who set up all your lying signes and wonders and traditions and deceive people with them that dwell upon the earth who be from the spirit of God inwardly ravened from it in which spirit God is worshipped which spirit brings to offer living sacrifice And the bread and wine after they have consecrated it which you say is the very body and blood of Christ and soule and it 's divine and that ye call Transubstantiation and he that receives either bread or wine receives Christ Now seeing that this Doctrine and Principle is laid down by you the Council of Trent and tollerated by the great Bishop of Rome the Pope and taught by the Jesuites I shall demand one thing of you out of every Nation and from every Dominion and Island belonging to the Bishop of Rome the Pope Let there come forth a Bishop and a Jesuite and consecrate bread and wine and after consecration and conversion which you call transubstantiation which you say then is the very body blood and soul of Christ which is divine Let that then be set by and kept and let us take of
be poured upon him and his seat So the Author of all these sects and names hath been from you that first ravened from the spirit of God all Sects upon the earth would kill one another about their worship which shews the spirit of the Devil and not the spirit of the Apostles So when the Beast had overcome the Saints and killed them and got power over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations And the woman fled into the wildernesse and the man-childe caught up to God And the Dragon made war with the ●emnant of her seed that kept the commands of God and here by this you may see where the Church hath been And the great Whore which went forth from the Apostles and ravened from the spirit of God yet hath had the sheeps cloathing which all Nations hath drank her cup She hath corrupted the earth and made the Inhabitants of the earth drunk and the Kings of the earth hath committed fornication with her and all nations have drunk her cup of fornication She sits upon the waters and the waters are peoples not a people and the waters are nations where the Whore sits and multitudes and tongues Now mark if Nations be waters and Peoples be waters and Multitude waters and Tongues waters And the earth is corrupted and the Inhabitants of the earth drunke and all nations have drunk the cup of fornication and the Kings of the earth hath committed fornication with her Now where is the Church and the Rock all this time when nations peoples multitudes and tongues are waters and the Inhabitants of the earth drunk and the earth corrupted and all nations have drunk the whores cup And the whore cannot be said to be the heathen for the Whore goes from something and there is the ancient visible Church And the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and all nations have drank the cup of fornication and fornication is before you be married And these are them that have drank the blood of the Prophets Saints and Martyrs that have kept the testimony of Jesus But now again the Lamb is brought forth to rule the Nations with a rod of Iron though the Beast and false Prophet and Kings of the earth and the old Dragon make war against the Lamb and the Saints yet the Lamb and the Saints shall get the victory and the everlasting Gospel shall be preached to all nations kindreds tongues and people and life and immortality shall come to light through the Gospel which your old great Grand-father went from in the dayes of the Apostles and so to that that they went from is people now come and coming and the Lambs wife is making her selfe ready and the Saints do sing the Lord God omnipotent reigns and you are all too immoderate spirits you and all other Sects then to be like the Apostles and Christ or to be like the Church of Christ your fallibility and your Idols Inquisitions and Cruelties makes it appear Two Queries being propounded to thee In thy answer to the first Query thou saist That all Churches or meetings of all sorts of men which have not the spirit of God they may erre In thy answer to the second Query thou saist That the Church of Christ or the meetings of those Christians that follow the rule and law of Christ and are always guided by them cannot erre in any truth Reply Your Church the Church of Rome have erred from the spirit of truth and the truth in which there is no errour As instance you have set up Idols and the spirit of truth in the true Church said Keep your selves from Idols as in Johns Epistle And you have made Ministers by men and by the will of man and so gone into your own wills which the Scripture came not by nor which Christs Ministers were not made by and you and all Apostates since are of men and made by men and so you are erred ●rom the spirit of truth that leads into all truth You are erred from the Crosse of Christ the power of God and have set up outward Crosses and falls down to that instead of falling down to the power of God You have erred from the true Image of God the Saints were in and have set up outward Images of wood and stone You have erred from the Saints life and spirit and from the spirits of just men and so from the true Church and so set up the Reliques as pieces of Cloath and old bones So you know after the flesh which the Apostles did not And you are erred from the Rock and falln into the waters as in Revelations And your Idols Pictures and Images have corrupted the earth so you are erred from the true Church and the true Spirit which cryed against Idols in all ages as Moses said in his command to the people and the Apostles Your Church is commanded to make Images and Idols and the Church in Moses time and the Apostles Churches were commanded to keep from them So no true Church you are but apostates but fallible and erred in matter of faith and doctrine and praised be the Lord who hath brought you to the Light And multitudes of instances may be shewed who compares the Church with what the Churches of Christians were in the dayes of the Apostles And thou saist the difficulty is where the Church of Christ is to be found for Papists Lutherans Calvinists Anabaptists Arminians and all schismatical meetings they do claim the title of Christs Church to themselves c. Answ. All these the Roman Church being the mother of the Apostates and all these before-mentioned are started from her her sturdy sons and severall names still in the forme for the light within they are all against and Christ within to reigne and teach and the Law within in the heart and in the mind whereby all comes to know the Lord and the word in the heart and in the mouth to obey and do and the spirit of truth to lead into all truth whereby the Saints have unity one with another and with the Scriptures and with God This the Pap●sts are run from into Images and Idols and this the Baptists Lutherans and all other Sects are run from into other Images within but with the spirit of truth which leads the Saints into all truth are these comprehended and out of all these sects and sorts are people coming I 'le break your names and marr your Images with the spirit of truth fence your selves never so wisely And so none of these nor you neither are of the true Church but the beast and his names but some of these you cal● S●cts are neerer the true Church then you for the world who lives in Images and Idols wonder after you who lives in Images and Idols who are apostatized from them keep your selves from Idols As for the Quakers who are risen in the Ancient of dayes in the end of the night of apostacy among whom that's appeared that cannot be shaken
are you not in the fornication and set up places for fornication among you and no fornicator or idolater must enter into the kingdome of God For are you not worshipping of Images and do you not trust in them and doth not the Lord say Cursed be all them that trust in graven Images Now the Apostle faith The mystery of iniquity doth already worke and there should be a falling away before the man of sin should be revealed who exalts himselfe above all that is called God or is worshipped and sits in the Temple of God and shews himselfe that he is God The Apostle bid remember that he told these things and that he might be revealed in due time and now he is revealed is not the man of sin a devourer and was the Apostles so and are not you devourers who worships the names of Saints and Images and Reliques and so contrary to John who was not to worship the Angell but God How are you fallen from the truth and from the state of John how are you revealed 2 Thes. 2. And this man of sin whose coming is after the workings of Satan destroying with his power Now have not you a great power and lying signes and wonders have you not your lying signes and great wonders among you and the deceiveableness of unrighteousness who have not believed the truth but are given up to believe the lying signs and wonders so God hath sent strong delusions among you And was it not the Apostles charge to Timothy that he should teach no other Doctrine neither give heed to fables Now are not you run into the fables run into Images and reliques and purgatory and idols beads and jewels and so puts them in your Inquisitions that denies your fables and witnesseth the contrary that which is the sound doctrine so are you not contrary to the sound Church here and given up to them that believe fables 1 Tim. 1. are not your Ministers made of men and by men so gone forth from the power the Apostles was in which was not of man nor by man so no true Ministers And did not the Apostle say in his charge Tim. 3. to prove Ministers and Bishops they might not be brawlers they must not be given to filthy lucre they must not be given to wine they must not be covetous they must not be strikers Are not you strikers killing and slaying in Cains way them that be contrary minded to you so not of the true faith not of the true Church not of the true stock● nor of the true Ministry This I have proved by the Apostles separated from them out of their way are not you covetous would you not sell pardons for money are you not ashamed of your christianity to the very heathen about you hath not God here brought the very man of sin to light and revealed him Now the Apostle said The spirit spoke expresly at the latter times some should depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils speaking lyes in hypocrisie having their consciences seared with a hot iron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats Are you not departed from the faith that purifies and the word that sanctifies and so the Church made up of such as the spirit spoke should come that forbids to marry commands to abstain from meats and so your Church made up with the seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils Doth not the fruits declare this to all the Nations about you so are not you gone from the example of the Apostles who bids follow us as you have us for an example both Church and Ministers You have forsaken the example of the Apostle both your Church Ministers The Apostle commanded Timothy to keep his commandement without spot unrebukeable untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ And do not your fruits make you manifest that you are fallen into all these things that the Apostle saw should come and the Spirit said should come And moreover the Apostle said If you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world as living in the world why are you subject to ordinances And if you be risen with Christ seek those things which are above Set your affections on things that be above and not on things that be on the earth as your Images Reliques Idols Pictures Beads Jewels earthly Crosses Crucifixes are not all these things below and doth not these make up your Church and is not this the voluntary humility that beguiles people Such doth not hold the head which are in the outward shews which are not to be tasted and handled which things perish with the using after the commandements and doctrines o● men which shews you are not risen with Christ not seeking the things that are above but your affections are on things on the earth Col. 2. Again the Apostle saith In the last dayes perillous times should come that men should be lovers of themselves blasphemers covetous proud boasters heady traitors high minded despisers of them that are good of this sort are them that creep into houses leading silly women captive laden with divers sins and lusts always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth like Jannes and Jambres which with-stood the faith to keep people in Aegypt keeping people in bondage and spiritual Aegypt having the form but denying the power And hath not the Church been made up of such since the days of the Apostles and evill men seducers should wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived And the time will come saith the Apostles that they would not endure sound doctrine they heap to themselves teachers that would not endure the truth running into fables Now these things being come up before the Apostles decease of which your Church is is made up of which are turned from the truth that have itching ears and seducers are reprobate concerning the faith that keep to the fables And this to the view of all people may be seen hath made up your Church for these things hath come up since the days of the Apostles which were coming up before their decease and the Apostle speaks to Titus of the unruly talkers whose mouths must be stopped who taught for filthy lucre which were evill beasts slow bellies which followed fables made by the will of men and of these your Church is made up of which to every good work are reprobates being reprobate to the good and disobedient Tit. 1. And the grace of God which brings salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us to live righteously sob●rly and godly Are not you run into the worlds lusts and from the soberness and from the grace of God which brings salvation by which people are saved into the foolish questions and strivings about the law unprofitable and vain which are the hereticks which went forth from among the Apostles Tit. 3. and so from the grace by which men are justified Are not you gone into the