others and to charge others with that wch she is guilty of her self but now it will not cover them to slander others that themselves may seem clear for the Lord is opening peoples hearts and giving them a spirit to discern all things And whereas the Author speaks against the Quakers for crying against Cuffs Caps and for using thee and thou and for crying against Pulpits and hour glasses and such things and for owning Revelation and for holding the free grace of God to be given unto all and because of trembling and quaking and saying our writtings are given out by the same infallible spirit that the Scriptures were given out by and for crying down the Ministers maintenance and for calling some of them vipers and Serpents To all this I answer it is your generation that makes a great noise about thee and thou and Cuffs and Caps for we in plainness and simplicity do speak the proper Language thee and thou to a single person and it is the proud and exalted minds of men that are offended hereat which pride and arogancie hath eaten out the sincerity and the very propriety of speech also and you are offended at us because of it and for crying against your Cuffs and Boot-hose-tops Ribbands and points we cry against all these things as not becoming the Ministers of Christ but as being of the world in the pride and vanity and superfluity abusing the Creation which the Lord will Judge among you And as for having an hour-glasse and Preaching thereby and as for your carnal Bells which you call people by we do disown these things and say they are old Popish inventions for the Ministers of Christ never limited their spirits to an hour-glasse neither had they a carnal Bell to call people to their worship and as for Revelation we do own that the Spirit of God doth reveal truth to us and God hath revealed Christ in us and none ever shall know God but by Revelation for none knowes the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him And as for free grace we say the grace of God hath appeared to all men and it teacheth the Saints to deny ungodliness but the wicked turns it into wantonness and doth dispite unto the spirit of grace and we also say that who now speakes or are moved to write forth by the Spirit of God they speak and write by the same spirit that is infalliable that the Scriptures was given forth by And as for your maintenance it is altogether abominable and oppression to the Nation and the Lord is against it your taking peoples goods and casting them into prison that will not pay you wages and give you Tythes against their consciences And be not offended at being called vipers and Serpents for these are the works of venemous vipers and stinging Serpents which pesecute the servants of God and cryes to the Magistrates for help against a poor people that useth no weapons against you saving that of the Spirit of God and though we do thus to you to the false Ministers to cry against them and give our witness against them in the name of the Lord yet we do not deny the true Ministers of Christ nor speak any thing against them which are the true Ministers that hath received the ministry of righteousness by the gift of the holy spirit which all that are true Ministers doth receive their ministry thereby And whereas thou sayest we are bitter enemies to the Doctrine of Iustification and agrees with the Cavelierish party and would silence godly Ministers and are Iesuitical and such like things thou falsly chargeth upon us and that we have a notable faculty to delude ignorant unstable souls c. Ans. These are but the Authors reproaches and his slanders he hath filled his mouth with against the innocent And he hath set his tongue on the fire of hell to slander the Just and the innocent and all these things we bear in patience counting reproaches for Christ our chiefest riches and thus to the substance of this Paper I have given answer whereby all that love the Lord and desire to be informed in the truth may receive satisfaction for it is seen that that generation of Priests are joyned with the Prelatical Cavelierish party and this is known at large in the Nation in the North especially and so as I said they would fain slander others that themselves might seem clear but the Lord will rebuke him and his lying tongue and the innocent shall be delivered from his devouring lips and as for any other thing in his Paper it is not worth answering to nor worth minding but his wickednes will turn upon his own head and he shall bear the burthen of his own words only he queries whether this be not the pestilence that walks in darkness And the flouds that the Dragon hath cast out of his mouth to drown the woman is not this the mark of the beast who opened his mouth in blasphemy And are not these the unclean spirits that came out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the false prophet Ans. Now the pestilence that walkes in darkness is the plague that is out of the light sin and death and misery which smites the ungodly and he sees it not And the flood which the Dragon cast out is the flouds of persecution and cruelty viz the imprisoning until death and spoiling peoples goods for tythes and mony as the Priests have done And the Dragon gave power to the beast that compelled all to worship and that carried the Whore the false Church and the true Church hath been fled into the wilderness for many generations and the false Church the Whore hath sate as a Queen and given her cup to drink the false Church of Rome and the false Church of the Protestants all which are of the Whore these have all been carried by the beast which the Dragon gave his power to And they have all persecuted the woman the true Church and the mark of the beast he compelled people to receive and compelled them to worship and they opened their mouths in blasphemy that denies Christ and denies the light and that sayes they are Iewes and are not this is error and blasphemy which the Beast opens his mouth in against the Saints and against them that dwell in heaven and the unclean spirits are the spirits of Devils that are out of the truth and these the Dragon cast out in slanders and reproaches and lies such as this Author hath done and of that generation is he Christ said false prophets should come and Iohn saw in his dayes they were come and he saw the world gone after them and of that generation are you and now the Lord is gathering people from you again and Babylon must fall and all her merchants howl and weep And these things have been which the Scripture speaks of and the woman is now coming out of the wilderness
Satans Designe DEFEATED In a short Answer to a Manuscript sent by a Priest out of Sussex to a Member of this present Parliament full of railing accusations whereby he hath secretly smitten the Innocent by a secret desiring the persecution of the People of God But herein his folly and madnesse doth appear that 〈…〉 he hath accused others falsely himself is found guilty of the same thing With Invitations of Love to the present Authority that â—â—â—y may save themselves from being the executioners of the Priests malice least the Lord destroy them By a Friend to Righteousnesse E.B. LONDON 〈…〉 Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth neer Aldersgate 1659. A Certain Paper being come to my hand which is said to be written by one Priest Iackson and sent to a member of Parliament containing divers particulars charged as errors upon the despised peoplâ— called Quakers wherein he saith he hath set down some of their Tenents which they maintain unto which Manuscript I am moved to write something in answer as to clear the truth from his fowl aspertions which he casts upon it to the intent that the said member of Parliament and the whole house may be the better satisfied and resolved wherein they doubt of every particular that the truth may appear when as the fowl vail of the darknesse and slanders is removed That the Holy Scriptures are not the word of God nor the Saints Rule of Faith and Life neither is it the duty of every one to search them Answ. The Holy Scriptures that were given forth by the Spirit of the Lord as holy men of God were moved they are the words of God and a Declaration and a Treatise Luke 1.1 and that which the Saints had handled and tasted of the word of Life that they declared forth in words and writing Acts 1.1 and the Scriptures as they were given forth by the Spirit of God are a true declaration of what is to be believed and practised in relation to eternal salvation it is a true Testimony concerning God and his mighty works and of truth and righteousnesse and it is a Testimony also of the Devil and what he is and of his deceits and errors and unrighteousnesse so the Scriptures are words given forth by the spirit but Christ is the Word that was before the Scriptures was for in the beginning was the word of God and the World was made by it and the Word shall endure for ever and Christs Name is called the Word of God and though the Scriptures are profitable and were given forth to be read and to be fulfilled yet they are not the rule and guide of faith and life unto the Saints but the Spirit of God that gave forth the Scriptures that is the rule and guide the Teacher and leader into all truth and them that are led by the spirit of God are the Sons of God and if you walk in the spirit saith the Apostle you shall live and as many as walk according to this to wit of the Spirit peace is upon them and so the spirit of God is the rule of the Saints faith and life and the spirit leads them to walk in the fulfilling of the Scriptures and according to them And as for all the Priests in England who doth professe the Scriptures to be their rule out of their own mouths will God judge them who are found walking contrary to the Scriptures in life and doctrine and practises while they cry it up for their rule and condemn all that will not say as they say And the last part of this proposition is utterly false for we never do assert that it is not the duty of every one to search them but we bid every one search the Scriptures and every one ought to search them but yet we say that none understands them but who have the spirit that gave them forth nor none can profit thereby but by the spirit that gave them forth which workes the same truth in the heart which the Scriptures without declares of and this I do affirm they are the words of God and the Spirit of God is the rule of Faith and Life to the Saints and all men ought to search the Scriptures and to believe what is therein written and to receive and enjoy Christ who is the substance and the end of all things the first and last the beginning and ending and in him the Scriptures are fulfilled and finished They do deny the Doctrine of the Trinity and that Christ is God and man in one person Answ. As for the word Trinity it is invented and he hath learn't it out of the Masse-Book or Common Prayer Book but we own the Doctrine of the Gospel of Christ that Christ is God and the Spirit is God and there are three that bear record the Father Son and Spirit and these are one but God and the Spirit are not persons but infinite beings and the Scripture no where in true Translations expresseth God under the name person for person is too carnal to expresse God and Christ and the spirit by but God was in Christ reconciling the World and this we believe and acknowlelge according to the Scriptures but for this word Doctrine of the Trinity the Scriptures knowes no such word but the truth we own and the Gospel and the Scriptures too They hold that Iesus Christ died onely signally or exemplarily and that we are justified by the suffering of Christ in us and to be healed by his stripes is to be stripped of or from sin Answ. Jesus Christ died and rose again and ascended according to the Scriptures this we do believe And Christ was and is the substance the end of all signes and examples yet was he an example to the Saints And the Apostle exhorted to walk as they had Christ for an example and while he was in the World he did and spoke and acted many things as Parables signes and examples the substance of which is to be received in the Saints and known by them through the spirit and we believe Saints are justified by the Christ and through faith in him which was and is is to come who is blessed for ever and none are justified by his death and suffering and blood without them but who witnesseth Christ within them for all are reprobates and to be condemned and cannot be justified that hath not Christ in them as thou mayest read except Christ be in you you are reprobates and all that believe in Christ and receives him they are healed through his sufferings and stripes for he sanctifies them and gives remission of sin and justifies them and in him the Saints are compleat and the new man the regenerate is justified and the old man is in the degeneration and knowes not Christ in him and hath not received him but onely heard of him without him and believes the relation but this faith doth not justifie for all the false Christians upon earth hath this
faith but that faith alone justifies which gives to receive Christ and him to live in us and to dwell in us by that faith They utterly renounce the Doctrine of justification by the imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ or by the obedience he performed or sufferings he sustained or underwent in his own person without us Answer This is partly true and partly a lie we do indeed renounce the profession of justification by the imputation of Christ or his Righteousnesse performed without men by men while they are in the degenerated estate and unconverted and unreconciled and unborn again for by such profession of justification many deceive their souls but yet we say that Righteousnesse is imputed to us and reckoned unto us who believe in Christ and have received him even the obedience and sufferings that he performed without us is ours who have received him within us and witnesseth Christ in us and therefore we are not reprobates yet we do acknowledge he wrought perfect righteousnesse by obedience and suffering without us and that righteousnesse is ours by faith which faith hath received Christ to dwell in us and he and his righteousnesse his obedience and sufferings we enjoy in us in spirit if any can receive it let them for that he wrought Righteousnesse this is acknowledged but who hath a part in this righteousnesse that is disputable They wholly renounce the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation and it is one of the great reasons for which they decry the Ministers because they assert it they say Jacob and Esau are in a man and the good seed is Jacob which God electeth and the bad seed is Esau which he reprobates Answ. The Doctrine of Election and Reprobation we do own according to the Scriptures and therefore hast thou belied us and slandered us and art found reproveable and would incense mens minds against us for advantage to thy self but to some in that house we are better known then thou canst report of us and yet thou sayest we say that Iacob and Esau are in a man and the good seed God electeth and the bad he Reprobates and thou mayest here see thy confusion and thy ignorance uttered in the self same lines for thou sayest we renounce the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation and yet sayest we say the good seed God electeth and the bad seed he reprobateth and this shewes what spirit thou art of and how that the spirit of unrighteousnesse doth possess thee and leads thee to speak without understanding and we further say man being degenerated became reprobated and cast out and all by nature are the children of wrath and the children of wrath are all in the reprobate state and none are elected but who are elected in Christ the seed of David and so in the first Adam all are reprobated and all that are in the second Adam are elected and the Election and Reprobation stands not in the persons but in the seeds and yet the persons are blessed or cursed in the love or in the displeasure of God according as the seed of God or the seed of the Serpent lives and dwels and bears rule in the persons and we do indeed decry and deny you the professed Ministers upon many accounts more then one and we have already and may in time to come shew sufficient reasons against you both in Doctrine and practise and otherwayes that you are not the Ministers of Christ but the Ministers of Satan generally That Iesus Christ as he is the seed of the woman and the seed of Abraham is in every one and that a measure or part of the substance that was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary is in every one Answ. Jesus Christ he is the seed of the woman and the seed of Abraham according to the flesh and after the spirit the Son of the living God and this Christ that was and is and is to come who was dead but is alive and lives for evermore the alone Saviour of the world he hath given a measure of Light and Life unto every man and there is a Light from him that shines in the hearts of all men shining in darknesse the Light shines but the darknesse comprehends it not and this was Iohns Testimony and is our Testimony that Christ enlighteneth every man or all mankind that cometh into the World for in him was life and the Life was the Light of men as the scripture saith and the Apostle Preached the Light that shined in peoples hearts and it was that Light that gave them the Light of the knowledge of the Glory of God but thou hast discovered thy self to be a stumbler at the stumbling-stone and hath taken offence at the light like the Pharisees who professed the scriptures as the Priests of England do but were ignorant of the Life the end of the words and knew not Christ the substance but the stone at which you stumble will break you to pieces and grind you to powder even Christ the Light of the World that lighteth every man that cometh into the World That the soul is a part or measure of God as they speak and not a part of man but uncreated And so is that light which is in every one Ans. The soul is immortal and God is immortal for God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul as saith the Scripture and the soul is related to God for what a man works against God it is against his own soul for all sin is against God and against a mans own soul And God who hath all souls in his hand who is the Creator and gave life into the soul that is immortal and can never die Though death hath passed over it And hath reigned over all from Adam till Moses And Christ is the light of the world that gives life unto the soul And he raiseth up the soul out of death and misery and brings the soul to rejoyce in God its Saviour And Christ is the souls Bishop its Pastor and Feeder and who knowes Christ knowes him that was before the world was made and sees to the beginning and to the ending and his soul rests in God that is over all That the light in the heathens who never heard that Iesus Christ died at Ierusalem is the same for the quality of it with that which is in the most godly person onely there is a difference in the quantitie And men are reconciled to God by following of it This light they say is the sure word of prophesie and that it is sufficient to lead out of all sin unto God An. The Testimony of Iohn is that Christ is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world And if every man then the heathen who hath not the relation of Christs life and his death at Jerusalem yea and it is the same light that is in the heathen the same in nature and kind as it