Spirit which also may be confirmed by the Testimony of the Scriture of Truth As to those which thou sets down as our Tenents I shall answer on the Lords behalf for Truthes sake and for the rest thou may take them home to thy self First concerning the Trinity thou saith they confesse the Father Son and Holy Ghost and yet they deny the Trinity and those to bet hree distinct Persons for confutation of this thou brings Heb. First and third He is the expresse Image of his Fathers Person Thy Trinity is an old Popish term and we love to keep to sound words but by Trinity I suppose thou means three and thy own words shall confute thee thou confesseth we say there is Father Son and Holy Ghost and yet but one God or one Eternal being or substance in which they all subsist but thy word distinct is thy own and not the Spirits yet to distinguish betwixt Father Son and Spirit we deny not and as for the first of Heb it is in another Translation rendred the expresse Image of his substance for Person is too grosse a word as to expresse an Eternal and Divine being in and if thou do hold three distinct substances thou errs in thy Judgement for that were to make three Gods Secondly They deny Christ to be God and man in one Person and Christ to be a distinct Person from the Father and they acknowledge such a Christ as unchrists Christ and when they say Christ manifest in the flesh they mean not as the Scripture but falaciously Answ. We say according to the Scripture of Truth and not according to thy falacy that in the man Christ did the fulness of the Godhead dwell and God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and he saith I and my Father are one and the Father the Son and the Spirit subsist in one Eternal Power Life and Glory which thou with all thy stupid generation are Ignorant of and Christ that we acknowledge is such a Christ as is able to save to the utmost them that come unto him and receive him and believe in him and is such a Christ is as able to raise them that have been dead and such a Christ giveth Eternal life to them that believe And so that Christ that we own doth not un-christ Christ but by your Doctrine who pleads imperfection and the continuation thereof and a continuation in sin for term of life as one of thy own said sin will dwell in the house till the house be pulled down speaking of the natural body which some other of thy own Generation have called the body of sin and so it is you that hold such a Christ as unchrists the true Christ in thy own words and when didst thou enter into our thoughts and into our heart or with what dost thou search that thou sits as Judge over the heart who knowes not judgement in thy self nor of what spirit thou art of and so thy lies and deceit is turned upon thee when we say Christ manifest in the flesh we say that holy thing which was brought forth and born of a Virgin and conceived of the Holy Ghost in whom the fulness of the God-head dwells in whom the Eternal Power of the Father was manifested that he was the Christ which was manifested in the flesh and Justified in the Spirit Preached among the Gentiles seen of Angels and received up into Glory and this is according to Scripture of Truth and thy judgement must be judged Thirdly Concerning the Scripture considered as the rule of Life They deny the Scripture or written word to be the rule of life and they make the Spirit without the Scripture to be their guide they account Chyrch instituted worship and waiting upon God for the Efficacious presâ—nce and operation of the Spirit of Grace in the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament for conversion and edification to be Iâ—â—latry and the Political order of Church Officers and members they affirm to be an Image Answ. Concerning the Scripture we say they are Scriptures of Truth and words of Truth spoken from the Spirit or Truth that which gave them a being is greater then they as he that Creates is greater then they that arâ— Created which is preferred above and before and yet no Deminishing or Detracting from the Creature so the Spirit is greater above and before the words and yet this doth not Deminish neither Derogate from the Scripture these and the like sound words we have spoken to thy deaf Generation yet a spirit of slumber being upon them all they could not hear that which giveth Life and bringeth to Life and preserves in the Life is a rule and a guide to them that are enlivened the Sons of God who were quickned by the Eternal Spirit of their Father of Christ and raised from death to Life this was their rule as it is written as many as are the Sons of God are led by the Spirit of God and we say it is a sufficient rule of it self and thou may as well count the rule of the Sons of God Hetrodox and Heretical and the Apostles position who said as many as are the Sons of God are led by it and Christ promised unto believers the Spirit of Truth to lead them into all Truth and to bring things to their remembrance and to guide them in the path of Righteousness what has Envy and madness eaten all the good out of your hearts Yet the Scripture is not so excluded by us as thou Judgest though we say the Spirit may lead and direct with it or without it yet not contrary to it for the Spirit doth will and may take up what thing it pleaseth to manifest it self and its mind unto the Creature and who art thou and what art thou any thing but an Egyptian who would limit it and tie it to Paper and Ink to words and Syllables sounded and written in diverse Tongues Languages and Caracters they that appointed thee for a Minister never knew Gods Work and we know that there are several Ministrations and several operations yet the same God and the same Spirit who manifested it self and formeth and Ordaineth things according to its Heavenly will to represent its Heavenly mind to the Creature and that which Christ hath Ordained and Instituted to be worshipped in waited in and his presence seen in and the operation of the Spirit of Grace in the work of the Ministry which is for Conversion and Edification is dearly owned by us as that whereby we have found the Lord and his pure presence through this or that thing and without and beyond all Creatures or visible appearances and this is not accounted Idolatry by us as thou falsly saith which God will Judge thee for in the day when he appears to take vengeance upon his Enemies in flames of fire and thou that talkes of trying the Spirit by the Letter knowes no more of God then a Horse but what thou knowes naturally the
Wisdom stands and life Eternal And what is this Hetrodox to profess perfection of degrees in this life is not this Orthodox used not you and do not you generally hold perfection in part or parts and is not that which is perfect in parts perfect in degrees He that feels victory over one sin by Christ the Power of God hath not he some part in that which is perfect and of that which is perfect And if he witness victory over more is he not come to a greater degree or degrees of the life which is perfect And he that knows the blood that cleanseth from all sin is not he perfect and compleat in him who hath made him so But art thou so offended at perfection that thou dost not admit of any part or parts degree or degrees thereof that thou sets this down as a Blasphemy And its time indeed to reprove you sharply who are puffed up in pride and knows nothing who teaches contrary to the perfect life of Christ or any degree or degrees thereof to be attained unto thou art perfect in wickednesse and a perfect Minister of Antichrist and a perfect Heathen and its time to bear Testimony against you and lay you open and your deceit in the sight of the Sun that them that have but the least glimring of the Light may behold you a pitiful Church is that like to be which thou art Pastor of by appointment of the General Court who cryes out against any degree of the perfect life of Christ in this life to be obtained or enjoyed a Minister of sin a Minister of Sathan and unrighteousness that is thy name own it In the ninth page thou art going about to prove thy Trinity as thou calls it and thou saist The Father is a distinct subsistance and the Son a distinct subsistance and the Holy Ghost is a distinct subsistance and thou brings John 5. there is another bears witness likewise speaking of the Holy Ghost he calls him another and this another thou sayes Is Intel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Essence and then saith What is more manifest then another subsistance and another subsistance speaks distinct subsistances and thou saith The Spirit is called the hand of Trinity Answ. Another is not understood of another being of another life or another substance but is understood of another Manifestation or Operation of the same God who subsists in the same Power in which the Father the Son and the Spirit subsisteth as I said unto thee before another as to distinguish of the Operation and Work of the Spirit and of the Son we do not refuse but to make three distinct essences and beings is ignorance and errour as thou saith Another is intelâ—gible of the Essence and so thou hast made three Essences three Subsistances three Persons and three Gods but we say there is but one God and there is three that bears record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one Now as for Subsistance and Essence they are unsound words coyned of your selves from your dark imaginations in which there is no truth at all but to cast a mist Now where the Holy Ghost is called a Person in the Scripture I have never read and where it is called the hand of Trinity I have never heard of before thee and so thy blind ignorant conclusions and Sophistical arguing will have little place with them that are come to know the Teachings with the Spirit and also keep to a form of sound words which thou cannot And thou saith He that sendeth and he that is sent are distinct and so the Father sending the Son and the Son sent of the Father and the Father and the Son sending the Spirit and the Spirit sent by the Father and the Son are distinct subsistances and not the same He that sends and he that is sent may be distinguished but he that sendeth and him that is sent is not so distinct afar off one another but that him that sendeth is with him that is sent and so God was in Christ reconciling the world and then how were they distinct one from the other and by him was all things made and Christ was not so distinct or afar off at a distance when the Heavens and the Earth was made so that it is truly said without him nothing was made that was made and the Spirit of God which may be distinguished in regard of its Operation yet it was not absent or distinct from the Father and the Son in the Creation neither is absent from the Son in the Regeneration or work of Redemption And then in thy Answer to an Objection which thou makest thy self How the Doctrine of life was Communicated vocally by the Patriarchs but it is not so now and in thy Answer thou saith The Scripture is not necessary absolutely but it being Gods Will to Communicate life through the Scripture hence the Scripture is necessary and then thou sayes Not the letter without the mind of the Authour nor the Spirit without the Scripture and that the words in the 17th of John 22. That they may be one as we are one these words give an uncertain sound thou saist and further thou saist Surely they are under a Rule of live who hare not the Spirit since the Canon of the Scripture is closed so far is the Spirit from being a Rule of life that to us it is not the Spirit except it move in the written word Answ. Gross darkness is thy dwelling-place and out of thick darkness all this pitiful confusion cometh the Doctrine of life was Communicated according to the will and mind of God sometime by Dream sometime by Vision sometime by Revelation to the Patriarchs and Believers from Abel till Moses and by Faith they were followers of Christ and doubtless they did Communicate in their Generation those things that were manifest unto them by the Spirit which was the then Rule and Guide to the feet of the upright in the way of Peace before any Scripture was written and if the Scripture be not necessary absolutely thou hast said as much as we say therefore we ' speak of a Rule and a Way which is absolute necessary without which no man can know the Father or the Son nor the way of Peace but by the Spirit of truth which gave forth the Words of truth which may manifest and doth manifest it self as it will when it will where it will and how it will for it is unlimitted and it will not be limitted by its own words as to sound but may speak words which it never spoke before as for instance Paul by the Spirit said The second Adam the Lord from Heaven is a quickning Spirit which none of the Scriptures before written speaks in these very words and if the Spirit be not Spirit without the Letter then where the Letter is wanting the Spirit is wanting and consequently them that have the Scripture have the Spirit which were no less then
ignorance and darkness to say and what Rule are they under who have not the Spirit or no measure of it there is but the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of errour and they that are not ruled by the Spirit of Truth they are ruled by the spirit of errour though they may have the words to fight with and quarrel about without the life But last of all thou hast in plain words set the dead letter before the living Spirit and saith That the Spirit is no Spirit except it speak by the Scripture and if the words of Christ in the 17th of John give an uncertain sound it is but to thy deaf ear and to thy blind understanding for he spoke soundly and certainly and prayed to the Father that as the Father and he was one so they also might be one being guided by the one Spirit of the Father in the Son and that they might live in the Unity of it and have Unity one with another in it and with the Father and the Son In thy 15th page though thou hast set up the Letter for a perfect Rule of life yet here thou throws it down again and saith It is to be understood as including consequences for the greatest part of Scripture is consequences and the Scripture cannot be true without consequences for Thomas and Mary are neither commanded obedience or forbidden disobedience for we no where read thou Thomas or thou Mary are therein commanded obedience or forbidden disobedience such a one by name do this or that Answ. I told thee the Spirit of God is unlimitted and whether it speaks of degrees or measures of a greater or less thing or whether it speaks the greater first and the lesser after whether it speaks from Major to Minor or from Minor to Major or what may truly follow either from the greater to the less or from the less to the greater it is all truth but thy Consequences is no part of this the Spirit still demonstrates its own mind by what words and terms and expressions it pleaseth and will not be limitted or confined to this or that form of words and thou errs grosly neither knowing the Scripture nor the Power of God and thy Consequences are false for there are the individual persons or names of Thomas and Mary both commanded obedience and forbidden disobedience and if thou have never read this in Scripture I inform thee and instruct thee thou may read the 20th of John 16 17. where Jesus saith unto Mary she turned herself and said unto him Rabboni which is to say Master Jesus said unto her Touch me not for I am not yet ascended here is a Prohibition and forbidding that she should not touch him secondly here is a command of obedience But go unto my Brethren and say unto them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God and in the same Chapter thou may read in the 27th where Christ spoke unto Thomas by name after his Resurrection then said he to Thomas reach hither thy finger and behold my hands and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side here was a Command to be obeyed and be not faithless there is a prohibition or a forbidding of unbelief and so thy foolishness is manifest and ignorance of the Scripture some of it thou sayes is an uncertain sound and the Scriptures fore-mentioned thou hast denied or else never hast read it and so art unacquainted with thy Rule which thou quarrels and fights so much about And then thou comes and sayes Thou wilt vindicate some Scriptures and cites 1 John 9. That this was the true light which lighteth every man that comes into the world hence they affirm that there is a light in every man which being followed is an Infallible guide and that this light which lighteth every man is the Rule of life and not the written word thy Answer is The sence of the Text is notoriously false and thy reason is if Christ the true light that lighteth every man be the Rule then righteousnesse should be by the Law for the light which is in every man is not Gospel light but there is a natural light or the light of Nature which is to be construed in opposition to spiritual and the light of Nature and the light of the Spirit are contradistinct and by this light of Nature there is a difference put betwixt that which is good and bad and it will teach us not to lye nor steal and it will lead to the Knowledge of one God and yet it is in opposition to one spirit and it will lead to know Eternity omnipotency and it will lead to know the Creator yet it is contradistinct to the spirit Answ. The Scripture needs none of thy Vindication for thou hast defamed it and sayes Christs words is an uncertain sound and thou hast said that neither Mary nor Thomas was commanded obedience thou may look back of thy lyes and repent of them and why is the sence of the Text utterly false that Christ was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world without exception and why is this utterly false if he be followed that he who is the true light is an Infallible guide and the Rule of life hath he not enlighted every man that comes into the world if thou make exceptions where the Spirit makes none then thou perverts the Scripture doth not he say I am the light of the world the world in the Scriptures account is set in opposition to believers for believers are not of this world but are redeemed out of it as for example God so loved the world that he sent his Son into the world that whosoever did believe in him might not perish but have Everlasting life for it is manifest that the Saints and Believers had life given already that followed Christ and were his sheep and saith Christ I put them forth and go before them and give unto them Eternal life and he said to them who had not Eternal life While you have the light believe in it that you may be the Children of it and is not Christ Gods Righteousness who is given for a Covenant of light to the blind and dead and lame to the dumb to open their eyes to quicken them to make them leap as a Hart and their tongue to sing and utter forth praise we say Righteousness is not by the Law but by Christ that lighteth every man who is the end of the Law and why is not the light which lighteth every man Gospel light seeing it is said Go Preach the Gospel in every Creature under Heaven go learn what that means and if natural light must be construed in opposition to spiritual and the light of Nature contradistinct to the light of the Spirit then it must needs be sinful for that which opposeth spiritual light is set in opposition against its leading must needs be sinful and that which is contra
Jewes had it and they tryed and condemned him for a blasphemer and the Apostles for breakers of the Law and makers of it void and so condemned the Lord of Life and the Spirit by which the Prophets and Apostles was led by even as thou doth with us and I never heard of any Political order of Church Ordinance or officers or Ordinances not of the most dark and sottishest Marchants of Babylon that ever spoke or wrote yet there was sundry gifts given and sundry Institutions in the Primitive times which were signal things of things of a more Heavenly and Celestial nature which was to be made manifest he gave some gifts to be Prophets some Evangelists some Apostles some Pastors some Teachers but these were Ministeriall for the work and service which he had appointed but this was all by one and the same spirit but I never heard of any Political order of Officeâ— or Political Ordinances ordained in the Primitive Churches but it seems you have got such in New England in the Church of Rome so called I have heard of the order of Benedict of Francis and Austin and the like and of several Ordinances instituted by their Mother to perform but I never heard of any such as a Political order of Officers and Ordinances before and this may be called an Image indeed and nothing in the world but deceit and is no Hetrodoxy that ever such a blind fellow as thou should put pen to Paper who hath crept so into the mudd and dirt that grosse Ignorance and darkness is in all thy words But the least of the children of light will see thy Ignorance so that I need not say much Concerning the magistrate they own none are lawful Magistrates who are not of their way their non-acknowledgement of the Magistrate as now established in all Christian States is more then nanifest Answ. If thy Aspersion were full proof no more need be said but the Judicious will not easily believe thee that there is a State of Magistracy is granted by us and that a true Magistrate that Rules well and Rules in the Power of God and is a terror to evil doers and a praise to them that do well and are as nursing Fathers who preserves mens Persons and Estates from devourers as a Father preserves a Child from injury these are Ordained of God and such we are subject unto for the Lords sake and for Conscience sake and to every Ordinance of man which is consistant with the honour of God and a pure Conscience but I believe you have few of them in New England who are rather like Beares and Lyons tearing and rending their Estates and rends and tears their flesh and gnawes it like Evening Wolves that the Prophet speaks of and would thou have this counted as Gods Authority and we tell thee and all the World in singleness of heart and unfeignedness that our way is Christ the way to the Father the Truth and the Life the Power of God and the Wisdom of God and all that Rule not in his Power rule in the Devils power in the Dragons power in the Beasts power who made War with the Lamb and killed the Saints and compelled them to worship and herein they that Rule in the Power of God and for God are manifest and them that rule in the Dragon and Beasts power for they that Rule in the Power of God answereth Gods witness in every man and reaches to that by his Act of Justice in the transgressor and he restraineth the evil doer within and limiteth that and preserves the Creature as much as him lies from harm and his Estate from destruction and also saveth the Innocent meek and harmless from the violence and from beating and fighting and from them that would destroy their Persons and Estates and herein the Magistrate that Rules in the Dragons power and in the Beasts power he is also made manifest he reacheth not Gods witness by his Governing he lests the transgressor live and is not a terrour to evil works and workers but a terrour to them that do well and exercise a pure Conscience towards God and man and may be cannot go into the House of Rimmon neither can bow to Baal nor be subject to that which another may set up in his will and in his pride then he afflicts the body the Creature and mars Gods Workmanship and defaces it and doth violence to the Creature and rends away his outward subsistance and sayes for his Authority It was so ordered at our General Court I must tell thee the false Church the Mother of Harlots has ridden long upon the Scarlet-coloured Beast which has been made drunk with the blood of the Saints whose Garments have been red with Scarlet colour and I know no where in any Christian State so called where he reigns in more power then in New England and you ride upon the Beast which hath risen out of the Sea which is amongst you and the beast carries you your Church on his back bears it up for all your Weapons are but carnal and that which wrestles with flesh and blood which the true Church wrestles not with nor with Creatures but with spiritual wickedness and principalities and powers of darkness in the Creature and threw that down and saved the Creature alive and redeemed it who was in Captivity Oh sottish Children when will you learn Wisdom and when will you hearken to reproof of instruction which is the way to life but remember this the beast shall be taken alive with the false Prophet and them that have wrought Miracles before him and then shall be cast into the Lake of fire They pretend to act from an Infallible light within them and professes perfection in degrees in this life and publish smart invectives against Ministers who teach the contrary Answ. We pretend to nothing but to that which God hath given us through his free mercy which we have a true right unto having received him as the Father hath tendered him to be a light to open our eyes and to be a Leader unto us and all his People and to be Gods Salvation even to the ends of the earth to them that receive him and he is that Infallible light which the Father sent into the world that all men through him might believe and he is the true light that lightneth every man though every man hath not received him the fault is not in the Giver nor in the gift but in them that will not receive and he that is the life of all men hath lighted every man that comes into the world and he is in us our Hope and our Glory the riches of the Gentiles and the riches of all them that do believe he is our Way and our Life and Peace I say all Glory unto him for ever though thou debase him set him thus at naught and for his sake we can bear reproaches and become fools in that we have obtained that in which true
in the operation thereof being in the transgression it convicteth reproveth accuseth and condemneth for evil and therefore it cannot be the light of life to him till it be received closed with obeyed and followed and then the back is turned upon the transgression and man is come out of the darkness and therefore the Apostle spoke well and understandingly according to knowledge that which was ordained for life wrought death in him that was because the Law was against him and he in the contrary nature to it the ignorance of many wise men so accounted in this generation is such that when they see or feel contrary effects they judge there must needs be contrary subjects or objects because there are different effects for now the same light which shewes evil and accuses for it and judges for it there is one operation and excuses him that loves it and obeyes it here is another operation that which convinceth the world of sin of Righteousness of Judgement and that which consolates and gives peace to the believer is the self same spirit so here is not two spirits or two lights so that he which kindles a fire in the Earth and appears in flames of fire and rendreth vengeance upon all them that obey not the Gospel which is the Power of God here is one work or operation of Christ the same bringeth Peace Joy and gladness and refreshment and makes the springs of life to buble up in them that believe here is another operation yet the same Christ these things I write to inform thee and all where this may come that that is truely an appearance of Christ which sheweth sin and condemns it in any measure and he alone is the Judge of the quick and the dead and if all Judgement be committed to the Son then to be Judged for lying for stealing and for wronging any man it is the work of Christ and the work of the Son Oh man thou hast much to repent of and thy ignorance is great which hath called Christ the light or the light of Christ or the light of life darkness and contradistinct to the Spirit and worse then grosse darkness so this is thy conclusion against the first of John and the 9. that Christ hath not enlightned every man or all men that come into the world but all men so qualified of every sort so then by thy conclusion the first of John and the 9. verse gives an uncertain sound like the 17. of John and 22 so then its qualifications of men that procures light from Christ and so it s not of Grace but of debt but if it be of debt which is owing unto a Person so qualified then it is not of gift but thou errs in thy Judgement for it is by the gift of righteousness that Justification comes upon all that believes it is not this or that qualification before their conversion which is any cause of Gods enlightning them but it is the free love of God unto man without exceptions or respect of Persons that he hath lighted every man to the intent that all and every man might see his Error and depart from it and turn to him that shewes him it who would have all men saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth and such is the large love of God unto whole man-kind which thou wouldst restrict and bind up to such and such Persons so qualified as though qualifications of Persons were a Meritorious cause wherefore Christ was bound to give them light this is rank Popery and not according to the Doctrine of godliness And thou citest the 2 Pet. 1. 19. We have a more sure word of prophesie where unto you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawn and the day Star arise in your hearts hence it is inferred thou saith that after the reception of the Spirit there is no need to attend to the Scripture and so thou goes on and sayes the word of prophesie is the Scripture of the Old Testament that thou art to take heed unto untill the day dawned and the day Star arised in their hearts and that untill signifies for ever Asw. And here thou art in confusion I know none that makes any such inference but thy self for the Scripture is seen most clearly who know the day dawn and the day-star arisen in their hearts and first thou sayes we are to understand the Word of Prophecy the whole Scripture and then in the same page saith that Peter expounds the word prophesie of the Old Testament onely so then Peters Exposition by thy account and thine is different thou sayes he spoke of the Old Testament and thy interpretation is of the whole Scripture but thou hast mist it both of Peter and thy self for Peter wrote unto People in that Epistle in several States yet they all might be said to be believers according to a proportion of faith given unto them and in that which thou hast cited 2 Pâ—t. 1. 19. we have also a more sure word of Prophesie Here is to be understood first a sure word Secondly a more sure word for the Apostle in that Chapter speaking of their diligence towards them that did believe and declared unto them that they had not followed devised fables when we made known unto you the Power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but are eye witnesses of his Majesty verse 16. and heard the voice from this excellent glory this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased when we were with him in the Mount this was as sure a word to the Apostles as any that ever the Prophets had spoken before was to them and so the Old Testament could not be more sure then this which they had from the excellent glory but this was not so sure unto them to whom Peter wrote and this was only the Apostles Declaration but the word of prophesie unto which he exhorted them unto was nearer them then any of the Prophets words or the Apostles Testimony of what they had heard in the Mount the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophesie to wit that which bears witness against sin and to righteousness from this the Prophets spoke and this was that publike thing or Spirit and they that speak not from it speak from a private spirit of their own and this word of Prophesie or that wherein they could see or foresee things to come they were to take heed unto as unto a light which shined in a dark place and this was the more sure word which he directed to which in all thy Book thou quarels against and through this they saw the appearance and knew the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in Power and great Glory and did see the day dawn and the day Star arise in their hearts and they were to attend to this not onely before but also after for by the Word of his Testimony the Saints did overcome and
calls a Political Church which must all be scattered with the breath of his mouth and with the brightness of his coming whom thou yet Judges to be gross darkness In thy 18th page in the 44th page thou speaks That visible Political Church Church-Officers and Church-Ordinances are Gospel Institutions appointed by Christ to continue to the end of the world and that Command which Paul gave to Timothy is to be kept and that visible Political Church Estate is to continue to the end of the world Answ. I see thou art ignorant of God Christ Heaven Church Church-Officers Ordinances and Institutions the Churches of Christ were established by and in the Power of God and the Ministers thereof ministred walked and ruled in the Power of God and the Ordinances and Institutions of the true Church of God are pure and spiritual but the Church that thou art pleading for the continuation thereof is a Political Church Political Ordinances Political Officers Political Institutions Political Pastors and Teachers the Lords Supper a Political Ordinance Baptism a Political Ordinance the spiritual Councel which Paul gave to Timothy about the Elders of the Church and about the Holy Practise which they were to walk in and the godly conversation this thou calls Political nay furthermore thou saist Heaven stands in Policy and in thy fourth Chap. saith To Christ belongs the prerogative of being the onely Politician these and the like damnable doctrines and heresies thou hast uttered forth and these must be proved from the first of Tim. 3. 1â— and Chap. 3. did Paul when he wrote to Timothy when he gave him direction about Elders and such as took care of the Church of God did he say a Bishop is a Political Officer and must be blameless or did he say a Deacon is a Polical Officer and must be grave And therefore Reader thou may read these Scriptures 1 Tim. 6. 14. 1 Cor. 14. 33. and thou maist see this Sophister and this man that is void of understanding who cryeth up the Scripture for a Rule of life and yet holds such a Church such Pastors such Officers such Ordinances such Institutions which the Scripture makes no mention of and therefore this man having made a Monstrous body a Politick Church he imagines a head like it and therefore blasphemously saith Christ is the greatest Politician much I need not say unto this black dark stuff which is to be confounded which is imaginary and deceit which the wrath of God must scatter but this I say to thee there was no Officers in the Church of Christ but they were Ministers made so by the Spirit and were made so by the Holy Ghost and were Ministers of the Spirit and not of the Letter and some were Elders and Ruled in the Church and Churches which was sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Christ Jesus and these were spiritual and not Political but thou hast cleared and quitted your selves from being any such Church and that which you call the Sacrament which thou calls visible and Political and brings 1 Cor. 12. for thy proof did Paul say as often as ye eat this Political bread and drink this visible Political Cup you shew forth the Lords death till he come and did Christ when he sent forth his Disciples to preach and to Baptize in the 28th of Matth. 19. which thou pleads must continue until the end of the world did he send them and say go and Teach and Preach the visible Politick Word of the kingdom and Baptize them with visible Political water and that this should continue to the end of the world And little marvel if the Throne of Sathan be exalted among you and such Ministers as thou who Ministers deceit and unrighteousness and ungodliness art set to be a Teacher and appointed so by the General Court who cannot speak a form of sound words but like a Phylosopher a Star-gaâ—er an Astrologian or a Stage-player which them that reads thy book will see thy tract frothed with such black dark sentences which are like Enchantments As for Beckold and Knipperdolling and Quintinius and Poquius thou might have taken up thy Pen ere now and not have brought all this rambling stuff out of the History of the Germans which thou wouldst cast upon our backs the Bishops used to cast it upon your backs and you upon the Baptists backs but now we must bear all and â—â—ou in envy unto us that thereby thou might represent us odious to the world hath made them all Quakers and saith they are our Predecessours take them to thy self and joyn them to your Political Church and your Political Ordinances and your Politick Doctrines which is of the same nature with theirs which you maintain and uphold with carnal weapons as they did theirs And last of all thou art coming to the Magistrates power in matters of Religion under the Gospel and thou saith Notwithstanding manifold evils prevails and the wiles of the Devil are great and malignant and heresie which is a horrid aspect yet thou saith There is Balm in Gilead and a Physician there and the Balm and the Physician is that thou saith God hath armed the Magistrate with Civil power for the defence of Religion through the Concurrences of Devine Benediction and the Magiâ—trate is to vindicate the truth of God and also exercise his Power for curing the Offenders and for his proof he brings 1 Tim. 1. 2â— of whom is Hymenius and Alexander whom I have delivered up unto Sathan Ans It seems your Gospel that you preach hath not power in it to prevail against Heresie neither your weapons are able to prevail which are but carnal and so the Power to suppress Heresie and Convince Gain-sayers is wholly without you and though you Censure and Excommunicate and deliver up to Sathan as you say yet you being in Sathans power that which is against you hath Power over you and therefore you are fain to cry up the Beasts power which alwayes made War with the Saints under the name of Hereticks and you say that in exercising of his Power is but defensive I say yes it is offensive and distructive to the Government of Christ and his Prerogative unto whom all Power belongs both in Heaven and Earth and the Government lies upon his shoulders who is a wonderful Councellor of whose Government there is no end and he is able to defend his Church and further more to take away thy objection is willing and furthermore hath promised to keep his Church that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it and therefore thou who would have the civil Magistrate to intrude into those things which belongs not to him would have them Usurpers and Traytors unto Christ the Prince of Peace and the King of his People and head of the Church his body unto whom absolute Power and Soveraignity belongeth and Glory which he will not give to another And as for all the proofs which thou brings of